The Questionnaire

"Would you like another piece of cake? Why yes, thank you, I would."

What are you doing these days?
Promoting my first three picture books--The Quiet Book, A Balloon for Isabel, and Granny Gomez & Jigsaw. Working on a chapter book and a new picture book. Preparing to sing in some choral concerts that have a lot of new music. And trying to excavate my apartment.

What turns you on creatively?
Quiet. Space. Things outside my areas of expertise. Beveled glass. Plainchant. Disneyland. Kids’ crazy, uninhibited ideas.

If you were a mind-reader whose mind would you like to read?
My dad’s.

If you could travel in time, which era would you visit?
I’d go to Jane Austen’s time and flirt at a few English country dances. Then I’d go back farther and see what the whole Jesus thing was really about.

What is your favorite sound?
A cat purring.

What is the album or song that influences you the most?
“Analyse” by The Cranberries. A friend recommended it, knowing my tendency to overthink everything.

Who would you like to collaborate with? And why?
Nick Park. John Cleese. Pixar. Joan Baez. Bill Moyers. Any really good screenwriter. The Anonymous Four. Because I want to learn and get better.

What drives you crazy?
Cruelty to animals (including humans). Bad customer service. Products that are impossible to open without a hacksaw. The census department sending several postcards telling me to be sure to fill out the census. Apostrophes used as word decorations.

What makes you laugh?
My boyfriend. Fawlty Towers. I Love Lucy.

If you had 3 wishes what would they be?
1) A world of vegan humans. 2) Good health and good healthcare for everyone. 3) Two more wishes. 4) Material security. 5) Peace.

What is the craziest thing you ever did?
Moved to San Francisco and became a street singer after college (in retrospect, actually not a bad use of my Philosophy/Music degree).

What makes you feel embarrassed?
The fact that I spent 13 years doing a job that I didn’t care about. And the fact that I don’t really know a foreign language.

What are your favorite web-sites (not including the ones that you are participate in)?
Farm Sanctuary, San Francisco Public Library, kiva.org, Google maps.

What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
Put on a pirate hat and sang “If You’re a Pirate And You Know It, Clap Your Hands” to a bunch of kindergardeners, accompanying myself very badly on the ukulele.

How would you make the world a better place?
I’ve kind of given up on grownups. I hope that the children’s books I write will get kids interested in reading and help them become smart, compassionate adults. And if anything I say or do makes life better for animals, that would be the coolest thing in the world.

What is your biggest weakness?
Chocolate and self-doubt.

Where will you be in 10 years?
Ideally, I’ll be happier, wiser, more balanced, less influenced by outside opinion, and more financially secure.

Write a question that you’d like to ask yourself and answer it.
Q: Would you like another piece of cake?
A: Why yes, thank you, I would.

Who would you like to see answer this Questionnaire?
Laurie Anderson

Associations
Love -- Family
Death -- Afterlife
God -- Yes
TV -- Sedative
Family -- Acceptance
Politics -- Mess
Internet -- Timesink
Happiness -- Animals
Music -- Way too much to learn in the next five days
Deborah Underwood -- Work-in-progress

Deborah Underwood is a children’s book author. She recently wrote The Quiet Book, A Balloon for Isabel, and Granny Gomez & Jigsaw.

illustrated by Renata Liwska

illustrated by Laura Rankin

illustrated by Scott Magoon

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