Q&A with Katy Kelly
Katy Kelly, the author of two popular children’s series based in Washington, D.C., “Lucy Rose” and “Melonhead,” grew up on Capitol Hill. As the daughter of two journalists, she knew what would be involved in pursuing a career as a reporter and writer. She has worked as journalist for People, USA Today, and U.S. News & World Report. Her latest book is “Melonhead and the Vegalicious Disaster.”
What are the best books you’ve read recently?
Is it cheating if it’s a re-read? I’m on a P.G. Wodehouse kick. I wish I’d written the line, “I remained motionless, like a ventriliquist’s dummy whose ventriloquist has gone off to the local and left it sitting.” (“Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves,” Chapter 14)
What was your favorite book as a child?
At age four, I was a regular at the Northeast Library on Capitol Hill. I borrowed “Blueberries for Sal” 26 times in a row. At 10, I was mad for “Homer Price.” (I’m embarrassed to confess that Homer was my first crush.) It wasn’t until I had my own daughters, Emily and Marguerite, that I noticed that both books were written by Robert McCloskey. I think McCloskey would have liked that. We’d all prefer our characters be the names that children remember.
Why do you enjoy attending book festivals, either as a presenter or audience member?
Being a presenter has great moments. I am truly thrilled when parents tell me that one of my books turned their children into readers and when children tell me that they like reading my books better than playing video games. (In author world 2013, our competition is not each other.) I love meeting Melonheads. (Kids self-identify.) And I love the questions. Recently a second grader asked me, “What kind of writing do you like best?” “Do you mean fiction or non-fiction?” I asked. “No,” he said. “I mean cursive or fonts.”
I love being an audience member as much as presenting. Authors, by and large, are entertaining people.
Have you been to the D.C. area before? If so, what is your favorite thing about it?
I’m homegrown. I was raised in the District in the house in which my father was born. When he was a kid, the address was B Street. By the time I was born, the street name had been changed to Constitution Ave. Part of the reason I set my books on Capitol Hill is because I want kids to know that the Hill is more than a collection of public buildings. It’s a great neighborhood where kids run around and, when they misbehave, neighbors call their parents. I remember getting home 10 minutes after writing my name in newly poured sidewalk cement to find my mom waiting for me on the porch. I had to write an apology letter to the neighbor whose house faced the sidewalk. My dad fixed it the next Saturday. Luckily, from my point of view, his skim coat cracked off soon after. Last I checked my name was still there.
What is the most difficult, or challenging, aspect of being a writer?
Someone once said that writing is what we do between procrastinating. They were right. Most of us are great procrastinators. Except Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. She is an eight-hour-a-day writer. I live in awe of her.
