Post by Quigley Quagmire on Aug 23, 2007 14:39:29 GMT -5
This is a interview I found at the unofficial Lemony Snicket FAQ:
Mssrs. Handler and Snicket,
I would first of all like to thank you in advance for whatever answers you feel you can provide in this interview. I realize some of the questions you won't be able to answer, and I fully expect to get more RAFO (Read And Find Out)'s then any real answers, and that's alright with me.
Should you choose to answer any of the questions, be forewarned: I was planning to post this entire interview, uncensored, onto my website, in order to provide something interesting for your legions of fans, as well as possibly drum up some publicity (free publicity) for your next book, which we are all eagerly awaiting, I promise you. Should you reveal any information to me that you don't want the general public to know, let me know, and I will keep that information out of the interview.
1. Where and When did the story of the Baudelaire's first pop into your head? Was there any sort of inspiration, or did you just think, "Hey, what about a series of books that have three kids, and something really bad happens to them?"
Well, I was looking through some books when I realized that they all had happy endings and I thought something where the characters have a really hard life would be good for a change.
2. Why, exactly IS Mr. Poe so naive? I mean, why doesn't he recognize Count Olaf for who he is when he sees him?
If Mr. Poe were to realize that Count Olaf was Count Olaf then it would all add up to a pretty dull and boring book
3. Is there any particular person you have in mind when you are writing your books?
Not really.
4. Will we learn the full back story of Beatrice, and what happened to her?
You will eventually, but not for some time
5. For that matter, will we learn the full back story of everything that went down between Beatrice, and Lemony, and VFD?
I haven't really decided yet. I thought maybe I could just give clues to the readers so that they could figure it out for themselves.
6. Will we ever get to see Lemony Snicket's face?
Read and Find out
7. In the Editor's letter for The Hostile Hospital, there is a bit of a confusing segment which reads "(torn up section)...of Chabo, The Wolf Baby, and Madame Lulu... (Torn up section)" My question is, is Chabo the Wolf Baby? or are they two separate entities?
Don't worry. You will find out in time
8. Are you surprised by the amount of success that the series has had in the literary market?
What can I say? I was absolutely amazed. I thought I might sell a few but the amount that I did sell was, well I didn't expect the amount that I got.
9. Is there any possibility of that web site administrator, what's his name... Mike Cuellar... of him auditioning for the role of Count Olaf in the upcoming movie?
There is a chance for anyone as long as they try their hardest
10. Is there any kind of connection between VFD and libraries?
I would like to leave that one read and find out.
11. What is the "Sugar Bowl Secret"?
ditto
12. How accurate is the Lemony Snicket FAQ?
Which one? there are quite a few.
13. Who are your favorite writers? (not nessecarily people you would advise to others, just you favorite in general)
I do quite like Stephen King but that is a personal choice.
14. Will we see the Quagmires again?
Without answering fully, yes
15. Can you give us some of the highlights... excuse me... lowlights of Book 9?
Read and find out
16. Would you be so kind as to take us step by step through the thought process that lead to the creation of the Lemony Snicket pseudonym?
See number one
17. How did the Hook-Handed Man lose his hands originally?
I haven't really decided yet. But I might make something up.
18. Why is Count Olaf so obsessed with Eyes? Why is his Tower room all filled with them?
My initial thought was that his company would be obsessed totaly with eyes but then, After I had written the first book, thought that maybe only the one on the ankle would be appropriate
19. The Big Person Who Looks Like Neither A Man Nor A Woman- is this person a man or a woman?
Haha, nice question, I haven't really decided yet I might write a book tying up all the loose ends like that one and question 17.
20. How do you think your series stands up to other famous Childrens' series, like The Oz Series? or Harry Potter? Or Narnia?
I don't think I'm there yet but I'm hoping to get there
21. Do you listen to any type of music while you are writing? If so, what type of music do you listen to?
I like classical music but I don't listen to it whilst writing
22. Is there any truth to the general rumor that Beatrice is, in fact, the Baudelaire's mother?
some truth but not total truth
23. Is there any particular reason why Hector's hot air mobile home is called the Deus Ex Machina?
Think, where have you heard that name before?
24. Who was the Baudelaire's father?
Read and Find Out
25. At the end of the VFD Building Committee meeting (The VFD Social, I call it), what was the object that O pulled out and showed to everyone? Any truth to the rumor that it was a match?
I was thinking something like a match or a lighter.
26. On pg 200 of the Unauthorized Autobiography, there is a picture of a man (presumably Mr. Snicket) leaning down and looking at something on the ground. The caption reads "I arrived too late- they'd already removed it." Removed what?
Look at the top picture of that page. Does that picture remind you of a funeral?
27. How come, in all those pictures at the end of LSUA, that truck appears in so many of them?
To carry a coffin
28. In the same set of pictures, there are two pictures of two separate ruins, both with the same caption: "...could not possibly have been at the same time." What could not possibly have been at the same time?
read and find out
29. Is there any truth to the idea that those captions to those pictures refer to phrases that have been used at some other point in the book?
to be short and sweet, yes
30. For all that, what does the header to the thirteenth chapter read? It's written very illegibly...
It's just a scribble
31. The "Opening Lines" on page 177 of LSUA... were they really the original lines that you considered using, or did you make them up for the book?
I made them up for the book
32. Will we get to read the full version of "The Littlest Elf?" by Monty Kensicle?
Do you really want to?
33. Do you have a set number of pages or words that your write per day, or do you just go into the "Writing Zone" and not come out until you feel ready to finish for the day?
The "the writing zone" theory.
34. Why did Al Funcoot have someone, whose signature we can't read, chop down all the telephone poles on Rarely Ridden Road? And Who was that someone?
Saying one word: thunderstorm
35. What does VFD stand for?
Read and Find Out
36. Who is in VFD?
Read and Find out.
Alright, I think that about covers it. Thank you again for the time you've spent answering these questions, and I hope to receive the answers soon.
With all due respect,
-Mike Cuellar
-Site Maintainer of the Lemony Snicket FAQ
The World is Quiet Here
Quigley Quagmire.
Mssrs. Handler and Snicket,
I would first of all like to thank you in advance for whatever answers you feel you can provide in this interview. I realize some of the questions you won't be able to answer, and I fully expect to get more RAFO (Read And Find Out)'s then any real answers, and that's alright with me.
Should you choose to answer any of the questions, be forewarned: I was planning to post this entire interview, uncensored, onto my website, in order to provide something interesting for your legions of fans, as well as possibly drum up some publicity (free publicity) for your next book, which we are all eagerly awaiting, I promise you. Should you reveal any information to me that you don't want the general public to know, let me know, and I will keep that information out of the interview.
1. Where and When did the story of the Baudelaire's first pop into your head? Was there any sort of inspiration, or did you just think, "Hey, what about a series of books that have three kids, and something really bad happens to them?"
Well, I was looking through some books when I realized that they all had happy endings and I thought something where the characters have a really hard life would be good for a change.
2. Why, exactly IS Mr. Poe so naive? I mean, why doesn't he recognize Count Olaf for who he is when he sees him?
If Mr. Poe were to realize that Count Olaf was Count Olaf then it would all add up to a pretty dull and boring book
3. Is there any particular person you have in mind when you are writing your books?
Not really.
4. Will we learn the full back story of Beatrice, and what happened to her?
You will eventually, but not for some time
5. For that matter, will we learn the full back story of everything that went down between Beatrice, and Lemony, and VFD?
I haven't really decided yet. I thought maybe I could just give clues to the readers so that they could figure it out for themselves.
6. Will we ever get to see Lemony Snicket's face?
Read and Find out
7. In the Editor's letter for The Hostile Hospital, there is a bit of a confusing segment which reads "(torn up section)...of Chabo, The Wolf Baby, and Madame Lulu... (Torn up section)" My question is, is Chabo the Wolf Baby? or are they two separate entities?
Don't worry. You will find out in time
8. Are you surprised by the amount of success that the series has had in the literary market?
What can I say? I was absolutely amazed. I thought I might sell a few but the amount that I did sell was, well I didn't expect the amount that I got.
9. Is there any possibility of that web site administrator, what's his name... Mike Cuellar... of him auditioning for the role of Count Olaf in the upcoming movie?
There is a chance for anyone as long as they try their hardest
10. Is there any kind of connection between VFD and libraries?
I would like to leave that one read and find out.
11. What is the "Sugar Bowl Secret"?
ditto
12. How accurate is the Lemony Snicket FAQ?
Which one? there are quite a few.
13. Who are your favorite writers? (not nessecarily people you would advise to others, just you favorite in general)
I do quite like Stephen King but that is a personal choice.
14. Will we see the Quagmires again?
Without answering fully, yes
15. Can you give us some of the highlights... excuse me... lowlights of Book 9?
Read and find out
16. Would you be so kind as to take us step by step through the thought process that lead to the creation of the Lemony Snicket pseudonym?
See number one
17. How did the Hook-Handed Man lose his hands originally?
I haven't really decided yet. But I might make something up.
18. Why is Count Olaf so obsessed with Eyes? Why is his Tower room all filled with them?
My initial thought was that his company would be obsessed totaly with eyes but then, After I had written the first book, thought that maybe only the one on the ankle would be appropriate
19. The Big Person Who Looks Like Neither A Man Nor A Woman- is this person a man or a woman?
Haha, nice question, I haven't really decided yet I might write a book tying up all the loose ends like that one and question 17.
20. How do you think your series stands up to other famous Childrens' series, like The Oz Series? or Harry Potter? Or Narnia?
I don't think I'm there yet but I'm hoping to get there
21. Do you listen to any type of music while you are writing? If so, what type of music do you listen to?
I like classical music but I don't listen to it whilst writing
22. Is there any truth to the general rumor that Beatrice is, in fact, the Baudelaire's mother?
some truth but not total truth
23. Is there any particular reason why Hector's hot air mobile home is called the Deus Ex Machina?
Think, where have you heard that name before?
24. Who was the Baudelaire's father?
Read and Find Out
25. At the end of the VFD Building Committee meeting (The VFD Social, I call it), what was the object that O pulled out and showed to everyone? Any truth to the rumor that it was a match?
I was thinking something like a match or a lighter.
26. On pg 200 of the Unauthorized Autobiography, there is a picture of a man (presumably Mr. Snicket) leaning down and looking at something on the ground. The caption reads "I arrived too late- they'd already removed it." Removed what?
Look at the top picture of that page. Does that picture remind you of a funeral?
27. How come, in all those pictures at the end of LSUA, that truck appears in so many of them?
To carry a coffin
28. In the same set of pictures, there are two pictures of two separate ruins, both with the same caption: "...could not possibly have been at the same time." What could not possibly have been at the same time?
read and find out
29. Is there any truth to the idea that those captions to those pictures refer to phrases that have been used at some other point in the book?
to be short and sweet, yes
30. For all that, what does the header to the thirteenth chapter read? It's written very illegibly...
It's just a scribble
31. The "Opening Lines" on page 177 of LSUA... were they really the original lines that you considered using, or did you make them up for the book?
I made them up for the book
32. Will we get to read the full version of "The Littlest Elf?" by Monty Kensicle?
Do you really want to?
33. Do you have a set number of pages or words that your write per day, or do you just go into the "Writing Zone" and not come out until you feel ready to finish for the day?
The "the writing zone" theory.
34. Why did Al Funcoot have someone, whose signature we can't read, chop down all the telephone poles on Rarely Ridden Road? And Who was that someone?
Saying one word: thunderstorm
35. What does VFD stand for?
Read and Find Out
36. Who is in VFD?
Read and Find out.
Alright, I think that about covers it. Thank you again for the time you've spent answering these questions, and I hope to receive the answers soon.
With all due respect,
-Mike Cuellar
-Site Maintainer of the Lemony Snicket FAQ
The World is Quiet Here
Quigley Quagmire.