Back on November 9th, I was given the most amazing opportunity and now I am super excited to share it with you all! I got an exclusive interview with Jeff Kinney, the author and illustrator behind the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series! It was so much fun!
THE INTERVIEW
FT: How old were you when you began to write stories?
JK: I started “writing cartoon scripts as a freshman in college”, but couldn’t get them published so I decided to “try writing like a 7th grader at the age of 28.” Thus the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series began!
FT: What has been your inspiration when writing the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series of books? Was it childhood experience, or thoughts of the children today?
JK: My inspiration is “a lot of childhood DNA, observational humor and drawing on memories as a child” I am constantly “finding the humor in ordinary life experiences”
FT: How long does it take you to write a book? What do you do in your spare time when you’re not writing?
JK: It takes quite a bit of time to write a new book. I always working 2 jobs – poptropica.com (kids site), working on books nights and weekends on top of merchandise, games, movies, etc. There is not a lot of down time, but when I have time I spend it with my kids riding bikes in the cul-de-sac for hours. {huge smile on his face}
FT: Are you planning or currently working on any new books in the near future? If so, can you give my readers an idea of what your young readers are in for without giving it away?
JK: The Ugly Truth (#5) explains if the kids are going to grow up. There are also two new characters in #5 “great grandma Gammy” and “uncle Gary”
FT: With the release of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Movie released a short time ago, are there any plans for #2 in the works? If so, is there any time frame on when that will be released?
JK: YES!!!! We just wrapped up shooting the movie. It is slated for release on March 25, 2011 as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules. {Jeff will star as Holly Hills father “Mr. Hills” look for him!}
The World release of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth will always be a memory that my kiddos will have with them for the rest of time! They had a life-size Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cheese Touch game, Mashed Potato Toss, and they even had Zachary Gordon (Greg Heffley) and Robert Capron (Rowley) from the movies on the book tour which was a complete surprise!
THE GIVEAWAY
Giveaway will begin today and end on December 7th. An email will be sent to the winner notifying them of their winnings here @ Frugally Thrifty. Winner will receive one Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cheese Touch Board Game.
Entries:
- Tell me your child’s favorite Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book
- Tell me what your favorite part of the Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: The Movie scene is (ours is the end when Greg & Rowley pass the cheese touch onto Patty without her even knowing it!)
- Sign up for my feeds in a reader or email (please make sure you confirm your subscription or your entry will not count)
- “Like” of Frugally Thrifty Facebook
- Follow Frugally Thrifty on Twitter (tweet: I just entered to win a @DiaryWimpyKid Cheese Touch Game @frugallythrifty holiday giveaway blitz)
- Add the Frugally Thrifty Holiday Giveaway Blitz button to your page – see side bar for code
There are many different ways to enter and the best part is that you can enter as many times as you like. All I ask is that you please leave each entry as a separate comment (link included, if applicable). Open to US residents.
I was given this opportunity from Pressman Toys. I received the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cheese Touch board game, information, service, or gift card listed above, but my opinion on the product or service listed above is completely honest. No other compensation was given or received.
