David Lubar

BIO

David Lubar grew up in New Jersey and now lives next door in Pennsylvania. Armed with a degree in philosophy from Rutgers University and no marketable job skills, he spent several years as a starving writer before accidentally discovering that he knew how to program computers. He is now a full-time writer and the author of eleven books for teens and young readers, including DUNK, FLIP, and WIZARDS OF THE GAME. David Lubar lives with his wife; they have one highly intelligent daughter and three idiosyncratic cats.

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INTERVIEW

August 2005

Teenreads.com contributing writer Carlie Webber interviewed David Lubar, author of SLEEPING FRESHMEN NEVER LIE. Lubar explains how the title of his new novel was chosen, describes his freshman year in high school (which in some ways parallels the experiences of his main character, Scott Hudson), and offers helpful --- and humorous --- advice to young people who would like to be writers.

Teenreads.com: SLEEPING FRESHMEN NEVER LIE is an unusual title. How did you choose it?

David Lubar: When I started the first draft, my working title was "Guy Stuff." My editor didn't like that. We tossed around a lot of ideas, and finally settled on "Flux Sux," which is a line from the book. Eventually, we decided that the title might cost us some sales. We played around with all sorts of titles involving freshmen and sleep, such as "Freshmen Never Sleep" and "Sleeping Freshmen and Other Oxymorons." During one discussion, my editor blurted out "Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie." I liked that idea a lot, and I love the cover that the title inspired.

TRC: What were you like as a freshman in high school?

DL: You would have avoided me. I talked non-stop, made bad jokes, weighed too much, stunk at sports, and liked the wrong kind of music. Only one thing saved me from total social isolation. I was so good at math that the cute girls let me help them with their homework.

TRC: You write both realistic fiction and science fiction. Which do you like writing more? (Come on, admit it. You're in it for the mutant zombies.)

DL: That's like asking whether I prefer carbs or fat. I need huge quantities of both. I don't make much of a distinction between genres. HIDDEN TALENTS, though classified as science fiction, is often grouped with realistic fiction on reading lists. The speculative element is crucial to that book, but the story is firmly rooted in a real world. For me, the key issue is whether a story is rich in ideas and alive with wonder. That's one reason I'm so happy that Tor publishes my short story collections. (A new one, INVASION OF THE ROAD WEENIES, comes out September 1st.) Those give me freedom to get as weird or strange or dark as I want. And I'll gladly admit to enjoying the comic potential of all sorts of zombies.

TRC: You infuse humor into all your books. What do you find humorous? What's your sense of humor like?

DL: I find nearly everything humorous, much to the dismay of those around me. Life is so weird, you either have to laugh or cry. I like wordplay and humor you have to think about, but I also like stuff that isn't subtle at all.

TRC: What career were you pursuing before you became a writer?

DL: Writing was my first career, straight out of college --- though "career" might not be the right word for something that initially brought in less money than collecting discarded deposit bottles at the side of the road. I did start to sell short stories and some articles, then took a job on a magazine. A couple years later, I got sidetracked by the video-game industry.

TRC: What is your favorite book and why?

DL: ENDER'S GAME is just amazing. It is wonderfully written, and based on a stunning concept. It doesn't contain any humor, but that's okay --- I really don't need the competition.

TRC: One of your previous novels, DUNK, was optioned for a movie. Can you tell us anything about how that's going?

DL: I have no news on that at the moment. The producer, Hannah Hempstead, has been having discussions with an established script writer. If she can get him interested, that will help move things along. I have some interest brewing in another of my books, but it's too soon to mention anything.

TRC: Tell us what we can expect from one of your school visits.

DL: Right now, you can expect a lot of people looking out the window, staring at the clock, and saying, "Where is he?" I'm cutting out school visits for a while so I can write more books. But when I do go to a school, my program centers on how to get ideas. I avoid all that autobiographical stuff.

TRC: What are you working on now?

DL: I'm working on a sequel to HIDDEN TALENTS. I've been working on it for far too long, but I think I'm finally in the home stretch.

TRC: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

DL: Read a lot. Read all sorts of stuff --- cereal boxes, plays, poetry, greeting cards, instruction manuals, junk mail. Pay attention to what you read. If you don't like something, figure out what is wrong with it. If you like something, go back and figure out how the author pulled off the magic of capturing your attention. Fall in love with words. Write frequently. Find someone who can give you good feedback. And marry into wealth.

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