Eudora Space Kid
By David Horn
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An Interview with David Horn
Glass of Wine, Glass of Milk: I understand that Eudora originated in stories at your dinner table. Could you tell us a little bit more about how she came to be?
David Horn: One day at dinner, my kids asked me to tell them a story. I don't know why. They love books and reading, but it's not like I had told them stories before. But I have read a bazillion science fiction books, so I just started telling them a story about a girl their age living on this crazy spaceship with alien parents. They loved it and laughed a lot. I have told them many Eudora stories since that first one, and my goal was always to get them laughing so much that milk comes out of their noses. My girls loved Eudora so much. Coincidentally (or not), my wife and I were always struggling to find the next book series for our kids to read, especially in the chapter book world. So my wife suggested I should turn Eudora into a chapter book series. We would have loved finding a series like Eudora for our daughters. The Great Engine Room Takeover was the first story I told them that very first night at dinner!
GWGM: Eudora certainly has a knack for getting herself into trouble. Do you have any memorable childhood escapades you'd like to share?
Horn: Ha, good question! I was always too scared of getting into trouble. I'm reliving my childhood vicariously through Eudora!
GWGM: Eudora warns readers to avoid Cafeteria 2 several times. Are there any cafeteria hijinks in your own life? Do spill...
Horn: Ha, another good question! I always imagined Cafeteria 2 like an adult bar, pool hall, or even a wild high school cafeteria. Pool tables, dart boards, loud music, arguments... I used to go to a pool hall with friends during my high school years sometimes. But the worst thing my friends and I ever did was put bad music on the jukebox. Some people did want to fight us for that, though! I imagine that happens on the Athena too.
GWGM: As a fan of the early Star Trek series, which I grew up watching with my dad, I couldn't help but draw parallels between Eudora's Republic and the Federation. My 6YO son is interested in the world of Star Trek but is a bit too young to appreciate the shows. Before Eudora – which is right on his level, I might add – I hadn't come across many science-fiction options for young readers. Would you say that this book is a deliberate effort to expand a small genre, or an echo of your own family's interests, or a bit of both...?
Horn: It's more of an echo of my interests. I love reading and watching science fiction. I love everything about it how it opens your mind to possibilities. It challenges you to see things differently and takes you to a different world. But I also fell in love with children's books, especially chapter books, while having to read a gazillion (that's more than a bazillion) of them to my daughters. There is just something about the fun and simplicity in chapter books that I love. Being able to see and explore the world through a kid character's eyes is really fun. So under pressure of having to tell a story, I just combined the two genres! But I'm so glad to add something to both the science fiction and children's book worlds!
GWGM: As readers anticipate Eudora's forthcoming adventures, are there any other adventures you recommend in the meantime?
Horn: If you are looking for funny science fiction, my kids laughed a lot while reading the CatStronauts series by Drew Brockington. I also love the series Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper. It might not be science fiction, but I thought they were really funny and had well-meaning main characters.
GWGM: So many author bios are short and dry, but yours is "written" by your dog, Trixie. What a fun twist! Does Trixie have much literary experience, and can readers expect more from her?
Horn: Trixie would be so happy to hear you say that! She is currently working on her memoirs right now. It's a ten-volume set about all the squirrels she has chased (and not caught) in her life. For real, though, I'd love to have her add something again in the next book. I'm sure she'll have even more to say about Dada. But Talitha Shipman's illustration and design really brought that page to life! Like I said in the book, anything funny in the pictures was really and truly her idea!
GWGM: On the topic of pets, would you want a dragon? Would your daughters? Why is that?
Horn: I would take any pet that I can successfully train to potty outside the house! I've heard that it is possible to train a dragon, so probably! But after experiencing Trixie bolting after squirrels during our dog walks, I think I would definitely go for one of those new miniature dragon-doodles. They seem more manageable on dragon walks.
GWGM: What genres do you enjoy reading? How do your reading preferences inform your writing?
Horn: As I said, I love reading science fiction books and some historical fiction. I also love funny books, but I can't seem to find enough of them. So I mainly like science fiction. But I also loved reading books to my children, so I really got into their children's books too. I think I have read most of The Babysitters Club series! And all my reading just prepares me for what I think works and doesn't work for me in books. I start my writing by thinking about what I would enjoy reading to my kids. And I like sci-fi and humor!
GWGM: Can you name an all-time favorite book, or does it change regularly?
Horn: There are a lot of them! Curiously (maybe), I think the most fun and exciting book I have ever read is a Star Trek: The Next Generation young adult novel called Capture the Flag by John Vornholt. I thought that book was so well done. That could be my favorite ever. My kids loved it too. But in terms of classic sci-fi, the Isaac Asimov Foundation series is amazing. And I love Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series because it's like Indiana Jones in space. I think Alex Benedict is probably the series I look forward to the most.
GWGM: Considering this blog's tilt toward children's literature, can you share any picture books that impacted you as a child? Are there any particularly memorable authors who shaped you as a young reader?
Horn: Oh wow – I still have all my Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men books from when I was a kid. My kids read my original old versions too. And I still look outside my window sometimes to see if I can spot Mr. Mischief running away… I loved that those pictures were so simple and yet so fun (they were like just circles with eyes, even I could draw them). And the characters and emotions were simple and relatable too. I still love them. I have to say that my children and I loved this one picture book so much – Who's on First illustrated by John Martz. I can't tell you how much we laughed while reading that one together and acting out the parts of the classic baseball comedy act. It had a big impact on our family.
GWGM: And finally, this is an unprecedented time we are living through. How has the coronavirus impacted your writing?
David Horn: One day at dinner, my kids asked me to tell them a story. I don't know why. They love books and reading, but it's not like I had told them stories before. But I have read a bazillion science fiction books, so I just started telling them a story about a girl their age living on this crazy spaceship with alien parents. They loved it and laughed a lot. I have told them many Eudora stories since that first one, and my goal was always to get them laughing so much that milk comes out of their noses. My girls loved Eudora so much. Coincidentally (or not), my wife and I were always struggling to find the next book series for our kids to read, especially in the chapter book world. So my wife suggested I should turn Eudora into a chapter book series. We would have loved finding a series like Eudora for our daughters. The Great Engine Room Takeover was the first story I told them that very first night at dinner!
GWGM: Eudora certainly has a knack for getting herself into trouble. Do you have any memorable childhood escapades you'd like to share?
Horn: Ha, good question! I was always too scared of getting into trouble. I'm reliving my childhood vicariously through Eudora!
GWGM: Eudora warns readers to avoid Cafeteria 2 several times. Are there any cafeteria hijinks in your own life? Do spill...
Horn: Ha, another good question! I always imagined Cafeteria 2 like an adult bar, pool hall, or even a wild high school cafeteria. Pool tables, dart boards, loud music, arguments... I used to go to a pool hall with friends during my high school years sometimes. But the worst thing my friends and I ever did was put bad music on the jukebox. Some people did want to fight us for that, though! I imagine that happens on the Athena too.
GWGM: As a fan of the early Star Trek series, which I grew up watching with my dad, I couldn't help but draw parallels between Eudora's Republic and the Federation. My 6YO son is interested in the world of Star Trek but is a bit too young to appreciate the shows. Before Eudora – which is right on his level, I might add – I hadn't come across many science-fiction options for young readers. Would you say that this book is a deliberate effort to expand a small genre, or an echo of your own family's interests, or a bit of both...?
Horn: It's more of an echo of my interests. I love reading and watching science fiction. I love everything about it how it opens your mind to possibilities. It challenges you to see things differently and takes you to a different world. But I also fell in love with children's books, especially chapter books, while having to read a gazillion (that's more than a bazillion) of them to my daughters. There is just something about the fun and simplicity in chapter books that I love. Being able to see and explore the world through a kid character's eyes is really fun. So under pressure of having to tell a story, I just combined the two genres! But I'm so glad to add something to both the science fiction and children's book worlds!
GWGM: As readers anticipate Eudora's forthcoming adventures, are there any other adventures you recommend in the meantime?
Horn: If you are looking for funny science fiction, my kids laughed a lot while reading the CatStronauts series by Drew Brockington. I also love the series Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper. It might not be science fiction, but I thought they were really funny and had well-meaning main characters.
GWGM: So many author bios are short and dry, but yours is "written" by your dog, Trixie. What a fun twist! Does Trixie have much literary experience, and can readers expect more from her?
Horn: Trixie would be so happy to hear you say that! She is currently working on her memoirs right now. It's a ten-volume set about all the squirrels she has chased (and not caught) in her life. For real, though, I'd love to have her add something again in the next book. I'm sure she'll have even more to say about Dada. But Talitha Shipman's illustration and design really brought that page to life! Like I said in the book, anything funny in the pictures was really and truly her idea!
GWGM: On the topic of pets, would you want a dragon? Would your daughters? Why is that?
Horn: I would take any pet that I can successfully train to potty outside the house! I've heard that it is possible to train a dragon, so probably! But after experiencing Trixie bolting after squirrels during our dog walks, I think I would definitely go for one of those new miniature dragon-doodles. They seem more manageable on dragon walks.
GWGM: What genres do you enjoy reading? How do your reading preferences inform your writing?
Horn: As I said, I love reading science fiction books and some historical fiction. I also love funny books, but I can't seem to find enough of them. So I mainly like science fiction. But I also loved reading books to my children, so I really got into their children's books too. I think I have read most of The Babysitters Club series! And all my reading just prepares me for what I think works and doesn't work for me in books. I start my writing by thinking about what I would enjoy reading to my kids. And I like sci-fi and humor!
GWGM: Can you name an all-time favorite book, or does it change regularly?
Horn: There are a lot of them! Curiously (maybe), I think the most fun and exciting book I have ever read is a Star Trek: The Next Generation young adult novel called Capture the Flag by John Vornholt. I thought that book was so well done. That could be my favorite ever. My kids loved it too. But in terms of classic sci-fi, the Isaac Asimov Foundation series is amazing. And I love Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series because it's like Indiana Jones in space. I think Alex Benedict is probably the series I look forward to the most.
GWGM: Considering this blog's tilt toward children's literature, can you share any picture books that impacted you as a child? Are there any particularly memorable authors who shaped you as a young reader?
Horn: Oh wow – I still have all my Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men books from when I was a kid. My kids read my original old versions too. And I still look outside my window sometimes to see if I can spot Mr. Mischief running away… I loved that those pictures were so simple and yet so fun (they were like just circles with eyes, even I could draw them). And the characters and emotions were simple and relatable too. I still love them. I have to say that my children and I loved this one picture book so much – Who's on First illustrated by John Martz. I can't tell you how much we laughed while reading that one together and acting out the parts of the classic baseball comedy act. It had a big impact on our family.
GWGM: And finally, this is an unprecedented time we are living through. How has the coronavirus impacted your writing?
Horn: Great question – I think I just have in the back of my mind constantly how hard these times have been for kids. So when I write, I try hard to bring some joy and laughter to them. And maybe science fiction can help them escape to a really different world for a little bit. There is no coronavirus on the AstroLiner Athena. Poisonous space bugs, yes, but no coronavirus.
Note: Per FTC guidelines, I disclose partnership with The Children’s Book Review and David Horn.
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