M. D. Payne on His Newest Book Pumpkin Apocalypse
Karen Reeder: Matt, when I saw the cover and title of Pumpkin Apocalypse on the list of interview opportunities I was like, ‘yes! That ridiculousness is just what I need in my and my kids’ life! (And I hope you take ridiculous as the compliment it is intended) I really enjoyed reading Pumpkin Apocalypse and look forward to sharing it with my kids! Thank you for a chance to chat about this fun story!
M.D. Payne: Yes, of course, it’s such a pleasure to chat with you, and I totally appreciate the “ridiculous” comment. That’s totally what I was going for, so I’m happy to know it landed!
Pumpkin Apocalypse
KR: We all know that kids have limited attention spans. If you ran into me on vacation and we were in an elevator to the lobby with us and our kids, how would your kids pitch your book to my kids?
MDP: My 7-year-old would say, “It’s a book about evil pumpkins trying to take over the world!!” My 14-year-old would say, “My dad’s a weirdo.” They’re both right in their own way.
KR: Can you tell us what inspired Pumpkin Apocalypse?
MDP: Every year, we bring millions of pumpkins into our homes, or onto our porches, and it made me laugh to think, “What if they were all evil!?” Like, if they wanted to take over the world, they’ve got a pretty big reach! Not to mention, I can’t think of anything more boring than a vegetable sitting in your house, so spicing up the idea of what they’re capable of is fun.
KR: Ha! A Vegetable sitting in your house! I never thought of it like that. You certainly made pumpkins all more fun! And maybe a little disconcerting.
Is any of the book based on personal experience?
MDP: Yes, I’ve been possessed by pumpkins!!! Wait, just kidding. (But if anyone has, please reach out and let me know…). Ahem. I mean, the story was based on a number of childhood experiences that I pieced together to make this completely fictional story seem real. Scenes like the kids talking over lunch in the lunchroom brought me back to my school lunchrooms (Rio Vista Elementary in San Bernardino, California; Stephensen Middle School in Mountain Home, Idaho), and a lot of the teachers and students were inspired by real people (in middle school, I actually had a Principal Prouty and Mr. Stewart was my science teacher). Molly is based on my daughter (the aforementioned 14-year-old), and my Grandfather’s voice was literally in my head when I wrote the character of Gramps.
M. D. Payne Middle Grade Author
KR: Love it! What about with you? What character from PA was childhood you most like? And can you share an example of how you were like that character?
MDP: I think I was most like Adam in childhood: the smart kid who was content reading a book. Though I’m a lot like Molly in that I’m such a people person (even though I wrote the character based on my daughter).
KR: PA feels like something that kids will just eat up! How do you channel your inner child when writing for kids?
MDP: There’s a certain freedom found in writing for kids — you get to bend the rules a little bit and be…what’s the word…oh, yeah, a little more “ridiculous,” and I love that. When I write, I think back to my days in elementary school and middle school, and what seemed to matter back then, and how it really all came down to having fun with your friends: life just wasn’t as serious, though emotions seemed so much bigger! So letting the emotions be bigger, but letting the fun and friendships feel bigger, too…
KR: One of the main characters is constantly battling a childhood fear. Are you willing to share a childhood fear of your own and if it affected you in anyway growing up?
MDP: I was terrified of bees and wasps when I was a kid. When I was four, a friend dared me to poke a wasp nest with a stick. I did…and was suddenly covered in wasps. I was stung more than a dozen times before my dad hosed them all off of me, and hosed the wasp nest. From that point on, any flying insect that buzzed near me FREAKED ME OUT. I had zero control over my reaction, I’d just jump and scream and flail. When I was a teen, I bent my dad’s car key because I slammed into his arm when a bee buzzed me while he was unlocking the door. To a certain extent, I still am terrified of bees and wasps, I’ve just learned how to control it better. But it’s a shock into my hardwiring that I’ll always live with. (Hmmm…could Bee Apocalypse be a sequel!?!)
KR: Yes! We definitely need a Bee Apocalypse book from you!
Your family is on a road trip in your family RV, you have a closet filled with something that represents something about your family, it is also what you are going to have to use to fight off possessed pumpkins. What are those objects?
MDP: I married into an Italian family, so our RV’s closet would be a pantry chock-full of homemade jarred tomato sauce, herbs, pasta, Italian Bread, probably fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. I’m not sure how we’d use all of that to fight off possessed pumpkins, unless they have a natural aversion to meatballs or Sunday sauce. Though we could send my mother-in-law out and she’d cook them into something delicious!
KR: Oh, I can’t wait to try what she cooks up! Can we expect more from you with Adam and Molly and their town? Anything else that you have in the works that we can look forward to?
MDP: I’m currently working on another book with these characters, and it’s been fun to revisit Little Pine! I can’t say much about the book yet, except that pumpkins are no longer involved, but a super-creepy haunted house is. But this is not your regular haunted house…(insert evil laughter).
Lightning Round
KR: What is the best part about fall?
MDP: The crisp air!
KR: Your writing snack?
MDP: Anything that won’t make my fingers messy while I type. Popcorn is a go-to.
KR: Favorite vacation spot?
MDP: A lakeside cabin.
KR: Best reading spot?
MDP: My bed.
KR: Favorite holiday?
MDP: If you can’t guess by now…
KR: Hobby when not writing?
MDP: Hiking or drumming
KR: Something you dressed up as for Halloween as a child?
MDP: A vampire. Like 1,000 times. But my James Madison costume in 4th Grade might be the most unique.
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