Posts Tagged cartoonist

Interview with Film Nerds author Sofia Warren

By on October 8, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews   /   Leave a comment

I’m excited to interview Sofia Warren, the author and illustrator of the graphic novel Film Nerds, which just came out September 29. She is also a cartoonist for The New Yorker. Welcome, Sofia!

About the Book

To start, can you give us a short summary of Film Nerds?

Film Nerds is about two best friends who make movies together. There’s nothing Ami and Ivy love more than getting together and making their epic sci-fi. . . that is, until the stressors of middle school start creeping into their project. Ami is having a hard time at school, but is trying to hide this fact from Ivy: what if Ivy sees her differently, and doesn’t want to be friends anymore? Ami’s convinced that if she can just show the movie to her classmates, things will get better, but Ivy doesn’t agree. What will Ami do? Will their collaboration survive? And more importantly: will their friendship?

Who would especially enjoy this book?

Film Nerds is for creative kids— which is to say, all kids! It deals with themes of friendship, belonging, creativity, and overcoming hardship. Fans of Raina Telgemeier, Terri Libenson, and Kayla Miller will enjoy spending time with Ami and Ivy.

 

About the Author

What was your connection to cartoons and graphic novels growing up? What were some of your favorites?

I loved comics! I mostly read comic strips and syndicated cartoons, like Calvin and Hobbes, Zits, The Far Side, and For Better or For Worse. I also loved Asterix and Tintin. I didn’t really read graphic novels until after college, but once I discovered them in the library, I totally devoured them.

How did you become a cartoonist for The New Yorker? (To see some of her cartoons, check out her Instagram page).

New Yorker cartoonists (myself included) just pitch our work to the editor, and she either takes it or she doesn’t. I started submitting cartoons almost a decade ago after a friend explained the process to me, and I’ve been sending work in regularly ever since.

Tell us about the film you created as a tween: As the Moon Orbits.

I loved making movies! My two major projects were Mary-Kate and Ashley and the Sorcerer’s Scone, (a feature-length satire of Harry Potter) and As The Moon Orbits, a soap opera in which every character was played by either my friend Christen or myself. They may not be Oscar-worthy, but I learned so much and as a shy, awkward kid, I’m so grateful for the experience: making movies made me feel confident and energized. I wish I could show you a clip of these masterpieces, but sadly the soap was on a hard drive that got damaged, and I don’t want to share clips of the others without the consent of the other players.

Do you make films anymore? Have you dived into the world of animation?

I miss making movies, but I haven’t done so in a while— my main creative outlet is comics now. I did go to film school for college, and spent my first few years as an adult working on film sets (both professionally and with friends). I also worked in animation for a number of years, and still animate on occasion!

What was most relatable to me was the uncontrollable blushing—and it getting worse the more you try to stop it. Is this from personal experience? What else did you draw on to write Film Nerds?

Definitely! I was a big blusher. This book is certainly fiction, but much of it is pulled from my own experience: like Ami, making movies with my friends was my favorite thing to do, and like Ami, I was worried that I’d lose my best friend if she discovered my low standing in the popularity hierarchy. The events in the book aren’t real, but the feelings very much are.

What is something from your childhood that you snuck into the book?

I love the movie Waterworld, because it’s one of the few movies we had on VHS when I was a kid. I managed to sneak a reference to it into a fantasy sequence, and I’m very happy about that.

 

Graphic Novels

With graphic novels, it can be difficult to get the page turns to work. How did you plan the storyline with panels? What challenges did you face?

I wrote all of Film Nerds as a script first, which was broken down by panel and page. Because I’ve been making comics for a while, I had a pretty good sense of how much I could visually fit on each page before it started to feel rushed or dense. That said, I left room in the process to draw out a rough draft, and I did move things around at that stage: for instance, sometimes a particular story beat needed more space for emphasis. I drew things out in spreads, rather than pages, because I find that gives me a better overall picture of the pacing of the book.

Was it difficult to go from creating single-panel cartoons to writing a middle-grade graphic novel?

A lot of what I learned by making single-panel cartoons translates into longer-form work: drawing in a simplified style, and composing panels with an emphasis on clarity, humor, and efficient storytelling, for instance. That said, they’re very different processes. I wouldn’t say it was difficult to go from one to the other, because I’ve always worked in longer-form work alongside the cartoons, but it does require a different kind of approach with a lot more planning and less spontaneity.

I liked the use of the film strip Rovers of Time and Space and how it parallels what’s happening in the story. You ended up having to write a story within a story! Was this hard to do?

Thank you! I had a lot of fun writing the girls’ movie within the story. I wanted the stories to feel related without mapping exactly one-to-one, so I did make a chart with the big story beats to make sure they were lining up the way I wanted. Once I settled on the overall conceit of their sci-fi, I found it pretty organic to write the story for it.

 

For Teachers

Are you doing school visits related to this book?

I have a few visits planned, and would love to do more! I have different presentations and workshops planned for different age groups, which show art from the book talk about the process of making it. I’ll also be doing some comics workshops oriented for middle schoolers.

How can we learn more about you?

Thanks for asking! I’m online at sofiawarren.com and @sofiawarrenart on Instagram.

Thanks for your time, Sofia!

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Author Spotlight: Stephan Pastis

By on October 6, 2023   /   Author Interviews  

You’re in for an extra-special treat, Mixed-Up friends! Today, Stephan Pastis, the author/illustrator of the wildly popular and critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling Timmy Failure series—which was lauded by Kirkus as: “Wittier than the Wimpy Kid”—as well as the creator of the syndicated comic strip Pearls Before Swine, is here to chat about his latest illustrated MG novel, Looking Up. It’s out from Aladdin/S&S on October 10. (Spoiler alert: It’s AMAZING!!!) For a never-before-seen sneak peek at Stephan’s illustrations, read on…

Summary of Looking Up

Living alone with her mother in a poorer part of town, Saint—a girl drawn to medieval knights, lost causes, and the protection of birthday piñatas—sees the neighborhood she has always known and loved disappearing around her: old homes being torn down and replaced by fancy condos and coffee shops. But when her favorite creaky old toy store is demolished, she knows she must act.

Enlisting the help of Daniel “Chance” McGibbons, a quiet, round-faced boy who lives across the street (and whose house also faces the wrecking ball), Saint hatches a plan to save what is left of her beloved hometown.

Interview with Stephan Pastis

MR: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Stephan. So happy to have you here!

SP: Thank you for inviting me! And for all the kind words!

MR: First and foremost, I gobbled up your novel faster than a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream—and that’s saying a lot. I absolutely LOVED it. Can you tell us what inspired you to write this story?

SP: Well thank you! I wanted to write a Don Quixote-type story, but instead of with a man fighting giants, mine would be about a little girl futilely fighting against the redevelopment of her neighborhood. Also, I had never done a middle-grade novel with a little girl as the main character, so I liked that challenge.

The Saint Comes Marching In

MR: Saint, the big-hearted, piñata-rescuing 11-year-old protagonist is, hands down, one of the most lovable and unconventional characters I’ve encountered in middle-grade fiction. How did you capture the essence of this wonderfully quirky character, and lay it out for readers on the page?

SP: Hahah thank you! I think I had just read Catcher in the Rye before writing it, and I loved Holden’s voice, how he talked directly to the reader, so there’s a little bit of that influence in there — maybe mixed in with the slightly delusional perspective of Don Quixote. I like characters who are overwhelmed by their surroundings and ill-equipped to deal with change.

Word Up!

MR: A discussion of Saint wouldn’t be complete without a mention of her impressive vocabulary. Saint uses such words as: “mendacity,” “depravity,” “sanctity,” “pilfered,” “germane,” “critical juncture,” “legal ramifications.” This is a bold move, considering it’s common wisdom for middle-grade writers to employ vocabulary that most of their audience is familiar with. Your thoughts?

SP: I think I did that with Timmy Failure too. Maybe it’s just the appeal of words like that coming out of a little kid’s mouth. The incongruity of their age and the maturity of the words makes me laugh. I think I pilfered “mendacity” from the Burl Ives character in a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He shouts it over and over.

The Truth About Turtles

MR: As a follow-up, can you tell me about Saint’s love for her pet turtle and “life partner,” Dr. Rutherford B. Hayes? There’s a ton of fascinating material to unpack here…

SP: Well, she doesn’t really have an active adult in her life. So I needed someone who could be the voice of reason, and give Saint perspective and wisdom. Of course, he’s also a blowhard, not to mention curmudgeonly, so he’s not the best at that. Plus, I liked the metaphor of the turtle—someone who retreats from the world into their own shell. 

Promises, Promises

MR: Let’s move on to Saint’s relationship with her mother. You set up the story with Saint’s declaration that: “My mother breaks all her promises.” How does this affect Saint’s life overall, and what does this say about promises—and promise breaking?

SP: Yeah, that’s a complicated relationship. I think Saint needs a lot more than she’s getting from her mom, especially at the point of her life she’s in. And since she’s not getting what she needs, she’s lashing out. I don’t know if Saint’s mom breaks any more promises than the average mom; I think Saint’s just at a breaking point and can’t take any more disappointment.

Only the Lonely

MR: Loneliness is another prominent theme in your book. Both Saint and her across-the-street neighbor, Daniel, suffer acutely from loneliness. Without sharing any spoilers, can you tell us how Saint’s loneliness manifests itself in her life? What about Daniel’s?

SP: Well, without an active parent in her day-to-day life, she copes by making friends with turtles and piñatas (which she rescues from kids’ birthday parties), and by living mostly in her imagination. I think her imagination is her coping mechanism. Daniel’s as well.

Invasion of the Latte Sippers

MR: Looking Up also explores the issue of neighborhood gentrification; specifically, when one group of residents feels intruded upon by a new, unfamiliar population. What were you aiming to say about gentrification, and displacement in general?

SP: Well, you see a lot of it in the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods of New Orleans, where I spend a lot of time. And when it happens, the neighborhoods slowly lose what’s unique about them—namely, long-time residents who really are what give the city its personality.

The Juggler

MR: In addition to being an author of illustrated middle-grade novels—including the über-popular Timmy Failure series—you are the creator of the syndicated comic strip Pearls Before Swine, which appears in over 800 newspapers. You’ve also cowritten the Disney+ movie Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. How do you juggle everything without dropping the ball? I can barely walk and chew gum!

SP: Thank you! Well, I work pretty much seven days a week, but because I love it, it never feels like work (or very rarely). That’s the real key—loving what you do. It’s cliché, but true. I had a truly stressful job as a lawyer for 10 years, so this never feels like work compared to that.

Timmy Failure: The Movie

MR: Speaking of the Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made movie, how much time did you spend on the set? And, maybe more important: Did you get to meet Wallace Shawn? 🙂 Also, is there a Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made sequel in the works? Rumor has it that you’ve been working on the script.

SP: I was on set every day for the entire four months of pre-production and filming, half in Vancouver and half in Portland. 

And yes, I did meet Wallace Shawn! I talked to Wally whenever I could. I wrote the script for the sequel, but I’m not sure if it will get made. Would be great if it did, though.

Stephan’s Writing Routine

MR: What does your writing/illustrating routine look like? Do you have any particular rituals?

SP: Crazy ritual.  I turn off all the lights (I just have the light of the computer screen), light incense, and play really loud music.

MR: What are you working on now, Stephan? Enquiring Mixed-Up Files readers want to know.

SP: A book of all my travel adventures. I travel a lot and have been to a lot of unique places. [For more on how travel opens our eyes as writers and readers, check out this article from the MUF archives.]

Lightning Round!

MR: And finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Those little pretzels stuffed with peanut butter.

Coffee or tea? Coffee for sure. I wouldn’t trust anyone who said tea.

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? Yea.

Superpower? To shut out all distractions when I write. 

Favorite comic strip (besides Pearls Before Swine)? The Far Side.

Favorite place on earth? New Orleans, Louisiana.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be? A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The Joshua Tree by U2. Tacos.

 

MR: Thank you for chatting with us, Stephan. It was an absolute pleasure, and I’m sure MUF readers will agree!

SP: Thank you!

All About Stephan

Stephan Pastis is the creator of the syndicated comic strip Pearls Before Swine, which appears in over 800 newspapers. He is also the creator of the Timmy Failure Book series and the cowriter of the Disney+ movie Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. He lives in Northern California with his wife and two kids. Learn more about Stephan on his website and follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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GHOSTED ~ An Interview with Cartoonist and Author Michael Fry

By on February 19, 2021   /   Author Interviews  

Welcome to my interview with cartoonist and author Michael Fry! He’s the successful cartoonist of the internationally syndicated comic strip OVER THE HEDGE. His website is full colorful imagery and loads of humor – two of the wonderful elements you’ll find in GHOSTED, his new heavily illustrated middle grade novel. The book beams with Michael’s amazing artwork. It’s absolutely delightful! In the words of Publishers Weekly, GHOSTED “balances a serious premise with a gleefully manic energy” and how “Fry’s black-and-white linework—vibrant and just a little over-the-top—adds hilarity.”

I’ve seen the book, and couldn’t agree more!

GHOSTED: The Book

From the best-selling author of the How to Be a Supervillain series comes this laugh-out-loud, heavily illustrated story of a shy boy, his best-friend-turned-ghost, and their bucket list of adventures and dares. Perfect for fans of the Timmy Failure and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Larry’s got a few problems. In school, he’s one of those kids who easily gets lost in the crowd. And Grimm, Larry’s best friend in the whole world, has ghosted him. Literally. One minute Grimm was saving a cat in a tree during a lightning storm, and the next, he’s pulling pranks on Larry in his new ghostly form.

When the two best friends realize that there’s something keeping Grimm tethered to their world, they decide that finishing their Totally To-Do bucket list is the perfect way to help Grimm with his unfinished business. Pulling hilarious pranks and shenanigans may be easier with a ghostly best friend, but as Larry and Grimm brave the scares of seventh grade, they realize that saying goodbye might just be the scariest part of middle school.

For more: HMH Books

The Interview

We are very excited for your visit and super excited to hear more about GHOSTED. Please share with our readers what sparked the idea to write this story?

Ghosted is a work-for-hire. HMH came to me with the basic idea: Larry, his dead/ghost friend Grimm and the Totally To-Do List and I filled in the rest.

What about your two main characters, Larry and Grimm? Tell us about them.

Larry and Grimm are opposites. Larry is shy and introverted. Grimm is loud and outgoing. Grimm pushes Larry to be more than he is. Larry pushes Grimm, eventually, to realize WHO he is. Also, Larry is alive and Grimm is dead.  So, there’s that.

Grimm’s realization gives me shivers. I love how these two play against each other, yet for each other. 💖

The subject of death is always in the background throughout the story. Share how you showed the internal growth of this unique friendship and how the character’s faced the inevitable.

I tried to write Ghosted as realistically as possible. I tried to imagine what it would be like, in the real world, to have a best friend come back as a ghost. On the one hand, it’s very cool. On the other, it’s very sad. Grimm exists, but he can’t touch anything. Nothing can touch him. He’s present, but he’s not really there. It’s an exaggerated version of losing any loved one. You feel their presence, yet they’re gone. At points in the story Larry wonders if what he’s experiencing is real. He wants Grimm to be there, but I don’t think he’s ever really sure if he is.

The way you worded this is so touching. I’m sure many young readers, as well as their parents, will ponder the truths of this tale. What was your favorite part of writing GHOSTED and why?

I liked writing the therapy stuff. I’ve had a lot of therapy and it gave me a chance write from experience. The bit where Larry cries when Dr Hank (as an adult) expresses sympathy is very personal. As a kid, you don’t always expect adults to be so sensitive. When they are, it can be overwhelming.

Is there anything about the story that surprised you while working on this book?

I was worried about mixing comedy and pathos. It’s hard to do well. Too much of one and not enough of the other is a danger. But I think it worked out. It’s silly and sad.

For our readers who might be interested in adding illustrations to their writing or those simply just curious, what differences do you find in being a cartoonist from telling a story as an author/illustrator?

Room to write!  I’ve been a syndicated cartoonist for over 35 years and comic strips have gotten smaller and smaller. I’m of the age now where I can barely read my own strip in the papers.  I really love stretching out with a novel. There’s plenty of room to wander around.

What are your processes for both?

I write the story in Word and leave blue boxes with notes for the art. Later I rough out the art as I rewrite. Writing is rewriting. My books go through dozens of drafts.

Insight🔮

Give us one aspect of publishing that most readers aren’t aware an author/a book goes through before release.

Not so much on Ghosted, but there can be a lot of back and forth worrying about taking offense. On a previous book of mine I had a kid super-hero character whose superpower was reading minds. The problem was he’s dyslexic. I thought it was a really clever joke. My editor worried that kids (mostly parents) would think I was making fun of kids with dyslexia. I argued that was certainly not my intention and I think my intention matters. I eventually won out. But, the truth is, whenever I would read that passage to kids on author visits it only got a laugh from the adults in the room (teachers, librarians). Not the kids. It’s really an adult joke. So, maybe my editor was right.

What written middle grade novel (or any novel, really) would you like to see told in illustrations or graphic novel format?

Huckleberry Finn. It’s my favorite work of American literature. I bet it would make a terrific graphic novel.

Fantastic choice! It would be wonderful to read Finn’s tale in the setting of a graphic novel. Hint, hint . . . Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for sharing GHOSTED with us! It’s been a pleasure.

Mixed-Up Readers – have a young reader who loves illustrated books or graphic novels? Check out this STEM illustrated book featured HERE.

🗒️The Cartoonist & Author✏️

Michael Fry is the best selling author of the Jimmy Patterson Presents How to Be a Supervillain series. A cartoonist for over thirty years, Michael is the co creator and writer of the Over the Hedge comic strip which was turned into a DreamWorks film starring Bruce Willis and William Shatner. He lives near Austin, TX.

WEBSITE | TWITTER

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