Interview with Mark Leiknes, author of Quest Kids

 Welcome, Mark! Short and sweet: give us the elevator pitch for Quest Kids.

 

Thank you for having me on Smack Dab in the Middle! It’s an honor!

 

Quest Kids focuses on a group of children living in the middle ages who dabble in the quest-for-hire business. Only they’re not all that successful at it, because folks are reluctant to employ a bunch of eleven-year-olds to handle their sensitive questing needs. Sure, the Quest Kids have attempted a few quests but they can’t quite seem to complete a single one. However, they are sure that this will all change once they obtain a giant golden-fleeced track jacket to pair with a fiery dragon’s golden lounging pants. This will appease said dragon and keep him from burning down an entire mountain village. Okay, I think I could have said all that in one elevator ride, and without having to hold the “door close” button for too long :)

 

I’m always fascinated by author / illustrators. Tell us a bit about your background, and how you came to write for kids.

 

I’ve always loved drawing and my ultimate goal was to draw comics for a living. I ended up authoring the syndicated comic strip Cow & Boy for a few years. But it was hard to maintain a foothold on a shrinking newspaper comics page. And, sadly, kids just weren’t reading comics in the papers anymore. What they were reading, though, were comics in the form of graphic novels and books like Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so that’s where my focus went. As much as I loved doing a four panel comic strip every day, I found crafting an entire book to be so much more fulfilling.

 

How does a story come together for you? Visually first? Do you brainstorm in sketches or words?

 

Stories mostly unfold as I write. I will get ideas from a dream, or while driving, or just living my daily life. I will jot those ideas down and doodle a little bit in my sketchbook. These ideas become my jumping off point. Then I just sort of let the characters take over and they tell me where the story should go. I don’t really outline or have too strong of a notion where it all should end up. I like to surprise myself and discover things along the way. I figure if I don’t see it coming, then hopefully the reader will be taken off guard as well.

   

The illustrations in this book don’t just highlight something from the text–they actually drive the action. The book includes what I'd call comic book sections with action or dialogue panels. How do you balance the  two elements? Or do they flow naturally?

 

A few things can determine when an illustration is needed. My rule is: If a character is speaking, then that can only happen in an illustration. If there’s action, I try to always show that as a visual or likely as a series of comic panels. If an illustration backs up or undercuts the prose in a humorous way, I will do my best to make it happen. As a general rule, I try to work in some bit of imagery on every page.

 

I’m also a sucker for a good tale with humor–boulders that sweat, death nuggets, recently dragon-roasted highly skilled knights. I imagine this book was a blast to put together. But I do know how hard comedic writing can be! Was this a blast, or was it hard work?

 

It’s probably more difficult for me to write in a dramatic tone. I think my voice has always skewed towards humor; that feels the most natural to me. I was sort of the “funny one” of our friend group. That being said, authoring a book is an incredible amount of work. I feel like it’s in a constant state of revision until the publisher pries it from my hands and tells me we have to print. I do love the process, though, and I feel very much like I was built to write these particular books.

 

We rarely get to talk to illustrators: What’s your drawing process like? Can you give us some insight? What programs do you use, etc?

 

It all starts in the sketch book. I do a little thumbnail or super rough sketch of how I want a page to look. Then I sketch the illustration full size. I scan that sketch and then “ink” it in the computer using my Wacom tablet and Adobe Illustrator. After that, I import everything into Photoshop where I add some texture and shading. Then I step-and-repeat this process for about 300-ish pages :)

 

The MG voice in Quest Kids is just spot-on. How do you get the right frame of mind to tap into that voice?

 

Writing the book in the first person really helps. It sort of puts me in the mindset of Ned pretty quickly. I actually find it more freeing to write as if I AM a character. I performed improv a while back and I always found it easier to come up with things to say if I was really in character. Maybe writing as someone else makes you lose yourself a bit and you’re less worried about whether the audience is judging you or not. 

 

This book is just tailor-made for reluctant readers. It’s got so much visually happening for it–and it’s such a nice, thick book, too. It’s got to give young readers who don’t come to books naturally a real feeling of accomplishment reading this! Were you a big reader as a kid yourself?

 

I wouldn’t say I was a huge reader growing up. I definitely read a lot of comics, though. I’ve always been attracted to their visuals and tried to emulate them in my own drawings. I do think that the thick blocks of text in books can be intimidating for young readers just starting out. I know they were for me. Breaking up prose with a lot of imagery really helps reluctant readers not get overwhelmed. Kids can complete chapters a little easier and feel a sense of accomplishment, like you mentioned. I used to design magazine layouts and was always very conscious of breaking up that body copy so the reader wouldn’t get fatigued. Quest Kids is a bit of an extension of that, while also owing a lot to Wimpy Kid’s comics/prose format.

 

What do you hope young readers take from Quest Kids?

 

I just hope kids laugh and have a good time. And maybe they get inspired to write and draw their own stories. Alongside reading a good book, I’ve never regretted my own time spent writing and drawing. It’s all helped enrich my life in so many ways. I don’t really go into a book thinking about a theme or message. Those always sort of reveal themselves to me when I’m finished. This book seems to be about staying true to who you are and being upfront with the loved ones around you. Also, there’s a bit about perseverance and overcoming adversity, so I guess those are all good things for young people to take away.

 

What’s next?

 

More Quest Kids! I’m finishing up the second installment right now, which will be out in the fall. Quest Kids and the Dark Prophecy of Doug is the working title. Then there will be a third Quest Kids out the following year. Not sure, what lies beyond that, but it’s way more than enough to keep me busy for right now :)

 

~

 

Be sure to keep up with Mark Leiknes at his author site, and order your own copy of Quest Kids.