RUSSELL GINNS:
QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED FREQUENTLY
What’s the "elevator pitch" for your book?
There are 2.5 million rivets on the Eiffel Tower. One of them is a secret elevator button.
Meanwhile, ninjas are--whoopsy! This is my floor. Bye.
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How did you develop the idea for Samantha Spinner?
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I often walk around cities and spot things that could be secret doors or tunnels. I remember being in a theater somewhere and thinking how part of the rafters might be a hidden tunnel that leads somewhere. And... what if there was a master plan that kept track of these things all over the world?
If dropped into a room of 50 kids, what would you want to talk to them about?
I'd check to make sure they were all okay. I'd be happy that nobody got crushed when I fell.
What books were important for you growing up?
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
The Mixed Up Files of Basil E. Frankenweiler by E.L. Koningsburg
Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers by Martin Gardener
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In fact, if you melted the three of these together, I think you’d get something close to my book.
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Other books that are very important to me:
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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Holes by Lois Sachar
The Big Joke Game by Scott Corbett
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What book is currently on your nightstand?
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Atlas Obscura. I spend a lot of time researching odd and mysterious places around the world, and trying to figure out how they fit into my characters’ universe.
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How long did it take you to write Samantha Spinner?
Eight years! I might have taken longer, but then I got scared because the US might stop making pennies. I had to hurry. I finished the second half of the book in three months.
What's your favorite animal?
Definitely not a chinchilla. They seem cute at first, but you can have too much of a good thing.
When you're not writing or reading, what are you doing?
I make puzzles and design board games. (I’ve hidden a lot of them in my book. Shhh. Don’t tell.)
What is your most memorable travel experience?
I was at a state fair when I was ten and I won a keychain in a carnival game. When I walked through the livestock house, a big rooster pecked and stole it from me! I’ve never told anyone about this until now.
