Author of "Brian's Return"

February 25, 1999

Award-winning writer, Gary Paulsen, author of "Brian's Return," the latest in his "Brian" series, shares his real-life inspirations for his characters, and discusses his choice to write fiction targeted to adolescents, and family- and alcohol-related problems he has overcome in order to write successfully.

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CCCheer: Welcome to NetCafeLive, where we host authors and celebrities throughout the month. Thanks for joining us! Borders NetCafeLive is a joint production of Borders.com (tm) and Talk City (tm), a Talk City, Inc. Production. Tonight's guest is Gary Paulsen, here to talk about his book "Brian's Return." Gary Paulsen is the author of more than 175 highly acclaimed books and is CCCheer: one of the most famous writers for the books for youngsters. He is winner of several literary awards for his highly popular books including CCCheer: Newberry Honors for "Hatchet", "Dog's Song", and "The Winter Room". Gary stays in La Luz, New Mexico with his wife, Ruth, an artist who has CCCheer: illustrated several of his books such as "Puppies, Dogs and Blue Northern". Borders.com and Talkcity.com are pleased to welcome tonight's guest, Gary Paulsen. Welcome to Talk City! It's great to have you with us Gary. Could you tell us about the book "Brian's Return?"

Gary Paulsen: Hi CCCheer. It's the last book in a series about Brian. It takes Brian finally, and ultimately, back to the wilderness, which I think happens to everyone in that position. I know it has happened to me. I have currently gone back to the biggest wilderness there is, the Pacific Ocean; and have recently sailed my boat from California to Fiji and back up to Hawaii and will go back to Fiji.

Courtjar: We read 'Hatchet' in class as a novel and I really liked it. Who is Brian based on?

Gary Paulsen: Many things that happened to Brian have happened to me. I have been in three forced landings in Bush Planes, have lived in the North Woods for years, hunted, trapped and fished.

Courtjar: I really liked when the moose attacked him. Did that happen to you?

Gary Paulsen: I have been attacked by moose and bear, and have run sled dogs 22,000 miles in the Arctic. And have twice run the Iditarod and all of those experiences are in the Brian Books.

Yolkie: Why write for a juvenile audience? How is it different?

Gary Paulsen: It's possible to be artistic for young people. More so than adult writing, that's why I do it.

Ebird: You have written over a hundred books?! When did you begin to write?

Gary Paulsen: I started when I was 26, and I'm 59 now. For most of that time, I was not successful. As a matter of fact, for 20 years, I worked odd jobs so I could provide a living - construction worker and demolition in the mountains. A book called "Dog's Song" was when my career took off and that was in 1984.

Joshkins: What inspired you to become a writer?

Gary Paulsen: I'm not exactly sure. I did the Army, and after the Army I was in Aerospace, I was in a tracking station one night, and I knew I had to write. I had never thought of writing before. I just knew I had to devote myself to writing. I woke up that night and began to write, that was in '66 or '67, I guess. I've been writing 32 years. I was a poor reader, and a public librarian started me reading. The reading was one of the things that started me writing. I don't know why, but I always knew that was the right decision for me.

Yolkie: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Gary Paulsen: The single most important thing is to read. Read like a wolf eats. Read when they tell you not to read, and read what they tell you not to read. Turn the television off. And any time you have any second of time stick your head in a book.

Davey: How did you "make time" when you first started? When did you write?

Gary Paulsen: Every available moment I wrote. I remember one time I was in a car pool, and wrote in a notebook when I rode to work. I wrote when I got home at night, and those times I wasn't writing I was reading.

Davey: And now? Do you have a writing schedule?

Gary Paulsen: Do I have a schedule? I write the same way. For instance "Hatchet", "Dog Song", and "Wood Song" were all written while I was running sled dogs. When the dogs were resting I would sit at a campfire and write longhand and put it on a computer later.

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