We chat with author Adam Rosenbaum about The Ghost Rules, which follows twelve-year-old Elwood McGee who never asked to have “ghost-sight,” and it involves a lot more drool-dodging than he expected.
Hi, Adam! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Here’s a little peek into my nerd brain:
I’m more Spielberg than Scorsese.
More Tolkien than Lewis.
More McCartney than Lennon.
More Star Trek than Star Wars.
More Cameron than Ferris.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
In 4th grade, my English teacher handed out these blank, 50-page bound books and told us to write a story. Which was mind-blowing. You’re telling me I get to write MY OWN STORY in this REAL (albeit fairly cheap) book??!!
The book I wrote, The Secret Adventure, was a brazen rip-off of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But it didn’t matter. From that point on, I was hooked.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The first kids book: Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina. The first “grown-up” book (read probbbbbably too young as a 7th grader): The Firm, by John Grisham
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Everything Sad is Untrue, by Daniel Nayeri
Your debut novel, The Ghost Rules, is out August 13th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Wonder, Family, Grief, Funny Ghosts
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect to have a lot of fun as they laugh at the main character, Elwood McGee, and all the goofy ghosts.
But they can also expect to come face to face with some of their own feelings of grief and loss through Elwood, whose older brother recently died just before the events in the book begin.
I’ve found that so many kids have already faced loss in their young lives, but adults don’t always give them the right outlets to express or identify that loss. I think readers of all ages will see their own journey of grief through Elwood, and hopefully it will give them the words to express it in a more healthy way.
Where did the inspiration for The Ghost Rules come from?
I was sitting in my living room, alone, when a picture frame randomly fell over nearby. I laughed, wondering, “What if it was a clumsy ghost who stumbled into the table by accident?” And from that moment, the world of clumsy, forgetful ghosts was born.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The first ghost Elwood encounters is his grandfather, Pops. Pops is a crotchedy old man from rural Tennessee and I had a blast writing his nonsensical, grouchy sayings.
My favorite chapter in the book is the one that centers around Elwood’s older brother, Noah. Noah died just before the book begins and Elwood blames himself for what happened. It was a really heavy and emotional chapter to write, but the words just exploded out of me in a single sitting. And even though the majority of the book went through countless changes and versions, that chapter remained virtually unchanged from that first sitting through the final version in the finished book.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It’s been a wild ride! So many ups and downs and sideways nothings. A lot of rejection and waiting and hoping. I feel incredibly lucky to finally see something I created out in the world, and am very grateful to all the people who helped make it a reality.
What’s next for you?
I’ve got a couple things in the works that I’m really excited about. So stay tuned!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I FINALLY discovered Terry Pratchett this year (I know, I know…I’m like decades behind the rest of the world) and I’m all in. I can’t get enough of his stuff. His sense of humor and storytelling style feel like they were tailor-made for me. I just finished Guards! Guards! which was so much fun.
I also read and adored Tom Lake by Ann Patchett earlier this year. She’s such a magical writer to me. I highly recommend that one.
I’m really excited to read the new Haruki Murakami book coming out this November!
