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Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
Richard (Rick) Yancey is the author of several novels and a memoir. His books have been published in over twenty languages and have earned numerous accolades and awards from around the world. His young adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, was named a "Best Book of the Year" by Publishers Weekly and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
Since he was quite young, Rick knew he wanted to be a writer. After earning a degree in English from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Rick returned to his native Florida to pursue a career in the arts. While teaching part time and dabbling in the theater, he decided to take a job with the Internal Revenue Service, where he served as a revenue officer for over ten years.
He continued to pursue his lifelong dream of being a full-time writer, however, finally leaving the IRS in 2004 upon the publication of his critically acclaimed memoir, Confessions of a Tax Collector.
His Alfred Kropp trilogy for young adults has been published in seventeen countries and was nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal, as well as garnering numerous awards since its inception in 2005. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed Teddy Ruzak mystery series for adults. In 2009 he published the firts volume in a new YA series, The Monstrumologist.
His latest novel, The 5th Wave, the first in an epic sci-fi trilogy, made its worldwide debut in 2013, and will soon be a major motion picture for GK Films and Sony Pictures.
Rick is the proud father of three sons. He lives in Florida with his wife, Sandy.
Richard (Rick) Yancey's website
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What are your favorite children's books and why?
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory — love the humor
The Hobbit — love the whimsy and the adventure
The Borrowers
A Wrinkle in Time
Who are your favorite children's authors
Roald Dahl — nobody was better
Who or what was your biggest influence in deciding to become a writer?
My wife, who knew how much the dream of being a professional writer meant to me and dreamed for me when I lost all hope. She rescued manuscripts from the trash, gave me pep talks and bought books to encourage me. She's my biggest fan and toughest critic.
What inspired you to write your latest book?
I've always loved the Arthurian legend, and swordplay, too! My son Jacob, who is eight, fell in love with swords and we spend hours play-fighting with them. I wanted to write a great adventure story that combined my love for swords with the Arthur stories.
What's the best thing you've ever written?
My next book!
Is there any particular ritual involved in your writing process?
I write best away from a desk. I use a laptop, and most of my books are written while I'm sitting in the car, during soccer practices ...
Georgia Byng is the creator of Molly Moon and the author of Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism; Molly Moon Stops the World; Molly Moon’s Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure; Molly Moon, Micky Minus, & the Mind ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
Try:
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by Georgia Byng
The German author, Cornelia Funke was born in 1958 in Dorsten, in the German region of Westphalia. Following university, she worked for three years as a social worker in an educational project, working with children from ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
Try:
Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
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