By Deemah Pulak
A thunderous applause echoed from the jam-packed audience as Robin Sloan, author of “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” approached the podium.
Sloan visited Richardson for two days. On the evening of the first day, the public was invited to attend his talk at the RHS auditorium. On the second day, Sloan spoke to AP English juniors about his book inspiring many of them in the process.
“I’m very excited to see him today,” parent Elizabeth Clay said. “I enjoyed his book a lot, and it interested me because it was a very different book, other than what I usually read.”
Before the speech, Sloan was invited to the library to meet with guests. The Culinary Art students catered the gathering.
“He’s a very, very funny dude,” Culinary Arts junior Mark Lacey, said. “He has a nice personality, intelligent and persistent,”
Nancy Kubasek, Richardson’s former librarian, organized the event as the president of the Richardson Reads One Book club.
“I absolutely love the man because he speaks so highly about the importance of books,” Kubasek said. “I was thrilled when I found out he could come here. His speaking made me tear up.”
Sloan said he has been interested in writing since he was a kid. He didn’t expect to become an author, but in 2012, Sloan published his first novel and gained the public’s attention. The book was soon listed as a New York Times Editor’s Choice and was chosen as one of the best 100 books of 2012 by the San Francisco Chronicle.
“I always want to know the beginning and the end of what I’m writing, but I don’t necessarily plan out the middle like an outline,” Sloan said. “Sometimes I kind of think of it like having a collection of lego bricks. I use a pile of story pieces I have and just snap them together.”
Sloan just finished writing the first draft of his second novel. Unlike “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” which included a lot of history, this novel will relate mainly to food.
“There are a lot of characters who work with food, talk about food, and there are some secrets involved in it too – basically, it’s a world of food,” Sloan said. “This will also be a mystery genre like my first novel because it’s easier to tell a story that way. I think it’s a good trick. This technique is what draws people toward the story and what keeps the book going.”
Many students said they took time off their schoolwork just to come listen to Sloan speak.
“He seems like a really funny guy,” freshman Areefa Hingora said. “I think it’s really good for the community because there’s such a diverse amount of people here. It’s great that we can all come together and meet and hear an author who all of us here enjoy.”
Many students said they enjoyed reading this book, which was also part of the school’s summer reading list.
“His word choice was great – it was really captivating,” senior Andres Veliz said.
Sloan said he keeps a small notebook in his pocket all the time. He describes himself like a magpie, a bird that picks out certain objects from its findings.
“I am always on the lookout for funny names, overhear something in a café or read an article from the newspaper, and anytime I find anything interesting, I write it down,” Sloan said. “That becomes my database for cool, weird stuff.”
When he was younger, Sloan said he made mistakes which caused him to lose time, so he advises aspiring authors to use time wisely and be productive.
“The main thing is to start small and actually finish things” Sloan said. “What really keeps you going and what makes you better as a writer is to write in tiny chunks, like a story that is three, four pages long and then being able to share it with people. Then you feel like you actually finished the whole thing and not just a beginning of some huge novel.”
Principal Charles Bruner said he hasn’t finished the book yet but that he has so far enjoyed it.
“He has already won several awards,” Bruner said. “He’s quite an accomplished man – he has an incredible writing technique.”
Sloan said he didn’t think that his book would become this successful, especially since it is his first novel.
“I feel grateful that people are actually reading this book,” Sloan said. “Anytime a book finds an audience, that author is lucky. I guess I was lucky, and I don’t take this for granted.”
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