Q&A with Scott Kurtz

 

 

 

Scott Kurtz is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade graphic novel Table Titans Club. His other work includes the diary comic Mort. He is based in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Q: What inspired you to create Table Titans Club, and how did you
create your character Val?

A: My obsession with storytelling started with Dungeons & Dragons back when I was in the fifth grade. Playing influenced me to write, draw, and make comics.

 

I'm a big advocate for tabletop role-playing and the benefits it holds for kids, but at its core, the book is about the importance of friendship. I wanted to tell a story about what it's like to find your tribe, and adopt your "found family."

 

Val is the person I wish could have been in middle school: unapologetically herself. With Val, I think about how I would have acted back then, and write the opposite. HA HA.

Q: Did you focus first on the text or on the illustrations--or both simultaneously?

A: It all starts with the story. I outline first and then start thinking about important beats and scenes and start writing those out. Then I begin scripting and trying to string it all together.

 

I spent 25 years doing daily webcomics where you kind of write as you go. With books like Table Titans Club, you can't do that. I spent a lot of time on the script before I ever laid pencil to paper.

Q: The Booklist review of the book said, “A must-read for readers in fifth grade and up seeking a heartfelt and magical journey of self-discovery, friendship, and the celebration of embracing your
authentic self.” What do you think of that description?

A: I was floored when I read that. Once you put a story out into the world, it doesn't belong to you anymore. It belongs to the readers. And you just have to hope that the ideas and themes you intended to
put into the world land the way you intended. To see I hit the mark with Booklist had me floating.

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

A: I hope they want to start their own Table Titans Clubs at their schools. I hope they see that it's okay to be yourself and take away that the best way to have a friend is to be a friend.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I'm working on book 2 of Table Titans Club, and hopefully after that book 3 (fingers crossed).

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: Just that the book came out on March 5 (and my birthday is on the 15th, so pick up the book for my birthday present). :)

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb