Q&A with Ros Hill

  

 

 

Ros Hill is the author of the new novel Sketch. His other books include Taking Out the Trash. He lives in San Marcos, Texas.

 

Q: What inspired you to create Sketch?

 

A: I came across a short passage in the book Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, that referred to the words sketchbook and comic-book. I imagined a boy sitting at his bedroom desk, drawing a superhero. I thought, as the boy went to bed, what if the superhero came to life in his bedroom straight off the page? That was the seed that sprouted the idea of Sketch.

 

Q: Why did you choose Egypt as the story's location?

 

A: I researched where some of the earliest drawings originated and the ancient Egyptians’ use of papyrus paper caught my attention. When I thought about how they might’ve made their own ink, I began to wonder what if the sun god Ra anointed it, making it magical? The setting in Egypt evoked a mythological feel that worked well with the book’s opening scene.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: It wasn’t until I figured out how the Finger Gunman (supervillain) was to be created, that I began to rough draft the book’s ending. I actually had a few different ideas. Then, as I began writing the final chapters, an idea struck me, and I knew I had nailed it.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope they find themselves thinking, Now that was an original superhero story! I hope they enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I hope they wonder if there’s a sequel.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m writing the sequel! I’m currently 24 chapters into it. It’s a completely different story with a great new cast of characters (and some returning characters, of course). I’d love to leak the title, but it’s all under lock and key.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Yes. I wrote the entirety of Sketch with my right thumb, using the Notes app on my iPhone. All 87,000 words. Its immediate accessibility and ease of typing made my writing process very convenient.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb