Every day Andy Stanton is asked questions. One minute someone might say "Hey Andy, what's it like being the writer of the best books ever written?", the next minute someone might enquire "Is there any reason you're standing on my foot?"
Below are the hotly awaited third batch of answers to the questions that you have been asking Andy! The response to 'Ask Andy' has been HUGE, sadly we can't reply to all your messages as it would take up all of Andy's time, which would mean no more Mr Gum books, and we don't want that! Each month we will show a selection of the best questions and we now have an archive of previous asked questions!
If you have a question you'd like to ask Andy please type it in the box below and click "send". By the power of technology your question will be directed to Andy Stanton, and by the power of his brain he will answer.
Please don't send requests for Andy to come and visit your school / home / pets. If you would like to discuss potential author events then please contact Egmont PR by emailing: publicity@euk.egmont.com
Some questions Andy gets asked frequently. What are those questions? Find out in our "Frequently Asked Questions" section!
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Why did you have to get a different illustrator for the books in America? - Sammy O'Bree
I'm not sure, Sammy! It was the idea of the American publishers, it wasn't my decision.
If Alan Taylor was bad, would you eat him? - Georgia Madden
No, I'd be worried that his electric muscles would electrocute me when I chomped into him.
Are you the creator of Finding Nemo? - Harley
No. Although I have the same name as the 'Finding Nemo' guy you can easily tell us apart by the fact that he has loads of money and I am still eating out of dustbins.
Who are Polly's parents? - Lucy Sinclair, age 9
Not telling - yet. Maybe we'll find out in a later book.
If you would write a book for grown ups what would the title be? Are the songs from the Mr Gum songbook recorded and released anywhere in this world? - Patrick W.
I'm not sure what the title of a book for grown-ups would be. I'd have to write the book first to know what the title was. As far as I know, no one has recorded the 'Mr Gum' songs - but it'd be fun to do an album of them, wouldn't it?
Who inspired when you were younger and also who is your favourite author at the moment?????? - Rachel Cooper I used to read lots of Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Betsy Byars, and... oh, probably tons of other authors I can't think of right now. My favourite author at the moment? I'm not sure... But Philip Pullman and Michael Rosen are pretty high on the list. I'm also pretty jealous of Julia Donaldson, who wrote 'The Gruffalo'. I'd love to write a picture book - but coming up with the perfect idea is difficult.
What is the hardest thing about being a writer? - Louis
Doing the first draft, where you have to write the story out from start to finish. I find that once I've got the whole story down, I'm good at editing it to make it better. But doing that first draft to begin with is HARD.
Where do you get all the funny ideas for jokes? I try to put them in the comic books I make, but they're about 20 percent funny and yours are 101 percent funny! - Jacob Cleary, age 9
Hey, 20 percent funny is pretty good! Some days I'm about 3 percent funny! I don't know where the ideas for jokes come from though, I'm afraid I can't help you there.
How many times can you say Polly's full name (Jammy Grammy Lammy F'Huppa F'Huppa Berlin Stereo Eo Eo Lebb C'Yepp Nermonica Le Straypek De Grespin De Spespin De Vespin De Whoop De Loop De Brunkle Merry Christmas Lenoir) before you stop breathing? - Cameron Molloy
I don't know and I definitely don't want to find out. When I started out doing talks at schools and book festivals, I used to have to read Polly's full name off cards. But now I can say it from memory, which is vaguely impressive. I want to learn it backwards next which will be even more impressive, though vaguely pointless.
Why is the town called Lamonic Bibber? I love the books even when they're rude! - Alfie
A few years ago, before I'd written the 'Mr Gum' books, I used to say 'that was a complete load of Lamonic Bibber' to describe something rubbish. Like if a film was useless, or a meal was disgusting. It was just a nonsense phrase that I made up and liked the sound of. When it came time to name the town for the books I remembered the phrase. And so 'Lamonic Bibber' actually means 'a load of rubbish'.
My sister and I love your books and we were wondering if there is ever going to be a Mr Gum movie? Can you also tell me if Mr Gum and the Biscuit Billionaire is the same story as Mr Gum and the Gingerbread Billionaire? - Banana, age 11 and her sister Sarah, age 8
Hello, Banana and Sarah. (That's an unusual name you've got there by the way, Sarah.) Don't know about a 'Mr Gum' movie - but I'm currently working with Nickelodeon in the States to make a 'Mr Gum' cartoon show. I don't know if it'll make it to the screen or not, but stay tooned.
Yes, 'Gingerbread Billionaire' is the same story as 'Biscuit Billionaire'. They just changed the title in the USA because 'biscuit' means something else over there (don't ask me what, I don't really know).
I read half your book last night and aww it's great. Thanks for the laughs and keep 'em coming. Question: How happy did you feel when you learnt that Mr. Gum was going to be published? - Jose Cantankerous
Awww, thanks, Jose. It's just a shame that the other half of the book is so bad. How happy did I feel when I heard I'd be published? RIDICULOUSLY, UNBELIEVABLY, BOAST-TO-ALL-YOUR-FRIENDS-AND-LAUGH-AT-ALL-YOUR-ENEMIES HAPPY!
G'day Andy. If Mr Gum was made into a movie, what actors would you want to play Mr Gum and Friday? PS I'd see that movie... - Jade Uh oh, I'm terrible at actors... Um... perhaps Alan Rickman for Mr Gum? He's good at playing baddies, but we'd probably have to make him taller or something... And um... maybe Jim Carrey for Friday?
How did Billy William the III get so weird, drunk and mean? - Sophie Pettem-Shand
I don't know how he got so weird and mean - but the drunk part's easy. He just drinks too much beer.
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