Those are interesting questions, but fairly typical. They sound like the kind of questions you probably get frequently. Why don't you answer them once and add them to your FAQ on your website? You could link to your FAQ from your blog and direct students to it. Longtime reader, first-time commenter...listening to The Giver on my iPod right now. Incredibly powerful, as always. Thank you for your creative courage.

While I'm not a fellow author, I am a teacher of college students who often do author studies as projects for my classes. First of all, I think even receiving an email apology from you would make most students' days. I also think that between your blog and other interviews you've given, you've answered many of the questions she asked. So maybe the student who wrote can dig around and find the answers to most of her questions, then send you a much shorter, more manageable list of essential questions whose answers she needs but couldn't find. P.S. I've been using your books in my classes for years--starting with using The Giver in ENGL 100 English Composition. It got my freshmen talking about ideas and writing. Last semester, a small group of future teachers chose Gossamer for their book club book and were mesmerized (as was I). Thanks for your work and your willingness to talk about how you do what you do.

When I read the list of questions, I think it reflects the point of view of the questioner. The questioner views you as an author, not a person. You are an assignment, instead of a person who has lived an incredible life. It is not the questioner's fault, it is simply the youngness of the college student. I think I might have fallen for error too at that age. Now, as an author and as a mid-life person who has actually spoken with other author's I would simply ask you, what do you want your audience to know about you? I think about Barbara Walter when she interviews people. She is always thinking about the one key moment. Do you have a key moment that affects your writing overall? Or do you have a key moment for every book?

I commiserate. Those questions are punishing. My readers are fairly young, so my issue is with teachers who assign their students to ask questions of authors (and usually the kids put off their assignment until the night before). I actually went through about 10 emails with a girl who had an assignment which seemed to involve getting as many freebies as possible. She regaled me with stories about what her classmates had received: multiple free books, tee-shirts. Apparently the teacher had turned the assignment into a competition. Sometimes I wonder: would my readers like me to answer all these questions OR write another book?m Because for me, some days that's the choice. I think you handled it appropriately. I understand that people have no idea the amount of requests you must have on a daily basis. The very thought of it makes me weary! Perhaps you could have asked her if she could whittle it down to two questions or something like that?

I'm french and i have finish "le passeur" like we say in french.i think that your book is very good for all peapoles and all plubics.
your book is my prefer with "l.i.v 3 ou la mort des livres","l'aprentit assassin"and "Germinal of Zola".
the books are my life thank you!
ps:sorry my english he is very poor!

You could answer new questions at a set time every month on your blog.
I just found out you are coming to Edison College in Ft. Myers. I'll see you in October and if you're not too overwhelmed, I'll come and introduce myself.

I receive similar lists of questions, where there are questions within questions and each sentence is tagged with a "why." Certain times of year (the ends of semesters)there seems to be more. I am always overwhelmed by the idea of how much time it would take to answer thoughtfully. I do respond to the student, answer one of the questions, then suggest a search on line of the interviews posted there. Also, I have previous interviews on file on my computer - ones that have already published. Sometimes, I will send one of those interviews digitally and hope it is helpful. Or ask if they'd like a recent brochure, then pop one in the mail. Now that I think about it, I don't always do the same thing - something different each time. I can only do what I can do on that day. Otherwise, it all becomes an obligatory procrastination from the actual work.

I can only identify on a much smaller scale. But those questions made me groan.
Yes, there are practical ways for you to deal with this -- links to old interviews, a Q & A section on the blog, etc.
But the visceral point, for me, was more like: Oh God, who would want to analyze it all this way? It's just an avenue of thought, on a busy day, you don't want to go down.
"What makes a good or interesting children's book?" You can't possibly answer that. It's a lazy question. Even worse, I'd hate to meet the windbag who even thinks they could answer it. "Well, a good children's book must have . . ."
Zzzzzz.
My conclusion: these are NOT good questions. These are actually terrible questions. Far too reaching and too broad, too abstract. I think if they were better questions -- more specific -- they would have gotten a better response.
The fault is not with Lois Lowry.
JP