Back to Featured Interviews >>

MEET MIKE GRAF
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Mike Graf

I played some sports, and often we went on vacations to national parks—I guess that carried over, because I write often about them now. I also played games and with friends, those are the things I remember doing the most.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

 I loved Roald Dahl books—JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY were my favorites. But my all time favorite children’s book was Phantom Tollbooth. My wife and I recently re-read it and it still is so fun, a very clever book. First heard it in 5 th grade—my teacher read it to me. Then, as a junior in High School, my teacher made us write in a journal everyday. At first I felt burdened by having to write something everyday. I didn't want to do it. But, I gave in; I gave it a try. And, guess what? I wrote in it everyday for 10 years. By the time I was 25 I had a stack of journals a foot high. I never expected to enjoy it so much -- to even need it so much. I learned a great deal about myself in those journals and without really trying, it seemed, I honed my writing skills.

Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

 I have written stories for as long as I can remember, and I was smart enough to save them. The first story I wrote that I often recall, now was about thunder, lightning, tornadoes, and hail. It was a fantasy about how they came to be. I have always been fascinated with weather. As a teenager I wrote short stories and poems, often. I kept a lot of my writing in a journal, too. Now I look back at all that as my years of practice writing.

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

I really never knew I would be a writer. I am quite surprised by it actually. I loved reading and writing though, and often wrote stories, so guess it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. I did think I would teach, though, but also never thought I would end up being a TV weatherman!

 What audience did you have in mind for your career as a writer - adult or children?

Most of my books are for children 7or 8 to 12 or 13 years old. Some are fiction, some non-fiction, and some incorporate both in the book. I also have a number of books and science kits for teachers’ of children, and a few younger aged books.

 What was your first job when you graduated from college?

I was a school teacher for ten years—4 th and 5 th grade then, after that, I was a TV weatherman. Sometime between the two careers, I started writing books as well. Now I have written many children’s and teacher books and I also teach part-time at a college.

 How soon after that was your first book published?

 My first published book was THE WEATHER REPORT, a teacher’s guide to teaching weather. That was in 1987. The book is now being re-published.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

I was lucky with this first book—it was accepted immediately. Partly because I did my homework—I looked for the right publisher to send it to, and made sure the book was thorough and unique. But, since then I have had many books published and many rejections as well. I try to not take the rejections personally.

 What are the topics are some of your books?

Many of my books are outdoor related adventures in national parks, caves, storm chasing, dinosaur digs, animal encounters, mountaineering and rock climbing. I love the outdoors and I especially love writing about it!

 Have any of your books earned special recognition?

 Lightning and Thunderstorms was recognized as an outstanding book for reluctant readers by the American Library Association. More recently, Tale of the Scorpion was awarded as a finalist in the best children’s book fiction for 2006 by USAbooks.com. My weather station science kit was adopted by Prentice Hall as part of their science curriculum. And The Weather Report was used by the Weather Channel as part of their weather education program.

When you do school visits, what question do children ask you most?

 I love doing school visits—here are some of the most popular questions

-How much money do you make?

-Where do you get your ideas from?

-How many times do you edit your books?

-How do you know who to send them to?

-Are your stories from real life events?