A Bit About...


A Bit About...


28/ 7/2006

AMERICAN Michael Stadther is the author of A Treasure's Trove, a fantasy treasure hunt for children that became a massive phenomenon in the US and topped the New York Times bestseller list. The follow-up, Secrets of the Alchemist Dar, will be released simultaneously around the world in September.

The first thing I do when I wake up is...

kiss my dogs on their heads, make a cup of coffee and check my e-mails.

Ideally I would spend every day...

reading to kids or playing golf.

If money was no object I would...

I have a long list - create a space ship, create a new internet-based operating system, change the publishing business so anyone can get published, improve how patients are treated by doctors.

The greatest gift I ever received was...

The physicist, Dr Samual Katzoff, paid my living expenses so I could go to Tulane University in New Orleans. It allowed me to concentrate on my studies and changed my life, so it was my greatest gift.

My one piece of advice would be...

work hard to obtain what you want in life. Aim high. Aim for quality.

My first job was...

I cleaned the grease out of the French fry machine at a hamburger stand.

I'm scared of...

not that much. That is not to say I'm brave, but rather I don't have any phobias.

I'm excited by...

creativity. Excellence. Complexity. Talent.

If I could go back in time and do one thing again it would be...

I don't have any regrets in life. I have lived it the way I want and continue to do so.

I love...

my wife and my dogs.

I hate...

politics.

I want...

not much. I have everything in life.

You have to read...

I don't have a specific opinion here. Read anything that tells a good story with well-crafted sentences.

Everyone should listen to...

Bach fugue in A for the lute (G for violin). I'm sure there is an answer to every question in the beauty of this piece.

You must watch...

the faces of kids when I read my book, A Treasure's Trove. There is nothing more touching than watching a young girl cry when she hears Pook the hero has sacrificed himself to save his master.

If I could be anyone else I would be...

no one. I can't think of anyone who has a better life than reading to kids all over the world.

My ultimate ambition would be...

change something for the better. Inspire young people to change the world.

My biggest inspiration has been...

my high school teachers. They taught me how to think, question and have fun learning.

The first time I fell in love...

high school.

I think God is...

watching me and laughing.

I think the death penalty is...

a tough issue.

My epitaph would be...

time for the big dirt nap.

Fur or faux?

The real issue here is "faux'' or ``fake''. We can't even use the simple, plain descriptive word ``fake'' because we think it sounds cheap, so we use a word that masks the meaning. If we can't bring ourselves to say ``fake'' and address that issue, then we shouldn't be worrying about ``fur'' or "faux''.

Mayonnaise or salad cream?

Mayonnaise - it's what I was raised with.

Brains or beauty?

It depends on what you want to do.


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