Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

To run with Mitali Perkins’ analogy of middle school (or junior high school) crush-like feelings and someone on a blog you really admire mentioning your name or your blog (the so-called blog-crush phenomenon), Roger Sutton’s blog is the coolest, hottest guy sweeping past your shoulder in the hallway (okay, we feel weird just having called the blog of the Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book “hot,” but we’re runnin’ with an analogy here). Just about everyone in that cyberspace realm called kidlitosphere wants to ask Read Roger to the Friday night dance in the school’s gym (you know, with the bad decorations and teachers standing around and girls and boys lined up on opposite sides of the basketball court, shuffling their feet).

Fortunately for us all, Roger and his blog will not — as Susan put it in the comments section of the aforementioned Mitali link — brush past you in the hallway, shoving you into a locker and giving you the ‘ol brush-off. He has agreed to an interview in our fledgling Seven Impossible Interviews Before Breakfast series.

With the previous interviews, we’ve written a here’s-why-we-love-so-and-so’s-blog introduction. How to do that now without, frankly, looking like we’re sucking up (seeing as how we both enjoy The Horn Book’s reviews and articles and since his blog happens to be our dreamiest blog-crush of all)? Well, you’ll just have to believe that we’re not being phony when we say: Roger is sharp and funny; he’s not afraid to speak his mind and never minces words; he doesn’t tend to ramble on his blog and does a fine job of throwing out ‘lil thought-provokers into his corner of cyberspace and then directing the discussion in a productive manner. And he never takes himself too seriously. Good things all. We likey (did we just say “we likey”? How’s that for a statement to impress our one, true blog-crush).

He also is very evidently a good sport, ’cause he answered all our weird questions and even the obvious-for-him ones (specifically, we mean “what do you do for a living?” AS IF we all don’t know, but he responded anyway).

Wait, two more things: he totally kicked Dr. Ruth’s ass on Scarborough Country.

And he’s been cartoonified.

So, let’s get right to our profile of the respectable Mr. Sutton. Two quick matters of business, though:

First, as for Mitali Perkins’ intriguing suggestion (mentioned here in the comments section of our most recent interview) that we ask bloggers what their most controversial post has been or one they most regret publishing or if they’ve ever significantly edited or deleted a post and why . . . well, we likey that, too. But these questions were zipped off to Roger before that suggestion was made. Hence that omission. And he’s a busy editor, we’re sure, so we weren’t about to email him again to grill him further.

Secondly, here’s our Perfunctory Curse Word Disclaimer: Remember that we use the Pivot Questionnaire in our interviews. Remember that it includes the what-is-your-favorite-curse-word question. It’s optional for folks to answer, but if they do, we will not edit their responses in any way; yup, we’ll post their responses exactly as they send them to us. Some people might not use “*”s to edit their saucy words. If you’re easily offended, just don’t read that question.

We now present to you Mr. Roger Sutton, and we thank him kindly for taking the time to play along — especially for sending the wonderfully surly photo, which is entitled Angry Irish Poet (for, um, whatever reason). Really, though, it does look like he could totally take Seamus Heaney down in a bar fight, doesn’t it?

What do you do for a living?

Roger: Editor in Chief of The Horn Book, Inc. since 1996.

How long have you been blogging?

Roger: I guess a bit more than a year.

Why did you start blogging? Why do you continue to do it?

Roger: We started it as both a marketing tool and a way to cover news that would be stale if served in the bimonthly Horn Book Magazine. I also find it a great place for trying out ideas I might later develop more in print and for shooting off my mouth.

Which blog or site would you take to the prom {or, in this case, to the junior high dance} to show off and you love it so much you could marry it?

Roger: I love to read “The L Word” recaps at afterellen.com, and I get my gossip from datalounge.com.

What are your other favorite things to do, other than reading and blogging?

Roger: Reading for pleasure gets a bit complicated when it’s what you also do for a living. I love to run (slowly but steadily), read road maps (although I don’t know how to drive), and watch t.v. with my boyfriend (our favorite is “24”).

What’s in heavy rotation on your stereo/iPod lately?

Roger: On my iPod, I’ve been listening a lot to Alexandre Desplat’s score for “The Queen” and the new Bird and the Bee album. At home I almost always listen to classical: lots of opera, Messiaen, Elgar, and I’m working my way through John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach cantatas.

If you could have three (living) authors over for coffee or a glass of rich, red wine, whom would you choose?

Roger: Um, I’ll go with movie stars, Alex: Julia Roberts, George Clooney, and Catherine Deneuve.

What’s one thing that not many people know about you?

Roger: I was once touched by an angel. Yup. Really.

The Pivot Questionnaire:

What is your favorite word?

Roger: “Both”

What is your least favorite word?

Roger: Any transitive verb used intransitively, like “line-and-wash pictures illustrate.”

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Roger: Rain.

What turns you off?

Roger: High School Musical

What is your favorite curse word?

Roger: “fucking” (adj.)

What sound or noise do you love?

Roger: Traffic.

What sound or noise do you hate?

Roger: You know, I think I like them all.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Roger: Weatherman.

What profession would you not like to do?

Roger: Concert pianist.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Roger: “Good dog.”