Lola Zuckerman Interviews Author Christine Pakkala

Q. I know you’re a famous author, but if you could be another famous person, who would it be?

A. That’s a tough one because I’m having so much fun in my own life, spending time with you! But if I could be Sherlock Holmes for a day or two, I would enjoy that. Wouldn’t it be fun to solve mysteries? I would also like to be (for a day): Amelia Earhart, Zelda Fitzgerald, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Queen Elizabeth, and Abraham Lincoln.

Q. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you choose?

A. Another tough question! I love animals, and if I could, I’d live inside a zoo. But just one? I’d choose a giraffe. Of course, I’d have to move to Africa because I wouldn’t want to take the giraffe away from its home!

Q. Do you have any kids?

A. I have two kids, Simon and Lulu. Simon is six feet, five inches tall and Lula and I wear the same shoe size, which is handy for borrowing.

Q. Do they drive each other crazy, like Jack and I do sometimes?

A. Sometimes! But mostly they get along.

Q. Gardening with my granny makes me feel special. What makes you feel special?

A. When I was your age, I loved going to the library. My town library was very small and cozy. I loved sitting at the big oak table with my sister and reading. I especially loved the librarian, who wore dark red lipstick. She let me come one summer Saturday and help her stamp books. I wore a red plaid dress and patent leather shoes that day. I still have that feeling of happiness when I walk through the doors of my town library (the Westport Public Library, a wonderful place).

Q. What do you think makes a best friend?

A. A best friend is someone who knows all the good and not-so-good stuff about you and loves you anyway. A best friend is someone who says “sorry” when she hurts your feelings and really is sorry, because she would never want to hurt you. A best friend is someone who tells you that the chocolate-chip cookies you baked without the sugar (you forgot) are actually pretty tasty. A best friend is someone who falls right onto the floor laughing because of a funny story you told. A best friend is someone you would do anything for—anything.

Q. Did you ever feel like you didn’t have any friends?

A. Oh, my! Yes. I think everyone feels that way sometimes. But I always had my sister, and even when my best friend got mad at me, or when I felt lonesome, I could talk to my sister.

Q. Do you have a dress with pockets? Secret pockets for special things, like mine?

A. Hmm. No, I don’t, but now that you mention it, I wish I did! If I did, I would carry pens, peppermints, and reminder notes.

Q. When’s your birthday? How do you celebrate?

A. My birthday is May 10. I celebrate with stargazer lilies, cards, and spicy African peanut soup, which my husband makes for me.

Q. Who were you before you became a famous writer?

A. Before, I was still a writer. I’ve been a writer since I was your age. I used to make “The Pakkala Printer Press,” which was a newspaper about my family news (very small circulation). I also kept a diary when I was your age, which I still have. It’s full of very strong opinions.

Q. Do you have a real job?

A. Ahem! I consider writing to be a real job, but I also have some other jobs. I teach creative writing to kids in a great program called Writopia. I also teach creative writing to adults at the library. I take care of my family—that’s a big job. My son loves open-faced sandwiches. Here’s how you make them: Toast slices of French bread. Spread with guacamole (that you have to make from scratch—he can tell the difference). Stack rolls of fresh smoked turkey. Cover with a slice or two of muenster cheese. Broil. Serve. He eats a LOT. My daughter eats a lot, too. She likes Nachos Supreme. Here’s how you make them: Cover a plate with warm black beans. Add a layer of low-salt tortilla chips. Sprinkle with Mexican-blend cheese. Bake for ten minutes. Serve with salsa.

Q. How did you get to be so funny?

A. Lola, thank you for thinking I’m funny! When I was in ninth grade geometry class, I used to sit behind a boy named Damon Vickers. I used to whisper funny things to Damon and he would say them in a loud voice to the rest of the class. Everyone would laugh, and that made Damon (and me) feel good. Of course, Mr. Albert, our teacher, probably didn’t think it was so funny . . .

Q. You aren’t last in the alphabet but you’re past the middle point. Does it cause you problems?

A. No, not really, but my last name, which is Finnish, causes some problems because people don’t know how to pronounce it: it’s pronounced like PACK-A-LUNCH. Only PACK-A-LA.

Q. I love visiting my Granny and Grampy Coogan in Texas. Do you travel? Who do you go see?

A. I love going home to Idaho and visiting my relatives, especially my sister and all my girl cousins. And my Aunt Sue, who always makes my favorite foods when I come to visit her. I love sitting at her kitchen table with my sister and all my girl cousins. We can sit there for hours, talking. My husband is amazed at how long we can talk. I also like to go everywhere else. I’ve been rained on in Paris. I’ve ridden a horse in Costa Rica (also in the pouring rain), and I’ve gone dancing in Russia. One of my favorite places in the world is Florence, Italy.

Q. Jack and I like playing games, especially “which-is-true-which-is-false,” at dinnertime. Do you play this game with your family?

A. Yes! That’s a funny coincidence—we play the exact same game!

Q. Do you count to three when your kids act up?

A. That’s another funny coincidence because I do, indeed.

Q. Have you ever been heartsick?

A. Yes. Once when I was walking my golden retrievers, one of them got away from me. I looked everywhere for her but I couldn’t find her. I was heartsick. I thought maybe I would never see her again. Then, when I was just about to start crying, she came ambling across the yard. She had gotten into my neighbor’s compost pile and had eaten TWELVE corncobs. We had to take her to the dog hospital, and then I was heartsick all over again. But luckily the wonderful veterinarian at the Cornell Animal Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, was able to get out all the corncobs (and a rock, and a stick).

Q. What was your favorite thing to do in second grade? Can you remember that far back?

A. In second grade I loved swinging on the swings, climbing the weeping willow in my backyard, and having my dad push me on our tire swing. But I also loved pretending. My sister and my cousin Ila and I would pretend we were famous movie stars. We would do this for hours and hours. In second grade I loved my teacher, Mrs. Line. She told funny stories, like the time she got her first haircut. She cried and cried because she thought it would hurt! In second grade I loved my best friend, Jill Garlinghouse. We decided to make a list of all the dogs in our hometown, but at the very first house the dog bit her, so we went home with just one dog on the list.

Q. Amanda and I have a secret handshake. Did you have a secret something when you were a kid?

A. My neighbor Tina and I had a secret club. It was the Cool Cats Club. We were the only members—it was that secret. We had special cat rings (her mom was a jeweler and got them for us) and a special cat dance we practiced in my backyard.

Q. My favorite vegetable is cucumber. What’s yours?

A. Carrots.

Q. My favorite cupcake is vanilla with chocolate frosting. What’s your favorite?

A. Carrot cake with buttercream frosting.