Wendelin Van Draanen

How in the world did I wind up writing a book about a kleptomaniacal, talking gecko lizard? I’m the first to admit–talking animals are not my thing. First person, realistic fiction–that’s what I like. And yet, after Sticky appeared as a sidekick television character in my Shredderman series and uttered his first “Holy guaco-tacarole!” I was hooked. He’s so funny. And so full of mischief.
I always develop a backstory for my characters to get to know them. Even if they’re secondary characters, I have to understand their background and motivations before I let them into the story. The premise of the third Shredderman book (Meet the Gecko) is that a television crew comes to town to shoot an episode, and Shredderman helps out the star of the show. Not wanting to deal with the legal complications of using a real television show, I made up my own: The Gecko and Sticky. In the process, I came up with the hero (Dave Sanchez–a boy who has the “superpower” of being able to walk up walls, and is known as the Gecko), the sidekick (Sticky who is, as you already know, a talking gecko with . . . h’hem, sticky fingers), the villain (the deadly, diabolical, and definitely demented Damien Black), and Damien’s sidekicks (the Bandito Brothers, who are, in fact, not brothers, but a thieving mariachi band).
It was definitely wilder than anything I’d come up with before, but hey–it was just a made-up TV show, right?
Ah, how diabolically infectious made-up TV shows can be!
Sticky, you see, got under my skin. His “Ay-ay-ay”s and his “What the jalapeno was that?” and his “You cut me to the quick, senor” enchanted me, and I was sorry when his role in the Shredderman books was over.
After the Shredderman quartet was complete, I began getting lots of fan mail from kids (and teachers) asking me to please write more Shredderman books. It was tempting, because I love Nolan and the gang. But I’d completed my mission with the quartet; so instead, I started writing The Gecko and Sticky.
My first attempt resulted in an over 200-page manuscript. That was closer to a Sammy Keyes novel than a Shredderman book. So I hacked it up, threw it out, and started all over.
My next try had me at 150 pages–still too long, and something about it wasn’t quite right. So I chucked it and asked myself what in the world I was thinking, writing in the voice of a lizard.
But then on a flight from New York to California, I started hearing a voice. It wasn’t my voice. Or the guy snoring in the seat beside me. It was, you know, a voice. One in my head.
Yeah, we writers hear them, and although we will almost certainly deny it if you press us about it, we also listen. It’s how I wrote Swear to Howdy; how Bryce appeared in Flipped; where Holly’s poems came from in Runaway . . . and it’s how the narrator took over the storytelling for The Gecko and Sticky.
It’s a man’s voice in my head. (Okay, I concede that I might need some help.) But he’s funny as all get-out, and I like to listen to him. He’s the voice of someone who loves the art of storytelling; of someone who will hold a child’s wide-eyed attention as he shares the wild antics of a boy and his mischievous gecko; of someone I’d plead, “Just one more chapter, please?”
So I hope that explains it, because I really must go. He’s talking to me again and I’ve got to get back to Dave and Sticky. They are, after all, in the midst of some deep, diabolical doo-doo . . .


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Through writing, I open up my heart and soul in ways I never could in everyday life. The joy, the pain, the wonder and loneliness I felt in growing up, meld into stories which I hope will help kids believe in themselves and have compassion for those around them.”—Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen is the winner of the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children’s Mystery Book for Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief. Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes is a 2003 Edgar Award nominee.


Visit Wendelin Van Draanen's Web site at www.wendelinvandraanen.com for the lastest on The Gecko and Sticky, Sammy Keyes, Shredderman, and more!

Author Bookshelf
		Confessions of a Serial Kisser Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook EVANGELINE LOGAN WANTS a kiss. A spectacular, heart-stopping, life changing kiss. Somehow The Crimson Kiss (a romance novel she’s become obsessed with) and Four Steps to Living Your Fantasy (a self-help book she’s reading) have fused in Evangeline’s mind and sent her on a quest for a kiss. But the path... Read More
		Confessions of a Serial Kisser Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Trade Paperback EVANGELINE LOGAN WANTS a kiss. A spectacular, heart-stopping, life changing kiss. Somehow The Crimson Kiss (a romance novel she’s become obsessed with) and Four Steps to Living Your Fantasy (a self-help book she’s reading) have fused in Evangeline’s mind and sent her on a quest for a kiss. But the path... Read More
		Confessions of a Serial Kisser Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Hardcover EVANGELINE LOGAN WANTS a kiss. A spectacular, heart-stopping, life changing kiss. Somehow The Crimson Kiss (a romance novel she’s become obsessed with) and Four Steps to Living Your Fantasy (a self-help book she’s reading) have fused in Evangeline’s mind and sent her on a quest for a kiss. But the path... Read More
		Confessions of a Serial Kisser Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Hardcover Library Binding EVANGELINE LOGAN WANTS a kiss. A spectacular, heart-stopping, life changing kiss. Somehow The Crimson Kiss (a romance novel she’s become obsessed with) and Four Steps to Living Your Fantasy (a self-help book she’s reading) have fused in Evangeline’s mind and sent her on a quest for a kiss. But the path... Read More
		Flipped Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Trade Paperback The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social... Read More
		Flipped Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Hardcover The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social... Read More
		Flipped Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social... Read More
		The Gecko and Sticky: The Greatest Power Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin Hardcover Could you choose between a superpower and a friend? The evil treasure hunter Damien Black needs some quick cash—so he robs the local bank. But Damien Black didn’t figure Dave Sanchez into his plan. Dave’s been itching to try out the Invisibility Ingot in his magical wrist band, and here’s the perfect... Read More
		The Gecko and Sticky: The Greatest Power Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin eBook Could you choose between a superpower and a friend? The evil treasure hunter Damien Black needs some quick cash—so he robs the local bank. But Damien Black didn’t figure Dave Sanchez into his plan. Dave’s been itching to try out the Invisibility Ingot in his magical wrist band, and here’s the perfect... Read More
		The Gecko and Sticky: The Greatest Power Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin Hardcover Library Binding Could you choose between a superpower and a friend? The evil treasure hunter Damien Black needs some quick cash—so he robs the local bank. But Damien Black didn’t figure Dave Sanchez into his plan. Dave’s been itching to try out the Invisibility Ingot in his magical wrist band, and here’s the perfect... Read More
		The Gecko and Sticky: The Power Potion Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin Hardcover Dave Sanchez (aka The Gecko) and his pet gecko (aka Sticky) are back in their fourth dangerous encounter with the dastardly treasure hunter Damien Black!   Thirteen-year-old Dave Sanchez is a daytime student, an after-school courier . . . and a secret superhero! So far Dave's been able to juggle his different roles... Read More
		The Gecko and Sticky: The Power Potion Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin eBook Dave Sanchez (aka The Gecko) and his pet gecko (aka Sticky) are back in their fourth dangerous encounter with the dastardly treasure hunter Damien Black!   Thirteen-year-old Dave Sanchez is a daytime student, an after-school courier . . . and a secret superhero! So far Dave's been able to juggle his different roles... Read More
		The Gecko and Sticky: The Power Potion Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin Hardcover Library Binding Dave Sanchez (aka The Gecko) and his pet gecko (aka Sticky) are back in their fourth dangerous encounter with the dastardly treasure hunter Damien Black!   Thirteen-year-old Dave Sanchez is a daytime student, an after-school courier . . . and a secret superhero! So far Dave's been able to juggle his different roles... Read More
		Runaway Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Paperback "It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through... Read More
		Runaway Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Hardcover "It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through... Read More
		Runaway Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook "It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through... Read More
		Runaway Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Hardcover Library Binding "It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook Sammy Keyes has a lot of nerve. Wearing high-tops to a fancy reception at an art gallery. Asking why a framed orange splot is worth $10,000. Eyebrows rise. Noses turn up. But then Sammy tackles a thief who tries to break up the soiree with a stickup. Now the patrons of the... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook The elusive Lady Lana (a.k.a. Sammy’s mom) ran off to Hollywood nearly a year ago to get “discovered.” But when Sammy discovers that her mom has changed her name, dyed her hair, and told everyone she’s only 25, she decides Lana needs a little reality check. I mean, it’s one thing... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook Now with a bright new paperback look, the fifth book in the middle-grade mystery series starring the Edgar Award-winning Sammy Keyes! What's supposed to be a quiet weekend in the country turns into a crossroads adventure when Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley walking her 200-pound pig down the middle of... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary Written by Wendelin Van Draanen Trade Paperback Now with a bright new paperback look, the fifth book in the middle-grade mystery series starring the Edgar Award-winning Sammy Keyes! What's supposed to be a quiet weekend in the country turns into a crossroads adventure when Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley walking her 200-pound pig down the middle of... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook IT'S SAMMY'S BIRTHDAY, which should be a good thing, except that Heather, Sammy’s arch enemy, turns out to be her star sister. And El Gato, the creepy new student at Slammin’ Dave’s Pro Wrestling School, keeps hissing at Sammy to stay away. And Dorito, Sammy’s cat, is missing, and while Sammy’s... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook Sammy’s softball team is in contention for the Junior Slugger’s Cup, and all she wants to do is hunker down behind home plate and catch strikes. But Heather Acosta brings new meaning to the term “foul ball” as she schemes to get Sammy kicked off the team. And Sammy is thrown... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook She is supposed to be in church to get out of trouble... Sammy is working off some junior high detention time by helping out at St. Mary's, but when Father Mayhew discovers that his ivory cross has been stolen, Sammy becomes the prime suspect. While she's looking for the real culprit, Sammy... Read More
		Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief Written by Wendelin Van Draanen eBook With this debut book of a new mystery series, Wendelin Van Draanen establishes Samantha Keyes as a crime fighter to watch. Though, actually, the book opens with Sammy watching...a crime in progress. And when the man with the wad of cash in one hand and the open purse in the other... Read More