What Is The Squickerwonkers? Evangeline Lilly | MTV | Talks at Google

TL;DR

“The Squickerwonkers” is Evangeline Lilly’s first published book and the realization of her long-held ambition to become a writer. She developed it from a poem written at age 14, carried the idea for 20 years, and devoted three years of full-time work to the book. It begins an 18-story series illustrated by Johnny Fraser-Allen. Read on to discover its origins, audience, artwork, and creative collaborators.

Transcript

ARTUR OLIVEIRA: Thank you all so much for coming. My name is Artur. And I am really excited today to be able to welcome Evangeline Lilly to Google in Mountain View. As you all know, Evangeline is an incredibly famous and successful actress. She's been in plenty of works on the big screen and on TV. But today we're here to talk about her new book-- ... Read More

Key Insights

• 💦 Evangeline Lilly's book, "The Squickerwonkers," is a passion project that she worked on for three years and poured her full-time efforts into.
• 🧓 The book is not strictly for children, as people of all ages, including Lilly's own son and 13-year-old niece, have enjoyed it.
• 👶 The book challenges the traditional children's storybook model by exploring the complexities of human nature and embracing characters with both positive and negative qualities.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Evangeline Lilly’s book “The Squickerwonkers” about as a creative project?

“The Squickerwonkers” is Evangeline Lilly’s first published work and a project she describes as deeply meaningful to her. It grew from a poem she wrote at age 14 and is the first of 18 planned Squickerwonker stories.

Q: When did Evangeline Lilly first write “The Squickerwonkers”?

Lilly wrote a poem called “The Squickerwonkers” when she was 14 years old. She carried it with her for 20 years while her mother periodically asked when she would publish it.

Q: How long did Evangeline Lilly work on “The Squickerwonkers”?

Lilly says she poured three years of full-time work into the book. Publishing it was momentous because she had wanted to become a writer for a very long time.

Q: Why did Evangeline Lilly become an author after finding success as an actress?

Lilly describes herself as a reluctant actress who treats acting as a day job. She says writing is her passion, making the publication of her first book especially important to her.

Q: How many books are planned for The Squickerwonkers series?

“The Squickerwonkers” is the first of 18 planned stories in the series. Lilly jokes that children reading the first book may have children of their own by the time she reaches book 18.

Q: Did Peter Jackson help create “The Squickerwonkers”?

Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens wrote the book’s foreword. While Lilly was working on “The Hobbit,” she brought proofs to Walsh and Boyens, who helped her edit the book.

Q: Who illustrated “The Squickerwonkers”?

Johnny Fraser-Allen created the book’s illustrations, combining his artwork with Lilly’s rhymes. Lilly found him through his work at Weta Workshop while she was working on “The Hobbit.”

Q: What age group is “The Squickerwonkers” for?

The publisher identifies ages five to eight as the book’s demographic, but Lilly says it is for everybody. She supports that view by noting that her three-year-old son, her 13-year-old niece, and Lilly herself at age 35 all enjoyed it.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Evangeline Lilly wrote a poem called "The Squickerwonkers" when she was 14 years old and recently published it as her first book.

• The book is the first in a series of 18 Squickerwonker stories and is not just for kids, but for all ages.

• The book combines Lilly's rhymes with the illustrations of Johnny Fraser-Allen, with plans for a future stop animation film and multimedia experience.