Author shares his sources of inspiration as part of Dayton Metro Library's The Big Read.
Rosie Project Author Graeme Simsion Skypes with Local Fans
It may have been 3:30 am in New Zealand, but author Graeme Simsion was awake and on message. His offbeat humor and quick wit impressed local fans gathered for a live chat via Skype during this past Saturday’s Dayton Book Expo and Local Authors Event at Sinclair’s Ponitz Center.
Despite the early hour, Simsion acknowledged that losing a little sleep to do interviews with American audiences is a small price to pay for the critical acclaim and popularity he now enjoys. As an interviewer once told him, “You are living the dream. No one is going to feel sorry for you.”
That dream has carried Simsion from the study of physics and thirty years in the information technology field to New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project, a romantic comedy about a quirky genetics professor on a scientific quest to find his perfect love match. The book has been optioned by Sony Pictures and is being developed for a major studio release. In addition, Simsion has penned a successful sequel called The Rosie Effect and has two more fictional love stories in the works.
The Rosie Project is the 10th anniversary selection of Dayton Metro Library’s community project The Big Read. Moderator Sharon Kelly Roth from Books & Co. posed questions to Simsion from local readers about the book and its lively characters during a forty-five minute Skype chat.
Fans learned that The Rosie Project did not start out as a comedy, but as a dramatic screenplay. “People laughed at places where I didn’t intend them to laugh,” Simsion admitted. This motivated him to revamp the story’s format, transforming it from a screenplay to a novel in just four weeks.
The book’s central characters, professor Don Tillman and his unlikely love interest, Rosie Jarman, were influenced by the author’s life experience. “A character is one-third someone you know, one-third yourself, and one third made up,” stated Simsion. Female leading lady Rosie is a composite of several people and a joint collaboration between the author and his wife of 25 years. Protagonist Don resembles the author as a foodie with a scientific mind. His originality comes from being one of the few adult characters in popular fiction with Asperger’s symptoms.
Many audience members were surprised that Simsion did not read textbooks or study the characteristics of autism or Asperger’s before writing the book. The insight into these conditions, he joked, came from 30 years of IT experience. Simsion did not write the book with these communities in mind, but he felt a special responsibility to them once the book was complete. “I didn’t want to make life more difficult for these individuals,” he said.
The author proceeded with publication of The Rosie Project only after receiving positive feedback from individuals and support groups. Simsion emphasizes that while the book is comedic, it does not poke fun of individuals with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. “Readers are not laughing at Don as a person,” says Simsion. “They are laughing at the unexpected situations.”
Simsion praised the The Big Read and other community book groups for encouraging readers to try new authors and genres. Because of these programs, his books have found an audience with men and working professionals who might have otherwise dismissed his work as chick lit. Plus, community reads encourage people to interact with the story at a deeper level through book discussion groups, community talks about autism and Asperger’s awareness, and unique experiences such as dancing lessons and sorbet tasting based on the lead character’s misadventures in dating.
So what’s the next Big Read? Stay connected with Dayton Metro Library for your chance to vote and visit www.bigread.org for a list of previous years’ picks.
