Question 1

Why would an ER doctor quit medicine to write children's books?

Accepted Answer

Actually, I was working full time in the ER when I was writing these books. I know the popular perception of doctors is that they spend every waking minute either practicing their profession or engaging in activities related to it, with no time for anything else. That perception is not entirely unfounded as a lot of doctors do fit that profile. But some of us do find enjoyment in other pursuits. My interest in writing actually precedes my career in medicine. It just took me a long time to actualize it.

Question 2

What took so long to get the book out then?

Accepted Answer

There’s that free time thing, the motivation thing and the inspiration thing. They all came together for me during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic when patient volumes were way down, and I essentially had the whole month of April off.

Question 3

When do you find the time to write while working full time?

Accepted Answer

I write all the time. That’s a big part of your job as a doctor. Shifts in the ER are long, so the hours are concentrated in fewer shifts with more days off, which provides a fair amount of time for writing and other hobbies.

Question 4

Since you spend so much time writing at work, why would you want to spend any of you time off writing?

Accepted Answer

I really don’t think of the writing I do at work as “writing.” It’s just part of the job, more like taking notes or recording facts. Also, I’m never at the computer for very long, just short snippets of text each time I open a chart. I’m constantly getting up and down between actually seeing patients and then back at the computer. Otherwise, I probably would get computer screen fatigue.

Question 5

What else do you do in your free time?

Accepted Answer

Being a doctor, I feel like I have to set an example for my patients, so I exercise 6 days a week. 3 days a week I weight train and 3 days a week I run or bike depending on the weather. I also enjoy windsurfing, water skiing, snow skiing and traveling. I have run a 10K, a 10-mile run, a half-marathon, and 3 marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice (no, I was not there during the bombing, although the Virginia Tech massacre occurred on the same day I ran my first Boston Marathon).

Question 6

Do you have any other unusual hobbies?

Accepted Answer

I recently completed a project of compiling photos I took of the welcome signs to all 50 states into a photo book. I am also trying to get all the Canadian provinces and the countries of the United Kingdom, but Covid-19 put a hold on that. Now, I am trying to find unusual or aesthetically pleasing city welcome signs and am on a mission to get photos of all the state capitol buildings.

Question 7

What was one of your goals with writing children's books?

Accepted Answer

I wanted to write a book that kids and parents would not just enjoy reading once, or even 2 or 3 times, but many times over and over again. I do not want you to ever get tired of reading my books.

Question 8

How do you get ideas for the individual stories in your books?

Accepted Answer

Most of the stories originated from a deliberate process. For example, in the homophone predominant stories, I would try to find words that had multiple homophones and then create a story out of them. One of the challenges in that process, at least one that I created for myself, was to try to use the homophones as much as possible in the story. I wanted the homophones, or whatever word play element I was using, to dominate the text.

Question 9

Why did you want the homophones or other word play elements to dominate the text?

Accepted Answer

That’s my style. There aren’t any other books as far as I know that do this. I wanted to do something original and also something that would be more fun to read. So, it’s not only more of a challenge to write this way, it’s more challenging to read as well.

Question 10

How else do you get your ideas for the stories?

Accepted Answer

Random chance! I might be watching TV, reading a book, or listening to a conversation, and hear a word or phrase that would give me an idea. That was how I got the idea for The Gnu and the Gnome.

Question 11

What differentiates your books from other books involving word play and tongue twisters?

Accepted Answer

Most of the tongue twisters in other books are just a sentence or two, and usually nonsensical. In my book, I use word play and tongue twisters to make actual stories.

Question 12

What makes your writing style unique?

Accepted Answer

Most authors start with an idea for a story and then try to find rhyming words or sentences to tell it. I do the opposite. I start with the words, whether they’re homophones, homonyms, heteronyms or other forms of word play, and then try to compose a story around them. I also usually end the story with a little twist to make it even more interesting.

Question 13

Where do you get the inspiration for your books?

Accepted Answer

Essentially from two sources. There are certain sayings or rhymes that kids like to repeat over and over again, some spanning generations, such as “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck...” and “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear...” It always seemed to me that there was a lot of potential for a bunch more of these. And the second source? One of my favorite books to read when I was a kid and to read to my own kids was Fox in Socks. I always wondered why Dr. Seuss or another author didn’t follow up with more books in this vein, as it seems like there would be plenty of material to do so.

Question 14

Are you going to be coming out with other books like this one?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I have already written enough material for at least a half-dozen more books. They will be coming out in the months ahead. Watch for the announcements.

Question 15

What can children learn from reading you books?

Accepted Answer

Children can learn a lot about elements of language with this book. Even with the simple text of Red Books and Blue Books, the abundance of heteronyms, can trip anyone up, even adults, many of whom have mispronounced the word “read” while reading this story out loud. It’s an easy mistake to make. But this story teaches children how to use context to tell how the word is pronounced and to know which meaning is in effect. And all the while they’re learning, they’re having fun doing it.

Question 16

What else have you written?

Accepted Answer

I have witten a full-length play called “Mixed Singles” as well as several short stories, one of which was published as the main story in a now defunct ezine. I am also working on a novel.

Question 17

Is the illustrator, Rivka Ravede, related to you?

Accepted Answer

Yes! She is my daughter.

Question 18

What else can you tell us about Rivka?

Accepted Answer

Rivka started illustrating my books because I asked her to do it. Artistically inclined, she has always loved to draw and paint.  When she was only seven years old she had her first painting on display in The Deland Museum of Art as part of a children’s exhibition. She currently works in a bookstore and part time in a record pressing shop. She is also a member of a musical band called “The Spirit of the Beehive” and is frequently touring with the group all over the country.

Question 19

What is a surprising fact about you most people don't know?

Accepted Answer

I am a hurricane magnet. Every single house I’ve bought and lived in has been hit by a hurricane. My very first house in Miami was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew. Then I moved to the Orlando area and got hit by Hurricane Charlie, although at least the damage there was minor. My third house was hit by Hurricane Irma a couple years ago, causing a tree to fall through the roof and into my living room, destroying the roofing and the flooring in the process. I feel like the safest thing to do is not move again.

Question 20

How long have you been a physician?

Accepted Answer

I have been a physician now for 33 years and counting!

Question 21

Where did you go to medical school?

Accepted Answer

That’s a good question. I used to know the answer, but now I’m never sure anymore. It’s not because I have a failing memory – it’s just because the school changes its name more often than cities change the names of their football stadiums. If I’m not mistaken, I believe the current name is The Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. But when I was there it was Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Question 22

Have you spent your whole career in medicine in the ER?

Accepted Answer

No. I started out working in the family practice setting. I also spent some time working in urgent care clinics, correctional facilities and have even done hotel house calls.

Question 23

Do you believe writers block is a real thing?

Accepted Answer

No, because I’ve never found it. I heard it was in Manhattan but when I went there, I didn’t see any writers.

Scott Ravede Books

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