Chewing the Fat with Jeff Fisher - Ep 121 | The American Dream - Rachel Renee Russell Is Living Hers...

Episode Date: June 8, 2019

Rachel Renée Russell is the author of the #1 New York Times Best Selling book series, Dork Diaries & The Misadventures of Max Crumbly. She’s an attorney who prefers writing tween books to legal briefs. Mainly because books are a lot more fun and pajamas and bunny slippers aren’t allowed in court. You can follow Rachel on Twitter @DorkDiaries or visit her website at http://dorkdiaries.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling author, 400 weeks and counting. I know, it's only the beginning. An N-A-C-P- Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children in 2015. Nomination for Nickelodeon Kids Choice Book of the Year Award in 2011. And worldwide has garnered such honors two children's choice book awards in 2011. You know, sometimes you feel not worthy. And Rachel Renee Russell is a person. that makes me feel unworthy because she's doing such a wonderful job with her books.

And the new Max Crumbly, Masters of Mischief, is now available. And Rachel joins us on Chewing the Fat. Hello, Rachel. How are you? I'm doing great, Jeff. How are you doing? I am fantastic. Thank you for coming on.

So your new book is out. And you're excited about getting that on the shelves. But for those that don't know, give us a little bit of history of some of the books in the past that they may have missed. Um, yes. Well, as you just mentioned, I'm the author of Dork Diaries, and I started that book series in 2009, and here it is 10 years later. So this year is actually my 10th anniversary of writing Dork Diaries. And I think we're like, what, 45 million in print at this point of the Dork Diaries series. And I'm currently working on Dork Diaries book 14. So once I finish up here, I'll have, you know, a bite to eat. And then I will hit the, computer and start working on that Dirk Diaries book 14. So it talks about how you work with your daughter, Nikki, on this book, Max Crumbly. Does your daughter, has she worked with you on the other books as well? Actually, by the time I was starting Dirk Diaries back in 2009, she had just graduated from

college and got her first job as an elementary school teacher for third graders. So the book had just hit the New York Times bestseller's list, and my publisher was so excited they wanted me to agree not to one book per year, but two Doric Diaries books per year. And there's no way I could have done that myself. So I did ask my daughter if she wouldn't mind putting her career on hold and, you know, helping me out for a year or two. And then I'd try to find another illustrator to help.

And here it is 10 years later. And she never went back to teaching. And she's loving, you know, being, she's the illustrator for both Dorke Diaries and Max Crumley, and she's, you know, not, I guess, missed the classroom so much. I think she's probably, you know, working with her mom and kind of self-employed, too, because she could just stay home. She comes to my house every day from 9 to 5 when we work together, but technically she has a studio at her house and she could just, you know,

sit back in her pajamas and, you know, turn on the TV or music, you know, for six hours and call it a day, you know, versus teaching, which is, you know, a little bit more. No kidding. But she's coming to your house and, you know, obviously working and talking to you about it. You know, I mean, do you have, you know, I find that it's difficult for me. I can do this show, you know, anywhere. I could be home in my underwear.

And in fact, you don't know that I'm not. But I'm telling you I'm not. But, you know, I find it difficult when I don't have a space to go. So have you created the space in your home that's your place to go and that's off limit? That's my workspace. Yes, definitely. I have a, my house. house has an office or library.

Yeah. And that's where I work. And then I actually built, I added onto my house because we needed like stores. Yeah. So I built her a studio. So on the other side of the house, she has a huge studio. It's probably like maybe 20 feet by 25 feet, which is a large room. You loved her so much you put it on the other side of the house, though.

Yeah, exactly. Well, that's where there was more room. I understand. I understand. So there's a lot of windows and French, doors in her section and hardwood floors and yellow bright yellow wall

paint and so she she's here's studio so she has a studio in her own home and then we only live like a mile from each other so you know she hops in her car with her two dogs the humongous poodle that she brings over every day she's got a little teeny tiny elderly toy poodle so she brings her two dogs over

they hang out in the studio and then we we work together so it's a lot of fun I bet I bet it is it sounds wonderful. So you were an attorney. You know, you grew up in Michigan, and, you know, I grew up there myself. I mean, I know what it's like to want to get out of that place. Yeah, so let's see where you are you from.

I grew up in Saginaw, you know, the little northeast of where you grew up. And I started insane. My childhood was in St. Joseph. Then as an adult, I lived in like the Grand Rapids area. And again, I know what it's like to want to get out of there. But the, I understand that, you know, you. you're an attorney. And every time I read about you, it's talking about, you know, this great author,

but you're also an attorney. Do you still have family members that, like, treat you like, yeah, that's great. You're writing these little kids' books, but I need some advice. I've been doing this for 10 years. So after about the second or third year, I kind of was able to convince people that I'm not in that business. Now, technically, it's a secret. I do have my state of Michigan state bar license, so I am a licensed. attorney in Michigan, even though I've relocated to Virginia about 10 years ago.

But yeah, I've got the inquiries probably for a couple of years. And then I'm pretty much, you know, I'm like, you know, and I'm full-time writer now. Right. Right. When I was practicing, I was a consumer bankruptcy attorney. So by the time I was so highly specialized, unless they were having financial problems, I really couldn't help them very much. And so mostly they're wanting wills or, you know, something like that.

So now being a bankruptcy attorney kind of keeps people. away unless they're having, you know, severe financial problems. You're, you know, you're living your own American dream. It's one of the things that we talk a lot about here on chewing the fat. And joining me is Rachel Renee Russell, author of Dork Diaries and her latest book, Max Crumbly, a Masters of Mistress. Masters of mischief. You know, so you're living your American dream.

You started off, you go to college and you become an attorney, and then you write a kid's book. When you wrote a kid's book, did you have an idea that, hey, this is something I wanted to do? Was it something you just felt like, hey, this will be a side thing? Because now, I mean, it's your life now. Yeah, well, it's a long story. Do you really want to hear the details? I do. That's why I asked.

Well, I was married for 25 years. And by that time, my husband and I had gotten both of the kids in college and whatever. And my marriage was not doing one. Oh, boy. My mother was not interested in keeping me as his wife. That's too bad. Basically, he kind of moved on. We had two kids in college, and my duties was to pay the tuition.

I was an attorney, and he was a dentist, so we had very, very little financial aid. So every dime I got went into my bankruptcy practice or was sent to University of Michigan for two students. Hail to the victors. So by the time my marriage fell apart, I was broke. You know, and again, I had been making, you know, probably close to six years. But again, all the money was going, reinvesting in my bankruptcy practice and to household matters and to University of Michigan. So he moved on, married a coworker, and I was here with the house and bills and tuition. So I lost my house.

The cars were repossessed. It was just horrible. This was like 2008. It was horrible, horrible, horrible. I still was practicing law out of my house, but I couldn't afford to keep the office, because that was really expensive. Yeah. So I'm working out of my home. Home is in foreclosure.

Still sending money to University of Michigan by myself, no help from that's hubby to keep kids in college to graduate from University of Michigan. So my mom's like, well, isn't your, don't you have to move out of your house? Because once they foreclose, you only have, like, so many months because then they'll, like, set your stuff out like you're renting. there. Yes. So my mom is like, Rhonda, you're going to, Rachel, you got to go. You got to go. You're going to have to come home. I was not about to go back to my purple bedroom that I had when I was 14. So I thought, okay, you're an attorney, you know, you got to figure this out. Smart enough. I think by that, like 49 or 50. So I thought I need money and I need money, you know, quick. Right. I could get a larger, now you can go were because I was still doing bankrupties at the time.

I was a bankrupt, bankrupt attorney. How about that? But I thought I could get a bigger chunk of money if I could get, by that time I was already kind of playing around with men, because my kids were in college. I had all this extra time on my hands. I'm trying to talk fast.

No, no, you're fine. You're fine. You're fine. This is fascinating. And I'm loving to hear it. This is an actual American dream. Whatever. So I thought if I could, you know, get maybe $15,000, $20,000, I could start over.

You know, enough. And my sister lived in Virginia and she was building a new home. And by that time, I think the real estate was doing really bad. She wasn't able to sell her house back in 2008. So she said, since you're going through a divorce and you're a bankrupt, bankruptcy attorney, how about you moving to Virginia? You can rent my house and then try to, you know, do that. get back on your feet and whatever, because my life was a disaster.

Sure. If I could sell this manuscript, I heard that you can get maybe $15,000, $20,000, and I thought, well, that would be enough to get me out of Michigan and to Virginia. I could pay my sister, you know, first month rent, last month rent. I'd have to take the bar again in Virginia because Virginia doesn't have reciprocity with Michigan. Silly. So I thought, well, I'm going to have to go work as a law clerk.

You know, so, yes, I had my own bankruptcy firm in Michigan, but I'm going to have to go be a law clerk somewhere. or four year until I passed the bar. So anyway, I sent out the manuscript to literary agents online. And lo and behold, and I based it on my daughters. My daughters in school and middle grade were bullied and considered dorks and nerds. And they were good kids. They got straight A's and teachers loved them and they were kind, but there were a few mean girls at their school that gave them a rough time.

That's why you're homeschooled. That's why you homeschool, Rachel. That's why. Yeah, I know, really. But they're in college by the time I was actually writing. Right. I understand. I got it.

Yes. I thought, well, I'll use that as my motivation. And so I came up with like the first maybe 100 pages of Dork Diaries with the illustrations. And I sent that out to literary agents. And lo and behold, they were interested. And it was really strange because I was writing a very, very humorous, upbeat. You know, kind of even about, you know, the middle grade life. It was still very, very funny.

And I was like, you know, it got me clinical depression because my life was falling apart. You know, and my husband had, you know, disappeared. And my life's foreclosure and guards. It was just horrible, horrible, horrible. I was writing this humorous, lighthearted, cotton candy children's book. But the cool thing is that my divorce was final. in May of 2009, so he went his own way, and I was a single mom with, you know, my world collapsing in my head.

He hadn't joked on dentures yet. In June of 2009, Dork Diaries made the New York Times bestsellers list. 30 days after my divorce was finalized. That's fantastic. You know, sometimes I pinch myself and wonder when I'm going to wake up because I was able to move to Virginia. When the book hit the New York Times, the sellers list, you know, the royalties, you know, we're coming in within a year. I let the, I didn't worry about the foreclosed home or the cars. I was able to buy bigger, nicer homes and cars in Virginia.

As a children's author, even to this day, I guess I was so traumatized by what happened during that time of my life. That is why I'm holding on to my state bar of Michigan license to practice law because if there's ever another disaster in my life, I have a backup, and that is that I can go back and be a bankruptcy attorney in Michigan. Hopefully that won't ever happen. I know. I think you're a ways away from that disaster of happening. People ask me, why do you still pay, you know, like $300 to keep your bar license? Well, that's why I do.

You never know. You never know. I was so traumatized by that disaster in my life that I thought, well, I'll, you know, do this author thing. And if it keeps going and I'm successful, great. but if it doesn't, I can always go back and practice law in Michigan. And live in that purple room at mom's house. I don't have to use that option. So that's the long story.

And live in that purple room at mom's house. You don't want to do that. That's a good fighting force to stay away from there. I was third grade to my senior year in high school, and I was not interested in going back to my purple bedroom in the basement. So you have dork diaries. So you have dork diaries, and now you have Max Crumbly. When, you know, once Dork Diaries had taken off and you have, you know, you're going back to write a new Dork Diaries, you told us earlier.

But what brought along Max Crubbley? When Max, Dork Diaries has a female main character, but I still have fans that are guys and goes out of the matter of, probably almost half my readers are guys. But whenever I had a book signing, the first thing out of the boy's mouth or the young guy's mouth was it. you need to do another book and have a guy main character. And I was told that probably a thousand times, you know, whenever I had book signings and what size. They're like, oh, hi, I love your book series.

It's hilarious. Please continue to write it. And while you're doing it, can you make another book series with a guy main character? So again, after about the thousandth time I had heard that, I thought, well, you know, I would like to. start another book series and I can do a spin-off with one of Nikki's, you know, girlfriends, you know, one of her best friends or whatever. But I've gotten this request from my male fans for so many years over and over and over again.

I think I'm going to, you know, launch a new book series. So technically Max Crumley showed up in Dork Diaries Book 10 and he was a really good friend of Brandon. Brandon is Nikki's good friend and Dirk Diaries and Max Crumley is Brandon's best friend. So when he showed up in Dirk Diaries' book 10 at their school for, I think, a science fair or something, I took that opportunity to introduce him to Dirk Diaries' readers, and then a year later spun him off into his own book series, which is Max Cromley. And we're on book three in that series right now.

You set them up. So now you have 45 million copies in print total, published in 40 languages. You know, winner, have you signed the TV deals or the movie deals, and we're doing everything to get that ready to go now? Actually, I have a meeting today at 4-3, a phone consultation with a Hollywood studio. So just, you know, I mean, it's funny that you even mention that. But yes, we're in talks with the studio for a Dork Diaries movie. Of course.

And I'm pushing for it to be musical. And, you know, so hopefully, hopefully I'll know probably in a month or two. And once we sign the contract, it'll, you know, we'll release up, press release up regarding it all. So, yes, I am in talks with Hollywood studio for a theatrical release. I'm not so interested in television or streaming. I want them in movies. Really? Your local movie theater.

Really? What brings you down that road? Because in today's world, you know, so much is, I mean, between Amazon and Netflix and Hulu and other companies hitting the streaming with their productions, it would seem that that would be the road. No, and you know why? Because theatrical releases or books that are made into movies and put in your local movie theaters sell a lot more books than I've been with Netflix or Amazon or anybody. Case in point.

Where did you watch Harry Potter in your movie theater? Jacob Rowland is a billionaire from her book sales. Then there's The Hunger Games. Where did you see The Hunger Games? In your movie theaters, not on Netflix. and she made tons and tons of, you know, had a lot of book sales. Then there's, what, Twilight, that was back, you know, maybe a decade ago with the vampire or in the high school and all of stuff, theatrical releases.

So when I look at Dirk Diaries and I look at other authors and books to movies, when I grow up, I want to be like, you know, the author of Harry Potter and the author of Hunger Games and the author of Twilight and, you know, on and on. And again, those are all books that were in movie theaters. And that's because, in my humble opinion, movie theaters and theatrical releases probably sell 10 to 20 times more books than you'll ever see with the Netflix. Now, that might be changing. And I agree that there are a couple of, I think there's even one now. Well, I can't think of it.

But there's actually the author is Jenny Hahn, and she's with Simon & Schuster. And her books are doing really, really well at Netflix. But overall, the recipe that I'm after is to reproduce, you know, the sales and popularity of a Hunger Games or Harry Potter. That is why I do theatrical release. I mean, you make a good argument. I'm just, I was just, you know, concerned. I mean, we have so much available to us streaming from different companies, you know, around the globe that I was just interested in what your recipe was. And I hear that a lot.

And then when I say, well, name a children's book that has sold millions and millions from Netflix or Amazon or Hulu, most people kind of scratch their head. Well, that's because you would be the first. Now, for adults that work, because you have what, the Thrones, I don't, I don't watch that, but the, was it? Game of Thrones. Yeah, Game of Thrones. Adults sold tons and tons of books. Yes, he did. And Maidon's Tale and adult books sold tons and tons of books.

So that works for adult books that are marketed to adults, but can you name one children's books? I was actually trying, and I don't know that I can. I don't know that I can't. And I'm in the business and I really can't. However, again, I repeat, you would be the first. I feel like I'm arguing for Netflix. I don't want to be the guinea pig. I'm like, put me at a movie theater next to the Harry Potter and Hunger Games and Twilight, and I'm good.

I don't, and I've talked to Netflix and I've talked to people and they're like, oh, this is going to work. And I'm like, I'm not being anybody's guinea pit. No, we're not, we're not experimenting with Dork Diaries. Just put me in the movie theaters and I'm good. But there are other younger authors that are more adventurous than I am. Yeah, yeah, of course. So I'm like, you guys go right ahead. I will see you at the movie theater.

That's fantastic. Rachel Renee Russell, author of Dork Diaries. and the latest edition of Max Crumbly, the Misadventures of Max Crumbly, Masters of Mischief. You know, all these children's books. And you started out, obviously, with the thought of, I need to get out of the hole.

And you told us a little bit of the backstory of what you were thinking. And now you've reached a point where you really are creating, you know, this body of work. You know, what are you, other than, you know, the living the American dream and you can do what you want as you're proving uh you know what do you hope to inspire to the young readers that you that come to see you at the book signings

and read your books what do you hope that the books are doing for them well um for dork both of my books have themes for dork diaries uh is always let your inner dork shine through and by that um i want kids that um maybe bullied or that are picked on or made fun of or and these are these kids are usually smart and they're kind it's almost like the good people are the ones that are you know getting harassed and and and and and I hear that over and over and over again and I don't know why maybe they're good maybe they're so good or they're goody two shoes or their square or their dorks or it feels that way it feels that way my youngest son my youngest son is a is a dork and uh he's one of the kindest people on

the planet, man. And that's how my daughters were, too. So I haven't really figured out what draws mean people and why they just want to ruin their day and harass them and just, you know, I haven't figured that out yet. But what I do know is that by writing about that situation and showing kids how to cope with it, sometimes you can laugh it off and make it a joke. Sometimes you can spend time with kids that support you and love you, like, you know, getting best friends.

getting involved in activities after school. Yes. Sometimes you do have to involve your parents, and sometimes you do have to involve the principal or a teacher. So it just depends on how far along they are, you know, with the situation and how serious it is. You can make jokes and, you know, whatever, or maybe you need to have a meeting with your parents and the principal

and that kid's parents and try to get to the bottom of it. I hope to. We offer all of those alternatives. as coping mechanisms for kids who are going through the same thing that my kids went through and that my main character, Nikki Maxwell, went through and my main character, Max Crum, because he has kind of the same situation too. So since I guess I live that with my kids and we're a little traumatized by it, it's the theme to both of my books.

So for Dork Diaries, it's always let your inner dork shine through and be comfortable in your own skin and realize your own value. And with Max Crumbly, since he's like obsessed with superheroes and comic books, It's be the hero you admire, which is to step up in your school or community. And obviously you don't have like superhero strength and you can't fly, but you can use what powers you do have for good. And that's being kind to people and respectful and sticking up for the little guy, you know, when you see him being picked on.

So that's the kind of hero that I'm talking about. Rachel Renee Russell, thank you so much for joining us today on Tune the Fat. It was inspiring. It was great to talk to you. Yeah, but it was great being here. Hey, thank you. That's it for the interview, and I really appreciate it. But I just wanted to say thank you.

And anything that we can do in the future for you, you know, you let us know. I'm happy to help any way we can. It was great. And, you know, if we could do anything at all, you let us know, I'm happy to help. Really, I mean that. Well, I have a book coming out in October 2019. So I'll put you back on my list and maybe I can, you know, drop back in again in the fall. That'd be great.

And we are located, you know, in the metroplex of Dallas, Fort Worth. So if you're ever here, I'd love to have you in the studios and talk to you here. Something live down there. Yes, it would. It would be great. Excellent. Thank you very much, Jeff. Absolutely.

We'll talk to you soon. Be safe. You too. Bye-bye. And just a reminder, subscribe to Chewing the Fat with yours truly, Jeff Fisher. Thank you so much for tuning in for the Saturday American Dream segments. they're fascinating people all over this country and it's great to see

and hear that people are still living the American dream there's a reason why people want to come to this country and one of the reasons is they want to listen to chewing the fat in the country that it's broadcast from now you can share you can still subscribe to chewing the fat in other countries

I look I'm not I don't discriminate against other countries man if you whatever country you're in you can subscribe to chewing the fat. But whatever country you are in, you need to remember to subscribe to chewing the fat. I don't want to be angry today. It's Saturday. So, appreciate you listening.

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