I think that’s because we create series, so when you work with series characters, when you’re doing it right the characters start to dictate the story and we know that, we know the characters so well. After doing, how many, thirty Hank Zipzer books? We knew intuitively what he wouldn’t or wouldn’t do. And with our new character Buddy Burger, the alien superstar, it took us quite a while to, oh, here he is.
It took us quite a while to develop the first book because you’re exploring the character and you’re exploring what is or isn’t in character.
And the rules. The rules of an alien, what does he know, what doesn’t he know, what has he absorbed living on the earth, what can he accomplish or not accomplish? Because he has suction cups on his feet you know which is really, really difficult on hot asphalt. He’s also good in 71 languages, he just has real trouble with Hungarian. Because the vowels kill him.