In advertising, my former life in advertising, a lot of times you would be working on a campaign that had been going on for 25 years and they had built up a lot of equity and a lot of positive things. And so I sort of kept that in mind also because Amelia Bedelia had been around for 25 years. They had this cast of characters, Cousin Alcolu, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers and sort of guest appearances by various authority figures.
And so I wanted to respect that and yet take it forward a little bit. In my first book, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia, one of the people at the publishers said, “You know, it’s the first time I realize Mr. Rogers as a person, as he,” you know, because he goes out for a drive with her. Usually it was Mrs. Rogers, you know. And now Mr. Roger — and he just is just bedraggled afterwards, you know, and you really feel — you really feel bad for the guy having spent the day with Amelia Bedelia and all her foibles.
And so it’s fun to take that cast of characters, sort of that ensemble cast and sort of move them forward, let them grow in different ways.
With her parents, I look at the father as sort of the instigator and the mother as sort of the — I don’t want to say peacemaker, but she’s the one who really smooths things over and makes sure, you know, she has self-confidence and is proud of herself and, you know, she’s just doing a good job as a parent.
I really — I really like the father the way he sort of creates a spark and causes trouble, you know. And I like that side of Amelia Bedelia too ‘cause a lot of the things that she does not on purpose also create a spark in people and events move and are shaped by something she says, a remark, some action she takes.
