Thumbing across America with John Waters

Love's possibilities unwrapped in French novel

People ask, 'What would you say to your art teacher now who said you should pursue a different career?' He passed away years ago but I think the only thing I would have said is why not point out any positives in what I was doing, like, 'Todd, you draw really great circles, although that's not what I asked you to do.'

Art was the one interest I had, but I didn't have the confidence. It took me years.

You entered a drawing of Snoopy in a contest when you were a kid and your dad said, 'That's great but you're not allowed to trace,' when you hadn't. How did that feel?

It was so good that he thought I had traced it, but I was disappointed. I was so deflated that I had expressed myself in such a way that I was so proud of and I wanted to hear, 'That's really good.'

You were a gay kid living in small-town Wyoming. How did your childhood impact the content of your books?

I felt that I didn't belong where I grew up. I was so excited by what I thought was this big world that was out there waiting for me, where you could just be whoever you were. You could wear whatever you wanted. I felt like I was trapped in a place where basically you went to school, you went into certain types of jobs, and you got married and you had kids.

There weren't options to be different. My dad has said if he used the term 'wanting to be an artist' with his dad and mom they would have kicked him out of the house.

You take on a lot of tough subjects in a simple, straightforward style. Are other books for kids too preachy, busy or condescending?

The only self-imposed directive I had in the beginning was to stay away from preachy, teachy or new agey. My artwork originally led to a proposal from an editor who said, 'Hey, have you ever thought about writing children's books?' I said, 'No, I haven't. I did horrible in school. I barely made it out, so no. Books are for smart people.'