Kate DiCamillo is a beloved award-winning book author, best known for her children's books Because of Winn-Dixie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and her Mercy Watson series.

In 2004, she won the prestigious Newbery Medal for her children's novel, The Tale of Despereaux, the story of an exceptionally brave mouse who follows his heart and as a result, becomes the unlikeliest of heroes. The popular tale is now being released by Universal Pictures as an animated motion picture featuring the voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, and Sigourney Weaver.

The author recently sat down in Los Angeles, CA and chatted with Kaboose via telephone to answer a few questions about her life as a children's book author and film muse: 

Q: Have you had a chance to see the full movie adaptation of Tale of Despereaux? What did you think of it?

A: I'm blown away by how beautiful it is and how deep and rich it is --not only visually, but also from a storytelling standpoint--it's amazing.

Q:As the creator of this tale, it must be difficult to trust other people with your story. How have you felt about the process from book to film that was taken with The Tale of Despereaux?

A: This team of directors, producers, and actors came to the film with a passion for the screenplay and the book. I was just doing a panel with the two directors [Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen] and the producer, Gary Ross, [listening to] them talk about how they envisioned the movie and what they wanted to do with it. Then to see the movie and to watch how they've succeeded, it makes me think that I'm the luckiest person in the world. They really cared about what they were doing and about the storytelling. They've made this gorgeous film that brings the book to life in a whole new way--it's astonishing. 

Q:How involved with the film adaptation were you?

A: Not much at all. I did a treatment in the beginning and then it was all this magical, wonderful thing that was happening out of the corner of my eye. I was kept in the loop but I didn't work on it.

Q: Now that you've seen a number of your works have been translated into films [Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux], do you ever start imagining your books as movies as you are writing them? 

A: I don't think in terms of movies when I'm writing, but they're always unfolding in my head in kind of a visual way. [If I thought] about the films when I'm writing, I think that would be absolute death to what I'm doing--because then you're writing it for the wrong reason.

Q: Would you ever consider writing an original screenplay of your own?

A: I would love to do that just to try my paw at it. With Winn-Dixie I got to work on the screenplay and it's a totally different way to tell a story; but it also plays to one of the few strengths I have as a writer--which is writing dialogue. I love writing dialogue; I love making people talk. I would like to try that at some point, yes. I would not close the door on that idea.

Read on to find out what Kate thinks she'd be doing if she hadn't become a successful author...

For more great celebrity interviews, movie reviews, and kids' books, visit our family entertainment section. Also read our interview with Tale of Despereaux actress Emma Watson.

Published: December 2008
Laura Young is the Crafts/Holidays & Fun editor on Kaboose.com