Ted Fox

Ted Fox is the author of the jokebook You Know Who’s Awesome? (Not You.) and once solved the New York Times crossword puzzle forty-six days in a row (not a joke). He lives in Indiana with his wife, their two kids, and two German short-haired pointers who are frankly baffled there aren’t more dogs in his books. The recipient of a prestigious “No. 1 Dad” keychain, Fox was widely recognized as having the best swaddling technique of anyone in the family when his kids were babies. And not just the immediate family―grandparents, aunts, uncles, everybody.

Fox's new novel, his first, is Schooled.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The working title of Schooled was for a long time Dad for President. Given that an election for president of an elementary school parent board is at the heart of the story, that may have been a more direct nod to the plot. But as we went through the editorial process, there was a concern Dad for President might sound to readers like a picture book. I thought that was a good point, and we batted around some alternatives, through which Schooled emerged relatively quickly as the winner. Given that the book is about a lot more than the election—namely, figuring out who you want to be in addition to being a parent—I think the title we went with actually does quite a bit of work.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Teenaged Ted would be surprised I’d written a novel, period—pleasantly for sure, but surprised nonetheless. I always loved creative writing and took courses in it in both high school and college, but I spent most of my teens and the early part of my 20s focused on a career in sports broadcasting. It wasn’t until I met the woman I’d eventually marry and she encouraged me to try writing books that I decided to pursue the path that ultimately led to Schooled. In the 16 years in between, there was a joke book that was published and a bunch of narrative nonfiction and YA that wasn’t. But the one constant from the days I dreamed of being an anchor on ESPN to my present-day incarnation as a novelist has been the humor. Making people laugh is both a joy and a challenge, and it’s certainly my hope that Schooled is up to that task.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Can I say “C, all of the above”? The beginning is tough because if it falls flat, you’re going to lose people, and they may never make it to the end. It’s like you’re just getting started with a potential reader (or editor), and it’s already weirdly high-stakes. The beginning of Schooled definitely went through more revisions than the end—although my agent did suggest I add what became the epilogue after reading the completed draft—while the way I wanted to end the story just sort of revealed itself to me as I was writing. I think that can happen as you get to know your characters on a deeper and deeper level. And yet I wouldn’t necessarily say that part was easier because there’s nothing worse than really liking a book and being let down by its ending. I guess I might say I find the actual opening lines of a book the most difficult to write, but landing on the broader concept and substance of how you’ll end it to be the bigger challenge.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

My main character, Jack Parker, is a stay-at-home dad to two young kids. While I’ve always had a job, I have worked mostly remotely and part-time and been home with our two kids since they were born. As you’d guess, these similarities between Jack and me are not a coincidence. Jack’s desire to be home with his children as well as his experience of the day-to-day grind of parenting—waking up too early, debating the merits of screen time, being interrupted while trying to do something luxurious like go to the bathroom—are all things that are very familiar to me. So, too, is his commitment to supporting his wife’s career. That said, Jack’s path to becoming a stay-at-home dad was a little more … eventful than my own. And despite his insecurities that surface throughout the book, I’d say he is an overall less-anxious person than I am. I’m a little jealous of that.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Lots of TV shows and movies have influenced my sense of humor, but none more than Seinfeld (which explains why I literally thanked my DVD set in the acknowledgments). Social issues like gender equality and voting rights are also very important to me, and I try to give voice to those values in a way that is thoughtful without being preachy.

Visit Ted Fox's website.

The Page 69 Test: Schooled.

--Marshal Zeringue