Flying High: An Interview with Author Emmett Zimmerman

Picture this: May, 2022. What were you doing? For Emmett Zimmerman, an 8-year-old author, it was getting his book published. Plane Crashes is a fictional book that takes place on a plane about to crash. 
“They were flying around and there was a little bit of turbulence and then they realized on the top floor there was a crack and eventually there were a few other cracks,” Emmett says about the adventure in his book. 
The plane even goes through a wormhole and underwater, so watch out! 
When asked about his inspiration, Emmett replied: “I just really like planes, so I wanted to write a book.” 
Emmett has been interested in airplanes for most of his life. “They were just really cool to me.” And his extensive vocabulary and knowledge of planes definitely come from this interest (His favorite plane is an airbus for those of you who are wondering). Writing the book and getting it published was a process that took around two months. “It took me a long time…I wrote one or two pages at a time…and I wrote it at school.” When asked if it was a school project Emmett replied: “It wasn’t a school project, I just really wanted to do it.” Now that’s commitment! 
A cool fact about Plane Crashes is that Emmett was able to incorporate friends, family, pets, and other important people into it. 
“A few real people are in the book and few real animals like cats and dogs,” he says. 
The front of the book is illustrated by Emmett himself depicting a plane in flames. He used the app Notes for the illustration and really enjoyed creating the drawing. For other artworks, Emmett likes to use crayons. As well as drawing, he enjoys reading, Emmett’s favorite book being The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone. When asked whether he likes to read about real or made-up things, he replied “I read about both.” Other interests involve science and engineering. I asked Emmett what he wanted to do when he grew up and his answer was: “Well, I have a few things I want to do. The first one is…a flight pilot, I also want to be an engineer and a scientist.” He is also very interested in the Titanic and has been writing a book recently with facts about cats! 
It was a great experience talking with another writer and it was truly inspiring being able to meet with someone so accomplished in literature and with so many other fun hobbies and interests. A huge shout out to Emmett and to Terry at the West 7th Library for giving me this wonderful opportunity. There will be a book talk with Emmett on Thursday, September 15, at 6:00 pm at the West 7th Community Center to celebrate his literary accomplishment.
Library Hours  
The West 7th Public Library, 265 Oneida Street is open Mondays, Thursdays 12:30-8 p.m., Tuesdays 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Wednesdays, Fridays 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The library is closed Saturdays and Sundays.  
Computers with internet access are available for up to two hours per day. Call 651-298-5516 for information.  
- Terry Giinther, West 7th Library Manager