I am so excited to begin a new blog series, Ask the Author, with Kim Tomsic, author of Guitar Genius. My boys absolutely fell in love with this book about musician and innovator Les Paul and after interviewing Kim, it’s easy to see why! Kim’s warm spirit is infectious and translates into her writing. She was so kind and willing to answer my questions. I hope she writes another book about music just so we can talk again! And of course, any fellow University of Texas grad is a friend of mine! I asked Kim a few questions about the book, her writing and her own musical interests. Happy reading!

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I know that your son's interest in guitar inspired you to write Guitar Genius. What inspired his interest in music?  

I asked my son Cayman to answer this directly, since sometime I make mistakes assuming things about my kids 😊. So here it is, direct from the musician’s mouth, “I was interested in music since I was very young and have always been infatuated with how things work, whether that be mechanically or creatively. Naturally, I was drawn to the guitar after seeing my cousins Kenny and William play.”  On a side note, Cayman’s cousin Kenny Butler played lead guitar for the Matt Maher band which has had a song or two nominated for a Grammy.  

How long did it take you to complete all of your research on Les Paul before you felt the story was complete and accurate?

 I spent two years researching Les Paul to make sure this book was accurate. Fortunately, I began my research by reaching out to Sue Baker at the Les Paul Foundation. Not only is she a stickler for getting things right, but she was also one of Les Paul’s closest friends during the last ten years of his life. With Sue’s help, I was able to avoid the pitfalls of some of the misinformation in other books. When I visited the guitar genius’s birthplace of Waukesha, Wisconsin, Sue personally showed me the town. One of the best things that came out of all my research is my friendship with Sue♥.

 What was the most interesting thing you learned while researching the life of Les Paul? 

I’m still enamored with the story of how when he was a child, Lester would tie a string to his big toe at bedtime and dangle the other end of the string outside his second floor bedroom window with a note attached to the end that said, “Tug here if anything interesting is happening.” Les Paul’s curiosity and his persistence in figuring things out are (to me) the two most amazing things about his personality.   

 Do you have a favorite Les Paul song? 

I think my favorite is How High the Moon because of the rich story that happened beside it—Les Paul and Mary Ford recorded that song shortly after he had discovered that he could add a fourth head to a tape recorded, thus finding a way to record without needing a recording studio (the advent of sound-on-sound music). All he needed was, “a fourth head on the Mono 300 deck.”  Cayman says he also loves “How High the Moon” as, “A classic for Les’s rippin solos” and he also says, “Mary Ford’s layered vocals are stunning on that track.”

I read in your bio that you moved around a lot as a child. Where was your favorite place to live and why? 

I have three top favorites, Austin, Texas—I  graduated from the University of Texas and loved everything about my time there; Boulder, Colorado—I love the people and the hiking; Arizona—I love my family, the hiking, and the weather (and you don’t have to shovel sunshine)! 

How did you become interested in writing? 

I showed up as a reader first. When my son was in third and fourth grade, he was a strong reader but I still read to him at night. We loved stories by Richard Peck, so when I ran out of Richard Peck’s books, I told him I’d write an R.P. style story for him. Well, I discovered there can only be one R.P., but I fell in love with writing along the way.

 What can you share with the Music Library community about your next book, The Elephants Come Home? 

This is a true story about a man and a herd of elephants and the amazing friendship they formed. I’ve spent years researching this story. When my husband went to Africa two years ago to rescue rhinoceroses, I tacked on an extra plane ticket so he could capture the final interview needed to make sure my story was complete. I’ve seen sneak peeks of Hadley Hooper’s art, and can promise you—this book is going to be incredible! 

Lastly, do you have a favorite musician or song?

My music taste is all over the board.  Currently, my favorite group is Vulfpeck. Individually, I think the lead drummer from Snarky Puppy is incredible. I love some Frank Ocean stuff (favorite Moon River). I also really like some songs from this group called Lapsley (my favorite songs from Lapsley are “Painter” and “Station”). 

My son’s favorites: George Duke, Thundercat, Frank Ocean, Dave Garibaldi, Tyler, The Creator, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael League.

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Thanks to Ms. Tomsic for taking the time to share her thoughts with the
Music Library Community! You can learn more about Kim and her projects at KimTomsic.com. Read more about the Les Paul Foundation at: LesPaulFoundation.org

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