Thanks to everyone (like, the 9,600 people) who made my livechat yesterday evening on blogtv so much fun. Hank and I will be doing more of that, and we'll be working on ways to make it even more collaborative and conversational. And now, allow me to answer some of your questions:

Q. If you could improve the US educational system in any one way, what would that one way be?

A. I would make teaching public school a highly lucrative and desirable job. (I would also minimize raises for seniority, however.) So I would make starting teacher pay at public schools, say, $150,000, which would be the same pay teachers would get for their entire careers. (I mean, adjusted for inflation and all.)

Q. What do you predict will be the new popular mythical creature of YA literature after vampires/undead get overused?

A. I am amused by the notion that vampires have not yet been overused. But I'll guess fairies.

Q. What bands do you like other than the Mountain Goats?

A. There are bands other than the Mountain Goats?

Q. You were asked a question about what makes a book literary and how symbols and such are usually involved. Do you use any symbols in your writing? Do you use a lot of symbols? What are some of them?

A. I do use symbols in my writing, but I think it sort of ruins the process of reading to get into them in detail. (But, like, for instance, is there not a clear reason that certain characters in Alaska smoke cigarettes, and others do not? Don't the cigarettes seem to pop up at certain times and in certain contexts?)

Q. I like the old covers of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines better.
A. Well, the old cover of Looking for Alaska isn't going anywhere; the new edition they're printing is a premium edition, which means it has a different size and a slightly different page layout and stuff.

Q. Do you prefer pie or cake?
A. I prefer them both simultaneously.