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Eric Chase Anderson, who drew the maps for the DVD editions of brother Wes's Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums, has written and illustrated Chuck Dugan Is AWOL, which follows the titular spirited midshipman on his tumultuous quest for hidden treasure.

photo: James Hamilton

Map overboard

Details

Chuck Dugan Is AWOL
By Eric Chase Anderson
Chronicle, 223 pp., $19.95
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More About

• Eric Chase Anderson
• The Royal Tenenbaums
• Rushmore (Movie)
• Chuck Dugan
• Motorsports

Do you live your life according to Chuck's moral code? I would love to think that I could, but I was not in the naval academy. When I was working on the novel I had "Adhere to the Mapmaker's Table of Priorities" and "Do not read the paper" up on the wall.

Could you imagine writing without images? In my early twenties I was making maps, but also trying to figure out the plot of my first book, which was about the daughter of a French film star. It took a long time to figure out the balance of words and pictures. The maps are a second narrator, what I call "the Mapmaker Omniscient." It takes in details and can see a little bit into the future.

What's your next project? There are three more Chuck Dugan books. Another book is about a race car driver, "Caesar Agosto!," a five-time world champion. It's written on stationery from different hotels that cater to race car events, like Bad Neck Resort.