If you show up for a book reading by Lemony Snicket hoping to catch a glimpse of the popular author, you'll find the mysterious Mr. Snicket missing. Instead, Lemony Snicket's "associate" Daniel Handler heartily greets fans. Daniel explains that, once again, misfortune struck Mr. Snicket- a shark bit his armpit- incapacitating him. A misfortune magnet, Lemony Snicket chronicles the miseries and woes of the Baudelaire orphans in his best-selling "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

Using our sleuthing skills, BABAGANEWZ uncovered that Daniel is the real Lemony Snicket, and that his life is full of fortunate events- including receiving a prestigious Bronfman Youth Fellowship as a teenager that allowed him to spend a summer in Israel. A bookworm, Daniel still treasures his favorite bar mitzvah gift, an embossed stamp reading, "From the library of Daniel Handler," which he's used to imprint his name inside countless cherished books. Since 1999, he also has been fortunate to have his name- in the form of "Lemony Snicket"- on the cover of 11 books. When we spoke with Daniel, he assumed his Lemony Snicket attitude, giving us the type of wacky answers you'd expect from this most unusual author.

BABA: Hi, Mr. Snicket. When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

LEMONY SNICKET: When I realized that a career as a burglar would be inconvenient and nerve-wracking.

BABA: In that case, we're very thankful that you became a writer. What do you appreciate most about the job?

LEMONY SNICKET: I appreciate that eaves-dropping, daydreaming, and note-taking all count as actual work.

BABA: Your "A Series of Unfortunate Events" has become a smash hit. Whose help do you appreciate for getting you where you are in your career?

LEMONY SNICKET: It horrifies me that the depressing books I have written have found their wretched way into the hands of so many readers. Normally I would blame my editor and all of her cohorts at my publishing house for such a catastrophe, but they assure me that they have done all they can to try to stop "A Series of Unfortunate Events" from being popular. Therefore I can only assume that blame must fall upon my enemies, as it so often does.

BABA: Aside from your success as a writer, what other things in your life do you appreciate?

LEMONY SNICKET: Like all people of integrity and imagination, I appreciate the members of my family who are still alive, the books that are still on my shelves, and the handful of honest and fascinating people who are still my friends.

BABA: Where did you get the idea for "A Series of Unfortunate Events"?

LEMONY SNICKET: One damp day, after visiting a library and reading a newspaper headline, it occurred to me that nowhere on bookshelves could be found a story of such dread as a truthful account of the troubles of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, and I vowed there and then to research and write down this story to the best of my meager abilities.

BABA: How has Judaism helped shape your writing and affected the themes you write about?

LEMONY SNICKET: Like Jewish history, the Baudelaires' tale is the story of a small group of people trying to survive through literary study and the appreciation of fine food, despite the nearly overwhelming odds of the nasty and foolish world swirling around them.

BABA: Do you have a favorite story from Jewish history?

LEMONY SNICKET: I've always been fond of the story of Abraham and Isaac, in which God asks a man to sacrifice his own son, apparently as an elaborate test.

BABA: Thanks, Mr. Snicket. We really appreciate this candid look into your life.

Jewishful Thinking

You might not think that there are many examples of hakarat hatov in Lemony Snicket’s books, “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” The words hakarat hatov here mean “appreciating goodness.” They would not be used to describe anything that greedy Count Olaf does. Greedy people, like Count Olaf, are never happy with what they have. The words hakarat hatov describe an attitude of thankfulness to God for all of life’s pleasures, such as seeing lightning or smelling flowers or eating fruit. To help us recognize that God is the ultimate source of life’s goodness, we say a blessing either before or after experiencing one of God’s gifts of goodness. So you see, although Klaus, Violet, and Sunny experience unpleasantness (who doesn’t?), they still have much to be thankful for; but don’t tell Lemony Snicket!