"Ready Player One," a novel by Ernest Cline

Jeff Glor hears from Ernest Cline about "Ready Player One," a novel that takes place in the not-too-distant future, but deals heavily with the past. If you're a fan of 1980s pop culture, this book is a must read.

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?

Ernest Cline: The initial idea that inspired the story was when I wondered what if Willie Wonka had been a video game designer, and he turned his last will and testament into the greatest video game contest of all time. Once I had that idea, it wouldn't let go of me, and the entire novel grew out of that first flash of inspiration.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

EC: How much harder it is to write a novel than it is to write a screenplay. I've written over a dozen screenplays, and can usually knock out a first draft in a few months. But writing "Ready Player One" took me years, working on it off and on. But it was also my first novel, so I had a lot to learn during the process of writing it. Hopefully, writing the next novel will go much more quickly.

JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

EC: I'd probably still be sitting in a cubicle, helping people fix their computers and slowly going mad. So I'm very grateful the writing gig worked out.

JG: What else are you reading right now?

EC: I just picked up "Super Sad True Love Story," by Gary Shteyngart. A lot of people have been recommending it to me, because they say it has some similarities with "Ready Player One."

JG: What's next for you?

EC: My book tour starts today. I'm driving my 1982 DeLorean across the country, traveling from book store to book store. It's going to be geekiest book tour ever. Then I plan to spend a few weeks recovering and playing in the back yard with my daughter. After that, it will probably be time to start working on the next book.

For more on "Ready Player One," visit the Random House website.