Author Interviews

The Ruby Pendant – Interview and Giveaway!

By on March 11, 2014   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways  
RubyBookCoverImage

 Book Two: The Ruby Pendant 

 
 Welcome to New Orleans- home of Mardi Gras, jazz music and voodoo. Eighth grader Melanie Belaforte is home for Spring break and itching for excitement. Late one night she discovers a hidden chamber and a secret journal in her deceased Aunt Florence’s bedroom.
            The diary contains the writings of a mad woman, along with vague clues to the whereabouts of a ruby necklace that once belonged to Cleopatra. The ruby bestows upon the wearer the power to hear other people’s thoughts- even the thoughts of the dead!
    And so the hunt begins. Melanie, her best friend Sybil, and a haunting specter unravel clues that take them from crumbling graveyards, to the busy streets of the French Quarter, and then into murky swamps, all to find the prize. But they need to watch out, because a murderous cult is matching them step for step, and they won’t give up, ever.
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Me: Welcome once again, Dorine! Tell us, what was easier about writing the second book in the series? 
Dorine:  Well, the foundation was already laid and I knew where I wanted the story to go, so that was clear. Plus, I was invested deeply now. I needed this second book to succeed so that I could pull off a full series.
Me: What was harder? 
Dorine: The Ruby Pendant is written almost like a stand alone, so I had to write it with a fresh eye and develop new characters. However, when I started writing I was so excited about the location, New Orleans, that things just flowed, almost like it was a character.  In that way the first book was harder to write. The Emerald Ring takes place in a small town in Ohio. There was nothing fancy about it and it kinda hides in the background. I learned my lesson. The next books in the series take place in wonderful locations.
Me: Did you keep notes, a chart, anything to keep all the plot points and character traits organized? 
Dorine: I have a spiral notebook that I write down my thoughts in. I don’t outline, but I do write down sentences about significant plot points. It is really in the rewrites that I make sure all the characters are in sync and the plot has no holes.
Me: Tea and crumpets or snails and coffee? 
Dorine: Mint tea and strawberry crumpets with strawberry jelly.

dorine

My name is Dorine White. I am a children’s author and a book reviewer. I grew up back East in Maryland and attended BYU in Utah. I have a BA in Humanities with an interest in Art History and French. Currently I live in the beautiful, yet rainy Northwest with my husband and 6 children.
 
 My first book in The Cleopatra’s Legacy series, The Emerald Ring, was published on May 14, 2013. It is a middle grade fantasy novel that involves Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, and a magic emerald ring. The Ruby Pendant (Cleopatra’s Legacy 2) is due out March 2014 and takes place in the vibrant New Orleans.
 
Twitter @Dorinewhite- https://twitter.com/DorineWhite
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I read book one, The Emerald Ring, last year and I look forward to reading The Ruby Pendant this year! How would you like to win a copy?  Well then, just enter the rafflecopter form below!

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Amie Borst writes twisted fairy tales with her 13 year old daughter, Bethanie. Cinderskella released in 2013 and Little Dead Riding Hood releases October 2014! Find Amie on her blog and see what they’re both up to on facebook!
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Crystal Chan Interview and Giveaway

By on February 21, 2014   /   Author Interviews  

 

Crystal headshot, color

About Crystal:

Crystal Chan grew up as a mixed-race kid in the middle of the Wisconsin cornfields and has been trying to find her place in the world ever since. Over time, she found that her heart lies in public speaking, performing, and ultimately, writing. She has published articles in several magazines; given talks and workshops across the country; facilitated discussion groups at national conferences; and been a professional storyteller for children and adults alike. In Chicago, where Crystal now lives, you will find her biking along the city streets and talking to her pet turtle. Her debut middle-grade novel, Bird, is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers. She is represented by Emily van Beek of Folio Literary Management. Bird has also sold in Australia, the UK, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Romania. Also, Bird is out in audio book in the US, and the narrator is Amandla Stenberg, who played Rue in The Hunger Games.

Bird cover

About Bird (From IndieBound):

Jewel never knew her brother Bird, but all her life she has lived in his shadow. Her parents blame Grandpa for the tragedy of their family’s past; they say that Grandpa attracted a malevolent spirit–a duppy–into their home. Grandpa hasn’t spoken a word since. Now Jewel is twelve, and she lives in a house full of secrets and impenetrable silence.

Jewel is sure that no one will ever love her like they loved Bird, until the night that she meets a mysterious boy in a tree. Grandpa is convinced that the boy is a duppy, but Jewel knows that he is something more. And that maybe–just maybe–the time has come to break through the stagnant silence of the past.

 Bird is your debut novel. Can you tell us a little about its journey from idea to book?

I had just finished reading Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, and was sick at home from work. I had also finished my first manuscript and was fretting that I might not have another idea for another novel. Ever. I was thinking about this for hours, and finally I got so sick of myself that I said, Crystal, either you get up out of bed and write your next book, or you go to sleep because you’re sick. But you’re not going to lie in bed thinking about not writing your next book.

And then I started thinking more about Keeper, and how I loved that story; it’s about a girl who thought her mother turned into a mermaid and goes out to sea in search of her. And I thought, A girl who thinks her mother was a mermaid – that’s such a great idea – I wish I had thought of that! But what if… instead… there was a girl whose brother thought he was a bird, but then he jumped off a cliff because he thought he could fly … Then the voice of the protagonist, Jewel’s voice, started speaking and I got out of bed and wrote the first chapter.

Jamaican and Mexican cultures and beliefs play a prominent role in Bird, but seem very out of place in Iowa. What made you decide to introduce that culture clash?

There has always been a culture clash for me! (laughing) I’m half Polish, half Chinese, and grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. Navigating multiple cultures is the only thing I know. For example, my father, who is Chinese, demanded that I become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, and my mother, who is White, said I could be anything I want, which was also echoed by the larger American population. Of course, this was confusing and hard to navigate. Books that address culture clashes are out there but hard to come by, and I wanted to write a book for kids that might be experiencing them.

Do you believe in Duppies?

Possibly! 🙂

What’s your favorite thing about middle-grade fiction (as a reader or a writer)?

The sense of story for middle-grade fiction has to be very, very strong. With adult literature, you can take your time on the page, show off your writing a little bit, and maybe twenty or fifty pages in you can start in the plot. If you give that same methodology to middle-grade kids, they’d chew you up alive. You need to have a strong story, a strong voice, and start it at the first line. I love that.

Why do you write middle-grade?

It’s the voice that came to me! My next WIP is for young adults, so we’ll see where my trajectory goes.

If there was one single thing that you wanted readers to get from Bird, what would it be?

The power of forgiveness can transform you and those around you in startling ways.

What other books do you recommend to readers who enjoyed Bird?

Bud, not Buddy, The Tiger Rising, The Underneath, A Wrinkle in Time. And don’t forget about Bridge to Terabithia!

What advice do you have for someone who wants to write middle-grade fiction?

Accept whatever emotions come up inside you – don’t push them down or ignore them, even if it’s uncomfortable. Because if you don’t allow yourself to feel anger, sadness, grief, or loss, how can you possibly write about these emotions for your characters?

And write from your heart, always. When you write, remember you’re writing from a special space inside, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And practice telling stories – tell stories all the time. When you’re not telling stories, practice listening to others tell their stories. Because that’s all that writing really is: telling a story.

Crystal is giving away a copy of the UK version of Bird (complete with all those weird UK spellings). 

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Jacqueline Houtman  is the author of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas.

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An Interview with Author Barb Rosenstock

By on February 17, 2014   /   Author Interviews  

Barb Rosenstock is the award-winning author of several nonfiction and historical fiction books, two of which are about presidents. So we’re happy to have Barb visit the Mixed-Up Files on President’s Day. Welcome Barb!

Q: Before you were an author, you worked in marketing and taught elementary school. Did you always like to write? What made you decide to focus on becoming an author?

A: Lots of people have a dream to write a book, but I wasn’t one of them! In fact, when I was a kid in school, I didn’t think I was very creative or a good writer. I wrote for my marketing and advertising jobs, but it wasn’t until I went back to school for a master’s degree and student taught that I thought about writing books for children. I like to write stories that are based on facts because those were the kinds of books my own sons liked the best, and at the time, it was hard to find historical picture book stories that were fun and factual.

Barb RosenstockQ: Your book, Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library, is about how Jefferson’s vast book collection helped build the Library of Congress. It was just named a Recommended Book in the 2014 Orbis Pictus Awards for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. Tell us how you came up with that idea.

A: I was working on a book about the Statue of Freedom that sits atop the U.S. Capitol. In reading about how Washington D.C. was rebuilt after the British burned it in 1812, I ran across the fact that Jefferson sold his library to the U.S. government. I thought if someone who’s spent as much time in libraries as I have didn’t know that Jefferson’s books rebuilt the Library of Congress, then maybe a lot of other people would want to know the story too!

 

BMP_8932_JT.inddQ: How can this book be utilized in a classroom?

A: Some of the broad curriculum topics this book would be great for include: The American Revolution, Life in the Colonial Era, Libraries and the Dewey Decimal System, Book Publishing, and Biographies. It covers at least 20 of the Common Core Standards. Teachers can find a complete Educator’s Guide for Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library along with lesson ideas and standards on my website – barbrosenstock.com, and at calkinscreekbooks.com.

 

Q: Tell us about your inspiration for The Camping Trip That Changed America, about Theodore Roosevelt’s and John Muir’s 1903 trip to Yosemite that helped create our national park system.

A: In a Chicago Tribune review of an adult book on Theodore Roosevelt, one phrase stuck out for me. It was “Roosevelt left the Presidency to go camping.” I kept wondering how a President could just leave to go camping. What was so important? Where did he go? On the Internet, I found the famous photograph of Roosevelt and Muir with the Yosemite Valley stretched out beneath them, and from there, the research just expanded, and expanded, for almost two years!

Q: Do you like to go camping?

A: Ummmm. No. Not at all. Not even a little bit. I’m not fond of sleeping on the ground, or in wet or cold weather. I love the wilderness from a nice warm cabin or inn, though — one with an indoor bathroom.

camping trip

Q: What is your research process like?

A: I almost always get my book ideas when I’m not looking for them, so that first part is random. But once I have an idea, I typically start learning online, plus I always make sure that any new book idea hasn’t already been published by someone else! After that, I start working with my local library to access every book or article I can find on the topic. I visit museums or historical societies and email or call various experts. For The Camping Trip That Changed America, I worked with Yosemite’s library and experts on Muir and Roosevelt. For Jefferson, I worked with the staff at Monticello. I always tell students that the best information I get isn’t on the Internet or even in other books, it’s from people who love the topic I’m writing about and can tell more interesting stories about it than I can!

Q: Have you visited the Library of Congress or any national parks?

A: I visited Yosemite National Park when I was researching The Camping Trip That Changed America and that three-day visit changed the entire style of the book. At last count, I’ve visited six National Parks (but no, no camping!). I’ve never visited the Library of Congress but I hope to visit this fall.

Q: I love how your books share personal facts about Jefferson and Roosevelt. You have two new books out in 2014 and one in 2015! What are they about?

A: I have books on the painter Kandinsky, The Noisy Paint Box, that just came out a week ago, and one on Joe DiMaggio, The Streak, that comes out March 1. I have a book on Ben Franklin (not a president, but close enough!) coming in 2015, and I’m working on a book about the photographer Dorothea Lange now.

noisy paint boxQ: The Noisy Paint Box, by the way, has received four starred reviews! Congrats! So we hear you were born on April Fool’s Day. Do you live up to your birthday?

A: Yes, I’m foolish frequently, at least once or twice a day, most days many more times than that!

Q: Where would we find you on a Sunday afternoon? What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Do you have any pets?

A: Since I like weekends, dessert, and animals, these are good questions for me! Most Sundays you can find me visiting friends, cooking, or reading while watching football or basketball games with my family. I’m afraid it’s boring, but I really like vanilla bean ice cream (with fresh strawberries on top!). I have two standard poodles named Nikki and Abby. Because of my dogs, people started giving me poodle figurines, and now I have a collection of at least 200 white poodles (statues, pillows, mugs, frames, artwork, etc.). It’s not as big as Thomas Jefferson’s book collection, but it’s starting to take over my entire office!

 

Thanks so much, Barb, for sharing all this with us today!

Michele Weber Hurwitz is the author of The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days, coming April 8 from Wendy Lamb Books, and Calli Be Gold, Wendy Lamb Books 2011. Visit her at micheleweberhurwitz.com.

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