Goddess Fish Blog Tour with an Interview from Rebecca Lee Smith, author of A Shadow on the Ground

I'm pleased to present you with an interview done with Rebecca Lee Smith:

What is your least favorite word?

The word no.  I also think the word socket is pretty creepy—like an eye socket. Eeew.

What part of the writing process do you dread?

Plotting. It doesn’t come easy for me, and mysteries are tough. They have to keep the reader guessing and still be entertaining. All the loose ends have to be tied up, everything has to make sense,  and all the murder suspects must have a motive, means, and the opportunity to kill the victim. And if it’s a romance, two people have to fall in love.

What is your favorite Joke?

My favorite joke is way too dirty to tell. I love riddles and limericks. Here is the only limerick I can still remember that is not about a girl from Nantucket. Ahem…”There was an old man from Black Heath who sat on his set of false teeth. He cried with a start, oh, Lord, bless my heart. I’ve bitten myself underneath.”

Where do you get your best ideas?

I’m still trying to figure that out, so I can repeat the process at will. LOL I do think of things in the shower or right after I wake up in the morning when I’m lying in bed with my eyes shut, not sure if I’m dreaming or not.

What do you do to relax?

I pour a glass of chardonnay and veg out in front of the TV watching schlocky movies—Hallmark, Lifetime, TCM, and reality shows like Project Runway and Top Chef. Anything that turns my brain OFF. Two of my guilty pleasures are The Millionaire Matchmaker and Tabitha Takes Over. If I’m at the beach, I go up on the widow’s walk and watch the seagulls and pelicans. At night, I look at the stars and listen to the ocean. It’s one of my favorite places to be, and I can feel the tension slide away like magic.

I always think of authors being different from normal human beings.  Maybe it's because many of the famous authors were very eccentric, followed their own drummer, and often drank or did drugs excessively.  It's nice to see that Ms. Smith is another down-to-earth being, who just happens to write good stories.

Be sure to follow the tour and comment on the various blog posts.  The more you comment, the greater your chances of winning this prize:  One randomly chosen commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.  See the Blog Tour List here. 

Good luck and happy reading! 

Devon Kinch Interview about Pretty Penny

Meet author Devon Kinch:

She has a new book just published by Random House Books for Young Readers that teaches children how to handle money, including how to save it.  I had the pleasure of asking her some questions about her writing for this blog post.  Here are her answers:

1.    Why does she have a pig for a pet?

There are a few reasons Iggy is Penny’s beloved pet. For starters, I have always wanted a pet pig and here was my one and only chance to realize a dream!  I also wanted Penny to have a sidekick that was a bit out of the ordinary. Pigs are not exactly your everyday pet, but they are smart, adorable, and fun - and Penny is all about fun.  Lastly, there is an underlying connection between a piggy bank and saving money. Although it wasn’t my primary reason for inventing Iggy, I thought the subtle money message was appropriate.

2.    What made you choose a wardrobe of pink and black?

Penny is a headstrong little girl with a spunky and independent personality. I wanted her style to reflect that spirit. Black and pink (I’d say it’s a bit more magenta than pink) is a strong color combination. It’s bold, like Penny, and I thought it was a perfect fit.

3.    What did Penny look like when you were first imagining her?  Was the change drastic?

Oh yes!  Penny had many incarnations before she became the girl she is today. Penny started off a bit shy-looking, but as I developed the character, she became more colorful and confident.

4.    How did you decide how Grandma Bunny should look?

Bunny is named after my 94 year-old grandmother Bunny (affectionally known as “Bunster” to the younger generations in our family). The character is actually a hybrid of my two grandmothers, Bunny and Meme, from whom I borrowed characteristics to create Penny’s grandmother.

5.    Is it hard to decide how to draw your characters or do you instantly have an image in mind?

It’s so much fun to create characters. Once I had Penny, I got to work inventing her world of friends. Some characters came out of my imagination and others I created based on childhood friends or family members.

6.    Have you been drawing all your life?

I have always loved to draw. I used to draw maps of imaginary towns and sell them on the school playground for a dime. I can’t remember if I made any sales, but I know I tried! I filled notebooks with illustrations, stories, and characters. I went on to study art in college and then design in graduate school. Drawing has always been an important part of my life.

7.    Any advice for children who may wish to be an illustrator when they get older?

I think the best advice is to follow your passion. Be brave and don’t get discouraged. Being creative is hard work!

I like the answer to question seven.  The reason I'm a bookseller and reviewer is because I love books and want to share that magic with everyone.  Another way to phrase it would be follow your heart.  Do what you love and you'll be a success.

How would like to see the various reincarnations of Pretty Penny?  Here you go:

You can just see her evolve, can't you?

I'm just the first stop on this blog tour.  Each of us is doing something different so check them out:

Tuesday, January 25

Teaching Books

www.teachingbooks.net

Wednesday, January 26

Family Finance

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/family-finance

Thursday, January 27

The Children’s Book Review

http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com

Friday, January 28

Booking Mama

http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/

Saturday, January 29

Two Writing Teachers            

http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com

Sunday, January 30

A Frugal Friend      

http://www.afrugalfriend.net

Monday, January 31

Random Acts of Reading

http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/

And just so you will know which book to look for at your local bookstore, here's a photo of the cover for you:

Happy reading!

Interview with Elise Primavera

I asked Ms. Primavera how hard it is to write a picture book.  I review a lot of them and there is a real talent in doing a good job at it.

Here's her answer:

"Picture books—seems like it should be a breeze to write one of these babies. Come on, there are often only 32 pages to contend with, and then there are all those pictures that take up a lot of room. So, not a lot of words to write—how hard could it be? Turns out pretty hard because that’s just the problem. How do you create a character, and tell a story using few words? That is the challenge of the picture book.

 My latest book THUMB LOVE had a built in conflict—thumb sucking. Right away I knew I needed to get my character to quit her thumb, but how? A 12-Step Program that’s how! This was a great little device to use to get my point across in a way that was simple. It also afforded me a way to use humor. I could make up my own steps based on my own recollection of what it was like to quit my thumb.


I do think the most difficult part of the process in creating a picture book is getting the initial idea. You want to write about something that is fresh and different but you start to think that everything’s been done. The thing is, pretty much everything has been done, but giving it a new slant, is what I try to do. The way I tell a story can make any subject feel new and fresh.


What do I mean by “the way” to tell a story? For instance, if I want to do a story about a monster under a kid’s bed –it’s been done a million times, right? But then I ask myself questions about this monster. Where did he come from? Why this kid’s particular bed? How did he get under the bed? Who is this kid? Is he a timid kid? Or is he a brave kid? Maybe I want to write this with the monster being afraid of the kid. The point is by asking myself these questions I am drawing from my own experiences and the book will reflect what is uniquely me. Asking these questions in the beginning, along with not editing myself too soon, allows me to be as creative as possible."
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Thanks for the info Ms. Primavera!  You made some very good suggestions on approach in that discussion, I appreciate the time you took to write it up.

Here is a link to her book trailer, and that's also well done.  Check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5kU44KMofo

And don't forget there are two more stops on this tour:

October 17th – Picture Book Review http://picturebookreview.com/


October 18th – Mundie Moms http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/
 
And, last but not least, Random House Children's Books is offering three FREE copies of this book to those stateside.  Just email me your name and address and tell me why you'd like to have a copy.  Send it to info @ bookfaerie.com (take out the spaces).  I'd appreciate it if you would leave a comment here on my blog, too.  Best of luck to you in winning a copy!