I was invited by my friend, Cynthia Reeg, to participate in a “blog hop interview.” Cynthia sent me some interview questions, which I answer here on my blog. Following my answers, I tag 3 other writers who will, in turn, answer questions on their blogs next week. It’s been fun checking out the Blog Hops to see what other children’s authors have posted!
Cynthia posted her answers to the questions at her blog, What’s New With Cynthia Reeg on June 26th. If you like, you can leave a comment on her blog and tell her that you connected to her through my link here!
Here are my answers to the questions that I chose from the list:
1. What are you working on right now?
I have several projects going on that I switch between when I need to put one down for awhile. One is a picture book with ogres in it, another is a non-fiction picture book about animals with some unusual things about their teeth.
2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?
Most picture books that I have seen about ogres show them turning out to be cuddly and friendly. In my book, humor keeps the ogres from being too scary, and the child in the story uses his wits to save the day. My animal teeth book is a combination of poems and facts—and the teeth facts are such fun!
3. Why do you write what you do?
I love being a part of a young child’s world. Maybe I just don’t want to grow up! I’ve always worked with kids, as a nurse and now as a writer. It seems the perfect place to be.
I love interesting facts, rhyming poetry, and humor. I try to make my readers smile. Things don’t usually come out of my mouth as funny, but I love it when something I write comes out that way.
4. How does your writing process work?
When I started writing, I had five (then six) young children who kept me on my toes. For lack of time, I did a lot of thinking about the characters and the plot in my head before putting anything down on paper. I still do that. I kind of need to have that first line or two in my head before I can move forward, even though it may change later. I don’t outline, but I do have an idea of where the story is going before I start. I also re-write a lot, and listen to suggestions from other children’s writers in my critique groups.
Finding time to write can still be a challenge. My kids are grown, but now I have grandkids who are fun to be around. My day includes time to write, no excuses! Although some days I have more time than others.
Thank you for the blog-tag, Cindy! Please check out Cindy’s answers to her questions at What’s New With Cynthia Reeg .
In addition, I am tagging the following three children's authors. Make sure to check out their blog posts on the following dates:
Posting Monday, July 8th—Jeanie Franz Ransom
Posting Monday, July 8th—Diana Jenkins: DJ’s Thoughts
Posting Wednesday, July 10th—Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them!
Tag! You’re It! I can’t wait to see who’s next! Read More