WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?
Like many people, I think I've always wanted to write a book. I used to love writing stories and poems when I was at school, but the responsibilities of adulthood and the more specialized studying involved in higher education sadly meant that all fell by the wayside as I got older. I was inspired to write again creatively when my husband Steve captured a series of amazing photos quite by chance, and we both felt compelled to share them as a children's story.
AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
As soon as I was old enough to have my own library ticket I began playing at lending my books to my brothers and sisters, and luckily they humored me most of the time! In my early teens I started helping out in the public library for real and soon found that I was able to help readers find the subjects they were looking for. I loved helping in that way and being surrounded by all that knowledge, so after I left school I continued studying while I was working and later raising a family. I studied part-time for A Levels, then the professional librarianship exams and finally a BSc in Computer Science. I thoroughly enjoyed working in some wonderful libraries throughout my career, including the Independent Broadcasting Authority, Watford Public Library and the University of Westminster, so I'm pretty certain that was the right career for me.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?
The extraordinary series of bird's-eye-view photos that Steve took of a young family of swallows in their nest inspired the idea. The baby birds were being very greedy and bullying their weaker sibling, hiding him in the back of the nest. Luckily the parents somehow realized that one of the baby birds was missing and then managed to rescue him. By the time I had a chance to sort through the photos and match the words to them our eldest grandchild was 3, so I aimed the story at the 3-5 age group. By the time the book was published he was 5, so it all fell into place at just the right time.
WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?
I think probably Mike McClintock, who wrote A Fly Went By. This was my most favorite book as a child and I can still recite quite a lot of it over 50 years on! I loved the rhyme and rhythm of it and I always selected rhyming books to read to my own children when I got the choice. Besides being satisfying to read, I think rhyme helps beginner readers a lot because it gives them clues to the sounds of the words coming up.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?
Well I think that has to be winning a Literary Classics Gold Award winning book. It has definitely helped to make our book more visible among the many millions of books published each year. We feel deeply honored to receive this huge vote of confidence from an organization comprised of professionals in the publishing industry that helps promote excellence in children's literature.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PUBLISHED AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT OFFER FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?
Being the impatient type, and having grandchildren who were just the right age for the book, I abandoned the search for a publisher and self-published our book through Amazon. While I'd love to find a publisher who could produce a hardback edition at a viable cost, it has been awesome seeing our book being circulated in paperback and eBook editions. Although it's technically relatively easy to self-publish a book nowadays it's still just as hard to edit the entire contents, and it's important not to rush this step and to have as many people as possible read your work before you publish it. It's very easy to miss quite glaring errors in your own work, and other readers can sometimes offer very helpful suggestions that you may not have thought of.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?
Start as early as possible, preferably before you publish your book, like I wish I had! Create author profiles on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Twitter and Facebook to link up with readers and other authors. Offer Giveaways of signed books and free promos on eBooks. Submit your book to Literary Classics for review. Always have a business card with a picture of your book on hand, and never give up!
Yes! I'm super-excited about a new project that I've just started working on! It's a mystery and adventure series aimed at ages 9-11. It's in the very early stages but I'm planning to have several books finished by the time that two of our granddaughters reach the age of 9, in three years time. They will be my first beta readers.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
If it all seems a bit daunting, just focus on one small step at a time and enjoy the journey. It's incredible how far you can get that way!
LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org
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