HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
I stumbled upon a vintage circus poster from the late 1800's and was mesmerized. It had a child-like tone to it and the more I looked through circus images, the more I found that they had a lot in common with children's book illustrations. They were fun, comical, and amusing.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING?
Ladies and gents, feast your eyes down in the wheel of blunders.
At the speed of thunder come The 7 Wild Wheel Wonders.
Round they race, zippity-zip, just like a yo-yo spins.
This race, nobody loses, but no-one ever wins.
I love the way this stanza rolls. The poster actually called them The 7 Wild Wheel Wonders. The riders are riding in an open wheel, a circular structure where they are riding on the walls and moving around and around. Since there is no start or finish line, nobody loses or wins.
WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE IS MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?
I really don't see myself as any of the characters but as I write I do write a bit of myself in each of them. The strongman is picking two men up like a human-dumbbell, yet he crochets and collects puppy porcelain plates. We all have a little yin and yang in us.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
I want readers to believe in themselves, to be daring, to be brave, and to be bold. I often write, "Dare to be the incredible YOU!" when I sign the books.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER?
I suppose I was always a creative writer in my English classes. I loved creating stories. But what really got me going was my daughter Priscilla who was just a babe at the time. My first picture book, Priscilla and the Sandman was greatly inspired by a lullaby I made up for her.
WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR WRITING STYLE?
I'm not sure exactly why, but I do write in rhyme mostly. It could be the musician in me. I like trying to come up with creative rhyming lines. I really like Chris Van Dusen's writing style and rhyme. I also appreciate the simplicity of Anthoney Browne, and the complexity of Chris Van Allsburg.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS:
More than often, it starts with an idea or a funny title. Then comes the writing, and then the illustrations. However, because I was working with illustrations that had been drawn a hundred years ago, The Wondrous Wandering Acrobats Show was quite the opposite. I first had to search for the illustrations that I wanted to share with children, organize them, and then start writing the text.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A WRITER?
I'm sure you will hear this a lot, but the greatest challenge is just getting known to a point where you can just write and publish. That is where my goal is, and it seems like it could take some time. Right now, I am focusing on building a name and a brand.
HOW DID YOU FIND AN AGENT / GET PUBLISHED?
I am still in the process of seeking an agent and I would love to be traditionally published. So far, I have been publishing myself. I lived abroad for ten years where I printed my first two picture books.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?
Try getting reviews lined up as they can be a huge promotion. The more renowned the reviewer, the better. I've had some amazing reviews but so far, I haven't seen reviews translate into sales. But the more you have people talking about your book, the better chance you have of someone stumbling upon it. Also, create good quality, marketable books. You aren't going to get far in reviews if your book isn't up to par with what your competitors are doing.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?
I'm relatively a newbie so winning awards has been nice. I've won Best of State in Utah, National Indie Excellence Award and now the Literary Classics Award.
WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS?
I'm sure it seems rather cliche, but I've got my sites on being published by one of the five big traditional publishers. Meanwhile, I hope to continue to self-publish a few more books. My goal is ten at the moment.
TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING:
I go by a meaningful pseudonym. I would have liked to go by my real name but my real name is fairly common. In fact there were three of us in my Jr. High. One of them was a trouble maker which had me in the principal's office more than once by mistake.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
Support local and independent. Independent authors don't have the money to spend on marketing, thousands of books, or book tours and travel. It's harder for the indie author to get a name out there. So please support, review, and share your local indie authors. It really means so much to us as word of mouth is really key.
WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?
My first book is Priscilla and the Sandman, a story of a girl who travels through a beautifully illustrated dream sequence. The sandman is an up-right walking cat.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?
I am currently in the process of publishing the sequel to The Wondrous Wandering Acrobats Show which is exciting. I'm thrilled to bring even more beautiful circus images that may seem ancient to a young audience who will appreciate them. It will be subtitled The Strangely Unique and include some of the side shows that brought the curious from all over world. I hope to teach tolerance, love and respect on that one. It will be called The Wondrous Wandering Acrobats Show Returns : The Strangely Unique.
I'm also working on a spin-off of Alice in Wonderland called, Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The illustrator I'm working with is amazing. The rhyming is top-notch. This is going to be such a fun book for those who love Alice in Wonderland but want something that can be read to a younger audience. Tweedledee and Tweedledum focuses on them solely but will have little Easter Eggs placed throughout the book. This is going to start my series of Alice in Wonderland spin-offs.
I've also got Little White Cat which is a fun interactive book that I'm seeking an agent or publisher for. When I show the dummy copy to children at events I'm at, they giggle and have such a good time reading it.
The Wondrous Wandering Acrobats Show Returns : The Strangely Unique is now available through Amazon in hardback or through my website andersroseberg.com.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum does not yet have a release date. I'd like to print this one with an offset printer, not through print-on-demand services. So, I think it depends if I can get some pre-sales or raise some money through crowd-funding. If you'd like to keep up on that, join my newsletter or follow me on social media.
LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org
