Author Spotlight - Regan W. H. Macaulay on her award-winning book Tamara Turtle’s Life So Far

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?  I volunteer with the Toronto Humane Society, and when I was working to enrich the animals in the Special Species Department, I noticed that all the turtles (and they were all Red-eared Sliders at the time) had a great deal of trouble getting adopted.  Some had already been there for a year or more (there are some there still since the book was published), and though THS has created wonderful habitats for them to thrive in during their stay there, it’s not the same as having a permanent home.  I wanted to create a story that would teach kids and their parents about the responsibility and commitment involved in caring for a pet like this, and if they determine they can properly look after a turtle its whole life, to adopt one that really needs a home.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?  I like when one of my Painted turtle characters explains the following to Tamara when she finds herself in Painted turtle territory:  “When the wrong kind of animal is in the wrong place, it throws everything off.  Painted turtles could disappear, and too many Red-eared Sliders would take their place.” I think this is a good way of introducing the idea of invasive species and the problems they cause to young children who may not have thought about that kind of thing before.

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE IS MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?  Well, I will go ahead and choose one of the human characters, since I am not a turtle (and I don’t face the same challenges pet turtles do), and that would be the Herpetologist who adopts Tamara and her Red-eared Slider friend Apple.  I am not a professional Herpetologist, but if I wasn’t a writer and had to choose another career, Herpetology would be high on my list!

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?  For parents (and children, once they’ve reached an age where they can make the decision to adopt their own pets) to realize that Red-eared Slider turtles, and really any pet turtle or pet reptile, is a high maintenance, high commitment pet.  They need to do their research before adopting this kind of animal (and adoption is often more helpful than shopping—it’s not just for cats and dogs!) and make an informed decision based on their lifestyle, and the costs and effort involved.  A turtle should never be an impulse purchase.  They need a well-equipped forever home.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER?  I’ve been writing ever since I was six years old, but meeting Emily Hearn, when she came to my public school as a guest instructor while I was in 6th Grade, was probably my biggest inspiration, particularly with respect to picture books.  I wrote and illustrated a picture book I called “Down, Out and Around for Beverley” as my assignment for that class, and a many times revised version of this book later became my first published picture storybook “Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese.” 

WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR WRITING STYLE? E. B. White, A. A. Milne, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and dozens of others have had an influence on my writing, but I feel that I’m finding my own voice.  All the styles I’ve read over my lifetime have influenced my writing.  It’s all those authors in one great big globule!  

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS: Sometimes I sit down with a notebook to brainstorm, other times I have to go on a long walk to get the ideas flowing.  For the first draft, I try to let the ideas flow freely, without judging—I save that for the revisions later.  I’ll often create a schedule for myself, setting up a certain number of chapters on certain days (usually every other day, so I have breaks in between).

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A WRITER?  Perhaps learning the business end of things—sustaining writing as a career, whether it’s part-time or full-time, the marketing and promotion involved, all that stuff.  There are plenty of creative challenges, but getting myself out there and making a real go of it is what I’m personally finding to be the biggest challenge.  Writing and revising the stories is the fun and more natural part of it for me.  There’s a big learning curve on the business end of it, as far as I’m concerned.

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE?  I would love to be compared to any of the authors who have influenced and inspired me.  One reader mentioned they were reminded of "The Hobbit”and "Lord of the Rings" with one of my picture books (“Sloth the Lazy Dragon”), so that’s obviously very cool!

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED?  I kept submitting (to publishers).  With the advent of print-on-demand, giving independent and smaller publishers a chance to flourish, I was able to find homes for my books with publishers willing to take a chance on me.  

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?  I recommend promoting any awards with the use of award-seals.  Use them on your cover and on your promotional material.  Not only does having a publisher or agent give you a bit of an edge or cache, so will award-seals.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?  So far, getting my first book published.  I think there’s much more to come.  I really feel like I’m still in the beginning chapters of my writing career.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS?  I hope to continue winning awards and getting reviews from various prestigious sources (including Literary Classics, of course!), but I also want to grow a big ol’ wide readership in both my children’s writing and my genre literature for adult readers.  It would be wonderful to get something adapted to the screen (big or small), particularly the middle-grade chapter book series I’m working on.  Most of all, I would like to be able to earn a part-time income (minimum) and keep on writing until I’m dead! 

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING:  I am also a Certified Canine and Feline Massage Therapist—I run a small mobile business called Kuri K9 Massage.

WHAT (IF ANY) OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? 

(PLEASE PROVIDE LINKS FOR PURCHASE IF APPLICABLE):   “Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese”

“Sloth the Lazy Dragon” (a Literary Classics Seal of Approval Honoree)

“Mixter Twizzle’s Breakfast”

“Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat”

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?  Yes.  I expect to publish another picture book next year called “Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana” with Mirror World Publishing (this one is co-written with my husband, Kevin Risk, and we have Gordon Bagshaw on board as our absolutely AMAZING illustrator).  I am also working on a series of middle-grade chapters books, which I am currently finding a home for.  And future picture books and novels are rattling around in my mind, naturally.

You’ll find “Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana” on Mirror World Publishing’s website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all the usual places probably around the Fall of 2020.  

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight - Shanalee Sharboneau on her award-winning books

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK TITLES - My Mama Loves Me: I’m Her Little Boy, My Mama Loves Me: I’m Her Little Girl, My Daddy Loves Me: I’m His Little Girl, My Daddy Loves Me: I’m His Little Boy? When my son was born, he had severe reflux. We almost lost him twice. For six months, my husband and I stayed awake 24/7 fighting to keep him alive. In my complete desperation, in the middle of the night, I began to hum a tune. Over time, I would begin to put words to this tune, words that begged him to stay alive and all the things I would do with him if he fought too. The books are literally the song, tailored for each parent and child.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY? “My mama loves me, My mama loves me, My mama loves me all life long.” There is nothing stronger than the love for a child. It is completely unconditional. Sometimes, I believe God gives you your children so you can understand how much He loves you. I reflect on this often, particularly when my son is challenging my unconditional love.

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD-WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE IS MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY? The Mom character of the first book, My Mama Loves Me: I’m Her Little Boy, is actually me with my son traveling the world together. It is a true depiction, I am very adventurous. The places you see in the book are either the places I’ve been or the places I dream to go. In the Egyptian scene, there is a secret that most readers will not catch. It was always my dream to become an archeologist, yet I allowed a professor to challenge this dream. The good news, is I did not listen to my 10th grade English teacher. Out of deserved frustration one day, she said to me “don’t ever earn your living writing, or anything dealing in English.” I wonder often what ever happened to Mrs. Eckvall.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD-WINNING BOOK? The one thing that ties us all together, without debate or harsh words, is the love for our children. When discussing our children, the playing field levels and we act with great sportsmanship. It is why I believe the book is accepted and cherished all over the world, it is a commonality that binds us no matter when we began or where we end. If we can start there, agreeing on our mission and love for our children, and stay in that moment, we may actually bring about a better world today.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER? After my son became well, I wrote down the song I sang to him over and over in his time of need. After a while, I started to wonder if it would become a good children’s book. One week, my life coach ordered me to start living life to the fullest, that day. Begrudgingly, I called the man who had a connection to my now publisher, all because my life coach demanded it. I can say, once you learn that lesson the hard way, you never forget it. I strive to live life to the fullest every day, with that great example reminding me how different my life would be today without just one phone call.

WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR WRITING? Obviously all good credit goes to Mom. When she read my book for the first time, with tears in her eyes, she said “You actually got it”. Of course, she is proud of all of her children, even the middle one. The best thing I can do as a Mom myself, is give the credit to all the parents who came before me and made me the person I am today.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:
A good friend’s sister had a friend who was struggling with her newborn. The baby was fussy and appearing to deteriorate rapidly. My friend’s sister called me one day and said “send her a book, please”. I sent the book and forgot about the story. Six months later, I was at a book signing in South Padre Island, Texas, and a woman walked in with her young son. She explained that her son was struggling to thrive as a newborn, and had a friend who requested that I send her a book. Upon reading my bio and my son’s reflux, she went directly to a skilled pediatrician and had him properly diagnosed. In her words, my story saved her son. You can’t get any better than this.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS:
Since each book is very focused on the beauty of a parent and child relationship, I watch these relationships out in public. You may catch me staring while at a Chinese restaurant, or a grocery store or ice cream shop. First I attempt to capture or understand a relationship. For example, I am currently working on the book “My Grandma Loves Me: I’m Her Little Girl.” Once I feel like I’ve captured the relationship, I then ask a trusted individual serving in that role. I ask them all one question, “What is the most important thing you would like to teach your granddaughter, and what wisdom would you like to leave with them after they are grown?” Between the sense of the relationship, and the lessons forwarded through that beautiful relationship, I now take on the challenge to show this in my books and illustrations as I work with my talented illustrator, Israel Dilean. Pictures can say 1,000 words . . . and we work diligently to capture and communicate each word carefully.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A WRITER? Capturing the relationship of each parent to their child, whether it is a son or a daughter. You see, I am only a mom to a son, and have been a daughter to my parents . . . I have no understanding or comprehension of being a mom to a daughter, a father or a grandparent. When working on these books, it is a task to understand these precious relationships and show the strength of each and everyone, while never having experienced them personally.

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE? Many readers of my work say the same thing, it is very similar to “Love You, Forever” by Robert Munsch. Though I was unaware of this book when the compliments first happened, I was truly honored by the expression when each reader compared the series to this book. This book is a legend and loved by many adults who had their mother read this book to them. It’s quite a compliment.

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED?
At a business conference, I met a man whose sister company would eventually become my publisher. I reached out to this gentleman, requesting he put me in contact with the right person within the publishing company. He did so, with the caveat that very few writers ever make it. I understood his valid point and thanked him for the information. I reached out and was contracted with 24 hours. It was a great phone call for me to make a year later when reaching out to my original contact and explaining to him what his information had done for my life. I, of course, thanked him again.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK? Know it’s all up to you, and do not rely on anyone else to do it for you. You are the person who knows what to do, how to do it, and how to get it done. Do not leave this in any other hands but your own.

After first publishing my book, whenever I would see a crying baby, and virtually tearful mother, I would run out to my car and get a book, sign it, run back into the store and hand it to the child. The child would stop crying immediately, mom would sigh, and I would walk off quickly. I still enjoy doing this today, although I do not do this as much as when the book first came out. These opportunities have brought me great joy, and I believe excellent promotion, though my intentions were pure.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS? For generation after generation to read these books to their children, as they were read to them by their loved ones, long after I am gone.

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY FIND INTERESTING ABOUT YOU: The degree I acquired in college was a Bachelor's in Science in Mathematics and Statistics. As you can tell, I had no plans to become a writer.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? Always know you are multi-talented. You are never only one thing, you are many things, many talents, all wrapped up into one human being. Search for them, enjoy discovering them, and find how you can push yourself into being good in many areas.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? The Grandma series. “My Grandma Loves Me: I’m Her Little Girl”, and “My Grandma Loves Me: I’m Her Little Boy”.








LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight- Dayle Dabney on her award-winning book, Corinne’s Fin

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? 
I always loved the name Corinne and saved it in my mind as a name if I ever had a 4th daughter….
Erin, Shannon, Meghan, and Corinne?

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE IS MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY? 
I identify with Corinne in several ways in that I have had challenges to face and adapt accordingly.
I hope that readers will adapt to whatever they may view as a loss and rise above it, change their thinking, and move forward!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? 
My favorite sentence of the book is the final one. “Corinne was FREE, free to be her new self from fin to fin!”

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER: 
I was a teacher of young children for 50 years. The children in my class loved stories and I learned to create stories of my own in various ways just by being with them day by day.

As a child, I always loved books with a profound message like The Little Engine that Could. I also admired stories full of creativity like the Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco.

Little by little, Corinne has become very alive to me as we have traveled from one book event to another. I feel as if a true friend, Corinne, is with me in the car and at the book table.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS:
As a writer, I often write the first draft in a busy place, like a café or library. I am able to block out all the surrounding noise or activity and focus on the story at hand. Revisions are usually done at home on my computer during a quiet setting.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A WRITER?
My challenge as a writer is to leave room for the illustrator for I often SEE all the illustrations in my mind and will specify the details in indirect ways.

WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR WRITING STYLE?
Watty Piper inspired me as a child with The Little Engine That Could and still does, for he inspires children to continue to believe even though it may be hard to do so. My stories are intended to leave a lasting message for children long after the book is closed.

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED?
I was connected to Cathy Teets of Headline Books for many years as members of the red clay tennis courts in Mountain Lake Maryland and a local real estate company. Years later I contacted her with my story called, Corinne’s Fin, and fortunately at that time she had an experienced illustrator, Ashley Teets. The beautiful illustrations in Corinne’s Fin speak for themselves in vivid color.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?
My advice would be to connect with your characters at various levels. Your character then becomes part of you which enables you to be passionate during book events; for you are speaking from the heart.

Awards are important in that they tend to bring recognition to your characters and your story. I was thrilled to win various awards: Literary Classics, Mom’s Choice, President’s Award, London Book Festival and others for Corinne’s Fin. Hopefully, the sequel, Coach Corinne, will continue to carry forth an inspiring message to young children.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? 
I have several picture books with an inspiring message for young children that I hope will be visible in print with accompanying illustrations in the near future.

I love calendars and planning for future fun and adventure. I can hardly contain my interest in many areas: grandchildren, writing, tennis, golf, gospel choir, nature, book clubs, learning, dinner clubs, birds, and the list goes on and on. Corinne’s Fin is also available on my website in addition to Headline Books. I have several picture books ready for submission. The future looks exciting!
Coach Corinne may be on the market by the summer of 2019!



LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight - Tayyaba Syed on her award-winning book, The Blessed Bananas

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
It was a simple bedtime story I told to my kids.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?
"The more bananas Rico gave away, the more bananas his plant bore." - This is a very valuable lesson for all of us: the more you give the more you get.

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE IS MOST LIKE YOU?
Tucana because of her forgiving nature.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
Sharing and kindness are universal qualities we all should embody.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER?
The fact that I didn't see myself in the books I read when I was growing up and even now as a mother.

TELL US SOMETHING FUN ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:
I went into professional writing as an introvert, and now I do so much public-speaking and trainings as a published writer.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS:
I like to do brain dumps and just free-hand whatever concepts and ideas come to me. I love working with outlines and character-building platforms. If I face a writers' block, I like to look at nature and step away from the mundane for a while.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A WRITER?
Getting over my insecurities.

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE AND WHY?
I'd like to be compared to Roald Dahl, because he wrote from the heart and with authenticity.

HOW DID YOU FIND AN AGENT / GET PUBLISHED?
I met a publisher at a college where I was teaching a writing-intensive.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?
Believe in yourself and your work and be passionate about it. Be willing to take risks and step out of your comfort zone.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?
Being selected as a panelist for Writing Women's Lives Conference at Georgetown University.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS?
I'd like to write books for all different ages, especially non-fiction books.

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING:
I enjoy weightlifting.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?
Hafsa's Kisses  It's a baby board book about the types of kisses a toddler gives. It will be available through Prolance.



















LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight - Diane Mae Robinson on her award-winning book, The Dragon Grammar Book

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?  Even as a writer, when I had to look up a particular grammar rule, I often found grammar books or grammar site explanations hard to follow. The thought occurred to me that I’m probably not the only one. I decided that grammar needed to be explained in simpler terms, starting with the basics.  To make the book more fun, I incorporated the zany fantasy characters from my multi-award-winning children’s series The Pen Pieyu Adventures to be in the example sentences. The book is fun and has cool illustrations too. I’m glad that kids, and adults alike, are appreciating the book and that the book is helping them to learn grammar with its easy-to-understand lessons and examples.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD-WINNING BOOK? Learning can be fun!

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER? Many authors have inspired me, ever since I first learned to read, but the person who inspired me the most is my mother—she taught me that I could be whatever I wanted to be in life, and I wanted to be a writer.

WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR WRITING STYLE?

Lemony Snicket and his series A Series of Unfortunate Events. The author has an incredible sense of humor that kids understand. No matter the tale, he flawlessly suspends disbelief through excellence of building characters and writing style. I greatly admire that.

TELL US AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:

My first book was rejected 29 times before being accepted by a traditional publisher—about the same amount of times as Dr. Seuss’ first book was rejected. 

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING PROCESS: My creativity comes and goes in waves, and I never push it. When the creativity wave hits me, I’m often up at two or three in the morning and write for twelve hours straight, for days on end.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A WRITER?  It takes me a long time to produce a book because I’m extremely particular and I don’t write when I’m not feeling creative. I’ve tried to take the advice of many well-known authors and write every day, but it just doesn’t work for me and it’s frustrating.

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE? C.S. Lewis because I think it’s important to incorporate good values in characters and stories while creating a believable world.

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED? For several years I was with a traditional publisher, which was very hard to find: 29 rejections later, my first book was published with a traditional publisher. In 2017, I decided to become my own publisher, got back my rights, learned the self-publishing business, and never looked back.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK? From my experience, publishing my own books has allowed me more access to promoting and putting my books on sale without the restrictions of a traditional publisher.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT? Winning a Gold Award and a Lumen Award in 2018 from Literary Classics for The Dragon Grammar Book.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS? To always write the best books I can and have the reader enjoy the books.

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING: I’m an artist but I don’t illustrate my own books.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? 

Sir Princess Petra – The Pen Pieyu Adventures

Sir Princess Petra’s Talent – The Pen Pieyu Adventures

Sir Princess Petra’s Mission – The Pen Pieyu Adventures

Sir Princess Petra Coloring Book

The Forest Painter

All can be found on my Amazon Author Page

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? I’m working on another grammar book, with the same fun Pen Pieyu characters giving the grammar lessons, that will elaborate on grammar terminology. The book will be available on Amazon and with most online book distributors, and on my website: www.dragonsbook.com

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Janelle Diller & Lisa Travis on their Award-Winning Children's Book Series

Pack-n-Go Girls Adventures 

www.packngogirls.com

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER?
Janelle: I’ve always loved books. Always. Even as a child, I loved books so much that I knew I wanted to be a writer. I’m lucky to be living that dream. In addition to Pack-n-Go Girls, I’ve written ten other books, including The Virus, a political thriller that was a Colorado Humanities for the Book finalist; Never Enough Flamingos, a 2017 Kansas Notable Book selection; and its sequel, Never Enough Flamingos.

Lisa: I guess I was always a writer, but I didn’t really know it. When I was in 5th grade, I wrote my first book for a class project. It was called The Case of the Missing Diamonds. I’ve always had stories in my head, so I kept writing them down. Then one day I decided it would be fun to share the stories with others. Everyone has stories in their head. What’s your story?

WAS THERE A TEACHER OR OTHER MENTOR WHO INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING?
Janelle: When I was a junior in high school, I had a student teacher in my English class who did a short-story unit. She loved what I wrote and encouraged me to try to get it published. I sent it off to a magazine, and magic happened: they published it! A month later, another magazine reprinted it. I’ve always appreciated that she believed in me and pushed me!

Lisa: My high school English teacher taught me how to write. All we did for one semester was write the same paper over and over. I didn’t realize until I was teaching communications at University of Delaware what a gift the skill of writing was. I promptly wrote him a thank you note.


HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
Lisa came up with the original idea. She wanted to stretch the world for kids, to make them curious, and to inspire them to be global kids. Janelle loved the concept and jumped at the chance to be part of a project she could feel passionate about. We love that we’re getting kids to travel the world through a book.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOKS?
Janelle: There are so many moments in all of the books that I love, but if I had to choose one, it would be from Mystery of the Min Min Lights, the Australian adventure. Sheep are disappearing from the Taylor’s sheep station in the outback. And the thief might be something as crazy as a UFO. I love the point in the book where Wendy, the girl from San Francisco; Chloe, the Australian girl; and Jack, Chloe’s younger brother, are huddled in the car while they wait for Chloe and Jack’s mum to go get help for a flat tire. It’s getting dark; the dingoes are barking, and the kids are feeling very nervous about UFOs that might swoop in. Jack, who is only five, tumbles into the back seat and squeezes between the two girls. “I think we’ll be okay if we stick together,” he says. Of course, he feels brave as long as he has two girls on his flanks.

Lisa: The most fun I have in writing the books is playing with different phrases or slang in different cultures. In Thailand, Jess says “that stinks” when Nong May got robbed. Nong May takes it literally to mean it smells, and she is, of course, totally confused. And in Brazil, Júlia loved to tell Sofia “tem macaquinhos em sus cabeca.” She has little monkeys in her head. Sofia looks around for the monkeys while Júlia means that Sofia has strange ideas. It’s just fun for the girls to learn about our own silly sayings as well as others from different cultures. Where do they come from? And why do we say them? It’s a good conversation starter about culture.


WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?
Janelle: Great question! I find that my American characters tend to be a bit more reserved and nervous—they’re not on their home soil and so don’t know quite what to expect. I end up identifying more with the girls from the other countries. Of all of these, though, I probably identify most with Chloe Taylor, our Australian Pack-n-Go Girl. She’s bold, a bit bossy, and at the same time passionate about the land she’s grown up on.

Lisa: I identify most with Sofia Diaz, our Miami-based Pack-n-Go Girl who travels to Brazil. She always likes to have a plan—but sometimes life throws things in your way. I love that she’s persistent and carries on in the face of adversity. But frankly, I wouldn’t mind having a little more of Júlia Santos’ “don’t worry” attitude.


WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
We want to inspire readers to embrace adventure, be curious, value what unites us, and celebrate the differences that make us unique. We want to inspire them to take on our boundaryless world. Ultimately, we want them to become global kids.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:
Janelle: Outlines are important. I know we all learned this in third grade, but I didn’t fully understand this until I started writing fiction. My trilogy for adults took four years to write and required a ton of editing. My next novel took five months to write and required far less editing because I knew from the beginning where I was going with it, chapter by chapter. An outline turned out not to be a constraint at all. Instead, it was like having a map to go someplace you’ve never been or just having a general idea of how to get someplace you’ve never been. The former is far less frustrating. I guess I should have been paying more attention in third grade instead of chatting with my neighbors and passing notes.

Lisa: I’d like to think that the first draft of each book is a masterpiece. That it’s perfect. That it’s done. But Janelle doesn’t let me off that easy. She reminds me that every good book is so much better when we work hard to revise it. So, we edit the book. And edit it. And edit it. And there is not enough space here to list how many times we edit it. But it’s A LOT!

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE AND WHY?
We’d love to be the Caroline Keene for the early chapter book set. We both loved to read Nancy Drew books. We both loved mysteries. We still do. That’s why we write mysteries. Lisa also loves Scooby Doo.  Janelle isn’t so sure.


WHAT HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?
Janelle: That would have to be my dad. He was an adventure traveler and took our family into the Amazon rainforest, pre-Castro Havana, and the Russian Steppes in January. He taught me to be curious, to live resiliently, and to embrace the unknown.

An iconic moment for me happened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when I was in third grade and my sister in fourth grade. We loved bolillos, that crusty small French bread we’d been eating for weeks. Whatever was left on the table at lunch, Mom dropped into her travel purse, a bag massive enough to hold the daytime lives of two adults, three children and a toddler. One day we walked to the huge plaza in front of the Pink House, the Argentine equivalent of the US White House, to feed the pigeons. My sister told me to bend down just so as we fed the birds because the next year I would see a picture in the fourth-grade geography book of two girls bending down and feeding the pigeons in front of the Pink House.

She was right. Experiencing that moment and then seeing the picture the following August—it was the first thing I looked for in my geography book when school started—gave me the understanding that when I read history or geography books, the people were real. It also built, in an unexpected way, empathy for others. Stories weren’t just stories. They were experiences lived, suffered through, impacted by.

Lisa: There are too many to name. My parents encouraged me to be adventurous and taught me that it was okay to get lost and go where the journey takes you. And National Geographic was a favorite magazine of mine growing up. I spent many hours in the attic sifting through back issues my parents had saved --not sure why they saved every one of them, but lucky for me, they did. I loved where the pictures took me. Back then, I was pretty sure I’d grow up to be a NatGeo photographer. While I still like photography and have photos of my travels hanging in my office to inspire me, I guess writing became more of a passion.

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED?
We’ve tackled this on our own as Pack-n-Go Girls. It’s been challenging to create a high-quality product, brand it, produce it, and market it. The downside is that we have total responsibility for everything. The upside is that we have total control.

IF A CLOSE FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK, WHAT GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM?
Do it because you love it. Don’t do it for the money. That’s a side reward.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?
This is the toughest part! We do a lot on social media @packngogirls on Twitter; Pack-n-Go Girls on Facebook and Pinterest, and @packngogirlsadventures on Instagram, get involved with online influencers in our target market such as the Multicultural Kid Blogs and Multicultural Children’s Book Day, and do giveaways on Goodreads. We also attend conferences, do author visits, and connect to classrooms on Skype. This past summer, we advertised on Facebook for our Summer Reading Adventure book club.


WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?
We’re proud of the awards (thank you, Literary Classics, for another great one!) and for the wonderful reviews, we’ve gotten from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Midwest Book Reviews, bloggers, and individuals. Our real accomplishment is in the sweet, genuine thank you notes and fan mail we get from our readers. That’s truly what we live for.


WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS?
We’d love it if our books found their way into every second-grade classroom in the country. (We have teaching resources to make it easy for teachers to use the books in schools.) We want kids to discover the world. If they can’t do it with a plane ticket, they can at least do it in a book. We’re doing our best to make that happen.


TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING:
Janelle: I’m passionate about traveling. I’ve been to 49 states (Oh, Hawaii, how I long to visit you!) and over 45 countries. This year, I’m adding two new ones to my list. I love discovering countries—the culture, the history, the food, the language, and most of all the people.

Lisa: Traveling builds fun memories that you will have for your whole life. I’ve traveled across the United States in a Volkswagen camper, flown in a Chinook helicopter over Seoul, South Korea, been scolded by polizei in East Berlin, escaped death by jellyfish in the South China sea, danced to ‘Come on Eileen’ in a sketchy Prague dance club, run into the Belgian military at midnight while carrying a torch, signed a “I won’t blame you if I die” waiver to stand in North Korea at Panmunjom, and dined in a dungeon in Spain (well, okay, it was just a cellar storage area, but we were behind bars).


IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
We discovered writing travel adventure mysteries for kids isn’t just something we love; it’s something we feel passionate about. Why? Because travel builds appreciation, tolerance, and empathy for others. Need we say more? Travel also encourages curiosity, independence, and a sense of adventure—characteristics we can never champion enough for our daughters. And because not every child can hop on a plane and travel to a new locale, books are an important way to get us there.


WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?
In addition to the Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure series, Janelle also writes for adults. The Virus, a Colorado Humanities for the Book finalist, is a political thriller for these politically thrilling times. Never Enough Flamingos is a 2017 Kansas Notable Book selection. The sequel, Never Enough Sisters, was released this summer. And the final book in the Never Enough trilogy, Never Enough Lilacs was released in 2018.


DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?
Our next Pack-n-Go Girls Adventure, Mystery of the Naga in the Night, is coming soon. It’s the second book in the Thailand series and follows the adventures of Jessica from Boston and Nong May as they explore the mysterious land of elephants, ancient treasures, and golden temples. Our first African adventure will be out in 2018.

Mystery of the Naga at Night: Jess arrives to help Nong May at one of the hill tribe village schools in Thailand. Nong May is happier than ever to see her. For the last week, Nong May has been scared stiff. Every night, she’s seen the mythical seven-headed Naga serpent slithering through the village. And this Naga is not out to protect anyone. It has to be a bad dream. Or is it?

All of our Pack-n-Go Girls books are available in paperback, hardback, and ebook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered by your local book retailers, as well as our publisher, WorldTrek Publishing, 121 E. Vermijo, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.





LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org