Renee interviews author Jen Swanson

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author, Book Expo. author, books, school, scientists, writing

Jennifer Swanson is the award-winning author of over 25 children’s books, including “Astronaut Aquanaut,” which received the 2018 Gold Standard Award from the Junior Library League. We met at the Florida Authors & Publishers Association Annual Conference, where Jennifer was a keynote speaker.

Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.
If you told me when I was a kid that I would be a successful children’s author, my response would have been, “Cool.” I didn’t start out wanting to be a writer. I wanted to be a Doctor, a pediatrician to be exact. I studied chemistry at the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1990. But organic chemistry and I didn’t see eye-to-eye, so I did my 5 years in the Navy and got out. Then I was a stay-at-home-mom for about 10 years and raised 3 kids. I started writing about 10 years ago and I’ve been lucky enough to do that from home, too. I am also employed by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth as a middle school science instructor. Aside from being a wife and mother, being a children’s author is the BEST job in the world. And I’m so thankful that I found this path.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?
“Astronaut Aquanaut” was developed from my own curiosity. I was researching a book about space and had a conversation with one of my editors. We were talking about astronauts and how they train and then we started talking about how that was probably very different from how a deep-sea diver trained. I got to thinking and started researching. To my surprise, I found out that they do a lot of things in common when training. Since most of my books start with a “Wow! I didn’t know that fact.” I was off and running.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?
Like all authors, facing rejection is difficult. And it still happens. Whether you have written 5 or 50 books you still have the ones that don’t sell. It’s tough sometimes to keep going, but when I get a rejection, I use that to spur myself onward. Kind of like “okay, you didn’t like that one, but I’m going to write something even better that you’ll love”. And I keep going. You have to have a thick skin in this business.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?
The hardest part about writing for me is finding the right hook and the right structure for the books. Most of my hooks are also my titles. When I find a title that resonates with me or is just plain cool, I know the book will work. I read A LOT of other kids’ books in my genre. That gives me an idea of how I want to structure the book. I try to think out-of-the box and do something unique. So when those two things match up — the hook and the structure, I usually write very quickly. It’s my “aha” moment.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?
I read a lot of mysteries– both adult and children. The bigger the adventure and the more difficult the mystery to solve the better. That kind of makes sense, because science is a lot like solving a mystery. You have to keep going and keep trying until you figure it out. I read a ton of authors, my favorites are Elizabeth Peters, Cleo Coyle, Rick Riordan, and of course J.K. Rowling, just to name a few.

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?
I work every single day. Not every day is spent writing. Some days I’m marketing, other days I’m editing, some days I’m writing to a deadline. I usually work to whatever has the most imminent due date. My ritual is to be in my chair in my office by 9am and I work through til about 5pm.

What are your interests outside of writing?
I love spending time with my family. I enjoy biking, running, and walking along the beach. I was born with a travel bug so my husband and I take 1-2 big trips a year. Sometimes in the U.S., sometimes abroad. I love learning about and experiencing new places and cultures.

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.
My best advice is this; everyone has their own path to publication. Whatever you choose to do, is great. Keep at it and don’t give up. In this business it’s easy to keep comparing yourself to others and if you do, you may feel as if you come up short. Try to avoid that. Everyone is different! There is no one path to success. If you’re happy and moving forward, give yourself a pat on the back. Celebrate every success! You worked hard to get here.

 

 

To suggest an author interview, email rgarrison@bestversionmedia.com

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A hug in my hand

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author, Family, inspiration, Life, motherhood, relationships, wedding

My college experience included membership in a sorority which promised to “establish a perpetual bond of friendship” among its members. The promise turned out to be true.
Back then, my “Little Sister” gave me a pansy handkerchief (our sorority flower) which I carried at my wedding as the traditional “something blue.” Since then, it has traveled to college graduations along with Arlington National Cemetery to bury my parents.
Next week, my son will be married in Texas and I have scrupulously tried to follow the unspoken rules established for the mother of the groom: “Simply show up, shut up and wear beige.” It is a role which is the least important and the most invisible.
This is a destination wedding (with a limited guest list) so few friends will be with me to watch my son become a husband. Instead, my emotional support will lay folded inside my pocket, in the form of a pansy hanky. Along with drying tears, it will serve as a hug in my hand and a reminder of the friends who care.
Delta love and mine, Roxanne.

 

 

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of “The Anchor Clankers.”

Renee interviews author Evelyne Holingue

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author, books, inspiration, Life, Paris, writing

I met Evelyne when we both participated in a Panel Discussion at the Author Extravaganza in Jacksonville, Florida. Her delightful French accent inspired me to learn more of her story.

Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.

I was born and brought up in Normandy, France. As a grad student I moved to Paris where I worked in the publishing industry before following my husband to California.
As anyone can imagine this decision had a huge immediate impact on my professional life. First, I had to learn how to speak English. Someone once told me that fluency requires twenty years. It seems exaggerated, but it certainly requires lots of practice to learn how to speak, to read, and to write in a foreign language acquired in adulthood. I owe a lot to my born-American kids who took the role of teachers. As challenging and frustrating as it was sometimes, I think it helped me develop resilience and humility.

What inspired you to write these books? What is the story behind the story?

Trapped in Paris is a young adult contemporary thriller set in Paris and the Parisian suburbs. The story is inspired by the true eruption of a volcano in Iceland in April 2010, a day after one of my children had returned from France. This eruption shut down all air traffic and for days people were trapped in European airports.

Chronicles From Château Moines is a middle grade historical novel set in the early 1970s in Normandy. My love for music and history are behind this story, that braids American and French cultures via the alternating narratives of 12-year-old classmates Scott and Sylvie.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?

English remains a second language, so I am always a little guarded when I start. I need to remind myself to let go and write. Corrections and revisions will arrive soon enough. 

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?

My very first published story in Spider Magazine remains a very special memory. As a kid I had seen my name printed in a local newspaper when a poem I wrote had been selected. But to see it again here, in the USA, as an immigrant, was a proud moment.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

My favorites from my schooling in France are Zola, Maupassant and Camus. Now, I mostly read American children’s literature, from Picture Books to Young Adult. There are too many authors I love and admire to name all of them. My most favorite Young Adult author today remains A.S. King who also wrote recently a terrific middle grade book under her full name Amy King.
For Picture Books I love Oliver Jeffers, particularly his latest: Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth.
Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?

I pretty much write every day, but not necessary fiction. I blog in French and English once a week, for fun and discipline too. I write better in the morning than at night. After dinner I read, go through my critique partners’ chapters, and write down ideas or a tomorrow-to-do list, often too ambitious 

What are your interests outside of writing?

Since reading is my #1 favorite activity, I love libraries and bookshops. Then, I love the outdoors, so I walk every morning, almost always with my husband before work. I also practice yoga on a very regular basis too. And I enjoy taking care of our backyard and the front too I love nurseries almost as much as bookstores.

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same?

I have not been able to stay away from writing, even when I tried in moments of discouragement. Nobody forced me to write. Nobody told me it was easy.
There is a huge difference between writing and the publishing business.
In the first place, though, there is a story to tell, so while I write this story I think it’s best to forget about the business part. It will come soon enough.
Also, the first draft is not the final result, but it is necessary, so I think it’s important to respect a first draft, to let it simmer for a few weeks before returning to it and starting a new draft.

 

 

Renee interviews author Brad Meltzer

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author, books, creativity, Florida, writing

Photo by PLGould/Images

Today Brad Meltzer releases The Escape Artist, his first new thriller in almost three years. He’s the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle (and its sequels, The Fifth Assassin and The President’s Shadow) which are based on the idea that George Washington’s personal spy ring still exists today. Brad has written nine other bestselling thrillers including The Tenth Justice, The First Counsel, and The Millionaires in the 20 years since his first book came out. I interviewed Brad at Book Expo America and we’ve stayed in touch.

Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience?
I was raised in Brooklyn and Miami, graduated from the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was my first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times bestseller list, as have all eight of my novels.
I currently live in South Florida with my wife, who’s also an attorney.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?
For the past three years, the government has given me access to a place I never thought they’d let me sneak into. Not sure if you know about Dover Air Force Base, but it’s the mortuary for the US government’s most top-secret and high-profile cases.

On 9/11, the victims of the Pentagon attack were brought there. So were the victims of the attack on the USS Cole, the astronauts from the space shuttle Columbia, and the remains of well over fifty thousand soldiers and CIA operatives who fought in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and every secret location in between. Indeed, in Delaware of all places, at Dover Air Force Base, is America’s most important funeral home.

In this world where so much of the government is a mess, Dover is the one place that does it absolutely right. It is the one “no-fail mission” in the military. When a soldier’s body comes home, you don’t mess it up. And so, I’ve seen the stories of the morticians who rebuild hands (rather than giving a fake prosthesis), so that a mother can hold her son’s hand one final time…or where they spend fourteen straight hours wiring together a fallen soldier’s shattered jaw, then smoothing it over with clay and makeup, just so they could give his parents far more ease than they ever should’ve expected at their son’s funeral. And in today’s world, we need real heroes. The people here are the real deal.

What has been your most intriguing discovery in writing this book?
The book focuses on one of the most obscure jobs in the Army: The so-called “Artist In Residence.” Since World War I, the Army has assigned one person—an actual artist—who they send out in the field to, well…paint what couldn’t otherwise be seen. It’s one of the greatest traditions in our military—they call them war artists. They go, they see, they paint, cataloguing every victory and mistake, from the dead on D-day, to the injured at Mogadishu, to the sandbag pilers who were at Hurricane Katrina. In fact, when 9/11 hit, that was the only artist let inside the security perimeter. Sure, we have plenty of photographers and videographers. But what an artist does is different. Photographers take a picture. Artists…when they widen eyes and make rucksacks bigger…they tell a story.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?
The Hollywood Reporter recently put me on their list of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors. But before The Tenth Justice was published, I got 24 rejection letters for my true first novel, which still sits on my shelf, published by Kinko’s. I believe that ordinary people change the world, and it is that core belief that runs through every one of my projects.

What are your interests outside of writing?
I host “Brad Meltzer’s Lost History” on H2 and “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History Channel.

 

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers.

Renee interviews author Jane R. Wood

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author, books, children, read, writing

 

Jane R. Wood is President of the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. She’s written many historic fiction books for children, including Voices in St. Augustine, Ghosts on the Coast: A Visit to Savannah and the Low Country and Lost in Boston. I recently caught up with Jane at the Amelia Island Book Festival.

 

1.              Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.

 I was born in Astoria, Oregon, and moved to Florida when I was 10. I grew up near Cape Canaveral, and even worked at the Kennedy Space Center for two of my college summer jobs. I graduated with a BA from the University of Florida and earned a M.Ed. from the University of North Florida. I taught middle school and high school for six years, wrote for a newspaper for three years, and was a television producer for 12 years before writing my first book. I live in Jacksonville, Florida, with my husband Terry. I have two grown sons and five grandchildren. My family roots are all Finnish, which was proven when I did my DNA through Ancestry and it came back 85% Finnish and the rest European.

 

 2.              What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?

 I fell in love with the magic of words in the 4^th grade when Mrs. Nance assigned a poetry project. That evolved into writing stories. My father was a great storyteller of everyday occurrences, so I think that had an impact too. Also, as a former teacher, I wanted to write fun, fiction stories for kids and weave some history and science into the story line making them educational as well as fun.

 

 3.              What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?

                      I’m a planner so it’s sometimes difficult to let the creative process take over and                                            let the story tell itself. It’s always better when that happens.

 

 4.              What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?

 I have aha moments every time a young person tells me they love my books. That tells me I accomplished my goal. I want kids reading, but I also want them enjoying what they’re reading. (Once a teacher, always a teacher!)

 

5.             What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or                                 your writing?

                        I like historical fiction. I like Ken Follett and Jeffrey Archer. Pat Conroy was a master                                       of words. I read Gone with the Wind when I was 16 and I think a seed was planted.

 

 6.              Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?

 

 I don’t write every day, although I should.  I get inspired when I travel and visit new places. I keep thinking about my characters and what would they do there. My main ritual is that I need quiet when I’m writing, so I close my office door a lot!

 

 7.              What are your interests outside of writing?

 

 I love to travel. I enjoy cooking, and eating, and good wine. If I had more time, I’d sew and do needlework like I used to do. And of course, I love to read.

 

 

8.              Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.

           I would encourage aspiring authors to learn their craft. Attend workshops, classes, writers groups and network with other writers. If they decide to self-publish, then they need to hire professionals to do the things that they are not good at – things like book formatting, cover design, website design, etc. And ALWAYS use a good professional editor. I have found that networking with other authors is extremely valuable – and fun! My membership in the Florida Authors and Publishers Association has taught me a great deal about the publishing industry. The only thing I’d do differently is start writing my books many years earlier. I think fear of failure holds many writers back. The best advice I can give is just do it!

                     For more information on me, go to http://www.janewoodbooks.com. 

 

 

Renee Garrison is an award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers.

Festival of Reading

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author, Awards, books, inspiration, Life, writing

I read the email and blinked.

“Congratulations!!! Colette Bancroft, the book editor of the Tampa Bay Times, and the Author Selection Committee have recommended your award-winning release, The Anchor Clankers for presentation at the 25^th annual Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading.  

The Tampa Bay area celebrates outstanding authors and the love of reading at the Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading. Held on the Bayfront campus of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the festival attracts more than 6,000 book lovers and brings together people of all ages and socioeconomic groups to celebrate the joy of reading.” 

Jumping up from the computer, I did a little happy dance. Then, I cried.

I cried for the six years I spent writing the book. I cried for my parents, who didn’t live long enough to read it. I cried, mostly, out of sheer gratitude that a selection committee chose to honor my work.

Last November, I slid into a chair and watched other authors’ presentations at the 2016 Festival of Reading. One year later, I was invited to give my own.

That’s why I now encourage anyone who has a book lurking inside them, to write it down. Write a lousy first draft and then, a better second draft. You’ll probably publish your third draft.

And next year (when you’re standing at a podium discussing your work,) I’ll come and listen to YOU!

The first thing you see

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anchor clankers, author, books, inspiration, teenagers, writing, Young Adult

Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover?

I received this email from Southern Yellow Pine Publishing: “We’re setting up a phone call conference with artist Elizabeth Babski to talk about the cover design.”
Suddenly, I’m terrified.

I think of all the books that I’ve picked up in libraries and book stores. Occasionally, a glance at the cover was all it took for me to put it back on the shelf. I understand how important cover design can be in luring readers inside a book.

Admittedly, I’m not an artist. I paint pictures with words rather than brushes. But I know that an amazing cover can capture a reader’s interest even before they see the first sentence.

Creating the right cover is an art form, which involves evaluating the book’s content and understanding exactly what will resonate with my Young Adult readers. Regrettably, Elizabeth had not been given my manuscript to read, nor had I seen samples of her art or her website. So, we chatted and I gave her the “Cliff Note” version of “THE ANCHOR CLANKERS.”

They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. They are wrong!

I’m anxious to see her suggestions.

Names have power. ~ “The Lightning Thief”

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author, barista, book, bylines, CIA, coffee, coffee shop, Names, Rick Riordan, Starbucks, The Lightning Thief

Whenever a barista bellows my name in a crowded coffee shop, I squirm.
Why do I feel so exposed?
I understand the concept: Baristas write the names of customers on cups to speed up lines and ease confusion.
Perhaps I should work at the CIA…
A recent Washington Post article about the CIA Starbucks echoed my uneasiness about the practice. According to a food services supervisor at the Central Intelligence Agency (who asked that his identity remain unpublished for security reasons,) “Giving any name at all was making people — you know, the undercover agents — feel very uncomfortable. It just didn’t work for this location.”
They should use an alias – like me: In December, I may be “Holly” or “Noelle.” By April, I’ve switched to “Iris” or “Bunny.” In July, I become “Summer” or “Sandy.”
I certainly don’t mind seeing my name written on a cup – or printed in a newspaper.
Bylines, blessedly, remain silent.
In fact, most newspaper and magazine readers don’t even notice the names below the headlines. (Mothers and spouses are the obvious exceptions.)
My name is personal and when someone approaches me using it, I’d like to be sure that we’ve actually met – instead of simply having heard it shouted in a coffee shop.
Allow me to introduce myself. Please.

Renee Garrison is the author of “Sweet Beams: Inspiring Everyone Who Lives Under a New Roof,” available on amazon.com.

Giving birth to a book

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Architecture, author, book, Construction, Design, Family, Gardens, Home, Houses, Housewarming, Humor, kitchen, Memories

Working with a graphic artist to design a cover for your book is a bit like giving birth to a child: After months of effort, you hope it will be reasonably attractive when it‘s delivered.
I’m a writer (not an artist) who recognizes her design limitations. Trying to convey a sense of contentment, encouragement and happiness at home on an 8-by-5 inch book isn’t easy. The cover has to speak to potential readers…beg them to pick it up and look inside.
I’m delighted to say my new book does just that. After a flurry of emails – both photographs and text – graphic artist Kristin Johnson did an amazing job of selecting just the right image and type font. (Don’t you love finding the authors’ names hiding under the bed?!)
I hope this book and its cover will speak to you, too. “Pick me up…look inside.”

Sweet Beams: Inspiring everyone who lives under a new roof! also is available on amazon.com.