This week my chapter buddy, EJ and I again exchanged chapters. I’m so excited about how well both of our works in progress are going. I sent EJ my chapter 14. I’ve already written chapter 15 and hope to start on chapter 16 this weekend. I’m getting close to the end, I think — another couple of chapters and I can go back and start working on the second draft, or working on my next book, or both.

As you may know, I’m a regular follower of Robert Lee Brewer’s PoeticAsides blog Every Wednesday Robert posts a poetry writing prompt and a bunch of us post poems in the comments in response. This week’s prompt was “cold.” You can check out my contributions (there’s more than one) by following this link and searching for my name http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/CommentView,guid,d44e04fb-dcfc-4362-9437-9cc50d20ed03.aspx#commentstart

A bunch of us also twitter on poetry on Tuesdays, and a kindly fellow shared his Excel spreadsheet for tracking poetry submissions. I copied the three (yikes! that’s all???) outstanding submissions into the new tracker. I also entered the names of a few of my many poems that I should really get around to submitting. Thanks, Cameron.

Here is the third poem I posted, the one that is NOT in response to the prompt:

Just One of Those Weeks

Perhaps iit’s a crime
to poem in rhyme
instead of free verse.
If so, it’s my curse.

When words chime and jingle
I shiver and tingle
I’m determined to write them.
I hope you’ll recite them.

Tell us a little about yourself
I’m a Canadian from Toronto, Canada. I graduated from York University in Toronto with my BA in literature and I also minored in philosophy. I got married to my husband last year and we live in Los Angeles, California with our cat, dog and bearded dragon. I teach ESL to adults at a private college and I love it! I try to write daily. I have a blog I maintain (http://www.kathrynsheridankupanoff.com), a completed manuscript that is being beta-ed and I’m really excited about my current work in progress.

How do you think being an ESL teacher has influenced your voice as a writer?
It’s really affected how I perceive language and syntax. I’ve had students from all over the world and they all teach me a bit from their own native tongues. I love seeing how language evolves and how they all connect (and sometimes they don’t!). The history is fascinating and it’s really inspired me to look at word choice and the philosophy of language and meaning (which was actually a course I took for my undergrad too).

How long have you been writing, and what do you write?
I’ve been writing since I was probably about six years old. I wrote a short story in the first grade that I won a writer’s contest for, but I can’t really remember the story. Something about jungle animals and their awesome adventures. Now, I write literary fiction. I like to focus on everyday events and people with a philosophical twist. Sometimes I torture my characters: if I’m going through something, I’ll throw the same situation at them and see how they survive it. It’s therapeutic, really. Abusive for them, but there are no torture laws against fictional people. Yet. I’m just kidding.

Can you tell us a little about your current writing projects?
I mentioned that my completed manuscript is being beta-ed (Real word? Not sure). I was inspired by a time my husband and I went to a pub in Los Angeles one night and ended up talking to this person at the bar for an hour or so. He was telling us the most detailed and personal things about himself and it made me think: it’s because he doesn’t know us. He’ll never see us again. What does he have to lose? Fascinating! So Fortune Cookie is about two strangers who do just that: share their darkest secrets with each other. The twist is that by the night’s end, there’s a spark… and maybe they’d want to be more than strangers, maybe friends, maybe lovers. It’s literary fiction with a romantic slant.

My current work in progress is a first-person narration about a guy in his twenties who’s going nowhere in life. He’s got an insane family, a dead-end job, he was kicked out of college… a born loser. The only good thing in his life was his high school girlfriend who’s out of the picture now. After a life-changing experience, he decides to go on a road trip to find her again. I was inspired by the character Holden Caulfield, and I wanted to make my protagonist a loser, but also sarcastic and easy to relate to. It’s a lot of fun to write!

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?
Same answer as a lot of people, but that’s all right. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I just read Sum: 40 Tales From The Afterlives by David Eagleman and found it fascinating. It was an enthralling philosophical read.

If you could be any character from any book at all, who would you be, and why?
Wow, what a great question! Maybe Yvaine from Stardust. That’d be cool. You’d be a star, you’d glow, you’d be outer worldly and living in a castle with your true love as your king. How amazing would that be?

Do you have a writing schedule? A particular place to write?
I don’t really have a schedule. I have more times to get writing done on the weekends, so those are usually my most productive days. I like to write in our living room on the floor with my laptop on the floor. It helps if I have the radio or the television on in the background, actually. It’s the white noise.

What do you find inspires you as a writer?
Music and visual art are incredibly important to me. Some artists are entire worlds of inspiration for me. Dali, for example. I could get lost in his mind for hours. As for music, The Beatles, Coldplay, Muse… lots of bands really help me get those creative juices flowing. Again, philosophy helps. I’m currently really into String Theory, so reading up on that every once in a while helps me get out of my box.

We’re both members of the group “Weekly Chapter Challenge” on Writers Digest Community. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Oh, it’s absolutely fabulous. I still have to write my weekly post, actually, but I’m on week four with Katie S. Taylor and I’ve never been more productive with writing. I keep saying to other writers to get involved in this because it really helps you stay accountable and makes sure you’re getting at least 3,000 words a week out there. The feedback I’ve gotten from Katie has been incredibly helpful too. She’s a great writer and editor and her suggestions have just been great. Also, to be on the editing end is great for my own style too. I see how she writes, it helps me be a better writer. I don’t know how I ever wrote before!

What do you feel has been the biggest impediment to your evolution, for want of a better word, as a writer, and conversely, what do you feel has contributed the most to your progress?
The self-discipline to write daily has contributed the most. Also, the determination to finish, not letting myself quit. It can be really hard. Writing’s hard work! (Surprise!) But you have to have those two things in order to get better. As for the biggest impediment, I’d have to say time. There’s always time, but if work gets in the way, if life gets in the way, it’s hard to set aside enough time to get some writing done.

How do you spend your spare time?

With my husband, friends or family. I’m also in a book club, so I’m usually reading when I get some free time.

Any last words?
No. No last words just yet.

Where can readers find you on the web?

My blog is http://www.kathrynsheridankupanoff.com

Michele, how long have you been writing, and what do you write?
 
My earliest writing projects involved climbing onto furniture and using lipstick or nail polish on the walls. Red was always my favorite color. Brought tears to my mother’s eyes, and was the start of my name confusion: For years, I didn’t know if my name was “Dammit Michele!” or “Michele Dammit!” Later I found out my middle name actually is “Lynn.”
 
However, I found copies of a couple of Jr. High Newsletters (I was Asst. Editor) when I was cleaning out her house after she died, so she didn’t always hate my writing.
 
Barbara Sher, one of my favorite authors (Refuse to Choose!), created a label for people like me: we’re Scanners — fascinated by many different avenues, and want to do all of them. In the past few years, I’ve completed three NaNo Novel first drafts, a ScriptFrenzy Play, started websites about our travels and my writing, a blog about Gluten-Free Travel, published poetry, non-fiction pieces, and handled a couple of newsletters. No matter how many times I stop editing newsletters for groups I’m in, I wake up one day and find that one of my alter egos has volunteered yet again.

I also edit – novels, scripts, non-fiction, and poetry. I love to help people find the heart of their project, push themselves through the hard parts, and feel that zing when it comes together.

Poetry, however, is my first love.

Michele and I “met” several years ago at the Muse Online Conference. Can you tell us a little about that?

Wow – the Muse Conference is a whole ‘nuther interview! The short version is that an enthusiastic group of us decided to meet for live chats a couple of times each month, and share our poems. I had a goal that, if we came up with some really good stuff, we’d put together an anthology. And, lo! It came to pass . . .

Six of us from around the country continued working our way through as we poured our hearts into the project. The process truly was a lifeline. I’m very proud of what we’ve done, and eager to get it out to the world.

You’ve recently become poetry editor of Apollo’s Lyre. How is that going?
 
I’m still getting my bearings, but am delighted and honored with the responsibility. I challenge the poets out there to take a look at the e-zine, then send me poems that grab me – vivid, sensory, each word exact. Be part of this award-winning publication.

Can you tell us a little about your current writing projects?

Our Poetic Muselings poetry anthology, called “Lifelines” is about ready for publication. I’m editing my 2006 NaNo novel; writing new poetry. I’m also working on a coffee-table type of book I call Heart, Soul, and Rough Edges, filled with poetry, pictures, and prose pieces about our decade-long 100,000 mile journey traveling all over the US and Canada in a motorhome, working in campgrounds summers and winters, wandering in between. It took me a long time to understand that I have several books’ worth of material to deal with, and that’s okay.

I’ve got about 20 other writing projects I’d love to do, ranging from some children’s stories, to a book about the Kidney Transplant Chain – I know two people who’ve donated kidneys so others they love could get donor organs through this program.

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?

Dangerous question!

My favorites have changed. I read and reread Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, and Exodus, by Leon Uris, every year for about ten years, in addition to whatever else I could get my hands on. Then, throughout much of a 20 year crazy work schedule, I rarely had time to indulge. That’s when I started reading magazines, short stories in general, and Sherlock Holmes in particular.

(Once I start reading, I don’t want to stop ‘til I get to the end. That usually means reading all night and pretending to function the next day, often surreptitiously continuing to read instead of whatever else I’m supposed to do. A life-long character flaw.)

I jumped at a chance for early retirement, and received a marvelous present from someone who was a great reader himself — a multi-page list of books I should read, ranging from Alice In Wonderland to works by Hunter S. Thompson. Other friends shared their favorite with me.

I made friends with librarians across the country, read local authors and history, and worked my way down the book lists. Something wonderful to relate to Thoreau’s description of traveling in Maine, 150 years after he wrote it.

I’m an eclectic and voracious reader – always have been – and usually have several books going at once. I love stories that capture the absurdities of life, with a wicked sense of humor, like Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (one of my all-time faves), Tom Robbins’ Skinny Legs and All, Kinky Friedman’s crazy books, and Life Among the Savages, a fifty-some year old book by Shirley Jackson (better known for her dark works like “The Lottery”). Two series by Alexander McCall Smith are in this category; I love Bertie in his 44 Scotland Street series, and the Portuguese Irregular Verbs characters.

At the same time, I’m willingly pulled into The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series; achingly haunting books like The Lost World of the Kalahari, by Laurens van der Post. And the all-encompassing Harry Potter saga by J. K. Rowlings, which a friend said contains all the lessons of the Bible.

I love mysteries, like Sue Grafton’s letters of the alphabet, or Robert Parker’s Spenser series, and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot – the “who done it, how, and why” – especially the “why” part, maybe because “why?” is allegedly the first word I ever spoke. (Second was “moon!”)

I’d love to be able to write a wildly absurd cozy, with lots of intrigue and no icky stuff that gives me nighmares. There’s enough darkness beyond our control; I much prefer to let my imagination run wild with these things.

If you could be any character from any book at all, who would you be, and why?

Mary Russell, a fictional equal and partner of Sherlock Holmes, in Laurie King’s series (great books!). She’s brave, strong-willed, holds her own with the mighty Sherlock, and is so many of the things I wish I could be. (When I was younger, I wanted to be Dale Evans (complete with horse), and after I started reading, Nancy Drew.)

Do you have a writing schedule? A particular place to write?

How I wish I wrote on a schedule! I thought that after I retired, I’d have so much time to do all those projects I’d postponed while working. I’m making peace with routines to make it easier. I write in many places. Poetry and journaling are almost always handwritten, with a fountain pen, either curled up on the couch or sitting at my dining room table. I have a great office with my desktop computer, and lose myself there for as many hours as I can get away with. I edit on my laptop away from where I originally wrote.

What do you find inspires you as a writer?

Strong reactions, whether to beauty, absurdity, or pain.

Since the Muse online conference has been such a big part of both our writing lives, can you say a few words about how that has influenced you?

I have a very special place in my heart for the Muse Online Conference. I met Carolyn Howard-Johnson at a luncheon in the Palm Springs area in 2005. She said she saw the world in images, during her presentation, and immediately I connected. Yes! That’s the way I see the world, too! We talked after she finished reading her poetry to us.
 
With Carolyn’s encouragement, I submitted a poem to The Desert Woman magazine, and it was accepted. She was my first poetry mentor, although I’d written poems most of my life. Carolyn and I have stayed in touch since then. She told me about the conference she and Lea Schizas were organizing, and the rest is history.

What do you feel has been the biggest impediment to your evolution, for want of a better word, as a writer, and conversely, what do you feel has contributed the most to your progress?

The voices in my head that said if “whatever” I did wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t worth doing, and certainly not worth sharing. For most of my life, which involved a lot of writing (newsletters and newspapers in work environments, supervisor and management training, labor contract language, and more), until someone else said my words were okay, I didn’t know if they were or not. I had no clue if I’d guessed right.
 
That paralyzing perfectionism colored much of my world, like riding a bike downhill with the brakes on, never letting myself experience the exhilaration and joy of my creative side.
 
I still fight that demon, but I’m better at accepting my own worth. I credit the Muse connection for helping me see that. I’ve been part of three different critique groups, two online through the Muse Conference (non-fiction and the Poetic Muselings), and one in-person poetry group. Finding support on the personal as well as professional levels has been hugely helpful. The process of opening up, sharing, learning, is something I never had before.

Any last words?

Thank you for inviting me to your blog. I’ve loved working with you, and watching how we’ve all grown since meeting. Good luck with your projects – I look forward to the new book and all the others percolating.

Where to find Michele on the web:
Road Writer

Gluten-Free Travel

Apollo’s Lyrre
And you can email Michele at Apollo’s Lyre at
PoetryEditor.ApollosLyre@gmail.com

I just sent my chapter buddy, EJ, another chapter of my work in progress, and now get to complain about the difficulty of cutting and pasting from google documents into my word processing software so I could send just the one chapter.

As I read a comment from one of my email buddies about cranky computers, it occurred to me that the reason, or one of them at any rate , is that these interfaces are designed by software engineers. Software engineers, for the most part, just want to get on with implementing the blankety-blank software. Ask them to design an interface and they’ll throw something together just to get you off their backs.

At the moment I’m ready to complain about cranky google documents, which seems to be paging down too far if I click on the bar on the left. Oy!

Of course, I could always download my stuff into open office, work on it, and then upload..

I probably do this about once a week, but since I’m fourteen chapters into my book, and have about 30,000 words, paging down is getting to be annoying, so I may be doing more of this.

The good news is that the writing itself is progressing, at the moment, nicely.

PS: I apologize to anyone (like EJ) who had to wait to see their comment appear. Apparently my spam filter has gotten a bit overenthusiastic. Since I am fortunately extremely paranoid about such things, I did manage to rescue them when I went through my supposedly spam comments today.

Tell us something about yourself?
I am married to Derrick, a personal trainer, and have three children–Conner, 13; Cayla, 9; and Chandler, 5.

We live in the foothills of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, with a view of Pikes Peak from my window.

I started writing when I left my job in Silicon Valley as a technical recruiter to be home with my first born. I haven’t had a “real” job since, and I love being able to do something meaningful, yet be home with my kids.

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?
I honestly don’t have a favorite. It usually changes based on what I’m reading at the time!

What are you working on now?
Several projects: two different children’s curriculum projects, four magazine articles, finishing up sending out proposals for a book I’ve been writing, a small-group study guide to go in conjunction with a DVD series for Wallbuilders, polishing up a children’s book to start sending out, and working on clients’ proofing/editing projects as they come in.

How do you go about editing your work?
Since I am equally right and left brained, I have a difficult time not editing my work as I go. So, I’ll typically finish a section of whatever I’m doing then go back and review it. After the whole project is completed, I’ll edit for content first then do a final proof. Depending on what it is, I have editor friends who will review my work as well. I always recommend having someone else look at your work. It’s amazing how much you miss!

Do you have a set process?
I always start with a content edit so I can get a feel of the overall flow, organization, and structure. Otherwise I get too bogged down with the little stuff. After I’ve edited through the big picture, I’ll go line by line and look for sentence structure, passive voice, weak verbs, unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, and so forth, trying to tighten up the writing as much as possible. Lastly, I’ll proof the work. Here is where I’m checking for spelling, punctuation, proper capitalization, use of italics, etc.

If you’re editing your own stuff, how long do you “let it sit” before you start editing it?
It depends on what it is. If it’s something short, like an article, maybe just a day or two. If it’s a picture book or the curriculum I write, usually a few days. I’ll continually go back and forth between working on it and letting it rest. I always have so many projects going at once that I’m never at a loss for things to do while something else is sitting!

Any favorite books on editing? On grammar?
I have a book called Essentials of English, published by Barron’s that I refer to often. I also rely on the old-school standby, Elements of Style by Strunk and White. And, because so many publishers I work for prefer the Chicago Manual of Style, I keep it within arm’s length at all times!

Any tips for aspiring writers?
The only way to get better is to practice and then let others critique you. It’s great to go to conferences and take classes, but you have to put it into practice. Having a trusted critique group to turn to is invaluable, regardless of the type of writing you do.

Once you start getting published, look at the finished piece your editor used compared to the final draft you sent her. You can learn a lot by seeing what was changed and eliminated. I like to ask my editors why they made some of the changes they did, just so I can improve next time. They’ll love the fact that you are trying to grow as a writer and you can take constructive criticism.

Any last words?
If you’d like more detail about self-editing, please take a look at my blog (www.awaywithwordswriting.wordpress.com) under the category of “Self-Editing.” I have some articles that speak to this subject. If you need help with editing or proofing, you may contact me at waywords@earthlink.net. I also provide critiquing services for picture books, children’s and adult short stories, articles, and books.

Tell us something about yourself:
This is such a nice opportunity for me to be interviewed for your blog, thanks very much. I’m a musician in Houston, Texas, retired after teaching voice and piano for quite a few years. I have recently been a church choir director, and do quite a lot of accompanying of singers and instrumentalists. During my years of teaching I composed and arranged music for my students and colleagues. Four years ago I established a small business creating custom lullabies and play song for babies and children. My web site is www.lullabiesbysuzanne.com. I compose the music and write the poetry for the songs.
Each week I play as pianist with a small group of string players for fun.
I grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and my husband Stuart and I have three grown sons, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren. We live with our dogs, Laura and Diana, each of whom has her own special song copyrighted.

How did you come to write ‘Too Too Many Tutus”?
‘Tutus’ came about when our granddaughter Christina had trouble choosing a tutu to wear for her ballet class one day. I have long written a variety of stories for our children, which they enjoy. A friend, artist Marj Hales, read the story and enjoyed it. The next thing I knew, she had gone to the library to research ballet positions, and produced some gorgeous paintings of little girl ballerinas. Her illustrations are so lovely that I felt we should create a book. It has proven to be rather popular with little girls and their parents and grandparents.

‘Donner the Western Dragon’ needed to be written for the little boys of our acquaintance. It turned out that Marj Hales has a particular penchant for mythological animals, and so once again we felt we must bring it to light as a book. She painted fourteen absolutely beautiful paintings of dragons and unicorns (one of the protagonists in ‘Donner’ is a female unicorn named Una). ‘Donner’ works for little girls as well. It is a morality tale about a modest and peace-loving dragon.

Are you a dancer yourself?
It would be difficult to find anyone less capable of being a dancer than I am. In junior high I was the clown in my gymnastics class program. Fortunately my granddaughters have transcended my lack of ability in this area.

Did you have to do much research, if any for your book, and if so, how did you go about it?
For these two books I did not have to do research, except in my imagination. In the future, though, I hope to try some writing projects that are more ambitious in terms of requiring research.

If you could be any character from any book, who would you be?
To be perfectly honest, the first answer that sprang to mind is the character of Ramona in Helen Hunt Jackson’s wonderful novel, ‘Ramona.’ I read it as a child, and several times since, and have always loved the story of this beautiful Hispanic woman in 19th century California who fell in love with Alessandro the Indian. It is beautifully written and very powerful.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am considering two projects. One is a memoir of my experiences working in Yellowstone Park as a young teenager. The other involves a history of a large musical organization of which I am a member. This group will celebrate next year the 100th anniversary of its founding.

What do you want readers to take away from your book?
From ‘Too Too Many Tutus’: there are some lessons about choices, and about seeking the help oftrusted persons in making decisions. Also, there is a simple physics lesson included.
From ‘Donner”: this is a story about being true to one’s own self, and not feeling the need to go along with the crowd.

Any tips for aspiring writers?
I do not feel eminently qualified to give this sort of advice. But I believe in any creative endeavor the main objective should be to do a little work each day, to do it quite regularly. This is true of any creative activity, whether it involves practicing music, writing prose, poetry or music, painting, sports…sometimes once you get started it is hard to stop. Even a very small increment of time is better than none.

Where can readers buy your book?
Both of our books are available on Amazon.com, and also from the publisher, CreateSpace.

Any last words?

Once again, thanks so much for this opportunity to say a few words about our books. It is great fun to know that children are enjoying our books.

Well, another week has passed and I’ve sent E.J. another chapter. I’m nearing the end, and the chapters are getting more difficult to write. I’m so, so glad that I’m participating in this — I don’t know how long I’d let myself procrastinate about these final chapters if I weren’t accountable to someone for that new chapter every week.

I’ve also written a few more poems, and again this week they’re all rhymed. I’ve been on an orgy of rhyming lately, as I’ve stopped fighting my urge to write unfashionable rhymed poetry. Ah, well, two of my poems (rhymed!) are recently published in a new online journal - Dark Eye Glances. Do check it out.

Ruthie and the Hippo's Fat
Behind

Tell us something about yourself?
Many years ago, I owned a pet store in Australia, and sold tropical fish and goldfish. My husband, Alan, an American from New York, had set up a wholesale fish hatchery in Queensland, the state where I lived. I was his first customer – and the rest is history!!
We married, had 3 kids, and after 7 years, we packed up and came to live in Oregon. We’ve been here almost 30 years, now. Alan had gone to college here, and always wanted to live in Oregon. I love it here – the mountains, the snow, the rivers, forests and waterfalls – even the rain!
Our kids are now grown , and have presented us with four grandchildren: the light(s) of my life I confess!
I didn’t begin serious writing until our son left for college – then, I ran out and bought my first computer. It had a HUGE 1 ½ gig hard drive: and I wondered why it always crashed!!!

How did you come to write “Ruthie and the Hippo’s Fat Behind?”
Ruthie was a story that just popped into my head, like many of my stories, one night when I couldn’t sleep. I knew many children often suffered deep emotional trauma due to sudden changes in their lives – whether due to a death, a move, or a divorce etc. I tiptoed into the bathroom, where I kept paper and pencil, crouched on the toilet seat, and scribbled the bare bones of it down, so I wouldn’t forget it by morning.
Gems that appear to me in the night often fade by morning, so my midnight bathroom writing happen often. I thought Ruthie’s plight would make a fun picture book on one level, yet on a deeper level, also offer comfort, support, and guidance to both needy children and their parents – a two-fer if you will. Hopefully, the kids who need help will identify with Ruthie and root for her. And the Parent-Teacher guide provides a Q & A kids can answer about Ruthie and her behavior, plus links parents or teachers might find helpful.

Why did you decide to write it in rhyme?
I didn’t choose to write “Ruthie” in rhyme. That’s just the way the story flowed onto the page. I must confess. . . rhyme comes easily to me, and many of my characters choose to face the world in rhyming mode. The big PLUS, when using rhyme, is that it’s FUN. Children seem to absorb rhyming facts and details faster and easier: think of those old nursery rhymes we all still remember.

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?
A Broken Shard, Holes, The Sign of the Seahorse, Alice in Wonderland, The Lovely Bones

Gennifer Choldenk , Steve Young, Terry Prachett, Louis Sachar.
There are many more as well.

If you could be reincarnated as any writer you want, who would you pick?
Charles Dickens. I once went three stations beyond my own, and had to walk five miles home in the blazing sun, in high heels, because of him. “A Tale of Two Cities” has a lot to of blisters to answer for!!

How did you get started writing?
When we first arrived in Oregon, our kids were small. I didn’t want them to forget their Aussie heritage, so I put a National Geographic map of the Aussie animals on their bedroom wall. Each night, before they went to sleep, I would tell them a story about one of the animals, right off the top of my head.
After they went to school, I became a teacher’s-aid, and I often talked to classes about Australia, and it’s weird and wonderful critters. I told my animal stories to the classes as well. After a while, hands would shoot up, and kids would say, ” But Mrs Finke, the ending was different last time!!” My teacher friend said I should write them down, and I did. That was the beginning.
I bought a computer, joined the then fledgling Children’s Writer’s online list, and wrote some truly terrible stories. Like most beginners, I had no idea of pace, plot, or character enrichment. My stories waffled on for pages. But a small group of CW writers mentored me. They read and critiqued my pages, and helped me write tighter, with more focus and less waffles. Let’s face it, waffles go better with syrup – for breakfast – right? I wrote, wrote, wrote, joined SCBWI, and went to lots of their conferences.
I think one of the hardest things a writer can do is write a great children’s book – especially a picture book. A friend of mine has a mother-in-law who sniffs every time she has another of her picture books published. “That’s nice dear, but when are you going to write a REAL book” she always asks. I admire my friend’s restraint!

What are you working on now?
At the moment, I am giving a final once-over to my next book to be publishes – hopefully in July of this year. “Taconi and Claude – Double Trouble” is a mid-grade adventure for boys, and is set in the Australian outback, near where I grew up.
Taconi, a lone aboriginal boy on Coorparoo Cattle Station, and lives with his dad, the Station cookie. His only friend is Claude, a sulfur crested cockatoo, with a big mouth, and a fund of wacky one-liners. He hunts bush meat to save his dad’s job, and later, a disaster at the homestead, makes Taconi a hero of sorts.
Yet he is torn between helping his dad, plus a life on Coorparoo Cattle Station, or the call of the Dreamtime Spirits, and the magic of the elusive kingfisher feather. Will a visit from Dreamtime Spirits guide Taconi into making the right choice? And of course Claude is always on hand to offer advice, and poke his beak into everything.
This fun adventure includes danger, a crazed emu, Dreamtime Spirits, a midnight Corrorobee, and all the rattlesnake, yabbies, and witcetty grubs a boy can eat.

Do you have a set time for writing? A set place?
When the kids left home, I turned the old playroom off the kitchen into my work area. It has a large computer area set-up, a sofa, chairs, and a fireplace to keep me toasty in winter.
I work there every afternoon.
Of course this year, most of my days are spent doing the exercises that help my knee replacement surgery and eventual recovery. Unfortunately, complications have slowed this down, and I am still not able to get out and about. This puts a real kink in my ability to personally promote “Ruthie.” So far I am working the Internet and hoping for the best!!

What is the most helpful writing advice you’ve gotten?
Join a good critique group where you will get advice from advanced or published writers. Sometimes we work on something for so long, we completely lose focus. A set of fresh and knowledgeable eyes can pinpoint a weak plot area, a character that doesn’t ring true, or places where you waffle on unnecessarily. Critters can guide you into writing tight and terrific stories. “Secrets of Writing for Children,” on my website, offers helpful clues about crafting a great story: http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/restbcm8/Secrets.html#Sec

What is the least helpful advice?
I have never received bad advice.

Where can readers get your book?
“Ruthie and the Hippo’s Fat Behind”

Author: Margot E. Finke www.margotfinke.com
Illustrations: KC Snider www.KCSniderart.com
** Snider is a well known fine artist who regularly shows her work in galleries, as well as known for her book illustrations.

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-61633-059-0
eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-61633-060-6

SAMPLE VERSE:
“Young Ruthie’s mood changed overnight, her smiles slunk off in gloom.
She wouldn’t talk to Mom or Dad. She refused to leave her room.
Her parents scolded, begged and coaxed, but Ruthie paid no mind,
Her moods grew big and ugly – like some Hippo’s fat behind.”

When Ruthie moved, she left all her friends and family behind. She left her old happy self behind too. She sulked, was rude to her parents, and threw tantrums. What had happened to their darling girl? Then, something unexpected surprised her, and the happy Ruthie returned. Find out what made Ruthie feel her old self again?

**Parent-Teacher guide included

Where to buy:

Guardian Angel Publishing (GAP)
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/ruthie.htm

Margot Finke –
http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/restbcm8/Margot%27s%20Books.htm#other

OR – http://preview.tinyurl.com/GAP-Books
** A Personal Autograph comes with each hard copy bought from Margot’s website + a bookmark. Also view Trailer, sample verses and illustrations.
SOON – available from Amazon, B&N, Target and more.
It seems to take a while for them to put up new books + covers.

Any last words?
Just a sincere “thank you” for taking the time to interview me, and get out the word about “Ruthie”

Well, EJ and I have again exchanged chapters {claps self and worthy chapter buddy on back}, and I’ve started working on comments I received from my in-person critique group, too. Today I’d like to start on another chapter and finish up working through the comments I got.

Oh, yes, and I was able to pass on advice I’d received at a recent teleseminar to fellow WCC-er
Melissa Dean, who will be going to a conference soon.

I didn’t do much writing yesterday — instead I finished eading a nifty sci-fi novel, “Veracity” by Laura Bynum. I highly recommend starting it when you have all day to devote to it…

And here’s one that I plan to buy:
“A New Birth of Freedom,” by Robert G. Pielke

It’s an alternative history sci fi novel. Here’s the blurb:

The world shatters for University history professor, Edwin Blair, when his wife and daughter are killed by an invading force of alien monsters. Life no longer seems worth living and the eminent destruction of everything else he once held dear no longer matters. So when the scientific team tasked with repelling the invasion approaches Blair with a request, he agrees without a second thought.

His task?

Convince Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee to bring their combined armies to bear on the invasion instead of attacking each other at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

The fact that they lived and fought 300 years before Blair was even born is the least of his worries.

I absolutely love alternative history sci fi {drool}. But I promise, really I do, to write my chapter and finish my edits before I run out to buy it…

Tell us something about yourself?
I am a junior high Spanish and Language Arts teacher in Illinois. I have been a teacher for about 20 years. I have picked up a lot of wonderful ideas about young adults by working with them as a teacher. As a Language Arts teacher, I have also picked up a lot of great writing and reading ideas. I truly believe that my career is a wonderful complement to my writing career. I am also a book reviewer for The National Writing Center For Children and The Story Circle Network.

Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?
One of my favorite books is an exciting suspense novel entitled, Stolen Children by Peg Kehret

How did you get started writing?
I got started in writing by writing about teaching and educational issues. I have been doing that since 1996.

What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on authoring my first book. It is a story of a girl, and how she deals with her teachers and peers in a middle school.

Do you have a “day job,” and if so, how do you find the time to write?
My “day” job is a seventh grade Language Arts and Spanish teacher. I find most of my time to write in the summer. However, I do try and fit in some quality writing time during the year.

Do you have a set time for writing? A set place?
I really don’t have a set time for my writing. I usually do most of it in the summer, but I try to do it when I can find the time during my school year.

What is the most helpful writing advice you’ve gotten?
I would say the most helpful advice would be to stick to a routine writing schedule. But whatever one does, just keep on writing all the time. Even if it is for 15 minutes everyday. That is advice I aspire to achieve.

What is the least helpful advice?
The least helpful advice would be someone asking me why I would want to be a writer. You would have to write all the time! Naturally, that was the funniest as well.

Any last words?
Yes, I am a freelance writer who is always open to find writing work related to my career. I think writing is a wonderful profession that offers numerous possibilities. I would love to author books for young adults and teachers.