Just Like Me

(Is that a perfect book title, or what?)

 
Happy Book Birthday Week to my friend Nancy Cavanaugh's third fabulous book.

I'm beyond excited that she's stopped by to introduce you all to this newest middle-grade novel.

Kick off your flipflops and stay awhile, Nancy. Let's talk!

AUGUSTA:

You've drawn from your own life for your previous novels, is there a little bit about you in this book? Were you a camper? Counselor? Do you love or hate swimming/ canoeing/ hiking/ soccer? As a former camper, counselor, and lover of summer camp, I think you described the camp activities so well.

NANCY:
Summer camp is one of my most vivid childhood memories.  Notice that I didn’t say my “fondest” childhood memories.  My camp memories include the good, the bad, and the ugly.  The “good” was always the active fun of activities with my friends (swimming and boating were my favorites) and enjoying a week of complete freedom away from my parents.  The “bad” was the camp arguments with difficult cabin mates, strict counselors, or the time I got strep throat at camp.  And the “ugly” was that awful camp oatmeal, the really bad bug bites, and the way my clothes felt damp all the time.  (Oh yeah, and the sand that always ended up in the bottom of my sleeping bag when I didn’t brush my feet off well enough before I crawled inside. I always HATED that!) 

In spite of all that, I really did love going to camp, and I think summer camp really changes kids.  At the end of the week, everyone returns home a slightly different person, which is why I chose Camp Little Big Woods as the setting for this story.        

But my daughter and her friends going to summer camp were the real inspiration for JUST LIKE ME.

AUGUSTA: I know Chaylee is proud of her mom!

Tell us a little about the design of this book? I love love love the puzzle pieces at the head of each chapter, the fabulous cover design of canoes, the uber cool little envelopes for page breaks. Who gets to decide what goes where and why? 

NANCY:

I LOVE the way JUST LIKE ME looks too, and I can say that without bragging because I didn’t have anything to do with the way the book looks. Thank goodness for that!  The art design team at Sourcebooks is responsible for how wonderfully creative all my books are in terms of design.  The art team works closely with my editor to come up with a concept for how everything will look and how it ties together with the story.  Throughout their process, my editor does show me the ideas they are working on. She not only asks for my input, but also asks if I have any ideas of my own. It really is such a team effort.   

 

AUGUSTA: Speaking of teamwork, there's a wonderful subplot about teamwork and helping friends in your book. Is that one thing you hope kids will take away from JUST LIKE ME?

NANCY: 

As a former teacher, I spent lots of years encouraging the students in my classroom to not only get along, but to actually work together. I think it’s one of those things that I’m always trying to impress upon young people because it’s such an important life lesson.    

AUGUSTA: Ah, yes. Life lessons. I love that about books! I know kids will read this novel for fun and they'll get those lessons, because it feels very true. But there's also a serious side to Julia. Was that hard to write? 

NANCY:

Though this book was inspired by my daughter who was adopted from China, the character of Julia is completely fictitious, and finding Julia’s story was quite a struggle. I’m an adoptive mom, but I myself was not adopted. I really had to dig deep into my imagination and emotion to put myself in Julia’s shoes and figure out what her struggles and issues would be. 

AUGUSTA: And you did that so well!

Here's a bonus question, just for fun and because so many writers who aren't lucky enough to be published yet would love to know more about school visits, which you're so great at.
What's the funniest question you've ever been asked at one of your many school visits? (Other than Are you a millionaire?!)

NANCY: 

When I do my school presentation for my book THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET, I bring engine parts and talk about how taking apart an engine and putting it back together again is very similar to how we as writers take apart our writing and put it back together when we revise it. Well, at one school visit a couple years ago, the microphone was acting up during my presentation, and it kept making that really annoying buzzing sound. A student interrupted my talk to ask, “Since you know how to take apart an engine and put it back together again, would you be able to fix the sound system?”  I’ll let you guess what my answer was.

Want to know more about Nancy and her books?
Check out her website, HERE.

And this terrific review:
https://momreadit.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/just-like-me-examines-adoptions-internal-narrative/

Also, when Nancy's first book was born, I asked her about her fashion sense and other important questions, HERE.

Welcome, Kathy Cannon Wiechman

I'm delighted to welcome Kathy Wiechman to chat about her brand new book. LIKE A RIVER is a Civil War story, but it's so much more than that. The characters, the setting, and a story with such heart that truly leaps off the pages. 

She and I met at a terrific Highlights Foundation workshop. Your own cabin in the woods. Fabulous food. Great camaraderie. Walks and talks.

Oh, and all that uninterrupted writing time!

Is there anything you’d like to share with your fellow writers about the experiences you’ve had there?

            

Kathy:  I have been to many Highlights Foundation workshops, and I love them! I have never been to any other workshops that provide as much one-on-one attention with faculty members. I have learned so much from the faculty there, from people like Rich Wallace, Joy Cowley, and Patti Gauch. 

And the setting there seems to be magical for finding the Muse. It’s also a great place for making contacts. I met my editor at a Highlights workshop. I have made many friends there too, who have the same love for children’s literature as I do. Some of the friendships I made there have blossomed into lasting ones. And I met you there, Augusta, and discovered the wonderful GLORY BE.

Augusta: Thank you, Kathy! Now let's talk books. Yours, in fact. You did such an amazing job of describing the wartime situations in a war so few young readers know much about. Can you tell us a bit about your research process?

Kathy: I studied the Civil War long before I decided to write this book, but once I mapped out my plan for it, I read dozens and dozens of books on specific aspects of the war.  I visited the sites where my book takes place, sites in Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi. I learned to load and fire a muzzleloader (at the Highlights facility in PA, where the workshops take place). I even had one arm tied behind my back and went swimming, so I could see how hard it would be for someone with an amputated arm.

Augusta: Now that's what I call research. Wow. Was there one thing about writing that was more difficult than anything else?

           

Kathy: I like happy endings or at least, hopeful ones. It was somewhat difficult to find the right balance, to write a novel that was accurate to the time of war and to do justice by those who suffered in Andersonville Prison and died on the Sultana without making the ending bleak. I hope I have achieved that.

Augusta: I think young readers will agree that you created the perfect ending. Now, what’s next for Kathy Wiechman?

Kathy: I recently signed a contract with Boyds Mills Press for a second novel and am still working on revisions of that. It’s called EMPTY PLACES and takes place in Harlan County, Kentucky during the Great Depression.

Augusta: I think I may have heard a tiny thing or two about that book! Another intriguing topic young readers will be eager to know more about.

Are there any other things about writing your debut novel that you'd like to share?

Kathy: During the early stages of writing the book, I found out that the husband of a friend is the great-great grandson of  a survivor of Andersonville and the Sultana. He shared with me the family papers on his ancestor, and that ancestor (Jacob Zimmerman) became like an angel sitting on my shoulder as I wrote, urging me forward.

Augusta: That's a terrific thought to inspire other writers, Kathy. We never know what we'll turn up when we embark on a subject, but it always helps to have an angel sitting on our shoulders.

Here's Kathy's website:

http://kathycannonwiechman.com/historical-fiction/like-a-river/like-river-reviews/

You can order her book from your all the usual places, especially your local independent bookstore. Thank you to her publisher and editor, Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek, for supplying me with an advance reader copy. 

Be sure to check out some of the workshops and the UNworkshops coming soon to Honesdale, PA. Wouldn't it be fun to see Kathy there? 

Here's one of my favorite passages from the book. Powerful words.

      "The army isn't a lark, son," the doctor said. "Our country is at war, and you'll be expected to work hard."

      "Yes, sir," Leander said and forced the grin into hiding. But deep inside he was still smiling, thinking only of what folks would say when they saw him in uniform.

Welcome, Sandra Markle!

Sandra Markle joined my wonderful SCBWI Critique group when she returned to the U.S. from New Zealand. What a coup for our group! She's added life and fun and her own brand of smart editing.

And now I get to introduce her to all my blog-reading friends.

She's just taken the daring step of taking her work into her own capable hands, so to speak.

But I'll let SANDRA MARKLE tell you all about this journey.

You can read a little more about this new e-book venture HERE.

But first, let's pour a glass of sweet tea (Sandra and I both lived in the South, after all), and meet this prolific writer.


Augusta:    For those who don't know your books, tell us a little about them. How many have you written? Do you have favorites?

Sandra: I’ve written around 200 books but that’s over about thirty years. Many were hands-on activity books while others share the real life adventures of people and animals around the world.

My answer to any question about a favorite book is usually “My current book.” 

The truth is the one that will forever stand out in my heart is PENGUINS: GROWING UP WILD. I took all of the photos in this book and wrote it as a result of my two summers in Antarctica with the National Science Foundation’s Artists and Writers Program. During those trips, I camped out with 60,000+ Adelie Penguins as they hatched and raised their chicks. Experiencing the earth’s wildest remaining frontier and wildlife up close was life-changing.



Plus, I met my husband at McMurdo Station when I stayed to experience Antarctica’s nine-month long winter. 

Augusta: What an adventurer you are! You have so much to write about. Can you tell us what  marks a Sandra Markle book as something you’re proud to publish and read? 

Sandra: My goal is to make a “Sandra Markle” book so much fun to read that the learning experience I slip into each one just happens naturally--what I call stealth learning. And I strive to make each of my storytelling books perfect for reading aloud to children. I love to paint stories with words.

Augusta:  When you’re not writing, where will we find you?
 

Sandra: I love sketching and painting so you could find me working on those hobbies.

But I’m also a story-collector. I am always tracking down people, especially researchers and scientists to learn about their work firsthand. Thanks to satellites, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to talk on the phone to a scientist who was in a jungle studying army ants, another in a remote part of Panama rescuing golden frogs, yet another who was in the Amazon observing pink river dolphins and lots more. I also eagerly go wherever I can to discover and learn from the experts so I was on board an icebreaker for 30 days and watched over a surgeon’s shoulder as he performed a heart valve replacement. I’ve watched moon rocks being analyzed and tiles being replaced on the space shuttle and lots, lots more. To paraphrase that old saying, “So many things to investigate, so little time.” So it’s hard to say where you’ll find me but you can count on it being on the trail of a story I’m hot to learn more about.

Augusta: You certainly are not an armchair traveler! What’s next for your writing world?

Sandra: Next, I’m excited to be bringing some of my Out-Of-Print books back to life, starting with PENGUINS: GROWING UP WILD. And thanks to Kindle Direct Publishing I’m able to enrich these books with popups containing info about my experiences researching and writing the books. I’m also able to include activities for young readers—ones to help them look for content, think about POV, and launch into their own original writing. But, most of all, my goal is to have the popups make reading my books even more interactive fun.

Augusta: What a gift you've given your readers! Do you have a favorite thing about writing?

Sandra: I love that writing is like doing a jigsaw puzzle where I first get to create all the pieces and then put them together.  I’m a very visual person so as I work on an idea there’s a point where I “see” the book. Then I work to bring that vision to life. And, when the book is completely done, it is an absolutely GREAT feeling.

Augusta: One last question. You seem to know and love animals- of all kinds! Here's one I'll bet your young fans would like to know: Do you have a pet?

Sandra: I certainly do have a pet—couldn’t be without one.
My current pet is a Maine Coon cat named Beau.

He accepts me unconditionally and reminds me—usually by climbing onto my laptop—that there is more to life than writing, like petting the cat.

Augusta: That's the truth! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your books with us. 

I know everybody will want to download PENGUINS: GROWING UP WILD. 

Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/PENGUINS-Growing-Wild-Sandra-Markle-ebook/dp/B00R9RH93S

Find out even more about Sandra, her school visits and Skype chats, by visiting her here:

http://sandramarklespeaks.blogspot.com

Welcome, Nancy Castaldo

I love it when author friends stop by. Nancy and I met last fall when we go-assisted at a Highlights Historical Fiction Whole Novel retreat. (Here's our fun group.)

Now she has a book coming- in a few days!- about a subject near to my heart: DOGS!

But not just any dog. 
These are special creatures, working dogs. Shelter dogs, Sniffers extraordinaire!

So sit with us and pour an iced tea. Feel free to jump in with questions for Nancy in the comments section.

You can also pop over to her website: http://nancycastaldo.com

Augusta: How did you find these amazing dog subjects? Did you actually get to meet them all?

Nancy: That was the best part of the research, Augusta. These dogs were amazing and I felt so lucky to spend time with them.  It took a lot of research to connect with some, but I had serendipitous meetings with a few. Like, Rocky, for example. I met him while he was working in my local shopping mall. I felt like I was witnessing something incredible every time I went off with one of them. And to think most of them had been abandoned in shelters before their sniffer dog careers!

Augusta: I love the genre of non-fiction picture books. Any advice for an aspiring writer?

Nancy: Write about something you are passionate about and let that passion shine through in your writing.  Enjoy your research and make it count. Research is the main ingredient in writing nonfiction.  It can be easy to get lost in it. 

Augusta: Ah, research. Yes, easy to get lost.
I know you take a lot of your own photographs. Can you tell us your own background, how you came into this type of writing and illustrating?

Nancy: In my senior year of college I interned at Audubon Magazine. It was the perfect internship for me. I was finishing a double major in biology and chemistry, was co-editor of our literary magazine and was a photography student.  The internship combined everything I loved.  I stayed for the full year and realized I wanted to ultimately combine writing and photography. This is the first book that I have been able to do that and it’s been a fantastic experience.

Augusta: The story of the medical sniffers and Zack’s dog Alan was one of my favorites. Is there anything you left out of these dogs’ stories that you wish you could have kept? Anything your readers might like to know?

Nancy: Sniffer dogs are all wonderful, hard working dogs. I only wish I could have included more of them in this book. My intent was to have the reader meet each type of sniffer dog and really get to know them. I hope I accomplished that.

Augusta: You did that so well. Tell us, what are you working on now?

Nancy: I’m working on another book for Houghton Mifflin about seeds that has taken me as far as Russia for research. It will be out next year!

Augusta: Seeds! Wow. Intriguing topic. So Nancy, we'd like to know- what do you read for fun?

Nancy: Just about everything! I love all genres of kid lit, but I do have a leaning towards historical fiction.  I’m a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society and have the opportunity to dive into many great books. I also love to read nonfiction – both adult and kids.

Augusta: Why am I not surprised you like historical fiction?

Check out Nancy's excellent blog, HISTORICALLY SPEAKING,  HERE.

Where’s your favorite place to write? Are you a coffeeshop kind of gal?

Nancy: I love working in my home office. I live in a rural area and can see everything from birds and deer out my window to rows of corn.  And I have two great office buddies, my 90 pound golden doodle, Gatsby, and my cat, Zuzu, to keep me company. They also happen to be the best first listeners! :)

Augusta: You are blessed! Have you always loved dogs and had pets?

Nancy: Yes!  I had everything when I was a kid – rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders, birds, as well as a dogs and cats. In fact, I volunteered in our local animals shelter for years. I thought I’d end up being a vet, but found I enjoyed working with animals in the wild a lot more!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog today, Augusta. This has been fun!  

 Thank you for stopping by, Nancy. 

Leave us a comment about your dog, Nancy's book, the amazing service dogs and all the special animals in your lives.

And don't forget to check out SNIFFER DOGS, ready to order right now!

A link to the excellent KIRKUS review, with ordering info is RIGHT HERE.

Welcome, JANET McLAUGHLIN and a giveaway!

(I am reposting this because I think there was a glitch for some PC users yesterday. And hey, it never hurts to share something twice, if it's about a good book.  :)  )

 Okay, everybody knows I love giving away books. And I love chatting with author friends. Today I get to do both!

Janet McLaughlin and I have been writing buddies for quite a while. We stumbled upon each other in an online group and when that group disappeared, our friendship didn't. She's policed my novels (She's fondly known as the Logic Police because she can catch that door open in one scene and locked soon after). Now I get to share her fabulous novel.

And just in time for summer reading, summer camp care packages, end-of-the-school-year read-alouds, her second book in the series has been published. Janet likes to call her books "Tween" novels. I recommend them for middle-grade, young Young Adult, Teen, even grownup readers.

One lucky reader will get a copy of her first book, GET PSYCHED.
(See below for details.)

Welcome to my blog, Janet.

Augusta: Tell us a little about how you got the idea for this series. 

JANET:  It’s actually a combination of two ideas. The setting, a Cheerleading Competition, takes place at a hotel/convention center near Disney World. I chose this particular place because I’d been there to watch my granddaughter, Lauren, compete. Everything about the place is over the top. I couldn’t not use it. I’ve followed Lauren’s cheerleading “career” since she was seven. She’s now nineteen and a member of the Indiana University All-Girl National Cheerleading Champions 2012. 

 (Okay, Wow. This is Lauren cheering in high school. Inspirational for sure!)

The idea for making my protagonist, Zoey, an intuitive or psychic came from my association through the years with women (and one young man) who had these very abilities. In interviewing them for my magazine, one theme kept recurring. They had this gift as teens and they hated it! Didn’t want anyone to know about it.

The thought of combining the two was irresistible.

Augusta: Do you have any tips for making one book flow seamlessly into the next? Do you keep charts or lists to be sure there's consistency?                                                                 

         JANET: Every writer has his or her own way of doing this. I open a separate word document and list the characters, locations, and time lines. I add them as I write. I can always refer back to them when needed. I also like to lead into the next book at the end of the current one. Zoey makes it easy. She simply has a vision or dream that hints at what’s to come.

Augusta: What's your writing routine? At home? Desk? Starbucks? Pen and paper or computer?                                                                                                                                                                          

       JANET: Home office and computer for sure. I would love to say that I write every morning for, oh, three or four hours, but that’s not possible. Life does get in the way. When I do sit down to write, I get lost in the story.

Augusta: Do your characters spring full-blown onto the page? Are they based on real people? How do you manage to have them speak and act so authentically?

       JANET: I wish they sprung full-blown! As you know, Augusta, I have a deep admiration of your incredible ability for writing memorable characters. In the beginning, I concentrated more on the plot/story. But as I mature in my writing process, so have my characters and characterization. In other words, as I grow, they grow.

       My characters are pure fiction. When I first started writing novels, I used the names of my grandkids for inspiration. The problem was, their personalities kept getting in the way. When I changed the names, that obstacle went away.

       As for their speaking and acting authentically—this is me shrugging my shoulders. Maybe I never really grew up?

Augusta: I guess that's true of a lot of writers!
Tell us a little about your road to publication.

      

       JANET: Getting published took some time.  Skipping over the years of queries, rejections, getting an NYC agent (that was a thrill) who, for many reasons, couldn’t place the book, putting it back in the proverbial drawer and starting another book—skipping all that, it took about four months to get published.

       Another granddaughter, Sami, decided to try cheerleading. In December, 2011, my husband and I went to Disney World (yes, Disney again!) to watch her compete. While there I met a woman who had a display booth and was handing out cheer magazines. She was looking for a book to launch her new business—book publishing. I sent her the book; she and her partner loved it; we signed a contract; and Voila! Overnight success.

Augusta: What's next for Zoey and the gang?

     JANET: The first book, Get Psyched, takes place at a cheerleading convention. The second book, Psyched Out, takes place on a Caribbean Island where Zoey and her best friend, Becca, encounter a ghost. The third book, which I am working on now is tentatively called “Fireworks,” and will (again tentatively) be available in Summer of 2013. There will be a new guy in Zoey’s life and he’s pretty cool. Becca, of course, gets in trouble. You gotta have a sidekick to create problems!

Follow Janet's blog at http://getpsychedbooks.wordpress.com/  

Here's a link to buy it on Amazon, Kindle and paperback. Be sure to read the reviews. Some great comments from kids.

And all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on Facebook and you'll be entered to win a SIGNED copy of GET PSYCHED. 

(Feel free to share this post. We love to spread the word!)

Welcome, JANET McLAUGHLIN and A Giveaway!

 

 Okay, everybody knows I love giving away books. And I love chatting with author friends. Today I get to do both!

Janet McLaughlin and I have been writing buddies for quite a while. We stumbled upon each other in an online group and when that group disappeared, our friendship didn't. She's policed my novels (She's fondly known as the Logic Police because she can catch that door open in one scene and locked soon after). Now I get to share her fabulous novel.

And just in time for summer reading, summer camp care packages, end-of-the-school-year read-alouds, her second book in the series has been published. Janet likes to call her books "Tween" novels. I recommend them for middle-grade, young Young Adult, Teen, even grownup readers.

One lucky reader will get a copy of her first book, GET PSYCHED.
(See below for details.)

Welcome to my blog, Janet.

Augusta: Tell us a little about how you got the idea for this series. 

JANET:  It’s actually a combination of two ideas. The setting, a Cheerleading Competition, takes place at a hotel/convention center near Disney World. I chose this particular place because I’d been there to watch my granddaughter, Lauren, compete. Everything about the place is over the top. I couldn’t not use it. I’ve followed Lauren’s cheerleading “career” since she was seven. She’s now nineteen and a member of the Indiana University All-Girl National Cheerleading Champions 2012. 

 (Okay, Wow. This is Lauren cheering in high school. Inspirational for sure!)

The idea for making my protagonist, Zoey, an intuitive or psychic came from my association through the years with women (and one young man) who had these very abilities. In interviewing them for my magazine, one theme kept recurring. They had this gift as teens and they hated it! Didn’t want anyone to know about it.

The thought of combining the two was irresistible.

Augusta: Do you have any tips for making one book flow seamlessly into the next? Do you keep charts or lists to be sure there's consistency?                                                                 

         JANET: Every writer has his or her own way of doing this. I open a separate word document and list the characters, locations, and time lines. I add them as I write. I can always refer back to them when needed. I also like to lead into the next book at the end of the current one. Zoey makes it easy. She simply has a vision or dream that hints at what’s to come.

Augusta: What's your writing routine? At home? Desk? Starbucks? Pen and paper or computer?                                                                                                                                                                          

       JANET: Home office and computer for sure. I would love to say that I write every morning for, oh, three or four hours, but that’s not possible. Life does get in the way. When I do sit down to write, I get lost in the story.

Augusta: Do your characters spring full-blown onto the page? Are they based on real people? How do you manage to have them speak and act so authentically?

       JANET: I wish they sprung full-blown! As you know, Augusta, I have a deep admiration of your incredible ability for writing memorable characters. In the beginning, I concentrated more on the plot/story. But as I mature in my writing process, so have my characters and characterization. In other words, as I grow, they grow.

       My characters are pure fiction. When I first started writing novels, I used the names of my grandkids for inspiration. The problem was, their personalities kept getting in the way. When I changed the names, that obstacle went away.

       As for their speaking and acting authentically—this is me shrugging my shoulders. Maybe I never really grew up?

Augusta: I guess that's true of a lot of writers!
Tell us a little about your road to publication.

      

       JANET: Getting published took some time.  Skipping over the years of queries, rejections, getting an NYC agent (that was a thrill) who, for many reasons, couldn’t place the book, putting it back in the proverbial drawer and starting another book—skipping all that, it took about four months to get published.

       Another granddaughter, Sami, decided to try cheerleading. In December, 2011, my husband and I went to Disney World (yes, Disney again!) to watch her compete. While there I met a woman who had a display booth and was handing out cheer magazines. She was looking for a book to launch her new business—book publishing. I sent her the book; she and her partner loved it; we signed a contract; and Voila! Overnight success.

Augusta: What's next for Zoey and the gang?

     JANET: The first book, Get Psyched, takes place at a cheerleading convention. The second book, Psyched Out, takes place on a Caribbean Island where Zoey and her best friend, Becca, encounter a ghost. The third book, which I am working on now is tentatively called “Fireworks,” and will (again tentatively) be available in Summer of 2013. There will be a new guy in Zoey’s life and he’s pretty cool. Becca, of course, gets in trouble. You gotta have a sidekick to create problems!

Follow Janet's blog at http://getpsychedbooks.wordpress.com/  

Here's a link to buy it on Amazon, Kindle and paperback. Be sure to read the reviews. Some great comments from kids.

And all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on Facebook and you'll be entered to win a SIGNED copy of GET PSYCHED.  Contest ends on Tuesday, April 16.

(Feel free to share this post. We love to spread the word!)

Nancy Cavanaugh, repeat

Okay, folks. This is a duplicate posting from yesterday. It seems a few readers couldn't see the wonderful interview Nancy gave us. So if you read it yesterday, this is nothing new. Feel free to reread. If you couldn't see it before, I hope this works!

(And if anybody has any bright ideas about these blank blog pages, please send your techno-nerd suggestions... I'm copying directly from the word doc Nancy sent me this time, no changing fonts, spaces, etc, and maybe this will work. Fingers crossed!)

I'm excited to have my friend and fellow Tampa Bay writer, Nancy Cavanaugh, here today. Nancy's first middle-grade novel, THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET, launches this week. I loved this book! And apparently, so did a lot of other reviewers.  

   ⇒A star from Kirkus is about as gold as you can get. 

     Pull up a chair. Or a tool bench. And let's ask Nancy about 11-year-old Ratchet and her home-school journal.

Augusta:

I love the journal format of your book.  I’m curious.  Did you write the entries in the order they appeared or did you skip around?  Did they change much as you edited it for publication?

NANCY:

For the most part, I wrote the book in order.  Going from beginning to end is just how my brain works.  There were a few times though, when I’d think of a scene I wanted to have happen later on, so I would jot notes down about that scene, and I’d also decide what type of assignment I would use for writing that scene.  Over the years while I was writing RATCHET, I revised A LOT, and once I started working with my editor at Sourcebooks, Aubrey Poole, I revised a lot more.  So yes, the book changed quite a bit throughout all those revisions.

Augusta:

When and where do you do your best writing?  Do you like music, crowds, food to surround you?  Or are you a solitary writer?

NANCY: My best writing time is probably late at night.  It’s when I know I won’t get interrupted because everyone else is asleep, and it’s nice and quiet.  As for the best place, I’m kind of a writing nomad.  In my house, I write in different places.  Recently, I found this handy dandy carry-all organizer that holds all my stuff.  It makes it so easy for me to take everything with me to any room in the house

Augusta: I love that bag!

I know you’re both a mom and librarian.  Were you inspired by other books you’ve read over the years?  Do you have any favorites?

NANCY: I feel like we’re all inspired by everything we read – the books we think are good and even the ones we think aren’t so good.  In writing RATCHET though, I was inspired by one book in particular – WHAT I BELIEVE by Norma Fox Mazer.  It’s a wonderful story told through free verse poetry, and for some reason that book inspired me to think about writing a book in a different format.

 Augusta:

What’s your fashion sense?  Do you also shop the second-hand clothing stores?

NANCY:

I can sum up my fashion sense in one word – comfort.  My criteria for what to wear is that it be first and foremost comfortable.  That’s why you’ll see me wearing gym shoes about 95% of the time.  As for shopping, I guess I can sum that up in one word too – Kohl’s.  I buy about 95% of my clothes and shoes from Kohl’s.  (They’re not even paying me to say all this; that’s how much I love Kohl’s.)

(Here's Nancy looking quite comfy at her tool bench!)

Augusta: Your writing about Ratchet’s dad’s shop and her helping out is such fun to read and so realistic.  Do you know your way around a toolbox?

NANCY:

I learned all my mechanic skills from my husband.  He was a former industrial arts teacher, and the two of us developed and taught elementary and middle school students a course on small engines.  In the class, we took apart a small engine and put it back together again.  Well, you know what they say, there’s no better way to learn something than to teach it, so that’s how I learned what I know.  My experience became the inspiration for Ratchet’s expertise.

Augusta:

Will we see this character again?  Do you have another book you’d like to tell us about?

NANCY: I don’t have plans for another book about Ratchet, at least not right now.  What you will see from me is more books written in alternative formats.  I love the creative part of figuring out how to tell an entire story in a unique way.

Thanks for chatting with us today, Nancy.

Check out Nancy's website,

http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com