Lucky Friday the Thirteenth Links to Author Interviews

Who says Friday the thirteenth is unlucky? Not me.

Today, after I received e-mails directing me to two blogs with author interviews, I felt very lucky--and smart--after reading the authors' answers.

* If are the superstitious type, or if you like paranormal suspense novels, check out author Sandra Carrington-Smith's interview over on Sheree Nielsen's Warm Fuzzies blog. Sheree asks Carrington-Smith five questions, including her thoughts on what it takes to be a good writer.

* If you're feeling really lucky, you could win a copy of a middle-grade historical fiction novel. Over on From the Mixed Up Files you will find an interview with historical fiction writer Clara Gillow Clark. If you leave a comment, you have a chance to win an autographed copy one of Clara's books. I've read Secrets of Greymoor and thoroughly enjoyed it! Reading Clara's interview can also make you feel smart. Today I learned that if you're writing about your childhood, if it occurred before 1970, it's considered historical fiction. That means my entire childhood and teen years are historical fiction. Who knew?

So, take a chance; learn from some successful writers--and you might win an entertaining book!

Review and Winner of MY RUBY SLIPPERS: THE ROAD BACK TO KANSAS

In MY RUBY SLIPPERS, Tracy Seeley faces her mortality as she chronicles her physical and emotional journey from her adult home in San Francisco to Kansas, where she mostly grew up as a child. By visiting the many places she lived during her formative years, she rekindles memories, discovers family secrets and experiences the liberating power of forgiveness. In the process she finds the meaning of home.

At the age of eighteen, Tracy left for college in Texas, where she worked at “shucking Kansas off like the skin of a cicada.” Years later, after graduate school and teaching at Yale, her children grown, she lives in San Francisco, where she has “joined the land of the lotus eaters, intoxicated by pleasure, forgetful of our pasts in other lands.”

Then her parents, long divorced, die two weeks apart. In her grief, Tracy pulls out her baby book with a list of thirteen addresses recorded by her mother--places where her family lived before Tracy turned nine. For her, those thirteen addresses take “on the power of a spell” to carry her back to Kansas. More than two years later, after completing radiation treatments for cancer and being abandoned by her significant other, she grabs her thirteen addresses and takes off on the road towards Kansas.

Reading Seeley’s memoir is like stepping back in time and getting to know a young girl, her family, their dreams, and the Kansas of her childhood home. MY RUBY SLIPPERS: THE ROAD BACK TO KANSAS is an elegantly written story, filled with warmth and wisdom. Seeley's thoughtful and thought-provoking memoir is part of the American Lives Series, published by the University of Nebraska Press, edited by Tobias Wolff. A lovely book and a wonderful story.

MY RUBY SLIPPERS: THE ROAD BACK TO KANSAS

Tracy Seeley

University of Nebraska Press

ISBN: 978-0-8032-3010-1

$15.95

www.bisonbooks.com

***

It was such an honor to have Tracy Seeley as my guest blogger earlier this week, as part of the WOW! Women on Writing Guest Author program. I thank Tracy for generously sharing her time and wisdom with everyone who visited during her post. I also thank all those who left a comment or a question for Tracy.

When I e-mailed Tracy yesterday and asked her to select the name of a winner of her memoir, she lamented that she could only pick one name. So, just beneath my review above, I've added some information about where visitors can purchase a copy of MY RUBY SLIPPERS. Another option is to check with your local library. If they don't have one on hand, ask them to order a copy. You'll be glad you did!

Now, for the name of the winner. The name selected by Tracy to win a copy of MY RUBY SLIPPERS is

CLARA GILLOW CLARK

Clara, please e-mail Tracy your mailing address at seeleyt (at) usfca.edu and remind her you were the winner she selected to win a copy of her memoir on Donna's Book Pub.

Thanks again to Tracy and all my faithful visitors who once again prove how generous and encouraging writers are.

Interview (Part II) and Giveaway with Clara Gillow Clark

As promised, here is Part II of my interview with children's author Clara Gillow Clark.

DBP: Your website mentions you are from a family of seven children; I am also from a family of seven children. How did coming from a large family influence you to become a writer?

CGC: Coming from a large family means that you have a lot of relationships and a lot of interesting dynamics among siblings. My parents both loved to quote long passages of poetry, we always had books around, and my older sisters were great readers, so I guess all of those things were influences.

DBP: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

CGC: It was actually from an interview with Judy Blume who wrote that if you keep at it [writing], you’ll start to catch on—I tell kids when I do workshops that it’s the sort of aha! moment of learning to ride a bike or even before that learning to tie shoes, zipper a jacket, or button your own dress/shirt for the first time. I’ve had several of these writing aha! moments over the years and it’s euphoric when it happens. The worst? If writing isn’t easy for you, you shouldn’t bother.

DBP: As a children’s author, you talk at libraries, schools, and conferences. What tips can you give to help other writers prepare to give presentations?

CGC: Always practice your presentation until you can do it without a script. Beyond that, once you arrive, forget about yourself—be friendly, be funny, and make eye contact.

DBP: You have a website. You also have an amazing blog http://claragillowclark.blogspot.com/ where you post about writing and books. I am a follower and a frequent visitor. On your blog you also sponsor contests and giveaways, as well as interviews with other children’s writers. How has the Internet changed the way writers connect with readers and other writers?

CGC: The Internet is time consuming and has challenged us to prioritize our time better, but it’s also created a much stronger sense of community for writers both in support of each other and in the craft, as well as being an amazing place to meet readers. Writing can often be a lonely life because we do need to have solitude for creating, but with the internet, we are always able to reach out and connect.

DBP: Speaking of contests on your blog: What can you tell us about your Spilling Ink Writing Contest going on right now?

CGC: Thanks for asking about that. I ran this contest last year for the first time when Spilling Ink, A Young Writer’s Handbook co-authored by my friend Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter, was released. The response was great so I decided to make it an annual event with cash prizes and autographed books for Young Authors in grades 4-8.

DBP: That is so cool! What a generous and thoughtful way to encourage young writers to achieve their dreams! Any last thoughts about writing or words of advice?

CGC: Write what you care about—it’s the internal conflicts not the external ones that matter the most.

DBP: Your advice about internal conflicts is so true. Now, final question: What is the best way for readers or writers to contact you with questions?

CGC: Message me on facebook or Twitter--@claragillow), leave a comment on my blog, or e-mail me: claragillowclark(@)gmail(dot)com

Thank you so much, Clara, for being so generous with your time and words of wisdom.

To all my visitors, thanks for stopping by and reading what Clara has to say. If you haven't already done so, be sure to leave a comment to be entered in a drawing to win a copy of one of Clara's books. Winners' names will be posted by the end of the week.

Interview (Part I) and Giveaway with Children's Writer Clara Gillow Clark

This week I’m pleased to welcome Clara Gillow Clark to Donna’s Book Pub. Clara lives and writes in the Northeast corner of Pennsylvania, where she is author of five children’s historical novels.

Clara has not only agreed to be interviewed, she has also generously offered to give away an autographed set of her Hattie Belle Basket children’s book series. Three lucky vistors who leave comments during Clara's visit will receive a copy of one of her books. The titles are: Hill Hawk Hattie; Hattie on Her Way, and Secrets of Greymoor. Clara will personalize and mail direct to the winners after the comment contest ends.

DBP: According to your website, you wrote about four novels before your first one was published. You now have six published novels with more in the works. Will you please talk about the importance of persistence for writers and tell us about your published books?

CGC: For most of us who aren’t born with the gift like Mozart’s, persistence both in practicing the craft and in submitting our work is the only road to publication. I’d pretty much given up on my first book, Annie’s Choice, when I met an editor from Boyds Mills Press who knew I was writing and asked if I would submit a manuscript. I know it sounds like overnight success, but it really wasn’t. Annie’s Choice is based on my mother’s childhood growing up in the 1920’s and about her desire to go to high school. My second book, Nellie Bishop is about my great grandmother whose father wagered her in a poker game and lost. Willie and the Rattlesnake King is historically accurate, and although Willie was Nellie’s brother, his story is fictional. Those three titles were published by Boyds Mill Press. The Hattie Series is published by Candlewick Press.

DBP: Why do you write children’s historical fiction, and what is your favorite period in history?

CGC: Good question, but a tough one. I love reading anything about the history of woman/mankind, so one particular time period isn’t more compelling to me than another. I first started writing my family stories and that’s why I got hooked into the time periods in which I’ve written.

DBP: Will you please share with us how you research the time period you are writing about in your novels?

CGC: I read everything about the time period I can find, visit the area, if it’s outside of my own home stomping grounds. I visit museums, historical societies both of which often have wonderful oral histories rich in details of everyday life. I also read old newspapers on microfilm, which proved to be invaluable for all my books. I also read the bibliographies of history books to find more sources.

DBP: Wow! That's dedication! Your dedication to getting the details of the period right shows in your books. I recently read—and loved—SECRETS OF GREYMOOR, in the Hattie Belle Basket series. In the novel, Hattie moves into her grandmother’s crumbling mansion, where she must adjust not only to living in a new place without her father, but also being the new girl at school. What I love about this book, beyond the setting and characters, is the sense of mystery, suspense, and secrets. What inspired you to write SECRETS OF GREYMOOR?

CGC: Thanks, Donna. I’m glad you loved the book. I loved writing it! I fell in love with all the characters in Hattie on Her Way so much so that it was heartbreaking for me when that book was completed. There was that, plus I’d always hoped to discover a mystery in our attic; I didn’t, so I decided to create a little one for Hattie to solve that included the reminder of the most important treasure of all. The greater mystery for Hattie was actually in Hattie on Her Way which has a dark family secret.

DBP: In Part II of my interview, Clara will share writing advice, offer tips to writers on how to prepare for presentations, and tell us about a special contest going on over at her blog. Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of one of Clara's books. They make perfect gifts for that special child, grandchild, niece, nephew, student, or any reader who enjoys stories with historical settings.

Writing Advice, Meditations, and Welcome

With the change in the weather from nice to nasty I want to shake things up a bit. Today I'd like to share links to two blogs where you can find some great resources and information about writing.

First, over on Write in the Midwest, Dianna Graveman features Mary Horner in her post: "WritRteachR Has Advice for MFA Students." You need not be an MFA student to benefit from Mary's advice. Mary also shares helpful links to sources for potential writing jobs. I especially like Mary's advice at the end of the post encouraging writers to create themselves. Mary's book, Strengthen Your Nonfiction Writing, will be published next month by High Hill Press.

The second link is to Clara Gillow Clark's blog. Clara writes historical fiction for children age 10 and up. For the past few weeks Clara has hosted several children's historical fiction authors. The author interviews and features have been fascinating --- and fun. Clara also has several giveaways. I was surpirsed and pleased to see my name today among the winners. Also on Clara's blog today, author Laurie Calkhoven shares meditation exercises. Laurie talks about how the element of suprise can make characters come alive. Hop over to Clara's blog to read more.

Last, a hearty Hello to my newest follower, Dave from Dave's Travel Corner, Above the Clouds. WELCOME and thanks for becoming a follower of Donna's Book Pub.