Please help me to welcome back the amazing Katie Hayoz to our interview chair. We have spoken to Katie about her picture books series, A Monster's Guide... as well as the joint project, 50 Amazing Swiss Women. Today we are excited to speak with Katie about her new mature YA book, Of Tainted Heart which is the second part of The Quatrefoil Chronicles. Tell us about your new book. Of Tainted Heart is the second and final book in a co-written duology, The Quatrefoil Chronicles. The duology is an urban fantasy romance, and centers around Slate Ardoin and Cadence de Morel. Here’s a short summary: Slate Ardoin knows little about his past and even less about his future. A self-made conman and thief, he’s self-centered and angry and doesn’t believe in love. But when he loots a crypt in a small, French village rumored to be the birthplace of magic, he releases a series of deadly curses that threaten not only his life, but others’ as well—notably that of Cadence de Morel. Slate must face dark magic…and the possibility that he cares for someone other than himself. What inspired you when working on this project? As I said, this duology is co-written—Olivia Wildenstein is my co-author. Olivia has published many books and is well-loved in the genre of paranormal romance/fantasy. She’s been a writing friend of mine for a few years now, and we used to get together for coffee to talk books. One day, she said, “Hey, we should write a book together.” After a few months, we decided to actually go for it. We brainstormed the characters and storyline over many coffees and then set about writing. Tell us about the creative process for this book. So, both Olivia and I are “pantsers”, which means we write by the seat of our pants, rather than a full outline. So, despite intending to follow an outline, any official plans we had fell by the wayside as we actually wrote. This was both frustrating and exciting. Frustrating, because we often had long text or phone conversations trying to figure out how to get out of the corners we wrote ourselves into, and exciting because we were just as surprised at where it ended up as a reader. The novel is written in two points of view. Olivia wrote Cadence’s point of view and I wrote Slate’s. We each wrote a chapter, then passed it to the other person, allowing a certain amount of freedom in the direction of the story. When Olivia would send me a new chapter, it was like an adventure! I was curious as to what she was going to do with our characters this time around. I imagine it was the same for her. I have to say that while we both tweaked each other’s chapters, Olivia did the heavy lifting on the editing. She was a total star. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? One reason I hesitated at first to write a novel with Olivia was that I didn’t want any tension between the two of us. We both have different working speeds (Olivia is a fast writer and I am slow), so I was worried that would be a challenge. But she was extremely patient with me. And by trying to keep up a certain pace, I really improved my writing production. Also, neither of us got upset if the other edited/cut/changed something in our chapters. We both were able to let go and not be too precious about our work. Somehow, we managed to write two books of around 120k each without a major blowout or hurt egos. I’m really proud of the both of us. Now for something completely different! Would you rather fly to the moon or go to the bottom of the ocean? Why? OMG. Neither. Both would be an absolute nightmare for me. I would be TERRIFIED. And the thought of being in space…? No. Just NO: So, if I had to choose, it would be the ocean. But you’d have to threaten me with death first to get me to do it. LOL! Thank you Katie for giving us such wonderful insights into the creative process of co-writing. I think it's fabulous how you and Olivia have worked together to create such enticing stories. We wish you and Olivia every success with this series and future books. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio: Katie Hayoz Katie Hayoz was born in the US but has made Switzerland her home for the past twenty-four years. She writes for kids, teens, and adults. Most nights you can find her stretched out on the couch, reading a book and eating popcorn.
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I am thrilled to welcome back Katelyn Aronson with her new picture book, Piglette's Perfect Surprise, which I like to call, Piglette 2, (find out more about Piglette 1 here) and it promises to be a yummy treat in more ways than one. So let's find out all about this delectable book. Tell us about your new book. Piglette’s Perfect Surprise is the scrumptious sequel to Piglette, illustrated by #1 New York Times Bestselling illustrator Eva Byrne and releasing from Viking (Penguin Random House) on May 25th, 2021. Piglette returns to Paris in search of the perfect present for Madame Paradee. When she comes across a posh pâtisserie, she decides to make the most extravagant birthday cake Paris has ever seen. But the night before the big day, Piglette realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. What inspired you when working on this project? Children’s literature is particularly vivid when it solicits the senses, and in these books, I’ve sought to do that, while also exploring questions of the heart. The first Piglette focused on fragrances and finding one's place in the world. In Piglette's Perfect Surprise, I celebrate flavors and desserts. As Piglette is quite the perfectionist in the first book, I wanted her to come up against the problematic side of that perfectionism in the second book. Yes, I may have written this story for my former child-self! As a kid, I used to love to play bakery with my sister (to whom the book is dedicated). And now that I live in France, what could be more inspiring than French pâtisseries? I knew there would be a lot of mouth-watering possibilities for my text but also for Eva Byrne’s illustrations. Since I’m a very visual writer, I am always envisioning the future illustrations as I write my stories. Tell us about the creative process for this book. The process was an absolute delight! When Viking asked me to write a second Piglette, I was thrilled to slip back into my little French pig’s world and imagine what new adventures she might take on. I wanted to draw on something she had dabbled in in the first book, and pastry-making was clearly the most delicious option to explore. I was also excited to bring in a new character, too—the eccentric Chef Pistache. He’s a bit of an odd duck—er, odd pig—being the only character who speaks in rhyme throughout the book. This was my personal homage to the pastry chef/wannabe poet called “Ragueneau” in Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac (my all-time favorite French tale). Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? After illustrator Eva Byrne had finished the luminous illustrations for Piglette’s Perfect Surprise, I got a “perfect surprise” of my own. She sent me an original sketch she had done for the magnificent vertical spread in the book, thanking me for the opportunity to work on this project. It had been a welcome distraction, she said, in times of Covid! I am very much in her debt, so it was humbling indeed to receive her beautiful artwork, which is now framed in my reading nook! I will treasure it always. Now for something completely different! A rich, yummy slice of cheesecake or a luxurious, decadent slice of chocolate cake, Why? Neither! Despite all the drool-worthy desserts gracing the pages of Piglette 2, I’m actually not a cake fan in real life! I’m a pie girl all the way. My American favorite is pumpkin pie. My French favorite is tarte aux myrtilles—blueberry tart. And I’d never say no to a macaron—you shouldn’t either! ;-) Thank you Katelyn for a delicious interview! It was certainly insightful to see how our own childhood experiences can influence our writing. We wish you all the best with the launch of Piglette 2! Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio: Katelyn Aronson Katelyn Aronson was born and raised in Southern California, where she grew up to be an indie children’s bookseller. Today, she lives between France and Switzerland (literally), where she works as a language instructor. She never grew out of passion for picture books, and has quite a few of her own releasing over the next three years. @MademoiselleK8 on Twitter @AuthorKatelyn on Instagram I love it when we have published authors who return to speak to us about their latest book so please help me welcome back Julie Abery with two new additions to her Little Animal Friends series of board books, Little Penguin and Little Zebra. Tell us about your new book/s. Little Penguin and Little Zebra are number 5 and 6 in the Little Animal Friends board book series, published by Amicus Ink. The books follow the young animals as they venture out own their own, with mama not too far behind. They feature rhyming narrative poems with active verbs, and warm inviting illustrations by Suzie Mason. What inspired you when working on this project? When my editor asked me to write another two stories for the series, the main criteria she gave me was to continue to find ‘cute and wild’ animals. Each book is based on the premise that baby animals act similarly to our human little ones – all about action and exploring, and I look for comparisons that connect us. Little Zebra takes his first steps, and Little Penguin goes to nursery. Tell us about the creative process for this book/s. As these new stories are part of an established series, the format is fixed, but my creative goal is always to find cute new animal characters and portray some of the individual animal behaviours, using as much specific animal vocabulary as I can. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? I discovered how difficult it is to find unique and original action verbs for each animal, as so many of them are common across other species! After book 1 and 2, I created an Excel spread sheet detailing the 10 verb pairs in each book, to make sure I didn’t repeat too many throughout the series. Now for something completely different! Chocolate Cake or Cheese Cake, Why? Chocolate cake - preferably sandwiched and dripping with chocolate fudge icing! Scrumptious. Thank you Julie for giving us some insight into your creative journey, especially in a category where the number of words used are so limited. All the Little Animal Friends are so adorable! We wish you all the best with this series as well as your other writing adventures. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - Julie Abery Julie Abery is a children's book author and former preschool teacher, who shaped her career by reading picture books to children from around the world. Storytime was her favorite part of the day, when she and her wide-eyed students stepped into the magical world of books. Songs and picture books were her friends, and her favorite method of engaging young minds, helping her deliver language learning with rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Connect with Julie @ Website: littleredstoryshed.wordpress.com Twitter and Instagram: @juliedawnabery Facebook: julieabery I am delighted to be able to share with you this interview I did with Sandra Nickel about her new non-fiction picture book, The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe. Let's get to it. Tell us about your new book. The Stuff Between the Stars is about Vera Rubin, who revolutionized the worlds of physics and astronomy with her discovery of dark matter. In the words of the New York Times, she ushered in a "Copernican-scale change in cosmic consciousness." The jacket flap copy describes The Stuff Between the Stars this way: Before Vera Rubin discovered most of the universe, she was a girl who loved the night sky. She watched the Big Dipper circle the North Star. And when her eyelids grew heavy, she dreamed not about what she had seen, but about what she had not seen. She dreamed about the mysteries between the stars. As Vera grew older, she tried to uncover those mysteries. At her first conference, the male astronomers said her ideas were “outlandish.” They said they were “ridiculous.” Vera didn’t like their harsh words, pushing her away. So she started studying far away galaxies no one else was interested in. The youngest wheeled like pinwheels. The oldest spun with their arms closed tight. And every single one showed that between the stars, there is stuff we cannot see. Scientists before Vera had suspected this “dark matter” made up most of the universe. But no one had been able to show it was there. No one, until Vera. What inspired you when working on this project? Vera Rubin, at every turn. Here was a woman who changed the way we see the universe. Yet, she delighted in each small discovery. She still joined students and family to look at stars from telescopes set up in yards. She raised a happy family. She made time for young scientists, especially female scientists trying to find their way through a male-dominated field. Vera Rubin was exceptional in that she embodied immense achievement as well as immense generosity of spirit. She did all this, even though her own path was fraught. She was one of very few women in astronomy at the time and was not treated well by the male astronomers. Nevertheless, she trailblazed her own path, and by a beautiful twist of fate, it was that path that led to the discovery of dark matter. Tell us about the creative process for this book. I started off by reading things Vera herself had written--articles, speeches, her book. I then read transcripts of oral histories she gave. Next, I moved on to what others wrote about her, dark matter and gravity. After I had finished all that, I started putting words on paper and sharing with my SCBWI critique group. There was a lot of revising and simplifying, some even after the first round of submissions. The part that I enjoyed the most was developing the parallel imagery between Vera's work and Vera's life. The language of stars and galaxies is rich, and I loved working with it. Oh, and I almost forgot, my very last step was to ask Megan Donahue, the President of the American Astronomical Society, if she would read to make sure that my science was right. She very generously agreed--because of Vera, I'm sure. Vera is hugely respected among astronomers. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? My favorite discovery was that Vera put her children on her CV. Before her awards and impressive degrees, she listed her three sons and one daughter, all of whom had PhDs in mathematics or science. It was also fun discovering a polaroid photo of Vera at the White House with First Lady Hillary Clinton. Vera went there on several occasions to talk about science. Hillary had autographed the photo: To Vera Rubin with best wishes--and "cosmic" respect. Now for something completely different! A large hold-all sling bag or a small purse plus a backpack for your day-to-day travels, Why? Ha! I've gone both routes. I used to be a hold-all sling bag type. But then I had a frozen shoulder a couple of years back and decided it was time to be kinder to my body. Enter: a super nifty retro-looking black leather backpack my husband gave me for my birthday. I'm in love with it, and it goes everywhere with me. The small purse? I never use it. For me, it's either a bit of cash stuffed in a pocket or the backpack. Nothing in between. Wow, it's so wonderful to hear about how much Vera Rubin discovered about our universe and all in the face of ridicule from her peers. Thank you, Sandra for letting us in on a bit of your creative journey. We wish you all the best for the launch of this remarkable new book. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - Sandra Nickel I have three picture books coming out in 2020 and 2021: Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack, The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe, and Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson. More stories are coming, but I can’t tell you about them quite yet. I hold an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and have presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout Europe and the United States. My poetry can be found in SCOOP magazine. I am honored to be the two-time winner of the Katherine Paterson Prize for picture books and a finalist for the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers. It is always exciting when someone has a debut book and today that someone is Louise Gooding. Please help me welcome Louise as she comes to speak to us about her debut, non-fiction, middle grade book, entitled "Just Like Me". Tell us about your new book. The world is full of people who are a little different in one way or another. Our uniqueness is what makes us stand out and makes us who we are. You can't judge someone on something you can see or even on the things you can not see. We are all special. We are all unique. We are all 'different; not less'. A collection of true stories about inspiring people and famous figures from around the world, all with something that makes them physically or neurologically diverse. Reflective of our diverse society, this anthology features figures including Harriet Tubman, Sudha Chandran, Warwick Davies, Greta Thunberg, Stephen Hawking, Usain Bolt and Selena Gomez. What inspired you when working on this project? I was actually at the 2019 Europolitan when I came up with the idea for this book. A speaker at the conference had said something about the importance of making space for own-voice authors. This got me thinking about the seeming lack of authentic disability and neurodivergent representation in children's literature. As a neurodivergent person, with children who also identified as neurodivergent (one who had also lived with chronic pain for 8 years), I had already spent time looking for role models, and stories that my children could relate to, and hopefully help lift their self esteem. Being different, doesn't make you any less of a person. Being different is ok. Maybe this could be something that other children needed too. The more I dived into this project, the more amazing people I found. This book isn't just for people who are neurologically or physically diverse. It's for people from all over the world. People who have faced bullying. People who have overcome obstacles. People who dreamed of becoming a dancer, scientists, inventors, singers, actors and more. People who were interested in finding people who are, in one way or another, just like them. Tell us about the creative process for this book. My style of writing is possibly as chaotic as the rest of me can be at times. I'll be honest, I am not naturally an organised person and I am easily distracted (unmedicated ADHD!). This made my research method rather interesting, and there is a tonne of research to be done when writing a non-fiction book. One minute I'd be reading about Ewoks (Warwick Davies) and the next minute, another exciting snippet of information would pop up and I'd find myself watching a TED talk referring to tap dancing on Broadway (Maysoon Zayid). Lots and lots of note taking, saving information, screen shots, printing and filing was needed to keep a track of everything! (All while my brain was trying to distract me with other new and exciting book ideas - quite a normal occurrence for most writers I'm sure!). Of course, it all came together and in a relatively short space of time too. The offer for my book proposal came in early February 2020, the work started at the end of February and finally, it went to print at the end of October. I worked closely with my editor from Studio Press. It has been a wonderful debut experience. Communication has been great and we openly discussed what we both thought was needed from a book like this. Together we found some fantastic illustrators for Just Like Me. (One from a call for diverse illustrators posted on the SCBWI British Isles Facebook page). Throughout the whole process, putting Just Like Me together, I have been included, given the chance to add my feedback on artwork, layouts, and of course, answering any questions I had about the process. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? As Just Like Me is my debut, everything is completely new to me. Luckily, as I have said, my publishers were super helpful and great with communication. I expressed early on in the project that I would love if we could try and find illustrators who identified as being neurodivergent or disabled themselves, or came from other diverse and/or marginalised groups. This proved extremely challenging because, of course, there hasn't ever been a need for illustrators to state this to their agents, or on their private profiles. But I'm hopeful that as the call for more diverse representation, from writers and illustrators alike, becomes stronger, this is something that could be addressed. Now for something completely different! A visit to the North Pole or a visit to the Sahara Desert, Why? Ok this is tough, because I am not sure how much there is to see at either place. I imagine both are quite sparse. I would probably have to go with the Sahara Desert because I'm not really a fan of the cold, although I have heard it still gets quite cold there at night but I imagine the North Pole to be even colder. The only way you could convince me to pick the North Pole would be to guarantee me a visit to Santa's Village, but seen as no one really knows where his workshop is, as it's hidden away from regular folk like you and me, it may not be worth the risk. Thank you, Louise, for taking time to give us an insight into your intriguing journey with your debut non-fiction book. It's great to know that you had such a positive experience. We wish you all the best with your book launch! Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - Louise Gooding Louise Gooding is an English children’s writer who lives in Switzerland with her partner and three children. Always a keen reader and writer with an overactive imagination, it was no surprise that after many years working in children’s entertainment, Louise channelled her energy and creativity into writing children’s books. Louise loves the inquisitive nature of children and wanted to discuss topics such as mental health, neurodiversity and disability. Having a neurodiverse family herself, Louise is keen to help increase the visibility of disabled, and neurologically different people in children’s literature. Just Like Me is Louise’s debut book. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview with some of the team who put together the insightful middle-grade, non-fiction book entitled 50 Amazing Swiss Women. This interview is with the illustrator, Mireille Lachausse, who created illustrations for the 50 biographies. Click here to read Part 1 which is with 3 of the authors. Let us give a hearty welcome to Mireille as she tells us all about this uplifting project. Tell us about this new book. 50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About brings together one-page biographies of a diverse and exciting group of 50 Swiss women from the past and present. Each biography is accompanied by a unique illustration by Swiss illustrator, Mireille Lachausse. The release date coincides with the 50th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in Switzerland on the federal level. It will be released in ENGLISH, FRENCH, and GERMAN. What inspired you when working on this project? The women selected for this book and their fascinating and all too often under-reported stories. But also the very lively writing of the women writers with whom I had the chance to collaborate. Especially the way they bring the reader right into the lives of these women and sympathize with them. Tell us about the creative process for this book. I had an average of one day to make an illustration from start to finish. After receiving the texts, I would research the composition and the ideas. The main challenge of the book was to find a style of illustration, a different universe for each of the women. I had created a small chart to help me with this task. I tried to vary the styles by playing on two axes: The first went from organic (dynamic brushstrokes /painting texture, Chiaroscuro) to artificial (precise lineart, patterns, mass, flat colors with few or no shading) and the second went from the concrete, real world to abstraction and fantasy. For example, for a person working in a technological field, I was going in the direction of a style that was deliberately artificial, made on the computer. And for sports people, I kept the styles that I found the most dynamic, with big brushstrokes. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? I've discovered a lot of incredible women that I probably would never have heard of otherwise. Now for something completely different! Train journey around the world or Boat cruise around the world? Why? For the change of scenery and vacations, I would say boat. And because of COVID, it's probably safer than the train to be able to stay isolated. I've been commuting most of my adult life so the train is too much part of my daily life for it to be a real escape. On the other hand, if I had to go around the world in order to write or advance on a project, I would choose to take a train trip without hesitation. Thank you, Mireille, for sharing with us your creative journey with this amazing book. As I mentioned in Part 1, it is truly wonderful to see how our members have collaborated together to bring such knowledge to our children. We wish you and the team all the best with the launch of 50 Amazing Swiss Women. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - Mireille Lachausse Mireille Lachausse was born in Delémont in the canton of Jura in 1987. Passionate about drawing since she was a child, she studied illustration/comics at the School of Contemporary Arts (EPAC) in Saxon where she graduated in 2011. At the end of her studies, she worked as a multimedia designer in the watchmaking industry before moving towards video games, animation and illustration for children. She has been living in Lausanne for several years. Besides her work as an illustrator, she participates in various collective comic book projects: "Splotch" association awarded by the city of Morges in 2018, "La Bûche" collective of women authors, she has published within collectives "Monstre" from the 1st artistic residence of Delémont'BD and "Lausanne imaginée". This is a first for our interview series which features our published members; this time we have 4 of our members who were a part of a 6-women team that wrote this wonderful middle-grade, non-fiction book for children to learn more about 50 Amazing Swiss Women. In Part 1 of this two-part interview, we will be speaking to 3 of the authors of this exciting collection of biographies. Part 2 will feature the illustrator who brought colour to the stories of these previously little-known women. So please put your hands together to welcome Katie Hayoz (KH), Anita Lehmann (AL) and Laurie Theurer (LT). Let's hear from them about this delicious new project. Tell us about this new book. KH, AL, LT: 50 Amazing Swiss Women: True Stories You Should Know About brings together one-page biographies of a diverse and exciting group of 50 Swiss women from the past and present. Each biography is accompanied by a unique illustration by Swiss illustrator, Mireille Lachausse. The release date coincides with the 50th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in Switzerland on the federal level. It will be released in ENGLISH, FRENCH, and GERMAN. What inspired you when working on this project? KH: The women I was writing about! I’ll be honest, I was worried writing biographies would be boring. But it was the complete opposite! These women were so inspiring that the more I delved into my research and/or interviews, the more passionate I became about the project. Meeting and/or reading about these women, made me so proud to be a part of this book, proud to be a Swiss woman. We were five writers – Laurie Theurer, Katie Hayoz, Anita Lehmann, Alnaaze Nathoo, Barbara Nigg – and one illustrator, Mireille Lachausse. We all worked on this project because we believe women’s voices and stories need to be heard and that they are worth hearing. We are Swiss-born, Swiss-based, or Swiss by “adoption.” So we know that “Swiss” does not mean one particular thing. Switzerland and Swiss women are quite diverse, and we hope to show that in the book. AL: I couldn’t believe that I had grown up in a country full of the most incredible women, but had never heard of them! As a child I had very few female role models, and would have loved reading about all these amazing Swiss women. So I felt incredibly privileged and excited to be able to do my bit to set the record straight for the next generation. It was a wonderful experience. LT: Quite honestly, the biggest inspiration for me while writing this book was the women with whom I was writing it! When I asked them to join me on this adventure, each and every one of them were so incredibly excited about the concept of this book. I think the longest any of them needed to make their decision whether to get involved was about two hours! During the three short, rather exhausting, months we took to research, write, critique, and edit this book, I expected their excitement to wane…but it only increased. They took what was a good idea for a book and turned it into something magical with their dedication and enthusiasm. Tell us about the creative process for this book. KH: As we were FIVE authors and one illustrator, we had to figure out ways to work as a team. While we all did our own research and interviews, we shared feedback and ideas, as well as critiques and edits. We wrote this book together, in three months, with 99% of our communication happening over Zoom and WhatsApp. And we didn’t all know each other at the start. The biggest difficulty we had was making sure our stories truly did these amazing women justice. We took reams of research and interviews and had to distill them down to a one-page biography that was easily readable by kids. Hard to do when most of these ladies really deserve hundreds of pages. AL: The exciting part of a non-fiction project, to me, is to find ‘the’ story in a jumble of facts, dates and bits of information. As with any good story, you need an interesting character, a beginning, a middle, an end, and a clear focus around which to write your piece – this is especially hard to do for amazing women who have done so many different cool things, like say, Ella Maillart, Sophie Täuber-Arp or Germaine de Staël. LT: I whole-heartedly agree with the above and could not have said it better! I would like to add, though, that the creative process is not limited to the authors and illustrators. There’s so much going on behind the scenes that contributes to the entire creative process. In addition to the five authors and one illustrator, we had multiple translators, fact checkers. Editors, designers, typesetters, graphic designers, and magicians. In total, we had a team of more than twenty women (and one man) that took our text and artwork and turned it into a gorgeous work of art. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? KH: Yes! I always thought I was a fiction-only kind of writer. But I discovered that I not only enjoyed writing these biographies, but that non-fiction for kids is something I’d love to do more of. AL: Yes! I discovered that all of a sudden, I felt very proud to be a Swiss woman! LT: Absolutely! As with most writers, I’d become accustomed to working on my own pieces and providing input and critiques for others. Suddenly, I was writing one book with four other women, all with vastly different writing experience and styles, with several of them total strangers to each other at the start. We needed to find a similar style and voice across all chapters, and somehow manage to accomplish that virtually…all within three months. During the process, I was very surprised to find how much I enjoyed leading – and being a part of – this team of talented authors. Now for something completely different! Train journey around the world or Boat cruise around the world? Why? KH: Well, I don’t see any cruises in my future with COVID still wreaking havoc, but, of the two, I would have to say cruise. I get motion sick and at least on a boat there are things to do to take my mind off of the swaying! In a train it’s just the window since I can’t read or write or play cards on the journey without feeling nauseous. I am more of an armchair traveler, actually. AL: Oh...that’s difficult. In ordinary times, I would definitely say cruise, because I love the idea of being all alone in the middle of the ocean...But not right now! Since we’re in lockdown here in England (and already isolated from the rest of the world) , I long to catch a train to a busy place full of (healthy) people somewhere – Paris, Naples, Budapest, Bologna, Vladivostok... LT: Good question! Actually, I’ve done both…ok, not around the world, but over great distances. Of the two, I think I’d rather take the train journey, though. I find landscapes more fascinating than seascapes and love the possibility of hopping off the train to go explore a place when it beckons me. Plus, I absolutely love writing on train journeys. Trains are one of my most productive writing places! Thank you, ladies, for such an eye-opening interview. It is so inspiring to hear how you were able to work so well together, despite pandemic restrictions, and put a spotlight on women who have been neglected by history. We wish you all the best with the launch of this superb book and we can not wait to hear from the illustrator's point of view in Part 2 of this two-part interview. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - Katie Hayoz Katie Hayoz has lived in Geneva since 1997 where she has been involved with the Swiss writing community for nearly twenty years. Her work has placed in international contests, including the Mslexia International Children’s Novel Competition and the Europe/British Isles Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Undiscovered Voices Competition. She’s published picture books and novels and has written video scripts for the international market. Her essays, short stories, and poems have appeared in magazines, anthologies, and online. Bio - Anita Lehmann Anita grew up in Bern but now lives in Cambridge, UK. She most enjoys writing short fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children with an adult microfiction collection The Princess and the Prick out with Harper Collins in 2020. Her most recent picture book Slobber Slobber Kiss Kiss was shortlisted for the German Jugendliteraturpreis 2020. 2021 will see the publication of three distinctly Swiss titles: 50 Amazing Swiss Women (Bergli), The Geneva Chronicles (Bergli), and a Swiss-themed bedtime picture book with Helvetiq. Bio - Laurie Theurer Laurie Theurer has lived near Zurich since 1997 and has been writing for children and adults since 2012. Her stories draw on her childhood in southern California, two years in Peace Corps Thailand where she taught secondary school English, and the past 20+ years living in in a small Swiss village. Her debut non-fiction book, Swisstory: The Untold, Bloody, and Absolutely True History of Switzerland, (Bergli Books, 2019) was awarded the 2020 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. Her flash fiction, short stories, essays, and poetry have been published in literary magazines, in anthologies, and online. Please help me welcome Chrysa Chouliara, an author/illustrator who has just publish a lovely book with wonderful illustrations, which has been described as a cross between a chapter book and a picture book. She is here to talk to us about Fenneco's Journey. Tell us about your new book Under the sizzling sun of the Sahara desert, a hidden world exists. A labyrinth of dark, sandy burrows that many animals find refuge against the excruciating heat. Amongst them is Fenneco, a small desert fox without any friends. Soon she will embark on a journey all around the world trying to get home. But what is home after all? What inspired you when working on this project? There are many books that the main character travels all around the world to conclude, like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz that "there is no place like home." But what is home? Is it the place you are born? Or a place you kind of build later in life navigating away from your familiar surroundings, picking and choosing from personal experiences. Tell us about the creative process for this book. While working on the book, I spoke with many people living abroad. I met refugees, immigrants, cosmopolitan expats, or just people like myself with a big enough wanderlust to fill three books. I asked them about their experience of living abroad. I was also curious about their place of origin and what were their thoughts or feelings. Then I assigned them to an animal with similar personality traits. I think I literally spent hundreds of hours researching each animal. Its habits and habitat and I created a massive pile of rough sketches. Later I inked, scanned them, and colored them digitally using my collection of scanned textures. Juggling writing & illustrating was an exhausting task. Having a small company on top of it was a crazy journey by itself. But "Fenneco's Journey" had a lot of passengers along the way that affected the process as well. Louise Koopman was an early contributor to the draft, and frankly, without her, it would not be a book at all. Some friends like Ria and Chris proofread the text. And some others were always around there to give valuable feedback. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? Yes, once I contacted a team of marine biologists to ask about the inside of whales. I kept reading Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," looking for any exciting wiki to add to the book. Then to my surprise, the closest airport from Australia's coast across Indonesia was the Darwin airport. Now for something completely different! A visit to the North Pole or a visit to the Sahara Desert, Why? Hm... I have to go with the North or the South Pole. And for one reason only. With global warming, Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 13.1 percent per decade. I want to have a good picture in my mind of all the animals living there. It will motivate me towards more sustainable life choices. Thank you, Chrysa, for this interesting insight into the process of creating your book. We wish you and Fenneco all the best as her story greets the big wide world. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - Chrysa Chouliara Chrysa Chouliara is an illustrator, writer and artist from Greece living & working in Switzerland. Before that she lived in Netherlands and travelled a bit around the globe. She is the writer & illustrator behind books "Die Insel/ Το νησί"- 2018, Η μέρα του κ. ΣΜΙΤ/The day of Mr. SMIT -2004, a dozen short stories, and an illustrator of many children's books. Nowadays you can mostly find her on top of a ladder making large drawings around Zürich or at her studio in Luzern. I am very pleased to introduce to you, G.Z. Schmidt and her debut novel, 'No Ordinary Thing'. Without further ado, let's hear from Gail about this intriguing middle grade story and the processes she went through in writing this book. Tell us about your new book. No Ordinary Thing is about a boy who finds a magic snow globe that allows him to travel back in time. It connects him to three different strangers, decades apart, who have backstories interwoven with the boy's own mysterious past. I recommend it for people who like dual narratives and multiple storylines. What inspired you when working on this project? As a child, I loved the book Holes by Louis Sachar, and that book influenced this story. I was also inspired by the award-winning international film Your Name, which tells of two teens who live 3 years apart. I love stories with a little bit of magic that's set in the real world, and that's what No Ordinary Thing has. Tell us about the creative process for this book. I finished this book's first draft in three months. The storyline and everything hit me very fast, and I pretty much exploded in a burst of creativity. Other books have taken much longer! Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? When I first started revising with my editor, I was surprised at how detailed the revisions process can be with a publishing house. They look at every single word placement and take out words that are too repetitive. I also had to change the timeline and change a major character, and in the end, it's definitely made my story much better. Now for something completely different! What superpower would you have? Why? I can't choose between talking to animals or turning invisible. Talking to animals would be awesome, because if I'm ever stranded in the woods and an angry bear comes, I can talk my way out. And being invisible just allows me to hide! Thank you, Gail, for taking us through the different aspects of your new book. We wish you all the best for the launch and for future projects. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - G.Z. Schmidt Gail Zhuang Schmidt was born in China and immigrated to the U.S. when she was six. She grew up in the Midwest and the South, where she chased fireflies at night and listened occasionally for tornado/hurricane warnings. After working for four years as an analyst, she began her new chapter in life by moving to Europe. She currently lives in Switzerland with her husband and their tuxedo cat. Her debut novel, No Ordinary Thing, which involves a magical time-traveling snow globe, comes out fall 2020. I had the privilege of interviewing Helle Norup for her debut middle grade fantasy book, The Missing Barbegazi, back in February 2019 and I am glad to be posting this interview for her new book, The Hungry Ghost, which will be launched at the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2020. Let's hear more about this exciting new book from Helle. Tell us about your new book The Hungry Ghost is the story of Freja, a twelve-year-old girl, who moves to Singapore to live with her father and his new family. When a mysterious girl in a white dress appears, Freja follows her on an adventure to unravel old family mysteries and uncover long-buried secrets. What inspired you when working on this project? When I began writing The Hungry Ghost, I was living in Singapore. Quite early on, I noticed the offerings on the pavements—little collages of food, joss sticks and candles—for ancestors and forgotten restless spirits. During the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, these ghosts are said to be on holiday from the realm of the dead, and they roam the streets, seeking nourishment. I was intrigued! The focus on remembering and honouring ancestors fascinated me, and I thought a lot about these forgotten spirits, especially on my hikes in the wilderness of an old Chinese graveyard. The idea for The Hungry Ghost sparked, when I asked myself: “What if a girl who had just moved to Singapore met a hungry ghost who needed her help to remember her past?” From there, the story, which explores themes of families under stress, grief and acceptance, evolved. Tell us about the creative process for this book. This book was a long time in the making and went through three different incarnations of the plot. I began writing the story in early 2017, before I had a publishing deal for my debut novel. When I then signed with Pushkin Press, I put The Hungry Ghost on hold, while I worked with my editor on The Missing Barbegazi, so I didn’t finish the first draft until early 2018. My editor, the brilliant Sarah Odedina, liked the story, but she suggested I developed it into a more emotionally powerful exploration of loss and grief. That summer we moved back to Switzerland, so I didn’t get much writing done. I mulled over the story and had some good discussions with Sarah about it, including at an editorial meeting in the graveyard-setting of the book, when we were both in Singapore for a writer’s conference. I kickstarted the second draft at the SCBWI Switzerland retreat in late 2018, and finished it a few months later, but this time the plot was too complicated. The last major rewrite, the third draft, was therefore focused on removing superfluous subplots and strengthening those that remained. After the structure was in place, I went through my self-editing process, and then came line- and copyedits until the final text was ready in March 2020. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? I learnt many interesting and unexpected things about the traditions surrounding the Hungry Ghost Festival. For instance, that, in addition to offerings of food and burnt joss paper, stage performances are also held as entertainment for the roaming spirits. At these Getai shows, the first row of seats is reserved for the hungry ghost, and terrible things can happen if a living spectator takes one of these seats. Throughout the writing of the story, I was aware that I was writing about a culture that isn’t my own and a place where I was only a resident for four years, so I anchored the book in the perspective of someone with my own background. Therefore, the main character, Freja, comes from Denmark. I also used SCBWI Singapore friends as sounding boards and Denise Tan, a wonderful Singaporean children’s bookseller, as my ‘cultural’ sensitivity reader. Now for something completely different! Classical Music or Pop Music. As background music for writing, it definitely has to be classical music. I can’t listen to anything with lyrics while I’m working. Thank you, Helle, for sharing with us your creative journey in getting this book from idea to print. I am particularly eager to read this one because it is set in my home country! We wish you all the best for the launch. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio - H.S. Norup H. S. Norup is the author of The Hungry Ghost and The Missing Barbegazi—a Sunday Times Book of the Year in 2018. Originally from Denmark, she has lived in six different countries and now resides in Switzerland with her husband and two teenage sons. She has a master’s degree in Economics and Business Administration and sixteen years’ experience in corporate marketing strategy and communications. When she’s not writing or reading, she spends her time outdoors either skiing, hiking, walking, golfing or taking photos. |
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