Author Showcase: Dawne Knobbe, Author of Runaway Storm (D. E. Knobbe)
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 11, 2010
Author Showcase: A place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works.*
Bianca: Runaway Storm is the first book in a gripping adventure series. Can you tell us about it?
Dawne: When Nate’s father reneges on his promise to spend the summer kayaking with his son and his mother reveals her plans to stay in New York permanently, Nate feels let down and trapped.
He plots to sneak away to Vancouver, steal his father’s kayak, and journey through some nearby islands for a few weeks. Nate makes it to the islands and feeling confident in his survival instincts, he paddles off ready for some fun.
Inevitably, not all goes as planned, and with the help of a motley crew he meets along the way, including other runaways and a smart artistic “goth girl” with her own problems, Nate begins to come to terms with his parents’ separation and the awkward transition into adolescence.
Of course, these revelations may not come soon enough to help Nate survive a violent storm, deserted island, or a deadly smuggler in a broken-down boat… Read more
Author Interview: Dr. Molly Barrow
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 24, 2010
Dr. Molly Barrow holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is the author of Malia and Teacup Awesome African Adventure and Malia and Teacup Out on a Limb—an adventure series for ages 9 and up.
Bianca Schulze: You have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and have worked in a private practice for over 20 years as a licensed mental health counselor and educator, at what point did you decide to add “writer” to your resume?
Dr. Molly Barrow: I have always enjoyed writing poetry and keeping a journal, but it was working on my doctoral dissertation that gave me the discipline to become a serious storyteller. I began by writing screenplays because I have the ability to see a film plot unfold in my mind. I wrote the Malia & Teacup books in screenplay form initially. As I am writing, I am laughing aloud and delighting in the awkward situations that I place my characters. Sometimes as I am writing, the plot shifts because the characters seem to take me in a new direction, a phenomenon that I do not completely understand, but enjoy immensely when it happens. Read more
Stephanie Meyer Talks About Twilight
Author Interview: Gary Paulsen
By Amanda Lynch, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 26, 2009
Gary Paulsen never ceases to amaze. He’s done it all—from when he ran away at age 14 to join a carnival to competing in the Iditarod to winning awards for his writing. The author of over 200 books has two more coming out this year—and has another on the way! He took time out of his very busy schedule to answer some questions about his new historical fiction novel, Woods Runner. Read more
Lauren Kate: Why Angels? (author of bestelling YA book, Fallen)
By Lauren Kate, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 15, 2010
Why angels? More than any other question I’ve been asked since I started writing Fallen, this is what people want to know. In an age where we’ve actually colloquialized the phrase “vampire-saturation,” where even Anne Rice is crossing over to the light side, and where—yes, I know—there’s no shortage of other angel books being published, it does feel important to trace back to the exact moment that I chose to plunge myself into the Miltonic fray. Read more
That’s a wrap: Author and Illustrator Interviews of 2009
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 7, 2010
What a great year! Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit the authors we met in person and via e-mail during 2009 …
- Emily Gravett, who I actually met back in 2008 during her promotion of Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears, was the first interview that we published in 2009. Actually, it was our first ever podcast!
- I traded e-mails with Ingrid Law to produce an interview about her debut novel, Savvy, which won a Newbery Honor Award. She’s a fabulous author with a great personality—we even learned about her own savvy and her favorite stain-remover.
- Our next visitor was Bonny Becker, author of the acclaimed A Visitor for Bear. We chatted about her book and what we could expect from Bear in the future, as well as a little tip on love, “All the clichés are true—as in, when you least expect it… .”
Jane Yolen: Constantly Inventing
By Jane Yolen for the The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 5, 2009
People are always surprised at how much I write. They think I am constantly inventing. What they don’t seem to notice, though, is that what I am constantly inventing is myself as a writer.
By this I mean it is difficult to pigeonhole me. Am I a picture book writer, a fantasy writer, an historical fiction writer, a poet, a music book writer, a writer of pedagogical books?
Yes. I. Am.
Author & Illustrator Interview: Carin Berger
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 30, 2009
Photo: Carin Berger
Working from a farm table that doubles as the family dining table in New York City, Carin Berger creates unique combinations of collage, paint, and text that truly are a visual and cognitive treat. She’s an award winning designer, illustrator, and author with an instinctive and artistic flair for dreaming up kid’s books. With 5 notable books under her belt and another on the way, you wouldn’t guess that she never actually set out to be the creator of children’s books. So, on a beautiful and breezy day in Point Reyes Station, CA, we talked about all things book related, including the path which led her to having her first book Not So True Stories and Unreasonable Rhymes published in 2004 by Chronicle Books.
How the Heck Did You Come Up with That?
By Kristina Springer, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 26, 2009
Photo: Kristina Springer
A humorous tell all: Jon Scieszka spills the beans on who will be the next National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature … or does he?
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 18, 2009
“There is no one book that is right for all kids. But there are all kinds of crazy, interesting, and amazing books out there. It’s our job to help kids find that book that will inspire them to want to become readers.” ~ Jon Scieszka
