The Children’s Book Review | February 13, 2014
Author Showcase
Rowena Surguy Womack is the author of the children’s books POPCORN and YELLOWSTONE MOOSE, and the scheduled 2014 releases GOOFUSUS ETC and BALLS. For fourteen years she was a single mother with five sons and a daughter, and today she counts many grandchildren and great grandchildren in the family fold. A cancer survivor, she remains the thankful spirit, guided by her Christian faith. She finds joy in the smallest details of life too, much as a child might do.
Bianca Schulze: Your recent release in Wee Creek Press’s picture book category is titled Popcorn. Can you tell us a little bit about your scrumptious new title?
Rowena Surguy Womack: It begins with one of my personal truths… I really do love popcorn, but sometimes I get carried away and make too much! The story expands from there.
BS: What was the inspiration behind writing this story?
RSW: I like to cook popcorn in a pan, like my mom did for me when I was a kid. It’s the best snack there is! When I started writing Popcorn, it came to me in 15 minutes. I think I was remembering an old “I Love Lucy” episode too; the one where she cooks way too much rice and it explodes everywhere.
BS: What do you hope readers will take away from a story-time session of Popcorn?
RSW: What a good snack it is, and how much fun it is to enjoy, both the snack and my book!
BS: You have a large extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren. What kind of things do the youngest members of your family say about Popcorn?
RSW: All my family members love popcorn, and my extended family enjoys my story too. The youngest kids especially love the cat and mouse, and searching for the mouse everywhere!
BS: What was your path to becoming a published author with Wee Creek Press?
R: It was overnight, it only took ten-plus years!
BS: What does a typical writing day look like for you? And do you have a favorite place to write?
R: All my ideas start off with poetry. It’s usually when I find myself waiting for something or someone. That’s when a poem comes to mind, and luckily I have a very good memory and can get it typed into my computer. From there I play with the rhyme and rhythm of the story.
BS: What were your favorite children’s books when you were a little girl?
RSW: My very favorite book as a child was Robert Lewis Stevenson’s “A Child’s Garden of Verses,” which I read over and over and over. I can recite several poems from the book to this very day [recites several verses]. I bought copies for my granddaughters when they began to read.
BS: If you could be reincarnated as your favorite literary character, who would you choose and why?
RSW: Dave Dawson, a fictional character from a series of books set in World War Two, or Sally Scott, who was a Waves officer in the war and a strong female character. I was eleven years old, and had just come down with tuberculosis as the war waged. Reading a new Dave Dawson or Sally Scott heroic adventure made me feel like I was a part of the war effort.
BS: You have some new books in the oven. What should we expect to see from you next?
RSW: Later this year I have “Balls,” coming out. I see balls as the first toddler toy, and a basic possession of every child. After that comes “Tommy Two Shoes,” about the misadventures of which shoe goes on which foot.
BS: As a parting note, is there anything you would like to share with your readers?
RSW: I just hope my books bring a smile to the face of children who have read my books or a good laugh to their voice. Childhood is many things, but it should always be fun.
For more information, visit:http://www.weecreekpress.com/books/BkPopcorn_Rowena.php
Add this book to your collection: POPCORN by Rowena
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