Author: Michael

Our guest this week on FIVE ON FRIDAY is celebrated Children’s author Barbara Robinson. Her The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is one of the most beloved children’s books of all time and was made into a classic television movie. She is also known for the Best Halloween Ever, My Brother Louis Measures Worms and several other favorites.

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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer?

I’m not sure I wanted to be a writer…probably didn’t dream that I ever could. I just loved writing stories and did so, from about Grade 3 on.

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What book or writer/artist do you feel influenced you the most?

When I was a kid there weren’t nearly so many books for children as there are today, so I sort of devoured whatever there was and loved them all. My true favorite though – then and now – was Treasure Island.

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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

I mostly read children’s books since, as we all know, they are the best. However, as I labor away to finish a couple of my own, I suffer too much guilt to really read my fill, so to speak. I tend, right now; to reread things I’ve loved…not always the author’s best known work…like Jerry Spinelli’s Space Station Seventh Grade and Kate DiCamillo’s The Tiger Rising.

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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

Well, of course, read everything in sight because it forms your taste, write every day because it forms your habit, recognize that ours is not a profession dependent on efficiency…you have to be prepared to write six pages on Monday, tear up five of them on Tuesday…and it’s not wasted.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

As I said, a couple of books and a play…and I’m going to plead that old bunch of baloney…if I talk it, I won’t write it. I’m pretty sure it’s a bunch of baloney but I’m such a slow and lazy writer that I don’t dare tempt fate.

Today’s FIVE ON FRIDAY guest is award winning Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, poet and author of numerous books including the recently released The Floating Circus. You can visit Tracie at her website.

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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer/illustrator?

5th grade, I think. Mrs. Sternberg really inspired me to write.

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What book or writer/artist do you feel influenced you the most?

Cynthia Rylant. The dialogue and characters in her books sound like my own family and friends here in Southwestern Ohio.

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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

Walls of Cartagena by Julia Durango

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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers (or illustrators), what would it be?

Read like a chef eats. Try to figure out what in the recipe of that book works.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

Steady Hands: Poems about Work will be released from Clarion in February! It’s a collection of poems about people doing their jobs. The illustrations are AMAZING, and even though I’m completely biased it is also completely true. I’m chasing after a new historical fiction idea but it is much too tender a stage to talk about…

David Harrison, author of literally dozens of children’s books joins us for our weekly discussion at FIVE ON FRIDAY. David is a poet, a novelist and an all around good guy. You can visit him at his website. His most recent book is PIRATES a book of illustrated poems.

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When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

My senior year in undergraduate school at Drury University, where I majored in science, I took a creative writing class. The professor told me I should consider becoming a writer. It was as easy as that. That and six years of effort. And 67 submissions. And 67 rejections. My first sale was for $5.03.

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What book or writer do you feel influenced you the most?

During my first ten years of writing, I focused on short stories. I loved Updike, Hemingway, Vonnegut, the so-called black humorists – Bruce Friedman, Terry Southern, Tomas Pynchon – and the essays of E. B. White. When I wrote my first book for children in 1967, I did nothing more to prepare for that genre than re-reading my own childhood favorites and those of my son and daughter. From the beginning I felt influenced by my musical background. Growing up, I played trombone in Dixieland, jazz, and dance bands, German bands, marching bands, concert bands, orchestras, and symphonic work. I taught music and directed a choir. That musical sense of rhythm and its nuances seemed to find its way into my writing, particularly when I turned to poetry.

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What books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

Lately my reading has all been related to various writing projects. Normally I wouldn’t read about the history of honeybees, how children develop reading fluency, the various archaeological theories about the first migrants to this continent, the significance of phonemic awareness, or the giraffe. The last book I read for recreation was a Grisham novel and the one before that was by Janet Evanovich. I feel another need for a Hobbit fix coming on.

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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers or illustrators what would it be?

If you have the basic talent, don’t give up. Competition is fierce, and worldwide. Until you develop your skill to a professional level, you’ll probably be rejected, but that doesn’t mean you’re not making progress.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

I’m currently involved in half a dozen projects that include poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and two books with teachers for teachers. My habit is to develop an idea or manuscript to the point where I ship it off to the editor. That gives me months to start something else. Once in a while more than one editor finally responds at the same time and it’s all hands on deck for a while. But I’d rather be swamped now and then than sit around making up new terrible things to call editors. And this way is far more productive.

Our FIVE ON FRIDAY guest this week is celebrated author Janette Rallison. Janette is the author of several books for both Middle Grade and Teen readers. Her newest book Just One Wish is on sale just this week!

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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer?

My mother wanted to be a writer. Some of my earliest memories are of her typing at the type writer. So really, I always wanted to be a writer because that’s what I saw my mother do. I thought it was a normal job. Sadly, she died when I was six years old and never got to see her dream come true. I know she would have been thrilled that I became a writer.

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What book or writer do you feel influenced you the most?

Hands down, Ellen Conford. I read all of her books as a teen and loved her easy writing style and the way she made me laugh. Each time I got a new one it was like a treat. There was a lot of romantic comedy going on in her novels. Since those are the kinds of books I liked reading, that’s the kind of stuff I write.

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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

Mike Spradlin’s The Youngest Templar comes to mind. (An excellent choice! MPS) Although if you’re looking for a good romantic comedy The ABCs of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro is a great one.

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If you could offer one piece of advice for aspiring writers, what would it be?

Read my books. In fact, buy them all. Oh, you mean advice that isn’t self serving? Actually, it would be to read all sorts of books. (But, you know, mine included.) The more you read, the better writer you’re going to be.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

My next book, Just One Wish comes out March 5th. It’s a little different than my other romantic comedies because it has a more serious element to it. The main character, Annika, has a little brother with a brain tumor. His greatest wish is to see the actor who plays Teen Robin Hood before he goes into surgery and Annika wants to make his wish come true. She drives to Hollywood to find and convince the actor to visit her brother. This ends up leading her all sorts of places, including on the set where she pretends to be an extra. It’s all great fun, so I hope my readers really like this one.

Since her debut with Dead Witch Walking, author Kim Harrison has delighted readers the world over with her tales of the Hallows and her witch bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. This week her new book in the series, White Witch, Black Curse goes on sale. We’re happy to have her as this week’s guest for FIVE ON FRIDAY.

(A note to parents, teachers and librarians: while I write children’s books some of my guests on FIVE ON FRIDAY do not. Some of the authors featured here write both. The purpose of FIVE ON FRIDAY is to give all visitors an insight into the mind of writers and the writing process. So please make your own judgment regarding the age appropriateness of the books discussed here for your children, students or patrons. And as always thanks for visiting FIVE ON FRIDAY.)

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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer?

I can just about pinpoint the day. I didn’t go to school to work in a writing field at all, but I’d always enjoyed reading and making up stories in my head. It was as simple as one day becoming bored, picking up a pencil and a theme book, and starting to write. I wrote for about an hour the first day, then a little more the next, and it just grew. By the month’s end, I was hooked, and with a lot of encouragement from friends and relatives, I just kept at it. By the way, my grammar, punctuation, and spelling were really, really bad. I had a steep learning curve until my skill came anywhere near my drive, but I enjoyed it so much, that I just kept at it.

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What book or writer do you feel influenced you the most?

There really isn’t one writer that I can point to and say “That one,” but the popular science fiction writers in the 70s and 80s were what I read when I was growing up, and I know that they influence me greatly. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is my favorite book. It was here that I first realized that the monsters inside of us, both good and bad, are so much more interesting than the ones we make up.

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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

I’m reading a lot of urban fantasy right now. Vicki Pettersson’s Signs of the Zodiac series is a favorite, and Jocelynn Drake’s Dark Days series is also top-notch. Rachel Vincent has a good WereCat series, and for something really biblical and thought provoking, Faith Hunter has a Mage series that I enjoy.

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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers (or illustrators), what would it be?

In a nutshell, it would be if you want to write for a living, write like you already have the contract. By that, I mean, intently, and with purpose. Sit down and write even when you don’t feel like it, because if you want it for a job, treat it like one, and do it even when you’re not in the mood. Chances are that after ten minutes, you will be.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

Work wise, I’ve just finished the really ugly rough draft of book nine in the Hollows, and I’ll be setting that aside to do my editorial rewrite of book eight soon. As far as what’s coming out? I have three releases this year, starting with White Witch, Black Curse on February 24th. Following that, May 26th is the release of my first full-length young adult novel, Once Dead, Twice Shy. I’m really excited about this one. It’s a complete break from the adult series with a new universe and magic system where I’ve turned away from vampires and witches, and focused on fallen angels and grim reapers. I can’t wait to see how it’s received. Following that in September is an anthology of urban fantasy, Unbound, featuring myself, Vicki Pettersson, Jocelynn Drake, Jeaniene Frost, and Melissa Marr.

This week’s guest is New York Times Best-Selling Author Christopher Moore, author of the just released Fool, a comic retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear. His books are filled with humor, pathos, and thoughtfulness, often in a single sentence. Please welcome him to Five on Friday.

Note to Librarians, Teachers and Students: The purpose of FIVE ON FRIDAY is to expose readers to the creative process. I will feature authors of both Children’s and Adult books. Please note that Fool is written for an adult audience, so please check with your parents first! (Even if it’s not about reading a book, you should still check in with them. At least once or twice a day. Sometimes they get lonely).

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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer?

I first wanted to be a writer when I was about fifteen, and I was reading and writing a lot. Strangely enough, a lot of narrative poetry. But I think I first started to think about what it would take to become a professional when I was sixteen or so and had a teacher who made us submit a short story to a magazine or we couldn’t pass the course. Incidentally, I didn’t pass the course; because I didn’t finish the story, but I’m the only one from that school who has gone on to become a novelist.

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What book or writer/artist do you feel influenced you the most?

Steinbeck, definitely. Because of the great warmth and humanity he showed toward his characters. I aspire to that.
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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

The last one I really enjoyed was G. Xavier Robillard’s Captain Freedom: A Superhero’s Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves. It was genuinely funny.

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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers (or illustrators), what would it be?

Practice your craft. If you’re a writer, read a lot of the kind of stuff you’d like to write and try to write it. You won’t end up plagiarizing, you’ll just eventually find your own voice, but in the process you’ll see how it’s done. The same with artists. Learn to draw. Copy the artists you admire. It’s a tradition in learning art, and you really have to learn the discipline of drawing before you can develop your own flare.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

My new book, Fool, which comes out February 10th, is Shakespeare’s King Lear as told from the point of view of the Fool. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever written, and no, you don’t have to know King Lear to read it. In fact, Shakespeare’s version will probably just ruin it for you. The one I’m working on is Bite Me: A Love Story, wherein Chet, the huge, shaved, vampire cat takes over the city of San Francisco. It’s a love story.

Our guest this week Stephen Dafoe, is the author of numerous books on the history and lore of the Knights Templar. His most recent book is Nobly Born: An Illustrated History of The Knights Templar. He is also, like yours truly, a comic book fan and has written a fabulous comic called Outremer, which tells the story of the founding of the Templars.

Visit Stephen’s fabulous website, www.templarhistory.com which is ground zero for all things Templar.

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When did you know that you first wanted to be a writer/illustrator?

I have always had an interest in writing and when I was in high school I had hoped to either pursue a career in marketing or journalism. Of course it wasn’t until later in life that I could actually afford to work for the paltry wages community journalists get paid. But at that point I wasn’t doing it for the money.

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What book or writer/artist do you feel influenced you the most?

There really isn’t a single writer that has had the greatest influence on my writing. I think any good writing; any writing that causes me to stop and say, “Man that is well written” has an influence on me, if even for a brief time. That being said, I am probably most impressed with the work of Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer. Although I do not write fiction, let alone science fiction, Sawyer’s ability to prevent me from putting his book down is something I am inspired to strive towards with my own work.

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What book or books are you currently reading or have recently read that you’d recommend to others?

Within my own field of work, I‘d have to recommend Michael Spradlin’s first book in The Youngest Templar series. I say that because after a long line of crappy post-Da Vinci Code Templar fiction, Mike’s book is something fresh and a throw back to the kind of book I enjoyed as a boy. As far as non-fiction, I really enjoyed Gordon Napier’s Knights Templar A-Z, an encyclopedia like offering on all things Templar. Beyond that, I really enjoyed Levitt and Dubner’s Freakonomics, Gladwell’s Outliers and Keen’s The Cult of the Amateur.
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If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring writers (or illustrators), what would it be?

Read and write every chance you get. It really is as simple as that.

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Can you share with us your next project or any information about the next book you’re working on?

The next book that is due out is Morgan: The Scandal That Shook Freemasonry, published by cornerstone Book Publishers in the US. In 1826 in upstate New York a man by the name of William Morgan entered into a partnership to publish an expose on the ritual of Freemasonry. On September 11 of that year he was abducted by Masons and never seen or heard from again. There have been many books written on this subject, but they have all taken a pro- or anti-Masonic stance. This one is different in that I am tracing the chain of events through court transcripts, affidavits, personal journals and letters, as well as the numerous books written over the years. It wasn’t until I began writing the book that I truly began to believe the old saying that “truth is stranger than fiction.”

What makes this book different for me is that I’m writing a large part of it in a narrative nonfiction style. That is something I’m enjoying more than I thought I would.