Stuff about you:
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author? I’ve always loved books and reading, but I never thought I’d be an author. Here’s how it happened: One night, when my son was about 3 months old, I was sitting with him in the rocking chair. A poem started going through my head. It was the beginning of my first book, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN. Every time he woke me up, I’d add more to it. At the end of the week, I had the whole thing in my head. It probably would have stayed there. But I decided to share it with my three-year-old daughter. She said, “Mom, that’s a great story! You should get it published.” I took her advice, and here I am 20 years later, still writing.
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you! When I was in college, I performed in Germany at a summer music festival. One evening, after a rehearsal, my American friend and I decided to walk back through the woods to our hotel. The director told us how to get there and said it shouldn’t take long. He didn’t tell us there were two paths. Being directionally challenged, I took the wrong one. My friend and I ended up miles from where we should’ve been. We thought we could retrace our steps and take the other path. But it was getting dark. So, what did we do? After walking a while, we pulled out our instruments in the middle of the Black Forest and serenaded the wild boars. Fun, but absolutely crazy! Long story short, we turned around yet again and found some nice people who ended up driving us back to our hotel. They didn’t speak English, so taking German in high school and college was probably the best decision I ever made. Otherwise, who knows if we would have ever gotten back!
Where were you born/grew up at? I was born in Parma, Ohio, a city just south of Cleveland. I spent most of my childhood years there but moved to Florida for a couple of years.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day? Hmmm. Not a thing I’d like to think about. But I’d say after making sure all my affairs were in order, I’d like to spend it with my family, especially my kids. I like being out in nature, so I’d probably see if we could go hiking, have a picnic, and see a waterfall or two. And since I enjoy playing my viola, I’d probably like to play the Bach Chaconne on it one more time.
What kind of world ruler would you be? A kind, fair and benevolent one, I’d hope. That’s how I try to live my life, so it makes sense I’d rule that way.
How to find time to write as a parent? This isn’t something I have to deal with these days, but 20 years ago, when my kids were little, it was challenging! I remember taking my notebook and pencil to dance lessons and writing while my daughter was in the class.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less! Hardworking, musical, creative, adventurous introvert
When did you first consider yourself a writer? When my second book, That Mama is a Grouch was published. Then I thought, Hey, I’m actually doing this. I’m a real author!
Do you have a favorite movie? I like The Red Violin. Of course, I love the music in it. But since the story takes place in many countries and uses the languages of the countries, I find it extremely interesting. I like traveling and learning about the languages, history, and culture of a country so anything having to do with these things is right up my alley.
Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie? I would love it if all of my Bubba and Squirt Adventure books were made into a movie or a television series for children. They’re so educational and “cinematic” as a reviewer from Readers Favorite once said.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? The first that comes to mind is an owl. Owls seem rather scholarly. Since I love doing research and writing educational things, it seems appropriate.
Stuff about the Book:
What inspired you to write this book? Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the Lost Pearls is the final book of the Bubba and Squirt Adventure series. The first book, Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China was inspired when I was a kid trying to dig a hole to China from Florida. I wondered what could happen if I succeeded. The rest of the books in the series were either set in places I’ve visited or places that interest me. Legend of the Lost Pearls is the latter.
What can we expect from you in the future? Good question. I wrote another picture book manuscript called Happy Birthday to US! I sent it to an agent and entered it into a writing contest. We’ll see what happens with that. I am playing with the idea of writing an adult or YA novel—historical fiction, set during the time of the Civil War. The working title is Return to Sapelo. I’m still in the research stage.
Do you have any “side stories” about the characters? Bubba and Squirt are roughly based on my two kids who are now adults. I started writing these Bubba and Squirt stories when they were about 7 years old.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the Lost Pearls? Bubba is a precocious fourth-grader, and his sister Squirt is a responsible sixth-grader. Throughout the Bubba and Squirt series, both characters grow. Squirt gains confidence and Bubba learns to be more responsible and not so impetuous. Other characters are people Bubba and Squirt meet on their journey and some creatures from Japanese mythology.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book? I thought it would be fitting to end the Bubba and Squirt series in Japan, since that’s where the father had been doing his magic show during the second book, Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure. It was also another Asian country, and I thought it might be fun to compare and contrast China and Japan.
Where did you come up with the names in the story? Bubba and Squirt were nicknames for my kids when they were little. I got the names of the Japanese characters by Googling Japanese names and picked a few that sounded good.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Learning about Japanese mythology. Most of us know a lot about Greek mythology, because that’s what we learn in school. (I covered that in my last book, Bubba and Squirt’s Shield of Athena.) But we don’t learn much about Japanese mythology. In my opinion, it’s just as colorful.
Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick? Bubba is always up for an adventure. He loves joking around and often gets himself into sticky situations because he has trouble controlling himself. Squirt is the cautious one, and she feels great responsibility in looking after her younger brother.
How did you come up with the title of your first novel? When I was an eight-year-old kid living in Florida, I tried digging a hole to China. Of course it didn’t work. The hole quickly filled with water. But this was the inspiration for my first novel, which is called Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China.
Who designed your book covers? Dancing Lemur Press’s in-house illustrator designed all the Bubba and Squirt book covers.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? At this point, no. But inevitably as time goes on, I may reread it and say, “Darn, I wish I would’ve have done this differently.”
Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book? Every time I write a book that requires research, I learn something. The writing of Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the Lost Pearls was no exception. I learned more about Japanese culture and customs, as well as some interesting stories about Japanese mythology. And of course, I learned some Japanese words and how to make a recipe called mugitoro which you can find in the book.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead? Maxim Swinton might be a good choice to play Bubba. He’s a funny kid.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers? Even though the intended audience for the Bubba and Squirt books is for middle-grade readers, many adults have told me they enjoyed the stories and learned a lot by reading them. They also enjoyed trying the recipes included in the books. I’d like to add that teacher guides can be found on my websites. If you don’t see one for my recently-released books, come back. I’m still working on them and will have them up soon.
How did you come up with name of this book? The Legend of the Lost Pearls is taken from Japanese mythology. Two demigod brothers got in a fight related to tide jewels—pearls with the power to raise and lower the tides. After the pearls were lost, tsunamis and other horrible natural disasters began to happen. The story I created in Bubba and Squirt’s Legend of the Lost Pearls is very much based on that story with my own Bubba and Squirt twists.
What is your favorite part of this book and why? I like when the frogs come to life. It’s completely unexpected and turns the story into an underwater fantasy. I also had fun with some of the humorous dialog between the frogs and Squirt.
If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? Well, I kinda did spend time with characters in my book: Bubba and Squirt. If I could turn back time and have my kids be Bubba and Squirt’s age again, I’d probably take them on one of our adventures. We used to pick places we’d never seen and visit them. Places like gardens, museums, farms, Indian settlements, historical sites, etc. Then we’d have to stop for ice cream. It’s the best treat after an adventure.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination? Bubba and Squirt are based off of my children who are now all grown up. Grandpa Joe is based off of my dad. Great-great grandpa Jacob was a great-grandfather of Bubba and Squirt’s dad. I’m the mom. The rest of the characters are completely fictitious.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story? For The Legend of the Lost Pearls, I felt I had the reins of the story. It wasn’t the case for the third and fourth books of the series. They were doing whatever, and I was along for the ride.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read. All of the books in the Bubba and Squirt series are educational. Even adults reading them learn something. I think Japan is a fascinating country and a pretty cool destination for the last book of the series. This one is the most action-packed of all. There’s no shortage of monsters and terrifying situations! Of course, if you’ve read the previous books in the series, you absolutely must read this one to find out what happens to Bubba and Squirt’s dad and see how it all ends.
Have you written any other books that are not published? Yes. I have two picture books that are not published: Happy Birthday to US, a patriotic book, and Chickens Sleep on Sunday, a days-of-the-week book. I’ve written a bunch of other stories, but they are probably not worthy of publication. LOL!
If your book had a candle, what scent would it be? Cherry blossom. When I think of Japan, I always think of Japanese cherry blossom trees. So picturesque!
What did you edit out of this book? I don’t think there were any scenes edited out of the book, but there were plenty of overused words. “That,” was one of them.
Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why? I’d say Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Tree House series. I’d love to know how her books became wildly successful, learn her marketing tips, and find out how she managed to come up with so many stories without getting tired of it.
Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?'-type tidbits about the author, the book or the writing process of the book. I write all my stories by hand in a notebook before I type them into a Word document. It’s a long process but doing it this way allows for an additional editing round. I also enjoy putting a pencil to paper. Another interesting thing about this book, is that it is the only one of the series that I had not written any part of the story before the first book, Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China was published. All the rest had been partially written.
Stuff about Writing/ Reading:
How long have you been writing? I’ve been a published author for 20 years. But I started writing when I was about 7 years old.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? I’m a plotter, so I figure out all the characters before I start writing.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book? Tons of research! I research the country, points of interest, history of the country, language, customs, folklore and legends, popular names, transportation, food, clothing, cars… It is amazing how much time I put into researching!
Do you see writing as a career? After doing it for 20 years, I’d have to say it is a career of sorts. Not one that can support me, though. I definitely won’t quit my day job! I put a lot of time into writing, revising, and marketing. I go to book fairs and sell my books. I go into schools and do presentations. With eleven published books, I’d call it a career.
What do you think about the current publishing market? It’s tough! First, it’s highly competitive to even get your book accepted by a publisher. Then once it’s out there, it’s a lot of effort to get it noticed. Sometimes I even question if young people read books anymore. I’d love to hear feedback on this!
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre? Absolutely! I read a lot of books. Mostly, I review books for fellow authors. My favorite genre is historical fiction. But I also enjoy a good mystery.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? I write in silence so I can hear the voices in my head.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time? Usually, it’s one at a time. But occasionally, if a picture book idea pops into my head while I’m writing a middle-grade story, I’ll work on that simultaneously.
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose? Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It’s my favorite book because it really makes you think about what’s important in life. So profound! (Plus, it’s a best-seller!)
Pen or typewriter or computer? Pencil and notebook, and then I type it into the computer.
What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision? My daughter, who was 3 years old at the time, encouraged me to publish my first book, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN! Was it the right decision? From a financial perspective, probably not. But I have met so many people and had so many interesting experiences as an author, including attending the Readers Favorite Book Awards to receive a silver medal for Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China, and meeting kids at school visits, that those experiences have made it worthwhile.
A day in the life of the author? I begin each day marketing. Instagram posts, Tiktok posts, and Facebook posts. Sometimes I have to create graphics for these. Then I set aside about an hour to write. The rest of my day is spent doing my other jobs: Executive Director for an orchestra, performing, and teaching. On occasion, I attend author events, signings, and do school visits.
Advice they would give new authors? Love what you do. After doing this for 20 years, I can tell you there are ups and downs. You have to have thick skin to accept rejection. Realize that not many of us make it to best-seller status, and we don’t make millions. In fact, we spend a lot of money marketing. Be smart about setting a budget for this. If your dream is to become traditionally published, then persevere. It took me 10 years to find a publisher. You can do it!
Describe your writing style. Fun, educational, and fast-paced.
What makes a good story? Enjoyable characters, an interesting plot, excellent world-building, and relatability that makes you feel something.
What are you currently reading? Blood Red Sand by Damien Larkin.
What is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? After I do the research, I create an outline. Sometimes I’ll create a story board with photos to give me some visual inspiration. Then I write chapter by chapter, in order. Never out of order. Sometimes I edit as I go. Other times I plow straight through.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? I write whatever I feel like writing. I follow my muse.
How long on average does it take you to write a book? It depends on how many distractions I have. Because I work three other jobs, it takes me a very long time. Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China took 10 years. I think the average is 2 years. Picture books take less time. I can usually crank out one of those in a couple of months.
