Dear Readers, today we're featuring a children's book that really sounds interesting. I know you'll love meeting and learning about the author.
Welcome, Angela. What
has drawn you to writing for children?
I studied journalism and planned to work for a magazine but
ended up starting my family earlier than expected and becoming a full-time mom.
This meant lots of time in the library for story time and lots of inspiration
to write stories of my own.
I mean, when taking my kids to a Tumble Time birthday party
and seeing an ad for “senior discounts,” I had to write a rhyming manuscript
titled Gymnastics Grandma. And when
my daughter used the moves of a quarterback (think rubber ducky under her arm
like a football) to avoid getting dressed after a bath, I had to write Naked Baby on the Run. And when my son
fell asleep holding onto the dollar bill he made from dumping a cup of water on
me at a church picnic, I had to write The
Water Fight Professional.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I once won a television and Xbox in a hamster ball race.
Yes, I was the one running in a giant ball. Though is that quirkier than that
time I rode on the shoulders of a unicyclist? I’m not sure.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
In fourth grade, we had to write tall tales. The kids in my
carpool read it aloud on the way home and got the whole car laughing. So I
pretended to lose it and have to write another one the next day. And the next
day.
My mom was also a writer, so I grew up reading stories of
myself in magazines like Women’s World.
In high school, I wrote a story and figured I’d send it to a magazine like Mom
did. Easiest $100 I ever made. I was hooked. Though it hasn’t always been that
easy. Ahem … it wasn’t ever that easy again.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I like stories that are both light-hearted and thought-provoking.
Usually contemporary. Kids’ books and romantic comedies are my favorites.
What other books have
you written, whether published or not?
My debut novel was part of the Love Finds You series. Mine
was Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Awesome experience to be involved with such a fun line. Might be the only
Costco book-signing I ever do.
My short story The
Water Fight Professional got picked up by the New York school board and
printed in over half a million tests, so I decided to make it into a
middle-grade novel. That book released last July followed by The Snowball Fight Professional this
winter. Up next are The Food Fight Professional and The Pillow Fight Professional.
Then I wrote a book called Lighten Up about a pastor’s daughter who couldn’t forgive her
father for running off with the church secretary until she fell in love with
her own pastor. That came out with a small press. I’d hoped to make it a series
and actually wrote the second book, but that project is on hold for now.
My agent is currently shopping Romancing the Throne about an American woman who grows up in the West Indies and meets a prince on vacation. They plan to
marry until he hires a private investigator to dig up her past and discovers
her father to be a fugitive from the United States . To prove her father
innocent and regain her position as future royalty, Jacqueline James hires the
same PI to go back to Miami
with her, never expecting to develop stronger feelings for her knight in
shining armor than she has for Prince Charming. Somebody buy this book!!! It’s
so fun I want to share it with the world.
I also made it to the final round of the Harlequin “Killer
Voices” contest last year with Presumed
Dead about the daughter of the Peruvian President whose plane crashed in
the Amazon and nobody knows she actually made it to America except for a missionary who
recognizes her in a homeless shelter … and the men who want to kill her. The
editors said my manuscript didn’t have the right tone for their line, so I’m
reworking it to make it longer before I submit to other publishers. And I’m
working on Twice Removed to submit to
Harlequin next. Hopefully I learned a little something through the first book
and won’t get twice rejected.
And last (thank you for making it this far), I have a
novella coming out as part of a boxed set with a couple of my Love Inspired
author friends next month. False Security
is about a former cop who teams up with the man she’d once arrested to prove
themselves innocent of an unsolved crime and regain the lives they’d lost. They
fall in love, of course, but since they don’t trust each other, she ends up
pulling a gun on him and stuff. Tee-hee.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I kind of have to divide my life up into moments where I
think, moments where I feel, and moments where I simply focus on getting the
job done. Otherwise I’m an over-thinking, overemotional slacker.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of, besides family?
And besides winning the hamster ball race? Just kidding. My
first instinct is to say it’s winning Idaho Top Author for two years in a row
now, but really those awards mean nothing compared to the individual letters I
get from readers. Awards are nice, but I do this to touch lives. To be able to
do that is a huge honor.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I’d be a dolphin, which is funny since I didn’t take
swimming lessons until college and I have a snorkel phobia. But there’s never
been any other answer for this question.
What is your favorite
food?
Homemade bread. Take me out to a steak restaurant and I will
fill up on the bread before dinner even arrives. Mmm … I can almost smell the
sweet yeast and buttery crust baking right now.
Is it hard to break
into the children’s market?
Yep. “You must write for children in the same way as you do
for adults, only better." --Maxim Gorky
What advice would you
give to an author wanting to do that?
Join Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
Read children’s book—especially in the genre you want to write. Try selling
some short stories to magazines first. Attend conferences to meet editors and
agents and learn more about the art and the business. Enter contests. And do it
because you love it.
The most common question I get asked is about picture books.
They are the hardest sell because they are the most expensive to print. You
don’t have to have an illustrator, but you do have to understand that your
story will be laid out over 32 pages and how your words will flow with the
illustrations. Usually keep the manuscript under 1,000 words. In the Christian
market, most picture books are written by authors who are successful in other
genres first.
Also, DON’T preach. Unless you are writing Sunday school
material.
What would you like
to tell us about the featured book?
The Food Fight Professional is book #3 in my Fun 4 Hire series
for ages 8-12. They don’t have to be read in order, but hopefully reading one
will make you want to read them all. And I do mean you—not just your kids. They
make a great read-aloud for families. The book releases Pi Day,
which is significant to the story (as often schools serve actual pie on this
day, which makes for an even bigger food fight). Pi Day is based on the symbol
in math that starts out 3.1415, so it is always celebrated on 3/14, but even
cooler, this year it will be 3/14/15.
The Food Fight Professional is dear to my heart because I
included a couple of adopted brothers from my Sunday school class. Their mom
calls them “The Haitian Sensations,” and they are truly sensational. Putting
them in this book adds tension since the boys come from a background where food
is scarce. It made me think, anyway.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
I would love for readers to stop by my website to say
hi or maybe even tell me their story since I love stories so much. It’s
www.angelaruthstrong.com.Thank you, Angela for sharing this new book with us and giving us a peek into your life.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
9 comments:
I would love to win this book for my grandkids! Sounds good. Sm. CA. wileygreen1( at)yahoo(dot)com
It's nice to put a face with a book! I was gifted a copy of Snowball Fight Professional & it was such a delightful young person story.. I'd like to see what he's up to now :)
dkstevensneAT outlookDoTCo M
I can see my daughter enjoying this too.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Enter me!!
Conway, SC.
This sounds like an absolutely adorable book. I'd love to win and share it with the students I teach. thanks
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
live in ND
My kids would like this book!
I have a 12 year old granddaughter who would love this!
Beth from IA
would love to win Angela in KY
Thanks, Deanna. And thanks for having me, Lena. I love these stories, and I love sharing them with kids!
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