Category: interview
Learn More about Author Sondra Wright
Learn More about Cookbook Author Nancy Baggett
Describe your first kiss.
Not the least bit romantic, my first kiss was during a spin-the-bottle game when I was in the fifth grade. Neither I nor my “boyfriend” for the party were really the least bit smitten, but went along with our smooch anyway. I can still recall feeling awkward, and bet my guy does, too.
Your favorite children’s book, and why . . .
I love The Lorax. The message is so important and eloquently presently, yet so readily grasped by even young children. The illustrations are also enchanting.
A cause that’s closest to your heart, and why . . .
Finding a cure for cancer. Too many family members stricken far too young.
If you could be a character in any novel, who would you be? Nancy Drew.
Explain the worst job that you’ve held.
The most tedious data entry job-literally-ever. Every day, all day I copied random series of numbers from one ledger to anoither. No explanation of why was ever given–I only lasted a week Had to quit to save my sanity.
A quote that motivates you . .
.You never know what you can do until you try.
The title of the one song you could take with you to that deserted island .
You Were Always On My Mind
Three Wishes
1.That my grandchildren grow up to live healthy, happy lives.
2 That world hunger is eradicated..
3.That humans can learn to live in peace.
Favorite game you played as a child . . .
My cousin and I climbed trees in the woods and pretended to be bears. (It was more fun than it sounds!)
Learn More about YA Author Jan Blazanin
Learn More about Children’s Author Peter Davies
Learn More about Author Annie Fox
A film that brings tears to your eyes . . . Just one?! But I’m so easily moved to tears! OK how about 3: Ghost, Tootsie, Up
Describe your first kiss. Two 11 year-olds at the beach. Surprising. Sweet. Fantasy-inducing.
Your favorite children’s book, and why . . .
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Such pathos, such empathy in just a few words and some simple line drawings.
A cause that’s closest to your heart, and why . . . Bullying. While kids grow, their sense of self is so vulnerable. When they’re targeted by others (at school or at home) the way they think about themselves is altered in unhealthy ways. They can start to assume there’s something “wrong” with them that makes them “deserving of disrespect.” That will undoubtedly erode their self-confidence and hold them back in life. Kids whose aggression is tolerated are also being changed. They assume that threats, manipulation and violence are acceptable ways to behave. That can set them on a path of regrettable choices. And there’s a third group… the largest one playing a part in the dramas that take place daily in schools around the world: the silent bystanders. The Culture of Cruelty changes them as well and they begin believing that they’re powerless in the face of injustice. That’s no way to help develop a new generation of leaders.
If you could be a character in any novel, who would you be?
Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden. She brought herself and others out of darkness into the full bloom.
A quote that motivates you . . . “If you’re not modeling what you teach, you’re teaching something else.” (I don’t know who said it first)
The title of the one song you could take with you to that deserted island . . .
“Defying Gravity”
Wishes:
To work together to make our own corner of the planet a safer, saner, cleaner, greener more equitable place for everyone.
Favorite game you played as a child . . . Pretending that my bicycle was a horse and riding really fast
Learn More about Author Susan Stephenson
A film that brings tears to your eyes: The Blind Side.
Describe your first kiss: I don’t remember my first kiss, but fortunately I can recall the last one in complete sensory detail – sweet and romantic.
Your favorite children’s book, and why: My favourite children’s book changes day by day. But an old favourite is Enid Blyton’s The FarawayTree. I love the world that Blyton built and how it feeds our imaginations.
A cause that’s closest to your heart, and why: Children’s literacy is of huge importance to me. I love to read, write, create and educate myself. I believe many of the world’s ills could be solved by such education, particularly encouraging parents to read to their kids. And the thought of libraries closing due to lack of funding absolutely appals me.
If you could be a character in any novel, who would you be? I would be Anne in Anne of Green Gables.
Explain the worst job that you’ve held. My worst job was being Latrine Officer in a children’s camp. When one of the kids dropped her gold watch into the pit, it was my job to fetch it back for her. I came to fully understand the meaning of trust as I was lowered by my ankles.
A quote that motivates you:“It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life.” (Barthold Georg Niebuhr)
The title of the one song you could take with you to that deserted island: “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside” – in the hope that such a positive affirmation will help me withstand the solitude!
Three Wishes
1. For me: I wish, oh how I wish, that I could draw.
2. For my family and friends: health and happiness.
3. For the world: an end to greed.
Favorite game you played as a child: Imaginative games – roleplaying Robin Hood and building cubbies in the bush so we could spy on the Sheriff.
Learn More about Author Derek Haines
Learn More about Author Carol Galusha
My first kiss: seventh grade on the back of a school bus - sooo not romantic :(
Favorite children's book: I loved Pokey the Puppy. I always wanted a dog like him.
Favorite character from a novel: Melanie from Gone With the Wind. She was pure goodness!
Quote that motivates me: Success is the best revenge. (I consider being happy a great success.)
Three wishes:
1) My children to be happy.
2) For my husband and I to retire together and travel.
3) For people to be kind to one another.
The one song I would want on my iPod if on a deserted island: can't pick one song for my island living. But I would love to listen to the Eagles while I'm sippin' on my fruity drink!
Also, the book I'd take on the island: To Kill A Mockingbird
Favorite game as a child: I loved playing Chinese checkers. My mom taught me. My siblings and I would put on our pajamas and play a few games before we went to bed. That was many, many years ago, and the thought brings tears to my eyes.
Carol Galusha