An Interview with Author Stacy Nyikos

A graduate of the University of Virginia, author, Stacy A. Nyikos, Ph.D., is an award-winning writer and musician. Her books include the aquatic picture book series Squirt, Shelby, and Dizzy. Stacy's first novel, Dragon Wishes, came out in 2008. Stacy also offers presentations and workshops to students in grades K-8. She has presented at more than 50 schools. In addition, she has presented events at the World Aquarium in St. Louis, the Shedd, the Houston Zoo, the Tulsa Zoo, and the Oklahoma Aquarium.

When and why did you begin writing?
I started writing when I went to college, which seems like a lifetime ago, but I didn't start writing for children until about six years ago, after I finished my Ph.D. and finally had the chance to write what I wanted to. I went right back to fiction, albeit this time for children.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That's a good question. I think I've considered myself a writer ever since I started an M.A. I've just written different things. I've also loved turns of phrase, how a single word can change the entire meaning of legions of text. How interpretation can hang on one sentence. Language and the written word have always fascinated me.

What inspired you to move from writing picture books to writing for young adults?
I haven't stopped writing picture books, however, some ideas are just too big for a picture book. Those are the ones that turn into middle grades or YAs. I never know how an idea is going to come out. Some are small, conceptual shorts, and others are long, mini-series masterpieces.

Who or what has influenced your writing?
Maya Angelou has long been a writer I look up to. I admire her work, her abilities, and the life she's led. She's my female role model. I also like the spunk of Mark Twain, and the unbelievable literary abilities of Markus Zusak (Plus, he's really cute).

There are is such a rich mix of culture in Dragon Wishes. How did you decide on the middle school setting as a backdrop for the story?
I can't say that was a very conscious decision. That story came to me in a rush. However, because I wanted the main character to go through a transition, I felt like 11 was a good age. It's that time when we first leave a part of childhood behind and begin to look toward the adults we may become.

Is there a message in Dragon Wishes that you want readers to grasp?
Love is everywhere. We just have to reach out and grab hold. It sounds simple enough, but if you're going through loss, it can be the hardest step ever to take.

Can you tell us two of your favorite books?
The Book Thief
Lord of the Rings

What book are you reading now?
Alice in Wonderland, Louis Carroll
Passing, Nella Larsson
Following the Equator, Mark Twain
Peak, Roland Smith

I like to read more than one book at a time. It's like going to a buffet and sampling everything. It makes my reading experience richer.

What are you currently working on?
I am working on a YA set in 19th century New Zealand. It's called Pelorus Jack and is the story of a fifteen year old boy, George, who lives on a sheep farm that has fallen on hard times. Since George has a clubbed foot, his father doesn't trust him to work the farm, so George takes to the sea to save his family's farm. He meets a dolphin, Pelorus Jack, and together, they save more than just the farm.

Do you have any advice for young writers?
No story is ever finished. I thought, when I started writing novels, I would know when a story was finished because I would sense it. Then I wrote one. I realized somewhere after the zillionth round of revisions my story will never feel "done." I created it. My characters didn't just come to life, they are alive for me. They follow me around. They talk to me whenever they want to. So I don't look for the "feel done" moment anymore. I look for that time when I start changing the story in order to stay in it, not to make it better. That when it's time for me to put the keyboard down and let the story be the story that it is.

Thanks again to Stacy Nyikos for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the tour please check Provato Events.

Blog Tour Interview with Author Ken Mochizuki

Ever since the 1993 publication of his multi-award-winning, best-selling picture book, Baseball Saved Us (over half a million sold to date), Ken Mochizuki has made over 100 presentations around the country at schools, libraries, community centers and educators’ conferences to ages K-Adult. Ken’s books include: Baseball Saved Us, Heroes, Passage to Freedom: the Sugihara Story, Beacon Hill Boys, and Be Water, My Friend: the Early Years of Bruce Lee. Among the awards his books have earned include the Washington State Governor’s Writers Award and the national Parents’ Choice Award, American Bookseller “Pick of the Lists,” American Library Association Notable Book, International Reading Association Teachers’ Choices, Smithsonian Notable Books for Children and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards Honor Book.

When and why did you begin writing?
In 1981, while working as a professional actor in Los Angeles, I also had time to read the “classic” American novels that I should have in high school and college. I thought about becoming a writer instead, so I started writing my own novel at that time which would eventually become “Beacon Hill Boys.” I originally wrote it as an adult novel, but then the opportunity came along to turn it into a YA novel which was published in 2002.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Probably when I first seriously said to myself that I am going to be one – not just thinking about it or talking about it, but actually doing it. So, if I was going to be a writer, I had to learn how to write. I returned to my hometown, Seattle, that same year (1981) and started writing for local newspapers. Being a journalist taught me a lot about writing, especially about being concise – saying the most with the least amount of words, which would help tremendously in the genre of “juvenile literature,” especially in writing picture books.

What inspired you to write your first book?
In 1981 when I still lived in Los Angeles, I heard of the murder of a friend who was also an instructor of mine at the University of Washington (it was later uncovered that he was assassinated by orders from the regime of the former dictator of the Philippines). That incident made me think of those days when I was attending the university during the early ‘70s, when I was involved with others in fighting for the “Asian American” identity instead of being called “Orientals.” It was also a unique time all over America, and I wanted to recall those times and pay tribute to it.

Who or what has influenced your writing?
Aside from being a journalist, the Asian American authors who came before me and are currently writing books, especially fiction, are major influences. Another major influence – although I didn’t know it at the time – were the TV series of the ‘60s. “Combat,” an early ‘60s series about GIs in France during World War II, the original “Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible” and especially “The Twilight Zone” were often brilliantly written and were actually 30- 60-minute short stories. Looking back, that’s where I learned story structure, character development and the character arc, the beginning, middle and end.

What genre are you most comfortable writing?
My books so far have been in the picture book and YA categories, both fiction and non-fiction, so those are what I’m used to so far. I tend to gravitate toward historical fiction – “Beacon Hill Boys” has been put in that category. But, all writing isn’t easy and – contrary to what most people might think – picture books are the hardest because so few words are required to tell the story. I often use this analogy: writing picture books is like driving on city streets, where you travel slow and have to stop for the lights and signs. Novels are like hitting the freeway and opening it up.

Is there a message in Beacon Hill Boys that you want readers to grasp?
Young people who know their histories, their family histories, are more proud and self-confident when they know of the achievements of their own. The underlying theme of the novel is the protagonist and his friends’ search for something to be proud of. Also, I wanted readers to know that everything that might be taken for granted today was gained by those before them who fought, struggled and sacrificed.

Is the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
“Beacon Hill Boys” started out as a sort of disguised autobiography, or at least about that time in my life. And as fiction writing goes, and when you start working with an editor, there are plot changes and cuts, characters change, or multiple characters are morphed into one. So, even though some of the incidents portrayed in the book did actually happen in my life, the story is still a work of fiction.

Can you tell us two of your favorite books?
My favorite of all time is Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and that novel is often considered to be YA now. I would have to say another would be “The Wizard of Oz.”

What book are you reading now?
A lot of the books I read are for research for my present writing project. However, a memorable book I read this year would be Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”

What are you currently working on?
A YA novel set mostly in an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.

Do you have any advice for young writers?
Read – that is the only way you will see how words are put together to become good writing and good books. And not only books, but read newspapers, news magazines – any form that tells a story. It is said that some of the best writers are sports columnists. Then you have to become a good observer. Everybody has the ability to look, but not everybody has the ability to see. Why do people do what they do? Then put those words together and write and write. It is a process in which you can be taught all the “how tos,” but it is also one in which you can only learn by doing.

Thanks again to Ken Mochizuki for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the tour please check Provato Events.

Interview with Author Maureen McQuerry

Maureen McQuerry is a writer and teacher living in Richland, Washington. She is the author of Nuclear Legacy, (IP award winner) and Student Inquiry, and her new YA fantasy novel, Traveler's Market, released in July with Idylls Press. It is the second in the Wolfproof Trilogy.



What inspired you to write Traveler’s Market?
It’s the sequel to Wolfproof and follows naturally from the first adventure when characters from Celtic myth get involved in the lies of three middle school students. Traveler’s Market explains why these mythic figures choose Timothy James Maxwell. It also begins the quest for the Stone of Destiny, an important piece of Timothy’s own destiny. The more I researched British and Celtic mythology, the more intrigued I became with the legends. The battle scene at the market is based on the legendary Battle of the Trees.

The character of Nom the rat catcher was inspired by a “skunk exterminator” who helped us get rid of a skunk family under our porch. During a trip to NY’s Central Park, I was intrigued by the gates and their inscriptions. The Hunter’s Gate became the portal to the market. So many details come together to inspire and build a story.

Why did you choose the fantasy genre?
Fantasy is the most popular genre for middle grade and YA audiences. One reason is that fantasy allows us, the reader, to be the hero that slays the dragon. It reminds us that we are all more than meets the eye. I think that’s a powerful message for all readers, but especially for middle grade students who are trying to fit in and decide who they are. G.K. Chesterton says: “Fairytales are more than true, not because they tell us there are dragons, but because they tell us the dragon can be defeated.” We know there are dragons in the world, but it also important to know that even the most unlikely person can be the one to defeat the dragon. The best fantasy is ennobling. That’s why we love the Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. It’s the ancient battle of good against evil.

How does your experience as an educator influence your writing?
My students inhabit my stories. Not actual students, but bits and pieces of many of them. Because I worked with gifted kids for many years, the protagonists of the Wolfproof Trilogy, Timothy, Sarah and Jessica all fit into that category. Timothy especially finds himself an outsider in school. The things that fascinate him, words, puzzles, inventions don’t always resonate with his friends. In fact, when Timothy wants to think of just the right word, he pictures Scrabble tiles and adds up the points. I’ve had students tell me that the dialogue is very realistic. I guess it’s because I still have their voices ringing in my ears.

I also believe that middle grade students deserve beautiful writing. While plot and action are important, beautiful language, interesting vocabulary should be part of the books they read. It is difficult to find literary middle grade fiction. I wanted to write some.

Can you mention some of your favorite YA books?
Once and Future King—TH White—King Arthur, Merlin and the round table.
Peace Like a River---not marketed YA but with a compelling YA narrator—great storytelling!
Hobbit—Tolkein of course!
I Capture the Castle—Romance, growing up and figuring out who you are.
Dark is Rising series—Susan Cooper

What book are you reading now?
Summer! Such a great time to read and I read three books I want to mention.
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt set in historical NY has a touch of magical realism, Alfred Tessla who invented the radio and a flying machine.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli—the story of Max, born looking like a old man who becomes physically younger as he ages, is poignant.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle—Hamlet, dogs and a mute boy all rolled into one beautifully written, sad story.

Do you have any advice for young writers?
Yes! Write! Don’t put off writing because you don’t feel inspired. If people waited to be inspired books would not be written. Don’t put off writing because you don’t think you’re not old enough to publish. There are plenty of publishing opportunities for young writers. See the student writers tab on my website http://www.maureenmcquerry.com/ for some suggestions.

Write every day. Every time you write you get a little bit better.

Read! The best writers are readers. Read a wide variety of genres and styles. Stretch yourself. And read like a writer. Go back and see how a writer does something you admire. How do they make the character so real? How did they manage to scare you, make you laugh or cry.

Some of the best advice comes from a writer I admire, Jane Yolen. B.I.C. Butt in Chair!
Many people have great ideas, but the hard work is showing up every day and putting those ideas on paper when there are so many other things that call for our attention.


Thanks again to Maureen McQuerry for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the blog tour please check Provato Events.