Check It Out

Two Bobbies, a True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survivalwas nominated for a CYBIL Award this past year. It is a compelling story about two Hurrican Katrina survivors, a cat and a dog both named “Bobbie”.  Animal stories are among the most difficult for me to read (tears, happy but tears) but this story is a must read to students of all ages.  What a compassionate story.

Provato Marketing is hosting a “Winter Blog Tour 2009″. For the tour, I had the privelge to interview Kirby Larson, one of the authors of the Two Bobbies.  We met last fall at the Second Annual Kidlitosphere Blogging Conference. Kirby decided to brave the waters of blogging and has recently joined Facebook.

Interview Questions

What have you recently published and what are you currently working on?
I wrote a book with my dear friend, Mary Nethery, called TWO BOBBIES: A TRUE STORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA, FRIENDSHIP AND SURVIVAL, which came out in August.
Mary and I are finishing up another joint project, due out this coming fall. In the meantime, I’ve been working on another historical novel, this one more middle grade.

What books are on your night stand?
I have quite the assortment! I’ve just finished a Dear America book, and a book called THE LOST ART OF WALKING. I’m reading AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER and under that is ANTSY DOES TIME and THE PORCUPINE YEAR.

What does a day of work look like for you?
It varies somewhat but mostly I start out by doing the NY Times crossword puzzle over a cup of green tea. Then I head up to my study (just upstairs) and answer emails and get to work. Lately, final revisions of the next book with Mary have been taking up my day. But my novel is getting some attention!

When did you know you wanted to write/illustrate?
I’ve always been a reader, which I think led me to want to be a writer. I had no idea I could ever write books, however, because when I was growing up I had no idea real people, people like me, could do that job. My life changed when I read Arnold Lobel’s MING LO MOVED THE MOUNTAIN to my children – it inspired me to start down the writing road.

If you were not a writer, what job would you like to have?
There’s no other job I could love this much!
What are some jobs you have had along the way that has helped you in your writing?
My undergraduate degree is in Broadcast Communication so I was trained in journalism; that was a huge help. One of the jobs I had working myself through college was typing up poems for one of my professors who was a poet – that taught me to type fast and accurately. And finally — this was not a job, really, but being the oldest of four taught me a lot about bossing people around, which is helpful when I have to boss myself around and tell myself to get to work.
What advice to do you have for a would be writers?
I would say read, read, read! And write, write, write. After they’d done that for awhile, I’d tell them to join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and go to conferences to learn about the business and to make life-long friends who share their passion. I couldn’t survive without my critique group, so I’d advise creating/joining one but don’t be in a rush to do so. It’s an important decision.
What book do you wish you had written?
Oh, too many to name! I really, really wish I’d written the first line of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, by Kate DiCamillo; I wish I had Ann Whitford Paul’s sense of rhythm and rhyme; I wish I had Mary Nethery and Dave Patneaude’s sense of plot and I really, really wish I could tell stories like Barbara O’Connor, Laurie Halse Anderson, Karen Cushman and Kathi Appelt.

Whom would you most like to meet?
What an intriguing question! I don’t think there’s just one person but after reading her book, THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY, I really, really wanted to have coffee with Maira Kalman.
What was your favorite book as a child? As a teen? As an adult? Any particular genre stand out?
I was such a bookworm (well, I still am) that I don’t have one title that stands out. I treasured my copy of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, not for the story, but because it was the one and only book I owned as a kid. I loved reading Russell Hoban’s HOW TOM BEAT CAPTAIN NAJORK AND HIS HIRED SPORTSMEN with my kids when they were small, and stories like GOOD NIGHT, MR. TOM and Lloyd Alexander’s Westmark Trilogy have stuck with me through all the years and all the books.

Chocolate: white, dark, or milk?
Rice. Unsweetened. Plain.
Coffee or tea?
Green tea first thing in the morning, followed by a mid-morning latte.
Dance Funky chicken or the tango?
Tango!!! My husband and I are taking salsa lessons now.
Writing the first draft or revising? Which is your favorite?
Revising. First drafts make my head and stomach hurt.
Favorite time of the day to work?
Mornings are nice, but I can write any time.
Is there a question you wished I would have asked?
Yes. I wish you had asked if I adore librarians. And the answer is “yes!”

By the way, Kirby’s novel, Hattie Big Skywas a 2007  Newbery Honor Book.  I listened to the book last fall and if you have not read it, run to your nearest library and get it. 

Thanks again to Kirby Larson for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the tour please check www.provatoevents.com

Nonfiction Monday is hosted by The Miss Rumphius Effect today.