Christmas Interview with Children's Author Caroline Stills

It's a fun and exciting time of year especially fun to learn what authors get up to. My next guest blogger is children's author Caroline Stills.

What does Christmas mean to you? 

Christmas to me is about celebrating family and being thankful for the wonderful life we have.  

How did you celebrate Christmas as a child?

My family lived on a farm in NZ. Before each Christmas, my dad would cut a branch from one of the pine trees that grew nearby so we always had a ‘real’ tree to decorate. I now associate the scent of pine with Christmas. 

I remember the excitement of trying to stay awake on Christmas Eve to hear Father Christmas and his reindeer landing on our roof but I could never manage to keep my eyes open for long enough. My siblings and I usually received a new outfit for Christmas along with some toys. I felt special wearing my new clothes to Christmas Mass where I enjoyed singing Christmas carols. 

Do you have a family Christmas tradition? Tell us about it. 

To me, having children around is what makes Christmas 

so special. Just like when I was a child, I now make sure my children always have a real tree to decorate on the first weekend in December (though it is now delivered to us by the local scout group).  I love seeing how excited my girls get before Christmas, writing letters to Santa, making cards for their friends, and making and buying gifts for family.  At least one day immediately before Christmas is spent in the kitchen, together, making special treats to share with extended family (who we always catch up with around Christmas) - like chocolate truffles and a gingerbread house.  

On Christmas day itself, it’s fun to get up in the morning to watch my daughters excitedly open their gifts from Santa. Even if the day is hot, the main meal on Christmas day is always roast veggies with ham and turkey, followed by Christmas pudding served with my mum’s special brandy sauce. I am blessed to have such a beautiful healthy loving family and I always reflect on this on Christmas day. 

What will you be reading over Christmas? 

Another tradition with my immediate family (me, hubby, children) is to spend a few days at the beach sometime in January. It’s all about relaxing and spending time together, and there is always time for a good book or two. This holiday I hope to read “World War Z” by Max Brooks (love a good zombie story before the movie comes out next year, and “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn which is on many “best reads” list for 2012. 

A very happy festive season to you, Renee, and to all your blog readers. 

Caroline Stills 

Interview with Children's Author Caroline Stills

Welcome Caroline Stills to Books for Little Hands.

Thanks for having me at your wonderful blog, Renee.

When did you first know that you wanted to be an author?

I had a nagging urge to write a particular novel for some time, but didn’t actually act on it until after the birth of my first baby, when I became a stay-at-home mum. I thought I would have heaps of time to write while looking after a baby and it was quite a shock to the system to discover otherwise. But I did join a writing group, the Lazy River Writers, who were very encouraging, and I slowly started to put pen to paper. It took me a few years to finish that novel manuscript – it was my way of leaning to write fiction. 

What was your journey to published author like?

When I first started to take my writing seriously, I didn’t actually set out to write for children, but my own little darlings inspired me by giving me an idea for a picture book. That idea, “Magic Mummy” became my first manuscript for children, and eventually my first published book. I know I was incredibly lucky to have my first story for children accepted for publication but it didn’t happen quickly - I had been writing other types of fiction for five-six years beforehand. I now ADORE writing for children.


What's the best part about writing for children?

Doing what I love and am passionate about, at the same time as being home for my children. I am able to fit my “creative” life around my “real” life.


What’s the hardest part about writing for children?
Having a manuscript I love rejected, and the fiscal challenge.


Tell us about your latest books.

I have had two picture books published in the last 12 months.

 

(1) An A to Z of Fairies, illustrated by Heath McKenzie and published by Little Hare Books (a division of Hardie Grant Egmont).

I had fun researching fairies and other magical creatures for this book. Inside, you’ll find the usual assortment of fairies, elves and pixies, but you’ll also find Dryads, Selkies, the wicked  Unseelie Court and the beautiful Xanas. This book

is for children who love fairies.
(2) The House of 12 Bunnies, co-authored with my daughter, Sarcia, illustrated by Judith Rossell, and also published by Little Hare Books (in Aust, NZ and the UK).

This book is special to me because I wrote it with my daughter (age 8 at the time). It is a fun counting book, filled with Judith’s adorable little bunnies. It has just been published, by Holiday House, in the US, and has been acquired by publishers in China, Taiwan, Korea and Germany, so I’m pretty excited about that.


Do you plan your picture books and if so how?

 Yes, I’m big on planning. I need to know where I’m going before I start. I like to have in mind the general arc of the story and how it will end. But I’m also okay with changing things during the editing process, if it will make my story more engaging.
 

When and where do you write?  

I write from home and I prefer a quiet environment to write. When my children were babies I wrote when they slept. My youngest daughter is now at school, so now I write during school hours.


What's next?  

I have another picture book due out next year, with the working title of “Mouse Circus”. My text for this book is now with the illustrator. I’m currently working on my first attempt at a Young Adult novel (fingers crossed something will become of it) and I have some other ideas for children’s books that I’m looking forward to working on. I’m very fortunate to be living a life that I love.
You can find out more about my writing by visiting my website: http://www.carolinestills.com/

Interview with 'Award Winning Children's Author' Libby Gleeson

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Yes, but I also wanted to do other things like be a pilot and be a teacher.

What do you enjoy about being a writer?

Creating something. Playing with language. Taking an idea that you think might work and seeing it through to a finished work. I love not having to go to work! I love staying in jeans and ugg boots all day!

Where do you get your ideas from?

Everywhere - sometimes things my kids or other members of the family have done. Sometimes books come from firmly held political or social views but always with a belief that characters, not issues, are the heart of the story.

How long does it take you to write a picture book?

How long is a piece of string? 'Cuddletime' took a few hours. 

'I am Thomas' took nine years! Many take a few months but also all those years of apprenticeship.

Tell us about your latest picture book 'Look A Book'.

Look a book began as a story about how to look after a book. The very minimal text inspired Freya Blackwood to burst forth and create fabulous, fantastic pictures. She's a marvellous illustrator.

Where is your favourite place to write?

At my desk looking over the garden.

What makes you passionate about writing?                                        

I'm hooked on story.

Can you please describe a typical day for you?

It's hard because so many are not typical. If it's a writing day I may sit down after the coffee and the Sydney Morning Herald and write till lunch time. Then I take a break and I sometimes get back to writing but I may end up answering emails or doing my tax or something like that. Often I go to meetings of the different boards or committees that I am on.

What's your secret to making the character's in your books come to life?

Detail. Relevant credible detail that builds reality into the life of the character.

 

What advice do you give aspiring authors?

Read, read and read some more. And write lots.

Award Winning Australian Author, Libby Gleeson has published over 30 books for children and teenagers.  

Libby's picture books include, Clancy and Millie and The Very Fine Houses, Amy and Louis, The Great Bear, Uncle David, and The Princess and the Perfect Dish. 

Libby has been shortlisted for the CBCA Awards twelve times; she won the Book of the Year for Younger Readers Award in 1997 with Hannah and the Tomorrow Room, and the Picture Book of the Year Award in 2002 for An Ordinary Day. 

The Great Bear (with Armin Greder) won the Bologna Ragazzi Award in 2000, the first time an Australian title won this prestigious award. 

Her books for teenagers include Eleanor, Elizabeth, I Am Susannah, Dodger, Love Me, Love Me Not and Refuge. The Hannah series - Skating on Sand, Hannah Plus One and Hannah and the Tomorrow Room - are award-winning junior fiction titles.

Libby has been a teacher and lecturer and is actively involved in writers' organisations. In 1997 she was awarded the Lady Cutler award for services to Children’s Literature and in 2007 she received an AM for services to literature and literacy education.