Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!
Where we celebrate new books by Michigan's children's book authors and illustrators
Congratulations to Heather Shumaker on the release of her debut MG book, THE GRIFFINS OF CASTLE CARY!
Q#1: The Griffins of Castle Caryis your debut middle grade novel, but certainly not your first book. What made you decide to switch gears and write this particular story?
Oh, I’ve always wanted to write for children. Ever since I was four years old and decided to grow up and become an author. Children’s book authors were my heroes growing up, and it’s quite an amazing thing to become one.
I sort of slipped into publishing backwards and eased my way into fiction. In retrospect, that was smart because fiction can be much harder to sell than nonfiction. I started off writing nonfiction for adults,but knew in my heart that I would someday write children’s fiction. When I got my agent, I remember quizzing her: “Do you represent children’s middle grade, too? Because that’s the direction I’m going.”
Q#2: This is the exact type of story that I loved reading when I was growing up. What do you hope kids will experience when reading about the Griffin kids?
That’s funny. This is the kind of book I loved reading as a child, too. That’s why I wrote it. I want kids to experience the suspense and excitement of the story, plus the courage and ingenuity of the Griffin children so much that they’ll fall deeply in love with reading. I loved page-turning adventures about a group of siblings who encounter mysteries and magic when I was a kid. Where everything ratchets up to incredible tension, and then everything turns out all right in the end, and you’re left yearning for ‘more.’
Q#3: Who is your author idol and how have they influenced your work?
Like most avid readers and authors, I have so many. But for this book, the most direct influences are probably E. Nesbit and Ruth M. Arthur. These British authors bring magic into ordinary life and delight in the chaos that results. There’s no disappearing into a fantasy world in these stories, the fantasy mixes with the familiar, every day world to create humor and mishap.
Q#4: Do you mind sharing some writing advice for those who are just starting out or maybe need a little inspiration?
Sure, that’s my favorite thing to do (besides writing books). Write from your heart. Souls write books, logical minds revise them. When you write from your heart, readers will respond. Successful writing is a tricky combination of complete confidence and open humility. You need both to get better and write a decent story. Have confidence that you can tell this story, then be humble when outsiders tell you how you can make it better.
And, practically speaking, find a time of day to write and stick to it. Remember: there is never a convenient time to write a novel. There will always be jobs, bills, children, health issues and aging parents. Now you are alive. Now you are passionate. Go forward.
Q#5: What are your future writing/book goals?
I could write middle grade books forever. This is where I feel at home. I’m already on chapter 16 of my next book for kids. This one is historical fiction, which takes more research, but I find every book takes vast amounts of research to create an authentic story.
A little bit about the book:
A charming, adventure-filled novel full of non-stop action and escalating suspense.
Siblings Meg, Will, and Ariel Griffin are off on an adventure! They can’t wait to visit their eccentric aunt and her giant, tongue-drooling Newfoundland dog in England. But when they arrive, they discover this town has a bit of a ghost problem.
Add in some peculiar lights, strange new friends, a police chase and some stampeding sheep, and the Griffin kids are in over their heads—literally. The children must race to solve the mystery before the ghosts take something that doesn’t belong to them.
A rollicking mystery about the yearnings to be seen, and the love and empathy required to see. It kept me, like the Griffin children, guessing until the very end. I loved it.
~ Jack Cheng, Golden Kite Award winner, See You in the Cosmos
A little bit about the author:
Heather Shumaker is the author of books for children and adults, including two “renegade parenting” books, It’s OK Not to Share, and It’s OK to Go Up the Slide.Her books have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Romanian, and Russian, and she’s a frequent speaker about her books. This spring, Heather will keynote at the Michigan Library Association’s Spring Institute, an annual conference for the state’s children’s librarians.
How people can find you and your book?
Blog, podcast and author newsletter
The Griffins of Castle Cary comes out March 5, 2019, available in bookstores everywhere.
Ages 8-12.
Congrats on your new book, Heather! And thanks for your wise advice. I need to follow the one about committing more time to my writing.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your MG debut, Heather, and for sharing your experience with us!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fun book. I can't wait to read it again.
ReplyDelete