Author of the new release The Most Dangerous, Terri Fields kicked off a blog book tour on October 1st. I had the opportunity to interview here, and be a stop on her tour. For years, I have enjoyed reading books from authors that Sylvan Dell Publishing promotes. This is how I came to learn about Terri Fields and her new book.
Below is my interview with Terri Fields. From my interview with Terri, I learned so much about her as an author, and what inspired her to write this and other books. She is definitely a children's author worth following. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading her new book with my nephew. And, he thought it was the coolest thing. :-)
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Write, revise, revise, revise, and then submit. Don’t submit your first or second draft of your work, and remember that editing is important, but it isn’t revision. Finally, do submit. The manuscript in your drawer will never be published, and if it is rejected, don’t be discouraged. Submit again. Some of the most famous children’s book authors were told no many times before the yes finally came. How sad it would have been for all who read and cherished their books if those authors had given up at the first no.
Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?
About the book:
Dangerous animals from all over the world gather for the Most Dangerous Animal of All Contest. Snakes, spiders, sharks . . . who will the winner be? Deadly poison, huge teeth, razor -sharp horns, and fearsome feet are just a few of the ways that animals kill. Predators mean to kill. Prey simply defend themselves. And yet, the unexpected most deadly-animal doesn’t mean to harm at all! The Most Dangerous
For The Most Dangerous, I wanted to write a book that would grab reluctant readers with an immediate sense of excitement and danger. Once they’d read the book, I wanted them to think about animals in nature. What makes them prey or predators? What makes them dangerous? As a former teacher, I know that the first victory in the battle or turning reluctant readers into readers is getting kids to be excited enough to want to open a book and find out what happens. Also, as I write, I try to remember that although I want to keep the reading easy, the concepts can still be sophisticated.
How did you get interested in writing this particular genre?
I have always loved the flexibility of writing for many different age groups about many different topics. For example, this is a picture book about some animals who can talk, and the book I wrote previous to this one is a YA entitled My Father’s Son which is an intense novel about a teenage boy who learns the father he has idolized may be a serial killer who has terrorized three states. Obviously, these two books are for very different audiences!
Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?
I love to read. I try to read four or five books each week, and I enjoy finding different kinds of books and new authors.
What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
I don’t really have a typical day. If I’m at a critical point, and things are going well, I may write all night. If nothing seems to be working, I may abandon the writing and go for a long walk.
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
It’s all hard! Sometimes, like in Danger in the Desert, I have a great book, but the beginning won’t work. Sometimes, like in My Father’s Son, I have a terrific idea, but the ending won’t work. Sometimes, like in Holdup, I’ll work on a character for a year, and then I’ll end up cutting him from the book.
What’s the best thing about being an author?
I do a lot of school author visits throughout the country and have done a number of teacher workshops as well. When a student comes up to me and tells me that s/he couldn’t put the book down or a teacher says that my book was the first one that s/he could get a student to read and enjoy, I feel as if I’m on top of the world.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a picture book, a middle-grades novel, and two YA novels, but none of them are close enough to being ready to discuss them yet.
What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
I’d like to be asked how it felt to be the most widely read children’s author in the world, and I’d say it felt absolutely, superbly, amazingly wonderful. Realistically, I don’t think that question will be coming my way too soon. However, I am grateful for the many readers I do have, and for all of those who have liked my books enough to give them numerous awards.
About the Author:
Terri Fields has written nineteen books which have garnered a number of awards including the Maud Hart Lovelace Award for Middle Grades Fiction, the Georgia Children’s Choice Award, being named to the Recommended Reading List for Chicago Public School, the TAYSHAS (Texas) Reading List, the Southwest Books of the Year List, and as one of the 100 Top Kid Picks in Children’s Books in Arizona. Ms Fields has enjoyed sharing her books with children all over the world through author visits. In addition to writing, Ms. Fields has also been an educator who has been named Arizona Teacher of the Year, and been selected as one of the twenty teachers on the All-USA Teacher Team of the nation’s top educators. Terri Fields has worked with students in first through twelfth grade. Ms. Fields sees the world around her in terms of the wonderful stories it reveals.
Don't forget to visit Terri Field's website - www.terrifields.com
---BUY NOW--
The Most Dangerous has been published in hardcover, paperback, Spanish and as an e-book (Hardcover ISBN: 781607185260 , $17.95, Paperback ISBN: 9781607185352 , $9.95) -- Visit Sylvan Dell Publishing to learn more about this book and where to purchase it --
http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/bookpage.php?id=MostDangerous
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of the author's book to help me in sharing this author interview post with you. The views above are mine and mine alone.
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