Yesterday, I mentioned Margot Finke as a contributor to The Purple Crayon, Harold D. Underdown’s website for children’s writers. Now you have the chance to find out more about Margot in this interview by Mayra Calvani.

Interview with MARGOT FINKE, Children’s Author
Interview by Mayra Calvani

Do you consider yourself to be a born writer?
Yes. From childhood I scribbled down story ideas and wrote short stories.

Tell us about your recent release. What was your inspiration for it?
Guardian Angel Publishing will be releasing my picture book, Rattlesnake Jam, in the first half of 2008, in soft cover and CD. This rhyming romp tells about Pa catching rattlesnakes for crazy Gran. She cooks and bottles them as her “cure all” jam, but Pa longs for rattler served up on rice – just once! Artist Kevin Scott Collier’s illustrations are just crazy enough to make kid’s eyes pop! Rattlesnake Jam will be available from Amazon, the publisher, and through my website.

Tell us about your children’s books.
I have a rhyming, 6 book series, available on CD and download. Fun and educational, they tell about animals from the U. S. and Australia. Purchase through the BOOKS page on my website (Publisher: Writers Exchange)

Two of the illustrators for this series live in Turkey. One speaks no English and has no computer. The other has a little English and does use a computer. Both are celebrated illustrators and artists in Europe. Thanks to e-mail, and a generous English-speaking friend on a writing list, who acted as go-between and interpreter, Kangaroo Clues and Never Say BOO to a Frilly were delightfully illustrated. The other four artists come from various areas in the USA. They were chosen due to the marvels of e-mail and the internet.

Kids who want to discover more fun information about the critters in this series, can go to either the “Down-under Fun” or the “Wild US Critters” pages on my website.

Some writers go on long walks, others keep a journal, write at a café, or listen to music. What do you do for inspiration and unleashing your creativity?
Great writing thoughts usually pop into my head after I go to bed. I sneak into the bathroom in the dark, and close the door. I keep paper and pencil there – just in case. . .
So, enthroned upon the toilet seat, I scribble down my ideas lest they disappear with the dawn. There must be something about taking a shower, and cleaning my teeth each night, that prods my inspirational juices to flow.

Are you a disciplined writer? What is your working style?
I got a late writing start, so now my kids are grown and on their own. I write every day in my office/flower room. This is where, every winter, I bring my delicate plants to survive the Oregon chill. My husband fitted Gro Lux lights to wall shelves, in what was once our family room. My plants and I enjoy a cozy winter together. It helps mitigate all that gray Oregon drizzle!

Do you like to outline and plot ahead, or are you more of a stream-of-consciousness writer?
A general idea strikes me, and I develop it as I write.

Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your works?
“Margot Finke’s World of Writing for Children” is my website. It has sprouted more pages on help for children’s writers than I can count – my BOOKS, Critique Service, Secrets of Writing For Children, WAHOO, School Visits, and much more.

What are you working on now?
Finding a publishers for two Aussie mid-grade boy’s adventures–a ghost mystery set in Oregon, and a letter-driven MG involving a Grandma and her grandson and the troubling forces that draw them together.

What was your experience in looking for a publisher?
Writing books is the easy part. Finding the right publisher is frustrating. Lots of research, networking with other writers, and carefully reading many submission guidelines finally did the trick.

What was your experience in working with an illustrator?
Very positive. I found all the artists for my rhyming animal series through writing lists I am on. Our minds seemed to be in harmony. We swapped thoughts and ideas until each was perfected. I am thrilled with the results.

What type of book promotion works for you? Any special strategies you’d like to share?
A good press release helped me get interviewed by a newspaper and a photo. School visits have worked very well so far, plus purchases through my website, and being a member of AuthorsDen and FaceBook. Lots of networking over the years, plus my “Musings” column, great reviews, and my website gives my name an excellent Google presence. I also sell my books where I do conference Workshops.

We hear again and again that picture books are incredibly difficult to write. Why is that?
Picture book writers need disciplined, sparse writing that makes the most of active and powerful verbs, and well chosen, evocative adjectives. The art of weaving in word clues for the illustrator, rather than whole sentences of descriptive clutter, is hard for many writers.
It’s all about choosing a few special words that paint unforgettable pictures in a child’s head. The craft of writing a really wonderful picture book comes with practice. Some writers “get it,” while others wisely decide their path lies with writing for older children.

How do you see the future of children’s picture books?
As long as there are children to delight and confound us, there will be picture books to do the same. In the near future, I think books read on light, easy to use, and affordable hand held readers, will come into their own. Kids today are computer savvy, and it is just a matter of time and technology, before books that talk and offer colored, animated illustrations, will be all the rage. The future is almost NOW!We hear again and again that picture books are incredibly difficult to write. Why is that?

What advice would you offer aspiring writers?
Read , read, read. Write, write, write. Go to conferences, and join a really good critique group. Stick-with-it-ness is vital.

I wanted to share a few of the books I’ve been reading.

WHAT THE SEA SAW by Stephanie St. Pierre. Peachtree, 2006. This poetic look at the sea, sky, and creatures is a visual treat. Beverly Doyle’s dramatic illustrations take the reader to the scene. Her lush blues and greens intensify the author’s lilting text. Truly, this picture book is a feast for both the eyes and ears. One that will be read over and over again.

ZIGGY’S BLUE-RIBBON DAY by Claudia Mills. Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2005.Ziggy dreads the school track-and-field day because he is not athletic. He is a good artist, however. When Ziggy decorates his ribbon folder—which is filled with last place ribbons—he is soon receiving blue ribbons in trade to decorate other’s ribbon folders. Mills simple story shows how each one of us has a unique talent—coming first in the race isn’t always important. But learning to use one’s own special gifts is important.

THE APPLE DOLL by Elisa Kleven. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2007. A young girl who “loved her apple tree” decides to keep it close by making a doll from one of the apples. With some help from her mother, Lizzy transforms the apple into a grandma doll. All the other children in her class want to learn how to make apple dolls. Lizzy feels welcomed. End papers with step-by-step instructions on making an apple doll.

EMMA DILEMMA AND THE NEW NANNY by Patricia Hermes. Marshall Cavendish, 2006. Emma’s beloved ferret, Marmaduke, causes trouble for her when he escapes his cage. Threatened with losing him, Emma defies authority and with the help of the new nanny sneaks him into school for show and tell. When Marmaduke bites a student, Emma’s cover is blown. Her busy mom is more frustrated than ever with Emma and her ferret, but the new nanny, Annie, intercedes. Annie calms the household, but she has a number of potentially dangerous mishaps around the children. Will the new nanny be forced to leave like so many of the earlier ones? The children, twins Lizzie & Ira, Tim, and precocious McClain, are deeply concerned. But Annie generous offers to help with Emma’s weekend soccer and finds a place in the family.

ROUGH, TOUGH CHARLEY by Verla Kay. Tricycle Press, 2007. The fascinating story of 19th century Charley Darkey Parkhurst is told in cryptic rhyme in this beautifully illustrated picture book. Excerpts of Charley’s adventurous life are highlighted from his runaway beginnings to his stagecoach daredevil feats and his encounters with gun-toting outlaws. But the most surprising event in the true story occurs when Charley dies, and all discover that Charley is really a woman—the first woman to vote in the United States.

THE ROAD TO PARIS by Nikki Grimes. G.P. Putnam’s, 2006. Young Paris faces a tough world with her older brother Malcolm the only person she can count on for sure. Her father is long gone, and her mother is an alcoholic who has a tendency to choose abusive boyfriends. When Paris and Malcolm run away from an awful foster home, they are separated—to Paris’ great regret. But Paris finally finds herself in a loving foster family with friends and a welcoming church choir where she praises God with her gifted voice. When Paris’ reformed mother calls nine months later wanting Paris and Malcolm to come back, Paris is faced with the tough decision to reunite her dysfunctional family or stay in the safety and love she has found. A heart-warming story of hope and resurrection and of the children in our modern society who have to face a difficult world at much too young an age. Nikki Grimes’ poetic voice sings true in this middle grade novel.