. . . That is, Sandra Feder's "Next Big Thing" on the Next Big Thing Blog Tour. I tapped Sandra last week at the end of my turn on the tour, and here she is. I'm going to step out of the way so you can listen to her. Presenting Sandra Feder, author of Daisy's Defining Day and Daisy's Perfect Word:
SANDRA FEDER'S NEXT BIG THING
I am excited to be participating in The Next Big Thing blog tour. The idea is that one author “taps” another – kind of an author version of tag – to get more information out into the blogosphere on coming attractions in the literary world. I am so excited that Debbie tapped me last week and has kindly offered to host my post this week. I am the author of the Daisy Series, an early chapter book series about a girl who loves words and language. It’s a subject that is near and dear to my heart and the hearts of most authors I know! 1) What is the working title of your next book?The first book in the series is called Daisy’s Perfect Word and the second, which just came out, is called Daisy’s Defining Day. In that one, Daisy discovers the joys of alliteration when her teacher introduces the concept to her class – thus, the alliterative title. In book three, which will be out next March, Daisy learns about poetry and the working title of that one is Daisy’s Big Night. 2) Where did the idea come from for the book?The idea of a character who loves words came from listening to my own daughters have fun playing with language when they were younger. In Daisy’s Defining Day, the title character gets called a nickname she doesn’t like and decides to come up with a fabulous new name for herself that will make everyone forget the nickname. One of my daughters came up with a very long name for herself when she was little, and we all had much fun trying to remember it. 3) What genre does your book fall under?While there are some ideas I got for my books by watching my own kids and other people’s kids – my books are pure fiction. As a former newspaper reporter, I love the freedom fiction allows me to make up characters, settings and situations. 4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?I would love to discover an unknown child actress to play Daisy, because she is so much her own person that I think she needs someone fresh to create her on screen. She is spirited, thoughtful, kind and full of energy. The physical characteristics the young actress ideally would have are naturally curly hair and a dimple in her left cheek. Daisy’s little sister Lily is also a great character who has her own spunk and way of doing things. 5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?When Daisy gets called a nickname she doesn’t like, she does what any word-loving girl would do and uses her words to come up with a long, alliterative name for herself to make everyone forget the annoying nickname. 6) Who is publishing your book?Kids Can Press, which is a wonderful Canadian publishing house. I feel very honored to work with them, as they don’t publish too many American authors. 7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?It’s very hard to say, because I originally created the story as a picture-book text. Then, with help from a great editor, realized it would work better as an early chapter book. So I rewrote it completely and discovered I loved the longer format in terms of being able to expand the story and more fully develop my characters. 8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?It has been compared by others to Clementine and Frindle, as well as Fancy Nancy. 9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?When I wrote for newspapers, I learned about the power of words and wanted to help kids understand the power words have in the world. So a character who thinks about words and language seemed natural. Daisy is accessible and interesting, so that kids will see how much fun it is to think about words in creative and new ways. 10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?Readers have told me that they like the “real world” aspects of the story in terms of the types of conflicts Daisy faces with peers, as well as the meaningful relationships she has with her best friend and her little sister.
Now, it is my turn to tag someone to write the next installment of The Next Big Thing blog tour. I am delighted to tap Pamela Jane, who can be found online at http://www.pamelajane.com. On her site you will find information about her latest project, a fun romp through Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice featuring kitties! One of the great things about this blog tour is that it allows authors to share their connections to each other. I am connected to Pamela Jane through a wonderful group of women writer’s in Pennsylvania, where I used to live. The Inkweavers taught me how to write for children. I am grateful to Ruth Radin, Kay Winters, and Sally Keehn for their help and guidance, as well as to all the other wonderful women in the group. Pamela Jane will be posting her answers to the above questions soon so check her blogs, http://prideandprejudiceandkitties.com/blog/ and http://blog.pamelajane.com/ to learn more and to find out which author she taps for The Next Big Thing.-- Sandra Feder
Thank you, Sandra, for sharing your Next Big Thing!
