Interview with Alyce Joy, Author of Ka-Boom
Please welcome Alyce Joy to the blog today. I can certainly relate to the answer she has about becoming organized and learning to file things on the computer. I have been writing for years and still can't seem to get a good filing system going. Enjoy the interview and feel free to comment. Alyce will be on later today to respond.
1 - Tell us a little bit about your background and how you
became an author.
I am a mother of 4, a grandmother of 13 and a
great-grandmother of 13. I have been
married 54 years. I always loved art,
writing and composing stories for my grandchildren. As I had so many stories, my family and
friends encouraged me to put them down in writing. My stories always involve one of my
grandchildren. I have 5 siblings who
also are artistic. My brother, Kelly,
who is an accomplished painter and an excellent writer of historical
thrillers. My sister, Sandy, who paints
on porcelain and jewelry, she is a fantastic free style painter. I am very proud of them both.
2 - Tell us about your current book. Give a short summary.
(You can follow this up with any points you hope readers will take away with
them)
KA-BOOM! is the
first in a series of possibly 8 books.
It is about a trouble, plagued fairy, with a shoe fetish. The fairy of Spiritesville, sends her to
different locations to do a job, whatever it might be. She is not a perfect fairy, for she gets into
a lot of serious difficulties. Somehow,
she always saves the day. Everyone loves
her, but she endures a lot of teasing because of her wild shoe fetish. Sprout the fairy meets Taylor, a feisty
little girl and the fun begins. I hope
the children learn about giving everyone a fair chance to show who they really
are. Don’t look down on people who don’t
appear to look how you think they should look.
3 - Can you tell us about your publisher and how the process
worked in getting published?
I got a call from Bernita, at Halo Publishing International,
after my husband saw an advertisement on the TV. He called to find about it. We talked several times about it on the
phone. Bernita sent me all the
information. When I finished reading it,
and hearing the difference between having an agent, or going with Halo
Publishing, I was sold. Lisa Umina, the
founder and award winning author of The
Milo Series, has been wonderful getting me through this process. Step by step, they are with you all the
way. I am going to say the same about
Virginia Grenier, the chief editor and award winning author of Babysitting Sugarpaw. I’m just a grandma, who writes. I’m cramming to learn my computer and all
this high tech stuff and they are cramming to learn what my emails are
saying. I can’t say enough about these
ladies that deal with me. Everyone at
Halo Publishing International, has been wonderful. Halo has their own illustrators. I was very pleased to meet Diane Lucas. I was blown away when I learned she lives in
Nova Scotia. She did a beautiful job on
the illustrations for KA-BOOM.
4 – How did you get the idea for this book?
Taylor was going through a phase where everything she said
was so funny, and she was always serious.
Putting those things together with where she lives, and the huge pond
and listening to the frogs, was all I needed to get it together.
5 – What is a typical writing day like for you?
I have a nice quiet place to write. During the day I write off and on. Sometimes I write into the night. It depends on what is going on in my
head. We have no air-conditioning, so in
the summer I put the fan on the floor across from my desk and turn it on
high. I am happy with my long fruit
juice Popsicle upside down in my glass and cool air on my legs.
6 – What do you enjoy most about writing?
It relaxes me. I
like to be alone with my thoughts and watch them develop into a good story.
7 – What is the most difficult part of writing?
The difficult part is when you are really into your story
and you want to get it all down, when someone knocks on the door. You are the only one there and it could be an
emergency, so you answer the door, it’s a classmate of your husband’s and he’s
not home yet so you have to entertain until he arrives. How do you keep everything in your head, plus
what you were scheming in the back of your mind to write in later? Well, it all works out eventually.
8 – How has publishing a book changed your life?
It is showing me how disorganized I am. Right now I am still learning how to use the
darn computer. I have to set up a filing
system and put everything where it is supposed to be.
9 – If your book is based on true events, how has that
affected those around you?
N/A
10 – What are your plans now?
We are setting up book signings and school visits once
school starts. Interviews with local
news papers and TV interviews.
11 – What is your best tip for aspiring authors?
Set goals to aim for.
I didn’t do that because I didn’t know I would be doing this at age
75. If you really want it, never give
up. In this country, you can do anything
you want. You just have to make up your
mind and work like the dickens for it.
My husband is 83 years old, I talked him into writing. His writing space is a card table under the
stairs. Some of the stories he can tell
would curl your hair.
12 – What advice can you give adults, children and/or teens
as they prepare for life?
Don’t get stuck in the past.
Life is a blast now. You’ll have
to keep up with technology in order to keep up with life in today’s world. You have to make a plan and stick with
it. There is nothing wrong with revising
your plan as you go through life. Never
give up!
13 – Is there anything else you would like to share with our
readership?
Not at this time.
14 – Do you make school visits or do speaking or book
signing engagements.
This is all new to me.
I’ve never done them, but I am pretty sure of how I will do them. I will have plenty of questions to ask them
about the subjects and useful gifts they can use. Also I think some games would be good.
15 – Do you have a website?
I have website:
alycejoy.com
My book, KA-BOOM,
can be found at:
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