Today I'm happy to introduce Beverly Stowe McClure, author of the middle grade novel "A Pirate, a Blockade Runner and a Cat." Welcome, Beverly!
When did you discover
you had a “sense of fiction?”
At first I wrote nonfiction, mostly articles for children’s
magazines about things we did in the classroom, like art projects and science
experiments. They were published in children’s magazines such as Humpty Dumpty,
Jack and Jill, Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr., Ladybug and others. One
article was reprinted in a Scot Foresman PreK-K anthology. Then I decided to
try writing fiction and novels. And loved it. Haven’t stopped since. I think
reading great Newbery books with my students made me realize how important fiction
is in young readers’ lives. They learn so much about situations living through
a problem with the characters, without even realizing they’re learning.
What was your favorite
book as a child? As an adult? How did those influence you as a writer?
When I was a child I hated to read so I have no favorite
book. I loved to listen to fairy tales on the radio, however, so perhaps
somewhere in my mind, Cinderella, Snow White, and other stories stayed with me
as I grew older and finally became a reader and also discovered that writing
was fun.
What inspired you to
write this book?
I love ghost stories and lighthouses and pirates. On a visit
with our son and daughter-in-law in Charleston, SC, we went to the beach where
a lighthouse, decommissioned years ago, sat out in the middle of the water, now
dark and deserted. Only I saw it as a possible story. What if a ghost lived in
the lighthouse? Maybe a pirate? A blockade runner? Why was he there? What did
he want? What if some teens met these ghosts? What would happen?
How would you describe
your writing process? What must you always have while writing?
When an idea comes to me, whether it’s a voice telling me a
story, or a location that fascinates me, I just start writing. I might jot down
a scene that will happen somewhere in the story, but I don’t write a detailed
outline. My computer is an absolute necessity. I also write profile sheets for
my major characters, adding to them as I learn more about each character. I
like to interview them as well. What they don’t tell me is as interesting as
what they do tell me. A glass of iced tea to take a swig of makes me happy too.
I mustn’t forget my stuffed calico cat that sits on my printer, watching me.
(The real cats aren’t that interested.)
What has proven to be
your most successful marketing tool?
I enjoy blogging and blog hops, interviews and guest posts.
Whether they add to my sales or not, I don’t know, but they get my name and my
work out there.
What’s the best piece
of writing advice you’ve received?
The old cliché “Never give up.” It’s true. Keep trying. I
never know what will happen and when.
Please provide a
favorite excerpt from your book.
The rusty steps creaked and groaned
as I scaled them, two at a time. Goose
bumps skittered up and down my spine. Since my logical side
still doubted ghosts
existed, I wasn’t afraid of a ghost inhabiting the
lighthouse. I suspected the light
we’d seen came from somewhere else, a passing ship or a
house near the beach.
Even so, I had no plans to linger here longer than
necessary. I hoped Star didn’t
argue with me.
Her voice floated down from above
me. I paused. Though I couldn’t make out
her words, she was talking to someone. She sounded calm, not
frightened or
anything. Was some friend of hers playing a trick on us? If
so, it wasn’t funny, and
I’d tell him, her, or whoever so. I burst into the lantern
room, slid to a halt and
blinked. What on earth?
Star turned halfway. Her face
glowed. No, it wasn’t her face. A soft, silvery
light reflected off a fuzzy see-through man. Who was he?
What kind of trick was
he playing? Or was he even there? Maybe the dark was messing
with my vision.
The spot where Star stood glowed bright as day. I blinked.
The guy was still there.
Close enough to Star to touch her.
“Star.” I croaked in a froggy
voice.
To heck with words. The situation
called for action. We had to make tracks.
And fast. I lunged and snagged her arm. “C’mon.”
“Erik! Stop!” She peeled my fingers
off her arm. For a little girl, she was
mighty strong. “What are you doing?”
Wasn’t it obvious? “Saving you from
him.” I tipped my head at the illusion in
the mist. Yeah, I’d decided I was hallucinating. Since Star
was talking to the
vision, she was, too.
She dug her heels into the floor. I
couldn’t budge her. “Don’t be ridiculous,”
she said.
Ridiculous? Me? I’d call it taking
no chances when an unexplainable thing
floated in front of your eyes. Without warning, the silver
light reached out. Fingers
touched my shoulder. Cold soaked into my skin. My teeth
chattered. I sucked in air
as the thing said, “I mean you no harm, Erik.”
Where can readers find
you and your book?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beverlysmcclure
Good Reads: www.goodreads.com/beverlysmcclure
Library Thing: www.librarything.com/home/beverlyjean
Gather: http://memawriter.gather.com
MuseItUpPublishing:
http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=412&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1
I love that you came up with the idea for "A Pirate, A Blockade Runner and a Cat" simply by asking "what if?" Those often turn into the best books! Thanks for being my guest today, Beverly!
--KSR Writer
Thank you for letting me talk about my latest novel, Kathy. You ask great questions. I enjoyed sharing a bit about myself. I'm happy to answer questions and will check back later. A Pirate, a Blockade Runner, and a Cat is now available at Amazon, as well. http://amzn.to/WWZTAH
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.