AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
Today I welcome children's author Regan Macauley.
Please tell about your background.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can
remember—since childhood! During my
years at university and a number of years afterwards, I focused on plays and
screenplays. I turned to prose,
including short stories and children’s literature, in the early 2000s. I have also directed and produced theatre,
film and television for well over twenty years, though I am mostly focused on
writing at the moment. I am also a
Certified Canine (and feline) Massage Therapist (since 2013).
How did you decide to become a children's writer
and what steps did you take to make that happen?
I
actually started way back in grade six! My first picture book, “Beverlee Beaz
the Brown Burmese,” had been in the works for a VERY long time. I originally
wrote a version of the story as a Grade Six school project when I was a student
at R. A. Sennett Public School (in Whitby, Ontario). Students in my class were
to create the story and pictures for a picture storybook, and the project was
overseen by guest instructor and children's author Emily Hearn!
My story was about a Burmese cat having a "bad day adventure". At the time, it was called "Down, Out, and Around For Beverly." I also drew and coloured the illustrations. The next year, my book was shown to the students of Col. E. J. Farewell Public School as an example of what they could accomplish after their sessions with Ms. Hearn.
My writing continued, and in 2002 I became more serious about creating books for children. A couple of years later, I decided to update "Down, Out, and Around For Beverly" as one of my assignments for The Institute for Children’s Literature course (Writing for Children and Teenagers). I continued with the Institute for Children’s Literature, taking another course called Writing Children’s Books: The Craft and the Market. Eventually, I changed the title to "Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese" and started sending it out to publishers for consideration, this time as a story about the adventures of a Burmese cat with a wild imagination. A little while later, I teamed up with Alex Zgud (I met her when we worked at a pet shop together) and started submitting her sample illustrations along with my (many times revised) story. Cricket Cottage accepted the book for publication in the summer of 2014.
My story was about a Burmese cat having a "bad day adventure". At the time, it was called "Down, Out, and Around For Beverly." I also drew and coloured the illustrations. The next year, my book was shown to the students of Col. E. J. Farewell Public School as an example of what they could accomplish after their sessions with Ms. Hearn.
My writing continued, and in 2002 I became more serious about creating books for children. A couple of years later, I decided to update "Down, Out, and Around For Beverly" as one of my assignments for The Institute for Children’s Literature course (Writing for Children and Teenagers). I continued with the Institute for Children’s Literature, taking another course called Writing Children’s Books: The Craft and the Market. Eventually, I changed the title to "Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese" and started sending it out to publishers for consideration, this time as a story about the adventures of a Burmese cat with a wild imagination. A little while later, I teamed up with Alex Zgud (I met her when we worked at a pet shop together) and started submitting her sample illustrations along with my (many times revised) story. Cricket Cottage accepted the book for publication in the summer of 2014.
I also
started a number of other picture books, short stories, and one novel through
assignments at the Institute of Children’s Literature. The novel is currently under consideration at
a publisher here in Toronto. Shortly
after finishing my first course and before finishing the second course, I also
joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
I’m
particularly grateful for the increase in independent/hybrid publishers. I appreciate the work they do with editing,
design and printing/production (as well as some help with marketing and
promotion), while still having the freedom to fully participate in the process
and have an equal say in what happens with my books creatively. I am also forced to learn and carry out a
great deal of marketing and promotional, which I know very little about, but I am
learning so much.
Tell us about your book(s), especially about the
one you are promoting now. (I will list your books/covers in the blog.)
The book I’m promoting most heavily right now
is my second picture book, “Sloth the Lazy Dragon” (illustrated by Alex Zgud
and published by Guardian Angel Publishing this past May). I am holding “Sloth’s” official launch on
October 2nd at 2 p.m. at Ella Minnow Children’s Bookstore in Toronto
(where I live), and I’m tremendously excited about it! My husband, a past performer in theatre and
film and currently a Media Librarian at CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation) will be reading the book to an audience of youngsters shortly
after the two o’clock start time. The
kids can expect balloons and dragon-shaped cookies, as well as prizes after the
reading! I’m hoping some of the little
ones might dress up as dragons or dwarves.
Sloth’s synopsis: Sloth is a lazy and overweight
dragon taking up space atop of a hoard of gold and jewels within a mountain
inhabited by dwarves. One dwarf helps Sloth lose weight through diet and
exercise. The grateful dragon, now able to fly, leaves the dwarf and his people
a special gift. http://guardianangelpublishing.com/sloth.htm
I held a launch for my
first picture book, “Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese” (also illustrated by Alex
Zgud and published by Cricket Cottage Publishing in June 2015) at Ella Minnow
the same time last year, and it was quite a success! Julie Lemieux (voice of characters from the
big and small screens, including “The Nut Job,” “Arthur,” “Max & Ruby” and
more) read the story to the kids on that occasion.
“Beverlee
Beaz the Brown Burmese” is a story about a cat that longs for adventure and has the powerful
imagination to make it happen! On a lovely but otherwise ordinary day, she
seeks excitement among the forests and fields surrounding her home, where she
lets her imagination run wild. The ordinary suddenly becomes extraordinary in
the eyes of this little brown cat. http://thecricketpublishing.com/book-beverlee-beaz-the-brown-burmese
Two picture books coming
soon that I’d like to mention are “Tamara Turtle’s Life So Far” – a story told from the perspective of
Tamara, a red-eared slider turtle sold as a baby out of a pet store. She
outgrows her small tank just as quickly as the family’s interest in her drops.
She is released into the 'suburban wild,' but is fortunate enough to be rescued
and taken to the local shelter. She learns about the plight of turtles and
other special species that often have a great deal of difficulty getting
adopted. My multi-talented husband, Kevin, will be illustrating this book and
is working on the sketches 'as we speak.'
The other is a Christmas
story called “Merry Myrrh: The Christmas Bat,” to be published by Guardian
Angel Publishing at a date TBA. Once
again, the talented Alex Zgud will be providing the illustrations.
What is a typical writing day like for you?
Lately, it has involved a lot more marketing
than writing. Writing at the moment has included
the revision of two novellas intended for the adult market. I will be self-publishing one book imminently
(called “They Suck” – a vampire comedy/horror) and another next Halloween
(called “Horror at Terror Creek” – a parody of B-movie storylines involving
witch covens, zombies, Edgar Allan Poe, and more). Otherwise, I’ve been working on contest and
review submissions and looking for new and interesting ways to promote my
current picture books, and preparing my next two picture books for
publication. Every day is different and
involves books in the revision stage, work on books prior to their publication,
and the promotion of books that have already been published. I also recently started an outline for a new
novel while on a self-created writer’s retreat for myself and my husband, who
is also a writer – besides being a Media Librarian and former actor, sound
editor, illustrator and more.
What is the most difficult part of writing for
children?
Possibly writing the blurbs and/or
synopsis. Especially for novels. It’s a real skill to hook a potential reader
with a short and concise description.
What do you enjoy most about writing for
children?
One of the things I like the most is writing
from an animal’s perspective. I love
anthropomorphic characters, and this is something that doesn’t happen very
often (and is not usually approved of) in adult fiction. I love the opportunity children’s literature
provides to take my imagination to the absolute limit!
Do you make school visits? If so, please
describe a typical school presentation.
I have only just started doing this. I visited a school right at the end of this
past school year. It was wonderful—the
kids were fantastic! Basically I did a
reading of my first picture book, and I expect to do this again in the fall
(with both “Sloth” and “Beverlee”) for kindergarten and Grade One
students. Since the kids are so young,
this is the only kind of presentation I do at the moment. I will expand to a more complex presentation
(whether that involves writing itself, or the subject matter of my novel) when
I finally get a chance to visit schools with my novel, whenever it finally gets
published.
Do you have a website? If so, please give the URL.
Yes, I do. My author website is reganwhmacaulay.weebly.com.
I also have a fan page on Facebook: facebook.com/ReganWHMacaulay,
and you can find me on Twitter at ReganWHMacaulay.
My production (theatre and film) page is at www.tripletake.net.
My books also have their own Facebook fan pages.
Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese: https://www.facebook.com/BeverleeBeaz/
Space Zombies!: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceZombies/
Tell us about the marketing process for
authors. What do you do to market and sell your books?
So far, I send books out for reviews (to
other authors and blogs, to children I know, and to traditional reviewers), I
send out to contests, I do book launches at book stores and plan to do signings
at stores as well, I vend at the Word on the Street Festival in Toronto (and
will attend other writers festivals where and when I can, as well as other
vending opportunities such as Comic-cons for my horror/comedy novellas), I have
pages and post on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest – and my own website,
I have pages set up on GoodReads and JacketFlap, and I’ve done book trailers
(posted on YouTube) for “Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese” and “Sloth the Lazy
Dragon,” and I will continue to do so as other books come out.
I get in touch with local independent bookstores and libraries and pitch the books to them. I am also trying out online book launches, which include giveaway contests. My online “Square” shop also makes my books and related merchandise available to Canadian customers (and I’m hoping Square store expands to allow for shipping to the States very soon).
I get in touch with local independent bookstores and libraries and pitch the books to them. I am also trying out online book launches, which include giveaway contests. My online “Square” shop also makes my books and related merchandise available to Canadian customers (and I’m hoping Square store expands to allow for shipping to the States very soon).
Also, I have
started getting “Sloth” into pediatrician’s offices (and am pitching to
dieticians) and will look for similar niche opportunities based on the theme of
each book (for example, Reptile Expos for “Tamara,” seasonal stores for “Merry
Myrrh,” and so on).
What are you working on right now?
As I eluded to before, I am working on a
couple picture books that have been accepted, but I also have two picture books
that are searching for publisher homes.
One is out at a publisher and I am preparing a proposal for the other
picture book. I also have my novel out
for consideration, but have a proposal prepared for the next publisher, just in
case. I also mentioned that I am working
on the outline for a new novel, which will actually likely be a series, and I
am hammering out the novel for book three of another series.
I am also about to
publish a couple of books for adults that I mentioned: “They Suck” and “Horror at Terror
Creek.” I plan to send “Horror at Terror
Creek” off to an editor in town this coming spring, so I must get through at least
two more drafts before I send it off.
These two novellas are actually based on a screenplay and a play I
wrote/co-wrote a few years back.
I also continue to work
on scripts periodically. I have a play
in another playwright’s hands right now and she will be getting notes back to
me in October. I hope I can finish up
and self-publish that play, called “Antony and Miranda: A New Shakespearean
Play,” by the end of this year or early next year.
What is your best tip
for aspiring children's book authors?
Revision and persistence. Always revise your work until you’re as close
to happy with it as you can be (and then be prepared to revise some more after
acceptance from a publisher). At the
same time, realize you may never be perfectly happy with a story, so learn when
it’s time to let go and start sending it out.
Some authors revise so much it never gets in front of an editor! And persistence…never give up. Many, many rejections may happen, but there
are many potential “homes” out there for your story. Keep trying.
Don’t let rejections get to you.
“Beverlee” and “Sloth” both had plenty of rejections racked up before finally
finding their homes. My first novel has
already racked up its share of rejections.
You’ll get there, eventually—and maybe even sooner than you think!
Thank you so much for sharing your writing life and process, and tips for aspiring writers.
************
by
Penelope
Anne Cole
Multi-Award Winning Author of Magical Matthew, Magical Mea,
Magical Mea Goes to School, Magical Max and Magical Mickey, and
Multi-Award Winning Author of Magical Matthew, Magical Mea,
Magical Mea Goes to School, Magical Max and Magical Mickey, and
Magical Max and Magical Mickey’s Big
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Web: http://www.penelopeannecole.com/
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