Last week I reviewed a book I greatly enjoyed reading, The Fourth Wish by Elizabeth Varadan (CreateSpace, reprinted in 2010). Elizabeth is not only a gifted writer but a delightful person to know. I hope you'll also enjoy learning more about this author and some behind-the-scenes details about her book in this two-part interview. The second part is scheduled to run the end of this week, so be sure to watch for it!
By the way, Elizabeth would like to send a signed copy of her book to one lucky winner. Contest details are at the end of this post. Did you miss last week's book review? It's available at http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-review-and-giveaway-contest-fourth.html. And now for the interview ...
When and why did you begin writing?
Oh, I've been writing all my life, ever since my mother let me use her typewriter when I was 10 to write my little stories. But when I was 6, I was making up comics about a frog named Leapy Plop-a-doodle.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Probably when I was doing that comic book.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) of The Fourth Wish to write and why?
I really liked the scene when the crullers started multiplying and no one knew why. It was just a lot of fun to imagine that scene and the ones ensuing from it.
Did you have a favorite character and why?
My favorite character was Arthur. He just seem to spring full blown from my head, and I felt ahead of time that I knew everything he was going to say. He was engaging and humorous, and I've found out since the book came out that he was a favorite of quite a few others as well.
Is there a message in The Fourth Wish you hope will resonate with readers?
Hmm. I suppose the importance of being kind would be one thing. Another would be a twist on that old adage, "Be careful what you wish."
Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or is it all imagination?
This book was completely imagination, all about "What if?"
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
The famous "middle" that always bogs down in early drafts. Thank goodness I had a good writing group and people kept asking questions.
Did you learn anything surprising when writing your book? If so, what was it?
Well I did wonder at one point just who Mrs. Seraphina was. And then, when I realized, I thought, "Of course!"
If readers could remember only one thing about you and The Fourth Wish, what would it be?
There's more to magic than meets the eye ...
Visit Elizabeth Varadan at http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com.
WIN A COPY OF THE FOURTH WISH!Would you like to have your own copy of this magical book, inscribed with a personal message from Elizabeth Varadan? You can enter to win up to three ways:
Comment on this post. If you're reading this as an e-mail message, click on the hyperlinked headline then scroll to the bottom of the blog page. If you're reading this online, click on "Post your comment-or see what others are saying!" If you commented on last week's book review, commenting on this post will make you eligible for a FOURTH time.
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8 comments:
Nice interview! I love Leapy plop-a-doodle :)
Elizabeth is such a great critique partner, I must believe this will be a terrific book. Nice interview.
Hi, Alexia,
Welcome to Bird's-eye View; I'm very happy you are a new follower.
I love the elegant design of your Web site, www.alexiachamberlynn.com, and your urban fantasy novel, Countless, already has me intrigued. As soon as I read the description, "Almost two hundred years since (Evangeline Westvale's) last lifetime, her fate has caught up with her again." I had to click the link for the excerpt. Then I wanted to read more ... and more. Congratulations on hitting No. 3 on Authonomy and an agent requesting a partial! I definitely "like" Countless on Facebook.
It looks as if we might know someone in common, John Bowen. If it is the same John, we used to both be members of the online critique group, Deep Blue Sea, moderated by Ed Sehr.
I am looking forward to hearing your success stories, for I believe they will be many and soon.
Michelle
Rosi, I agree 100 percent with your comment about Mitty's critiquing skills. Her edits are so insightful, I don't know where my Civil War YA The Underground Gift would be today without her having been an early reader in progress. I'm so glad you enjoyed the interview!
Michelle
Hello! I would love to enter as the book sounds so intriguing (but I'm based in the UK, just so you know.)
I like the messages in the book. In the novel I'm writing there is a character also called Arthur - not a main character, but a worthy supporting role all the same. :)
Hi, Jayne,
Welcome to Bird's-eye View; I'm very happy you are a new follower. Now I can say my blog has an international presence. :)
I also love the opening sentence of your bio, "When I was little I wanted to grow up and be a cat." I'd liked it so much I ran over to the kitchen to tell my husband, who also got a kick out of it. I guess you can tell by the 12 rescue cats portion of my own bio that we're a little bit crazy about what purrs and has fur.
Michelle
Hi Michelle, I was just reading about your 12 cats, that's impressive. I have just the two, although when I was growing up we had five.
Elizabeth's book sounds brilliant, thanks for doing the interview.
Welcome to Bird's-eye View, penandpaints; I'm very happy you are a new follower, and I love your user name. The cat illustrations and photos on your blog are wonderful.
After reading your and Jayne's (and several other followers') comments, I should give some more air time regarding our furry children. I thought my husband and I also would be a two-cat family, but when our older cat, Poppy, died of feline diabetes, the baby of the family, Hannah, wouldn't be consoled until we took in a homeless kitten, Gretta.
Gretta was friends with Tux, so then we had three. Tux begged us to adopt Dino, who'd been abandoned in a foreclosed home; it was one of those "We'll just keep him here for a couple of days until we find a good home for him" kind of things. Bella, Ducati and Tessa came to us in much the same way.
As for the other five? They are "orchard cats," offspring of feral mothers, that have allowed us to befriend them enough to get them neutered/spayed and vaccinated but still want to live outdoors, please. This furry quintet entered our lives within the last year. If you consider we've averaged a new cat for each year of this century, we should be good for another few months at least. :)
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