Rebecca: In Saviors of The Bugle we meet Wendy who is an avid reader of her local newspaper. Why is it important for young readers to read the news, not just watch it on television?
Barbara:: TV news is great for keeping up with what's going on, but most newscasts have about 30 minutes to give you the headlines & have to squeeze commercials into that time, too. Newspapers can cover so much more news, & give you much greater detail on a single issue. &, if you find a story you want to save, you can do so much more easily in printed form. Finally, newspapers offer the news-plus: comics, puzzles, recipes, job listings, what's on TV. In the Elmore household, we start every day with the newspaper.
Rebecca: Did you follow the maxim: “write what you know”?
Barbara:: Yes. First, I started reading the newspaper when I was very young because my parents read it every day. Ann Landers & the comics first, then I graduated to the front page & other sections. I majored in journalism in college, worked on the newspaper there, & spent many years after I graduated working in the newsrooms of weekly & daily newspapers. I've been a reporter, copy editor, a section editor, an opinion page editor, the editor of a weekly newspaper & the managing editor of a daily newspaper. Some of the characters I have met over the years found a “home” in Saviors of the Bugle.
Rebecca: Who is the most well-known person from your hometown of Johnson City, Texas?
Barbara:: Gosh, there are so many. Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards grew up in Waco, Texas. Sitting President George W. Bush makes his home in Crawford, about 20 minutes from Waco proper. Author Thomas Harris (Black Sunday was his first novel in 1975) reportedly lived in a Waco for awhile. Noted singer/actor/composer Jules Bledsoe was born in Waco in 1898, as was actress & nightclub hostess Tex Guinan (born Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan in 1884).
Rebecca: What is different about Mud Pie Press?
Barbara:: It's a small, independent press that offers excellent books & excellent service. It proves that you don't have to be a megapress to offer quality reading.
Rebecca: How can a young reader start writing?
Barbara:: First I would like to mention a wonderful monthly magazine called Teen Ink written by teens, for teens. I subscribed to it for awhile just to see what was in it, & I was blown away by the good writing. The magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, reviews, poetry. You name it. I think it costs about $25 for a year & the URL is http://www.teenink.com
Next, I would like to encourage young readers not to forget about their local newspapers. Ours has a weekly page written by teens for teens. They apply by sending in some of their writing, then make a commitment to write several times a month. I think many newspapers do this in some form or another. But even if a newspaper doesn't have a page for young writers, many welcome well-written letters to the editor or essays/columns.
A high school newspaper or yearbook is also a perfect place to hone those writing skills. I lived in a small town which had a school page in the weekly newspaper, & I first wrote for that. I also used to write stories & send them off to Reader's Digest magazine. None were ever published, so I got very familiar with rejection letters which I found splendid training for my later life.
Finally, I had/have a cousin in California & we corresponded for awhile. I saved some of her letters to me. I wish I had saved them all & would like to encourage kids to do that. When I read her letters, I get all sorts of ideas for stories.
Rebecca: When writing for children, what should an author keep in mind?
Barbara:: Truth. Kids can spot a fake quickly. I also think books for young adults should offer a good ending, if not a happy one. “Good” means that the heroine worked out her problems in a way that suited her. I also think that children's books should be hopeful, even if they are sad. Life's that way.
Rebecca: You have written two other books. Tell our readers about them.
Barbara:: The first was Breathing Room, a story about a young girl named Alberta growing up with asthma. She has to cope with both the disease, which is kind of embarrassing because it sets her apart, & with her mother, who is a bit overprotective. She meets a wonderful new friend at school whose problems make Alberta look at her asthma in a different way. I had asthma all the time growing up & the medicines weren't very good then. I still have it, but no one knows unless I tell them because modern medicines are wonderful. & I would just like to encourage all children with asthma to ask their parents to help them find a doctor who specializes in treating childhood asthma. These doctors keep up with the medicines available & can help an asthmatic child live a normal life.
After Breathing Room I wrote Crookwood. It's the story of a family breaking up. Not only do the parents separate, but everyone moves, & the two kids are shattered. Angel, the daughter, is 15, & Dylan, her brother, is 9. & both of them think their parents' breakup is their fault.
Rebecca: Thank you, Barbara, for a fine interview. One of Barbara's websites is: http://www.wordscene.com
Do catch my Review of Barbara Elmore's Saviors of The Bugle - I hope it makes you go out & buy yourself a copy!
Saviors of The Bugle: Paperback - Amazon's Price: $6.99
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