In the shadow of a calling I found myself . . .
Slightly hopeful and optimistically cautious.
When the oh-so-lovely Julie True Kingsley asked me to join a Blog Hop called “The Next Big Thing” my first
thought was, “Cool!” quickly followed by, “Oh no, I’m not ready”. But since my Work In Progress (WIP) is done
(or nearly so) I thought it was time to introduce my written baby the
world. So I said, “Yes!” answered a few
questions and well, here we go. Let’s
get (blog) hopping.
What
is your working title of your book?
The
Hoppernots
Where
did the idea come from for the book?
I lived on a conservation area in
Florida. My house and the walkway were always covered with frogs. One day, on
my way in from work, there were so many frogs covering the walkway that I had to
leap over them to get to the door. In
mid-leap (and while wearing heals), I realized what I was doing and started
laughing, and then thought, “Hoppernot”. I stopped in my tracks and a story was
born.
What
genre does your book fall under?
Middle Grade.
What
is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Three notorious frogs must lead their
distrustful community into a battle against evil two-armed, two-legged,
wobble-headed creatures intent on destroying their home…and their lives.
After many years of hearing “”great
writing”, “the story is fun and funny”,
and “I think kids would like it” followed up by more rejections than I’m
willing to count, I have decided to explore self-publishing. It’s a new world
in publishing and I’m looking forward to stretching my wings…or taking a hop.
How
long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’ve been writing The Hoppernots an on for years and years. So long that I have no
idea who long the first draft took. When
I had given up on writing the story and focused on other things, the story
refused to give up on me.
What
other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The Hoppernots will appeal to fans
of Watership Down with the effects of
human presence on animal life, the adventure and community of Redwall, and the Guardians of Ga’Hoole with it’s strong friendships and showing
of inner strength even in the face of adversity.
Who
or what inspired you to write this book?
The natural world, especially frogs,
inspired me to write The Hoppernots.
I am a huge fan of an organization called Save the Frogs and I have learned of
the wonders and benefits of keeping frogs alive and safe. Frogs are a great indicator on the health and
safety of land and water. Have you ever seen a six-legged frog? If you have,
then some type of contamination, like a pesticide, may have been absorbed through its
skin and made it sick.
What
else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The
Hoppernots is a story about a group of different animals who don’t always get
along but they
must look past their differences and see each others strengths in order to work
together and save their home. The Hoppernots is a book of
fantasy for readers
still young enough to be enchanted by woodland dwellers, for older readers who
secretly believe in the magic and madness of the forest, and for anyone who
still enjoys the mysterious and icky pleasures of the outdoors.
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