The Kidlit Interview Series
Children's literature encompasses some of the most imaginative, entertaining, well-written fiction out there, so every Tuesday I shine a spotlight on it by interviewing a different middle-grade author. Come back regularly to find writers answering crucial questions like who they'd want riding alongside come the zombie apocalypse...
This week's dragon is Edith Cohn, who was born and raised in North Carolina where she grew up exploring the unique beaches of the Outer Banks. She currently lives in the coyote-filled hills of Los Angeles with her husband and her dog. All of these things provided inspiration for her debut middle grade novel, Spirit's Key, which is out this week!
Spirit's Key is a mystery about a twelve-year-old girl named Spirit who works with the ghost of her pet dog to solve a crime on a remote island filled with magic house keys, wild dogs and superstitious characters.
Spirit's Key is a mystery about a twelve-year-old girl named Spirit who works with the ghost of her pet dog to solve a crime on a remote island filled with magic house keys, wild dogs and superstitious characters.
THE HERE BE DRAGONS 8 KILLER QUESTIONS
1. Uh oh, it’s the zombie apocalypse. Which author (living or dead) do you want riding shotgun?
I'm going to say E.L. Konigsburg (author of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The View from Saturday) because one of my favorite quotes from her books is: “There were times in school when a person had to do things fast, cheap, and without character.” The zombie apocalypse seems like a time when those skills might come in handy.
2. Look, I got a time machine on eBay! Where do you want to go? (Said time machine may possibly malfunction and leave you there. Possibly. It was *very* cheap.)
I'm super happy in the present. So I wouldn't get inside that old, rusty time machine. I might miss something exciting happening right now!
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I think it's going to be getting letters from kids. I don't know for sure though, because I haven't gotten any letters yet. SO if you know any kids...hint, hint.
4. A witch has cast a spell on you (sorry about that) and you’ve woken up as a character in a children’s book – what’s your special talent or power?
Ooooh, it would definitely be the ability to see ghost dogs and read the future just like Spirit in my book SPIRIT'S KEY.
5. What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
I did research for a new book I'm working on, and it required me to do the scariest and strangest thing I've ever done! But it's top secret. I can't tell you. I have a superstition about talking too much about the books I'm working on until they are completed. I know, I'm a terrible tease.
6. What’s something you wish you’d known about writing when you started out? What’s something you wish you’d known about publishing?
Well, thank god no one told me how long it would take! Though it would have been nice to know I was actually going to get there. But really, I've learned the joy of writing is in the process not the outcome, and I don't think I could have come to that conclusion without being in the dark. So my answer is, I don't wish I'd known anything before I knew it.
7. What would your daemon be?
A bald eagle because the eagle is my favorite animal in SPIRIT'S KEY. The eagle acts as a compass and brings messages from the Greats, Spirit's ancestors.
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... ghost dogs! And magic house keys that can tell the future. ;)
I'm going to say E.L. Konigsburg (author of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The View from Saturday) because one of my favorite quotes from her books is: “There were times in school when a person had to do things fast, cheap, and without character.” The zombie apocalypse seems like a time when those skills might come in handy.
2. Look, I got a time machine on eBay! Where do you want to go? (Said time machine may possibly malfunction and leave you there. Possibly. It was *very* cheap.)
I'm super happy in the present. So I wouldn't get inside that old, rusty time machine. I might miss something exciting happening right now!
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I think it's going to be getting letters from kids. I don't know for sure though, because I haven't gotten any letters yet. SO if you know any kids...hint, hint.
4. A witch has cast a spell on you (sorry about that) and you’ve woken up as a character in a children’s book – what’s your special talent or power?
Ooooh, it would definitely be the ability to see ghost dogs and read the future just like Spirit in my book SPIRIT'S KEY.
5. What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
I did research for a new book I'm working on, and it required me to do the scariest and strangest thing I've ever done! But it's top secret. I can't tell you. I have a superstition about talking too much about the books I'm working on until they are completed. I know, I'm a terrible tease.
6. What’s something you wish you’d known about writing when you started out? What’s something you wish you’d known about publishing?
Well, thank god no one told me how long it would take! Though it would have been nice to know I was actually going to get there. But really, I've learned the joy of writing is in the process not the outcome, and I don't think I could have come to that conclusion without being in the dark. So my answer is, I don't wish I'd known anything before I knew it.
7. What would your daemon be?
A bald eagle because the eagle is my favorite animal in SPIRIT'S KEY. The eagle acts as a compass and brings messages from the Greats, Spirit's ancestors.
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... ghost dogs! And magic house keys that can tell the future. ;)
Oh what a stunning cover! *swoons* Find out more about Edith and her books on her website, Facebook page, Goodreads, and chat to her on Twitter.
Come back next Tuesday for the Here Be Dragons interview with Pip Jones, author of Squishy Mcfluff, The Invisible Cat!
