The Kidlit Interview Series
Children's fiction encompasses some of the most imaginative, well-written books out there, so every Tuesday I shine a spotlight on it by interviewing a different middle-grade author. Come back regularly to find super-talented writers answering crucial questions like who they'd want riding alongside come the zombie apocalypse...
My guest this week is the multi-talented Samantha Verant, a classically trained mezzo-soprano, actress, and artist. A triple threat, yet she couldn’t do all three things at once, or so she thought - until she discovered writing. Now she can sing on the page, act out scenes, and design new worlds. She lives in southwestern France, where she's married to a French rocket scientist and busy writing more wacky stories like her MG debut King of the Mutants, which was released by Month 9 Books last week. Scroll to the bottom to win a copy!
Can one boy stop a nefarious plot to turn kids into super-mutants? Maverick Mercury enjoys his life as the sideshow attraction known as “Gator Boy” at Grumbling’s Traveling Circus and Sideshow. His freakish mutations are the result of some billionaire geneticist’s experiments gone awry. But life as a mutant is about to get worse, as Maverick uncovers a plot to kidnap kids, turns them into super-mutants, and sells their powers to the highest bidder. Now, Maverick is on a mission to find the mad scientist who may have created him, and destroy his sinister plans!
Can one boy stop a nefarious plot to turn kids into super-mutants? Maverick Mercury enjoys his life as the sideshow attraction known as “Gator Boy” at Grumbling’s Traveling Circus and Sideshow. His freakish mutations are the result of some billionaire geneticist’s experiments gone awry. But life as a mutant is about to get worse, as Maverick uncovers a plot to kidnap kids, turns them into super-mutants, and sells their powers to the highest bidder. Now, Maverick is on a mission to find the mad scientist who may have created him, and destroy his sinister plans!
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’d have to go with Carrie Harris, the YA author of Bad Taste in Boys. She knows zombies. And probably knows how to kill them. But I better watch more episodes of The Walking Dead, just in case.
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.)
Haha! Back to the Future or Groundhog Day? Hmmm. I’d go back to New York in the roaring twenties. Those flapper girl dresses are pretty darn cute. Plus, I can dance a mean Charleston. Care to join me?
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I’ve always embraced my inner child! Writing for kids lets my inner child out! And sometimes she really needs to get out. I think I’ll go play in the park now. Wait. I can’t. I’m in the middle of an interview. I’ll finish this up and reward myself with a piece of chocolate later.
I’d have to go with Carrie Harris, the YA author of Bad Taste in Boys. She knows zombies. And probably knows how to kill them. But I better watch more episodes of The Walking Dead, just in case.
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.)
Haha! Back to the Future or Groundhog Day? Hmmm. I’d go back to New York in the roaring twenties. Those flapper girl dresses are pretty darn cute. Plus, I can dance a mean Charleston. Care to join me?
3. What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I’ve always embraced my inner child! Writing for kids lets my inner child out! And sometimes she really needs to get out. I think I’ll go play in the park now. Wait. I can’t. I’m in the middle of an interview. I’ll finish this up and reward myself with a piece of chocolate later.
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?
Seems I’ve been turned into a mouse, thanks to Roald Dahl’s The Witches. I suppose I could scare people, eat a lot of cheese (I live in France), and sleep in a matchbox like Stuart Little. Plus, I’m small! I could steal jewelry and charms from the witches and sell them on eBay. Hey, just because I’m a mouse doesn’t mean I can’t use a computer.
5. What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
Do you have all day? Let’s go for strange. Sometimes I talk for animals. An example? A few years ago, my mother and I were driving in Beverly Hills. Jack, my mom’s Bichon dog, was sitting in my lap. He’d recently been groomed, so he had a big round, fluffy “do.” We were pulled over at a stoplight and this woman in the car next to her was yelling at somebody on her cell phone. I turned my head, propped Jack up, and yelled in a high-pitched voice, “Hey lady, can you keep it down? You’re stressing me out and I just had my hair done.”
I popped up just in time to see her expression. The woman burst out laughing. It was priceless. Again, yes, I embrace my inner child. There’s no telling what I’ll do.
Seems I’ve been turned into a mouse, thanks to Roald Dahl’s The Witches. I suppose I could scare people, eat a lot of cheese (I live in France), and sleep in a matchbox like Stuart Little. Plus, I’m small! I could steal jewelry and charms from the witches and sell them on eBay. Hey, just because I’m a mouse doesn’t mean I can’t use a computer.
5. What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
Do you have all day? Let’s go for strange. Sometimes I talk for animals. An example? A few years ago, my mother and I were driving in Beverly Hills. Jack, my mom’s Bichon dog, was sitting in my lap. He’d recently been groomed, so he had a big round, fluffy “do.” We were pulled over at a stoplight and this woman in the car next to her was yelling at somebody on her cell phone. I turned my head, propped Jack up, and yelled in a high-pitched voice, “Hey lady, can you keep it down? You’re stressing me out and I just had my hair done.”
I popped up just in time to see her expression. The woman burst out laughing. It was priceless. Again, yes, I embrace my inner child. There’s no telling what I’ll do.
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?
You know, there was so much I didn’t know in the beginning. I think we writers need to find our own path, stumble and fall on our own. We have to earn our racing stripes. That aside, I wish I’d known how much those first rejections stung! The good news is-- I was able to push forward. This world of publishing takes time, patience, dedication, and tons of hard work. Thankfully, I connected with other writers when I first started out, and when I fell hard, there was somebody there to pick (cheer) me up. Support is extremely paramount, as is never giving up.
7. What would your daemon be?
My daemon, or spiritual guide, would be a hummingbird. He or she would change colors, depending on my mood! Beware the black hummingbird! I may be angry! Beware my daemon! They have very pointy beaks! (My daemon has my back, you see).
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... super-mutants.
You know, there was so much I didn’t know in the beginning. I think we writers need to find our own path, stumble and fall on our own. We have to earn our racing stripes. That aside, I wish I’d known how much those first rejections stung! The good news is-- I was able to push forward. This world of publishing takes time, patience, dedication, and tons of hard work. Thankfully, I connected with other writers when I first started out, and when I fell hard, there was somebody there to pick (cheer) me up. Support is extremely paramount, as is never giving up.
7. What would your daemon be?
My daemon, or spiritual guide, would be a hummingbird. He or she would change colors, depending on my mood! Beware the black hummingbird! I may be angry! Beware my daemon! They have very pointy beaks! (My daemon has my back, you see).
8. My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... super-mutants.
I *do* have a soft spot for the Charleston... Catch up with Sam on Twitter, Goodreads, and her blog, buy King of the Mutants here or here, or enter the rafflecopter giveaway to win one of five copies HERE!
Come back next Tuesday for the Here Be Dragons interview with Paula Harrison, author of The Wildwood Arrow!
