Cynthia Lord

MOST POPULAR INTERVIEWS 2007

One of this year's Newbery Honor winners, Rules, is a book that I had to finish once I started.  A heart warming story of 12-year old Catherine struggling with her own embarrassment, anger and frustration over her younger brother, David's autism. This is a fabulous story that shows the weight of an all-encompassing disability on a family and how all kids, even the disabled ones, need to belong.  The story was so authentic that I was not surprised to find that the author has a child with autism. I am so pleased that Cynthia Lord agreed to be interviewed for my blog.

When and why did you start writing for children?

I  started writing RULES in 2000-01.  I've always loved reading  children's books, and I have a special fondness for middle grade novels.  When I started RULES, my own daughter was Catherine's age, so I wrote it partly for her.      

What is the most valuable advice you can give to a newly published writer?

There are many  successful ways to market a book. Find ways and opportunities that are comfortable for you and successful for the book. That way, marketing  will be a pleasure and not a  chore. 

Also try to enjoy every  minute that you can.  It's a big accomplishment to have a book go out  into the world, so step back every now and then and allow yourself to simply  marvel that something you created is now traveling to places you've  never been.   

What is one of your favorite children’s books that you would like to recommend?

Oh, I love so many books!  One of my favorites  from last year was TOYS GO OUT by Emily Jenkins.  It charmed  me so much, without ever being too sweet.  I love books that  appear simple, but truly aren't. I felt the same way about CLEMENTINE by  Sara Pennypacker.  I also loved YELLOW STAR by Jennifer Roy,  though it broke my  heart.

What  is your favorite dessert and why?

I love all desserts. . .but I do especially love cheesecake with cherries.  

Bio:  When Cynthia Lord sat down to write her first children's book, she knew it would be a middle-grade novel. As she recalls, "I grew up next to a lake in New Hampshire and I remember being ten years old, lying on our pier, listening to the seagulls calling, and daydreaming about Borrowers and Chocolate Factories and Secret Gardens.

"Though I have children of my own now, when I write it's always for that daydreaming girl I used to be."

In her debut novel Rules, published by Scholastic Press, twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life, which is near impossible with a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. Filled with humor and warmth, Rules takes a candid and sensitive look at feeling different and finding acceptance--beyond the rules.

And as the mother of two teenagers, one of whom has autism, it's world Cynthia knows well. "A family that includes a child with severe special needs has unique dynamics, and
I wanted to both explore and celebrate that difference."

A former teacher and bookseller, Cynthia still enjoys lying on a pier, reading a good book. And she hears plenty of seagulls at her home near the ocean in Maine, where she lives with her husband and their two children.


You can visit Cindy’s website at http://www.cynthialord.com

Comments

[bio bob]

WHEN IS HER BIRTHDAY?!!?!?!?!

[Keri Collins]

Thanks for a great interview, Tina! I got Rules from the library, and was delighted to find on Cynthia's site that by ordering through her local independent bookstore, I could request an autographed copy! I think this is a great marketing tool for both the author and the shop, and also made it special for me.