Lisa Schroeder
Occasionally when I am surfing around the web I come across a wonderful author site. This was the case with author Lisa Schroeder. After reading about her books, both those that are out and those that are coming out, I asked her to interview for the blog.
When and why did you start writing for children?
I started writing for kids about seven years ago. At the time, I was at a fork in the road in my life, and really trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I had a home-based business and didn’t know if I wanted to continue on with that or what. I had recently read a spiritual based book about making your dreams come true and the first chapter was about discovering what your true dream is.
When I got quiet and really listened, I heard a voice that said write for children, write for children. I had always loved to write, and the thought had crossed my mind many times, but I never knew where to start. But the internet is an amazing thing! Soon I had found some web sites and ordered some books and formed a critique group, and most importantly, started to write story after story after story, and I was on my way.
What advice can you give a newly published writer?
Keep writing. Work on the next project and try not to obsess about sales of the book too much. You do what you can do marketing wise, but there’s always going to be more you COULD do and don’t feel bad that you can’t do it all. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is to keep writing and build a body of work. With each book, your name is out there more and more and readers are more apt to find you.
Name some children's books that you would like to recommend.
Wow, this could go on forever, so I think I’ll narrow it down to some books I’ve read in the past few months or so, because I’ve read a lot of GREAT books. Also, I’d encourage people to head to www.classof2k8.com to check out 27 amazing books by debut authors.
Mid-grade:
BRINGING THE BOY HOME by N. A. Nelson
HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate
SAVVY by Ingrid Law
THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES by Jody Feldman
THE UNDERNEATH by Kathi Appelt
Young adult:
THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD by Donna Freitas
THE COMEBACK SEASON by Jennifer E. Smith
AUDREY, WAIT by Robin Benway
SHIFT by Jennifer Bradbury
PAPER TOWNS by John Green
What are you working on now?
I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Ha! Seriously, I can’t say a whole lot because I don’t know if my publisher is going to go for it or not, but it’s another young adult novel written in verse and one I hope that fans of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME would enjoy.
This year I also wrote a fun mid-grade novel that’s being shopped to editors right now. I really hope we can find a publisher for it, because as much as I love reading and writing YA, my favorite book years as a kid were the mid-grade years.
What is your favorite dessert and why?
Oh, this is hard! I think I have to say blackberry pie. First of all, because it is a summery dessert and summer is my very favorite season. Summer doesn’t seem like summer unless I make at least one, if not three, four or five, blackberry pies from scratch. Second of all, because heated, with ice cream, it is just so incredibly YUMMY!
Bio:
Lisa Schroeder is a native Oregonian, which means her childhood summers were spent camping, fishing, reading books (of course!), and playing in the sun, when it finally came out. These days, Lisa spends her summers, and every other part of the year, sharing all the wonderful things Oregon has to offer with her husband and two sons. She is the author of two verse novels for young adults, both published by Simon Pulse – I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME and FAR FROM YOU. She is also the author of the picture book BABY CAN’T SLEEP, Sterling, 2005. You can visit Lisa on the web at www.lisaschroederbooks.com.
Great interview! Thanks to Lisa for sharing! I loved her advice about not worrying about what you could have done...because she's right - there's always something a writer could have done. There's always something to learn!
Posted by: Leigh Purtill | January 12, 2009 at 11:25 PM