Every now and then I'm in contact with an author who is a fan of the blog. Dandi Daley Mackall is one. She emailed me about an interview I did on her buddy and after a few inquiries I found out that we share the same editors and an a illustrator. Not to mention a whole lot of friends. I am delighted that award winning author Dandi Daley Mackall agreed to be interviewed.
When and why did you start writing for children?
Not knowing any better, I began my writing adventure by writing for grown-ups. I wrote articles for national mags when I was in college, and my first book, an adult inspirational/humor, came out in 1980 (yes, I was 4 at the time….).
After 7 big-people books, I had kids of my own and rediscovered the joy and art of children’s books. When they were little, I wrote board books. They grew, and I added picture books, then easy readers, chapter books, middle-grade, and young adults—but I never gave up any of the formats. So now I get to write for all ages. I love that! When I’m writing a YA novel, I think, ‘This is my real niche.’ Then I get to craft a picture book, and I think that’s what I really love. Maybe I don’t suffer from writer’s block because if I get stuck, I can just “change channels” and work on something totally different.
One of the reasons I love children’s books is because kids write me about my books! My favorite fan letter went like this: “Dear Dandi, I LOVE your books and you’re my favorite writer. I read all of your horse books 5 times each, and I want to read all of your books 10 times each and besides, since my guinea pig died, I have nothing else to do.”
What is the most valuable advice you can give to a newly published writer?
Congratulations! Now get back to that computer. Write, and then write some more. And then keep writing. If you want a lifetime writing career—yes, you do have to publicize and do school visits, and all the great PR advice. But you know what? You have to keep writing. And everything you write should be better than what you just wrote. I want to believe that the book I’m working on is the best one I’ve ever written. If it’s not, why am I spending my time bleeding over the keyboard? Right?
Sometimes the “magic” pours into your head. That’s what happened when I wrote Larger-Than-Life Lara, middle-grade for Dutton, 2007. I couldn’t stop writing—I had to see what would happen next. I surprised myself at every turn. I wrote the whole thing in two months. And then there was Eva Underground, 2006, a YA for Harcourt—and it only took me 20 years, give or take. But just because it took more work, more rewrites, more research, doesn’t mean it’s not “magic.” You just write what’s in front of you, what’s in your heart. And then you rewrite and rewrite, and then write more.
What is one of your favorite children’s books that you'd like to recommend?
So many! I’d recommend Caroline Cooney’s What Child Is This? because it’s a good example of what an author can do with point of view—and I think point of view is our secret weapon. (But that’s another interview….)
What are you working on now?
I love this question, and it always makes me feel worn out to answer it.
A bunch of books are “in process,” contracted, written, and bouncing back and forth in edits and galleys in a madcap juggling act:
STARLIGHT ANIMAL RESCUE—4 teen novels, a spin-off from my Winnie the Horse Gentler series.
THAT’S NAT! funny, chapter book series
I CAN READ readers—Just sent in four ALI CAT books, and I’m starting four more about a big horse named BOB.
IT WAS NOT SUCH A SILENT NIGHT – picture book for Dutton yet to be edited
A GIRL NAMED DAN – Sleeping Bear Press picture book in galleys right now
Rhyming books for Random House—When God Made My Toes; How Much Love?
Legend of the Christmas Cookie—Zondervan picture book in galleys
Horse Files—nonfiction for teens, Simon and Schuster
I’m forgetting something….
Almost finished with a long, long YA funny and experimental romantic novel that’s impossible to explain.
Toying with a YA mystery.
Storytelling picture book.
3 holiday picture books
Ooh—Just got this great idea about a blog interview, where a writer writes way too much, and the charming blogger/author cuts her off before she can even finish her--
What is your favorite dessert and why?
Cheesecake…and plenty of it. Also my choice if I’m stranded on a desert island and can only have one food item to sustain me. (And then it would become a dessert island…get it?)
When we start to pun, it’s time to stop.
Dandi is an award-winning author of over 400 books for children and grown-ups with sales of 4 million copies in 22 countries. Her publishers include Simon & Schuster, Dutton/Penguin, HarperCollins, Harcourt, Random House/WaterBrook, DreamWorks, Tyndale House, TommyNelson, Zonderkidz, Disney, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera. Eva Underground, received a Kirkus star, a nomination for ALA Best Book 2007, named on New York Public Library Top Teen List, and a finalist for 2007 Ohioana Award. Larger-Than-Life Lara is a finalist for the current Kentucky Bluegrass List and a finalist for William Allen White Award. Rudy Rides the Rails, 2007, is ALA Notable Social Studies and Angel Award winner. Last year, Dandi had 21 new books release from 9 different publishers—board books, picture books, short fiction, middle-grade, young adult, novel. She's a national keynote speaker and has made dozens of appearances on TV, including ABC, NBC, and CBS. www.dandibooks.com <http://www.dandibooks.com/> And she still believes every book that gets accepted is a fluke and will be her last.
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