Hi and thanks for
inviting me. I'm an old man and have
dabbled in fiction since I was fifteen or sixteen. I received some tear-stained rejection
letters from major magazines in my twenties, then went back to graduate school
and got degrees in English and creative writing. I published some stories in
"little" magazines. I quit
writing at that point and eventually became six-year-old John's single
parent. We always did bedtime stories. One night John up and presented me with a red
crocodile named Crosley that he'd invented for an after-lights-out
companion. We started making up John and
Crosley episodes, and Crosley got to be a real member of the family. After a year or so, I started thinking about
putting the two "Night Buddies" into a book. I've done it twice now.
Tell us about your current book. Give a short summary.
It's called Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake
Scare. It features young John
Degraffenreidt who isn't ready to go to bed yet, and Crosley, a zany red
crocodile who shows up to rescue him and sneak him out on an adventure. It seems the whole world's supply of
pineapple cheesecakes is disappearing, and since both buddies love the things,
something's got to be done. They take
the subway to the great pineapple cheesecake factory and start their
investigation. Things get spooky from
there. Not only that, but Crosley is
allergic to water and has to do the Black Bottom dance for hours anytime he
gets wet. Unless he takes his pills.
The second book is Night Buddies, Imposters, and One Far-Out Flying Machine and it starts the same way. Some time has gone by and John is wide awake at bedtime again. Crosley reappears and rescues him per their Night Buddies Amalgamated contract. They borrow a really fantastic flying machine and fly off on their second adventure. This book is much longer and is coming out this fall.
Can you tell us about your publisher and how the process worked in getting published?
It's an indie book
and I'm the publisher, with the indispensible guidance of my Book Sherpa, Gail Kearns in Santa Barbara , CA
How did you get the idea for this book?
As I mentioned, my
son practically handed it to me. Right
there was this kid who needed something to do after lights-out, and right there
was this zany character for him to do it with, so I only needed to figure out
why Crosley happened to be red and then sneak them out of the house.
What is a typical writing day like for you?
Two hours or a little
more, starting late in the morning. Try
for 500 words and redo once before quitting.
What do you enjoy most about writing?
Mark Twain said it: "I hate writing. I love having written."
What is the most difficult part of writing?
I think it's sticking
strictly to a schedule. It takes
determination with nothing else pushing you.
How has publishing a book changed your life?
Not at all for now. The first title only hit the street on June
1st.
What are your plans now?
I need to launch the
second book this fall. Then I'd like to
get going on the third one. I've written
just one page and can't figure how to get John out of his house. He was in a tight spot there at the end of
the last story.
What is your best tip for aspiring authors?
READ.
What advice can you give adults, children and/or teens as they prepare for life?
Such a question! I'm definitely not a guru and would advise
everyone to ignore any advice I might offer in this regard.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readership?
Night Buddies
Amalgamated is an organization that sends operatives out to rescue kids who
aren't ready for bed yet. They're
crocodiles, actually, and they sneak their charges out on late-night
"programs." (That's Night
Buddies-speak for adventures.) The
buddies we are concerned with are John, of course; a smart, curly-haired,
round-eyed city kid, and Crosley, a goofy crocodile in a yellow suit who
carries a bunch of magic gadgets on his belt.
He is bright red because he is allergic to water. Kind of.
In a roundabout way. And he's a
total fanatic about pineapple cheesecakes.
Pineapple cheesecakes are always a big deal whenever Crosley is around.
Do you make school visits or do speaking/book signing engagements? If so, please describe a typical presentation.
This is in the
works. I used to do a fair number of
animated school readings from an earlier version of the first book. I like to sit on the floor and read and then
talk to the kids.
Do you have a website? If so, please give the URL. If not, where can readers go online to learn more about your book(s) and to order?
You can get the book
on Amazon.com. There are some neat
reviews on the site. Also BN.com
Thanks again for
having me,
Sands Hetherington
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