Author Interview - Verla Kay

Welcome, Verla. Thank you for taking the time to let me interview you. Q. What inspired you to be a writer?

VK -I wanted to write stories that were fun to read to younger children. It seemed like so many of the fun books were for older kids.

AF- Can you tell us a little about your road to publication?

VK - I took the ICL (Institute of Children's Literature) course to learn to write well for kids. I thought I already knew it all, but figured it wouldn't hurt to learn maybe a thing or two about the submitting end of things. After I got into the course, I realized I didn't know half as much as I thought about anything! It was a great start.

My first picture book took one day to write, and two years to perfect so it was good enough to submit. Then it took another 3 1/2 years of submitting before I found the editor that said, "I love your story and want to publish it!" Six years later, I finally saw it in print. In May of 2007 my 8th book will be published! Yay!

AF -What prompted you to write your books? Are they based on true life or are they completely fiction?

VK - All of my books (that have sold) are history-based. Most are historical fiction, two are non-fiction.

AF - Can you tell us a little about your latest book release?

VK - Rough, Tough Charley is a non-fiction biography about a stagecoach driver from the 1850's and 60's. Charley was noted as the safest and fastest stagecoach driver in the motherlode during California's gold rush days. But Charley had a secret that no one knew about until his death. It's one of my favorite stories I've ever written, and the back of the book holds a lot of extra facts about Charley that aren't in the actual story itself. It's written in my signature style of "cryptic rhyme." (That's what I call my style of rhyme.)

AF - Would you take us through your typical writing day?

VK- I normally get up about 6 or 7 am and go straight to my desk. I spend several hours doing email, checking my website <http://www.verlakay.com/> -- especially my message board, which had over 600,000 hits in the month of January! It's a very busy message board for people who write and illustrate for children. By lunch time I've finished writing, gotten showered and dressed. (Except two days a week when I go to a wellness center gym for exercise, swimming, etc. first thing in the morning. Then my whole day is shot!) Mid-day is spent with my legally blind, almost 95-year-old mother-in-law who lives with my husband and I. By 9:00 pm she is normally in bed, and I can relax and have some free time. That's when I normally go on line and play my favorite game - Puzzle Pirates. About midnight (or by 2 or 3am) I'm in bed, reading something light for about 15 minutes until I'm tired enough to go to sleep. Then I get up the next morning and start over again.

AF - Do you think about your readers when you write a book?

VK - A little bit. But mostly I think about the story I'm telling. Is it fun? Are the words exciting and a little quirky so readers will enjoy them? Is the story compelling? Will kids enjoy it? Does it have an exciting beginning? Lots of problems in the middle? A satisfactory ending? Is is a GOOD story if I take away the rhyme? If not, I rethink it and rewrite it until it "sings" to me.

AF - What sort of things do you do when you're not writing?

VK - I love to work jigsaw puzzles, read (sci fi, mysteries, and regency romances are my favorite things to read) and I love working logic problems. I enjoy computer games -- not the shoot-em-up kind, but the mind puzzle type of games. That's why I love Puzzle Pirates so much. It's all puzzling games!

AF - What are some of your favorite things?

VK - Soft squishy pillows, warm gloves and hats and coats and shoes in winter, shorts and sleeveless tops in summer, swimming, fishing, fishing, fishing!

AF - Many writers speak about writer's block. Do you ever have that, and if so what are some things you do to get over it?

VK - I rarely run out of ideas. After my last book was finished, I thought I had writer's block for a while. Then I realized it was just that my editor had asked me not to write the book I needed to write. She said they didn't want a book on that subject. When I finally realized it was the next book inside me, I started writing it anyway. If she doesn't want it, I'm sure someone else will, and I have to write the books that inside me waiting to come out!

AF - If you could say one thing to a new writer what would it be?

VK - Learn as much as you can about the business, get into a critique group to get invaluable feedback, and if you truly believe in your stories, NEVER GIVE UP.

AF -If you could say one thing to the children reading your books what would that be?

VK - Enjoy!

AF -When it comes to writing what's next for you?

VK - Hopefully the sale of a pirate book I recently finished writing. I love that story and HOPE it will soon find an editor who also loves it.

AF - Are you available for signings, school visits and writing workshops?

VK - I love doing talks and am always open to discussing it to see if something can be worked out. My email is verlakay@aol.com if anyone wants to contact me about a talk.