11/4/2012 Week 1 | Interview With Guest Author – Sherry Ellis

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Virginia Wright Blog Author Interviews
Week 1 – Nov. 4, 2012  Guest Author | Sherry Ellis

Welcome! Sherry, I’m so happy that you are joining this event “The Seven Weeks to Christmas Author Interviews & Giveaways.” I know you are an inspiration to me personally, and I’m very proud to have you visiting as  my guest today.   I want to thank you for your generous offer to give away a copy of your book to two lucky commenters of this post. I know these will make great Christmas gifts to our winners! With that said, let’s get on with the interview.

-Virginia

 

 

Bio: Sherry Ellis is the award-winning author of That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN and that Mama is a Grouch.  She is also a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano.  She resides in Loveland, Ohio, with her husband and two children.


 

Tell us a little about your background and how you became a children’s book author. I pretty much stumbled into the world of writing.  I am a professional musician, so prior to writing my first book, my time was divided into taking care of my two children, and playing and teaching the violin, viola, and piano.  My career as an author began seven years ago in a rocking chair.  It was about three o’clock in the morning, and my five-month-old son had awakened.  It was probably the seventh time that night.  He was a terrible sleeper (actually both kids were), so this was pretty typical.  As I sat in my sleep-deprived state, a poem started going through my head.  It was the beginning of That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN.  Every time my son woke up, I added to it.  By the end of the week, the entire story was composed in my head.  I shared it with my three-year-old daughter, who thought it was great.  It was she who suggested it should be a book.  The rest is history.


That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN about? It’s a story about a little girl who’s having trouble getting used to the sleepless nights due to her new baby brother.  She can’t figure out why he keeps waking up so much.  Mama explains a few things, and assures her it won’t last forever.  It’s a good book to share with the big brothers and sisters of a new baby. 

How do you come up with ideas for stories? Life gives me a lot of ideas!  Something my kids do might spark the creative juices in my head.  I jot down ideas in a notebook.  If I come up with something I think would be a good story, I create an outline of how I’d like the story to progress.  When the outline and characters look good, I begin writing.

How long does it take for you to write a book? Years!  Actually, I can whip out a first draft for a picture book in about two weeks.  It takes about four months for a chapter book.  The thing that takes so much time is the revision process.  I must’ve revised my current project almost one hundred times!  I’ve been working on it for three years.  I think it’s finally ready for submission!

What is your current project? It’s a chapter book series for kids.  The first book is Bubba and Squirt’s Big Hole to China.  The premise of the series is that Bubba and Squirt travel through a vortex that leads to another country.  They have an adventure while learning about the language, history, and culture of that country.

Tell us about the marketing process for authors. What do you do to market and sell your books? Marketing is a big part of being a successful author.  It’s all about getting the word out.  You won’t sell books if nobody knows about them.  I do a lot of networking through sites like JacketFlap, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as through blogging.  I have also done radio interviews and book signings.  One fun event I do is a Pajama Party Story time at bookstores and libraries.  Kids are invited to dress in their pajamas and bring their favorite teddy bears for an evening of music, games, and stories.  I show up in my pajamas and Winnie the Pooh slippers, and we all have a good time.

What is your best tip for aspiring children’s book authors? Read!  Read as many children’s books as you can so that you get a good sense of what kids like, and what publishers want to see.

Where can readers find you? They can find me at my website, www.sherryellis.org, my blog, www.sherryellis.blogspot.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you so much for having me as a guest!

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Comments are now open!

 

 

29 thoughts on “11/4/2012 Week 1 | Interview With Guest Author – Sherry Ellis”

  1. Sherry, I appreciate you visiting as guest author for the event today. I enjoyed your interview, and your new book Bubba and Squirt’s Big Hole to China sounds wonderful. I look forward to the release!

    -Virginia

  3. What a wonderful interview. It’s both inspiring and very interesting to see how you’ve started writing children’s books and to know the process behind writing and publishing. Congrats Sherry. All the best to your current project.

  7. Arni: Thanks for visiting! Glad you enjoyed reading the interview.

    Pat: Thanks for stopping by. You certainly do have a lot of ideas buzzing around your head. LOL!

  8. I follow Sherry’s blog faithfully and thoroughly enjoy the everyday banter which makes me smile. Sherry, I hope win a copy of your book. :)
    Thanks, Virginia having Sherry over. It’s inspiring to hear about other author’s journey’s.
    Tracy :)

  9. It was wonderful to read about you Sherry! And you’re spot on about marketing for authors.

    All the best!

    Hi Virginia!

  10. You are a genius. What a great way to use your time when you were up with the baby. I remember Favorite Young Man saying, That baby (The Hurricane) woke me up three times last night! He had no idea how much I was up with him at night.

    Love,
    Janie

  12. Hi Tracy, That is so awesome you follow Sherry’s blog faithfully, I’m certain she appreciates your faithfulness! She is a great person, an inspiration to me as a fellow author, and she is truly a creative writer!

    -Virginia

  15. Hi Everyone, Thanks for stopping by my blog (https://www.virginiawright.com/blog) for Sherry Ellis’s Interview. Sherry is kicking off the event “Seven Weeks to Christmas Authors Interviews & Giveaways!” She will be giving away copies of her book “That Baby Woke Me Up, Again” to commenters. You must comment for your chance to win. Please visit my event each week on Sunday, through Dec. 16th to see who I am interviewing next and to enter their giveaways. December 16th I’m launching my release party for “The Christmas Secret” and having a nice swag package I’m giving away.

    Thanks Again,
    -Virginia

  17. Thank you, Rik! Glad you enjoyed the interview. Sherry is an inspiration to me– and I’m so happy to have her on my blog today. Good luck with your entry!
    Please visit each week on Sunday to meet other authors from now until December 16th, that day is when I will have my release party for my new book. -Virginia

  18. Sherry, I can certainly identify with the kid waking up seven times a night. My first one woke up through the night until she was seven-years-old!

  20. Hi everybody. Thanks for all of the comments!

    Tracy: Thanks for stopping by! Good luck with winning the book!
    NAS: I’m sure you know all about marketing. You can’t be successful without it!
    Janie: I’m not sure I’m a genious, but my brain was certainly spinning some crazy stuff in the that sleep-deprived state!
    Michelle: Yes, Pajama Party Stories are a lot of fun, but my husband questions my sanity when I go out in public wearing PJs and Winnie the Pooh slippers. LOL!
    Rik: Thanks for stopping by!
    Linda: Poor you! I thought 4 years was bad. 7 years for you? How did you survive?

  21. I sure can relate. I had 3 children in a short space of time (3 kids in less than 5 years) so lots of sleepless nights, but at least they were babies/toddlers at the same time, so when they outgrew that stage, they all outgrew it together. Good luck on your release, Sherry!

  22. Lelani, Thank you for coming by for Sherry’s interview. You sure did have your hands full when your kids were little, but I agree about outgrowing the stages together, as my sons were less than two years apart. So they went through stages together too. :-) Visit each Sunday until December 16th for more author interviews and giveaways!

  28. So great to read all of these comments!

    Mario Joseph: Nice to meet another children’s author. Good luck with the contest!
    Angela: Thanks for stopping by. I like reading other author’s marketing tips, too!

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