A friend bought a copy for her six
year old son and asked me to sign it
for him. The next day, I received an email
from her to say that he was so excited about
receiving a signed book that he couldn't wait to
take it to school for Show 'n Tell. It was
lovely, very sweet. Apart from that, I'm unaware
of responses from male readers - or female
readers, for that matter. The only responses I've
received are from the publisher, reviewers and
adult readers. Thankfully, they have all been
very positive. Oops, I forgot to mention the pony
at the launch of "The Pony Game". He
was male. After a while he just
wanted to eat the book - and me. I think this is
a good response.
2. As
an established author, was The Pony
Game written from a query letter and submission
process or was it requested by Lothian for you to
write to a spec?
At the time, the Lothian website
said that they were closed to unsolicited
submissions. That's probably still the case.
However, I'd done some research on publishers and
realised that Lothian Books didn't have a
"pony" story in their Giggles series.
This made me think that they might be interested
in "The Pony Game". While I was at the
CBCA Conference in Sydney, I asked the publisher
if I could make a submission. She said
"yes" and asked me to send it
in by the end of the month so she could take
it to the next acquisitions meeting. I had to
rewrite it to fit Giggles 2,500 word count,
which meant adding about 700 words. Then I
submitted it with a second manuscript, and three
months later received that lovely phone call to
say that they wanted to publish "The Pony
Game". Unfortunately, the second manuscript
was rejected.
3. Obviously as an
established writer you 'never' worry what people
think about your books. How do you cope with
negative criticism if you do get it?
The only negative criticism I've
had is to do with a new book called "Child
Heroes: Iqbal Masih". While I was at a
school doing an author visit, a boy asked me what
the book was about and I told him. It is a
non-fiction book about a Pakistani boy sold into
slavery at the age of four for the princely sum
of twelve dollars. Iqbal escaped this
cruel lifestyle at the age of ten and became the
international "face" and
"voice" speaking out against child
slavery. Tragically, he was murdered at the age
of twelve. But on the bright side, his story has
lived on and many organisations have been
created, especially by children, to continue his
fight against child slavery. Apparently, my
author visit, which included a brief
explanation of my book "Child
Heroes: Iqbal Masih" traumatised these
school children for life and a teacher
viciously attacked me with lies and abuse. I was
upset for Iqbal's sake, not my own. It seemed
such a sad reaction from this teacher given
that Iqbal had died while trying to make the
world a better place for children. I realised
that this teacher has a problem, which
really has nothing to do with me or Iqbal. Still,
it seems sad. Thankfully, people are usually
complimentary about my books.
4. I know you have over 70
books, but do you keep/purchase a
'memento' from each book ?
I keep at least three copies of
each of my books. I'd like to keep more but they
take up a lot of room - and money. I made an
A3 colour print of my first book cover and
had it framed. It hangs on the wall in my
study. Lothian Books sent me three copies of
the cover of "The Pony Game" for
promotional use. I framed one for myself and
another for my mother. I also framed the colour
proof cover of "Child Heroes: Iqbal
Masih". It's on my china display
cabinet in my lounge room to inspire me. That's
it so far. At the moment, I'm working on a movie
script. I imagine I'll keep a memento or
two from the movie. Oh, "Black
Baron" (to be released by Walker Books in
May 2008) is about a champion racing
cockroach and his manager Jake. I've had
occasion to "keep" a cockroach (or
two) in my home.
5. The Pony Game is
Published by Lothian. A large number of books in
your back list are from Era. How did you find
working with a different editor, and publishing
house?
The staff at Lothian Books are
great. They are nice people - friendly
and helpful - fantastic to work with. They
sent me everything to approve first - the minor
editorial changes, the cover art, the rough
illustrations and proofs. Everything was done
quickly and efficiently. And I appreciated being
involved and consulted. I've also been working
with Walker Books this year on "Black
Baron" and Walker Books are fantastic
too. So far I've been consulted on the
editorial changes and cover art. I'm
enjoying branching out.
6. As coordinator of
the CYA Conference, that runs a competition for
aspiring authors and illustrators - I
wondered what you think about competitions being
an important tool for helping to hone writers and
illustrators skills? And if you used to enter
any, what did you look for in a competition that
swayed you to enter?
I coordinate a writers' group
for aspiring children's authors. I also run a
writing for children course through the
Australian Writing Academy and my own website www.robynopie.com.
Entering competitions is one of the things I
recommend to all aspiring writers. I
think they are valuable from the point of view of
honing skills and gaining experience, as well as
being able to add the win to a
writer's CV. Plus, there are often opportunities
to have manuscripts read by publishers or other
experienced people within the industry. A writer,
who I've been helping for the last eighteen
months, was thrilled to be amongst the
winners in the CYA Conference competition. She's
still riding high. Having said all that, I
haven't entered a writing competition. Not
because I don't see value in them - as I
mentioned above, I see a lot of value. I just
never seemed to find time with all my writing
projects. I'm obsessed with writing and often
forget to do other things. Sorry, Mum. Those
phone calls keep getting put off until I've
finished writing - like that's going to happen.
Yes, I run out of clean underwear and clean
dishes. Luckily, my dogs remind me to feed them.
Mmmm...it's nearly time for their walk.
1. This was the first title of the series
that was previously 'Start-Ups'. So it was a
sort-of relaunch for the series as well as a
launch for you. Did that add anything to the
pressure to get it right?
Not with me. I was unaware of it
being the first title in the series. I only found
out after Lothian Books had accepted the story
that they were changing the series name to
Giggles. So, from my point of view, the work had
been done. Unfortunately, they cancelled the
Giggles series, not because of poor sales of
"The Pony Game" I might add. The sales
and reviews have been great. But I
always feel pressure to get a story just right -
as close to perfect as possible. I was pleased
when the editor from Lothian Books made
few changes to it.
2. 'The Pony Game' is for
young readers. How do you 'get into the head' of
your target readership?
I don't do anything special. I
just write as honestly as I can. All my
characters are me to some extent, even the
boys, and react how I think I'd react. I
guess that's what I do - put myself in the story,
write about me in different situations. I'm a kid
at heart. I'm not keen on
the "adult" world. I
like living in a child's world. Things
seem easier somehow, despite the problems I throw
at the characters. I remember a teacher once
telling me that I shouldn't "wish" to
grow up too soon, that being a child were the
best years of my life. I didn't believe him at
the time. I was eager to grow up. But, when
I did "grow up", I realised that he was
right - so very right - and I wanted to be a kid
again. I am, through my writing.
3. Do you have a favourite
age group to write for? What makes it special?
My favourite age group to write
for would be 8 to 12 and in particular boys. I
don't know why but I feel like I relate to boys
better. I like writing funny stories with the
main characters having humour and attitude, and
it seems to work better for me if I write about
boys. I think I find them less complicated.
4. Do you have a clear
image in your head of how your characters look?
Did the illustrator see them differently?
No, not really. I only describe my
characters if it is necessary to the plot/story.
I know my characters more by the way they sound
and act, rather than by the way they look. I
guess that's because they're all me. I got a
shock when I first saw my character
"Ben" from my Wings titles published by
Era Publications. He's African American. I'm not
racist. It was just a surprise the first
time because I automatically "see"
my characters as English descendants like me. All
my characters are like me - at least the human
ones. Lucy from "The Pony Game" is
pretty much how I pictured her and that's nice. I
imagined her as a cute little girl - and she is.
5. How did the idea for
'The Pony Game' arrive? Was it fully formed, or
in pieces?
I'd just finished a non-fiction
book "Looking After a Pony" and
contacted a local riding club for help with
photos. We needed a pony and a child for the
photos. Once the book was published, I met with
the helpful lady from the riding club and gave
her some copies of the book. While she was
talking, I started to think about her passion for
horses and riding. It was hard not to - her
passion for horses is as obvious as my passion
for writing. She reminded me of my best
friend at primary school, who was horse mad.
These memories of my childhood floated around in
my head until a fully formed story popped into my
mind. That's the way I like to work because it's
the best way for me. I think of an idea, ponder
it a bit, then leave it alone. The idea is still
in my head but instead of me consciously thinking
about it, my subconscious is running with it and,
seemingly out of nowhere, it gives me a fully
formed story. Sometimes it feel so easy - like
magic. Thanks, subconscious!
6. Were you a pony-loving
child? If so, was it a long-time passion, or a
passing fancy?
I love animals - all animals. But
dogs have always been my favourite. I like horses
but I've never been a "horsey"
person. My best friend at primary school
was. Curiously, though, the first two houses
I lived in - up to the age of seventeen - had
horses living behind them. The first house in
Port Pirie had a horse stable behind in the next
street. The second house in Adelaide backed onto
the banks of the River Torrens, where people kept
horses. So, for a long time, I had horses living
over my back fence. For a while, I looked after a
horse on the River Torrens. It was a cranky thing
- kept trying to bite me. It didn't like being
ridden even. As Lucy found out in "The Pony
Game" looking after a pony/horse can be hard
work and it is definitely a daily commitment. I
thoroughly enjoyed it, though. They
are beautiful creatures.
Questions from children's author
and illustrator Jacqui Grantford. Her website iswww.jacquigrantford.com
1. As you know the cover of a book can have huge
impact on sales. Do you ever have any input on
the cover design, or what illustrator is used?
With Lothian Books and
Walker Books, I was asked for my opinion on the
covers of "The Pony Game" and
"Black Baron". They would have
considered changes if I'd requested them. I
didn't though because I was happy with what
they'd done and deferred to their experience.
Walker Books told me that the cover of
"Black Baron" had received good
feedback from booksellers. I like that these
publishers consult the authors before any final
decision is made. It's good to feel a part of the
process. With Era Publications, I have no say and
don't get to see the covers until I receive the
proofs. Then I'm only looking for
mistakes. It seems to surprise
most people that the publisher selects the
illustrator and design - not the author - and
that the author doesn't have much say, if
any. A lot people assume that
organising the illustrations is the writer's job.
I actually prefer it this way. After all, the
publishers have experience in publishing and
selling books. I have experience in writing
them. I'm happy for us to have our separate
roles and focus on what we do well.
Besides, it gives me more time to write
the stories if I don't have to worry about the
publishing/printing side.
2. I saw on your
website your free writing tips. There’s some
great information there that I found terrific.
Did you learn your own skills through other
people’s writing tips, or was it through
trial and error in your own writing?
It was a bit of both.
When I first started writing for children, I read
every book I could on the subject and I did a
TAFE module on writing children's books and a few
WEA courses. Then it was trial and error.
Feedback from people in the industry was
extremely valuable. In 2001, I was awarded a
mentorship with the May Gibbs' Children's
Literature Trust. I met publishers,
librarians, illustrators - all sorts of people in
the business. It was a great learning
experience. I realise that publishers don't
have time to give feedback on submissions but the
personal letters I've received from them
that have included their thoughts on my
manuscripts have been invaluable. Manuscript
assessments have helped me a lot too. Before I
sent anything out, I used to ask Sally Odgers
(hi, Sally) to assess it for me. Her advice made
a big difference, I'm sure. It helped me learn
and hone my skills. Now, I have a partner who is
a writer and he reads everything I write and
gives great feedback. I think it's a process. You
have to learn and gain experience. I liken it to
flying a plane. How many people would jump into a
jumbo jet and expect to fly it without first
learning how? We have to learn first. It's the
same with writing children's books. We have to
learn, practice and gain experience.
3. Do you find
your opinion of other people’s books
affected by reviews? And if so, how does that
then affect your feelings about your own reviews?
I don't read many reviews
of books. I prefer to select a book because I
enjoy the writer's work or because the story
sounds interesting and appeals to me. Sometimes
I'll just read books for boys because that's what
I'm writing and I want to be in that frame of
mind. Of course, we all want good reviews. But I
think if we were truly worried about other
people's opinions we wouldn't put ourselves out
there in the first place. There's a lot of
our heart and soul in our writing. It can hurt
when others don't respond in a way we want them
to. But, at the end of the day, if we're happy
with what we do then that should be
enough. We only have to answer to ourselves,
in my opinion. Our own conscience.
4. Do you ever
write your stories with the media in mind and
stay within a style that would suit the big
screen?
I've thought about the
big screen once when writing a story. I'd started
writing and realised it would make a good movie.
I started to think about the elements Hollywood
include in their stories and it influenced
how I dealt with the drama and
characters. It felt like the story needed a
Hollywood ending. My instincts must have
been good because I sent the story to Wolfgang
Petersen of "Troy" and
"Poseidon" fame and he seriously
considered it for a month. I had to sign a
release form and wait nervously until I received
his response. Unfortunately, he decided
against pursuing it. But it showed that I was on
the right track. The story is now with another
producer. It's big budget - and I mean BIG. So it
may never be turned into a story for
the big screen for financial reasons. However,
this experience was very positive and lead me
to contact movie producers regarding another
story. Again, the response was positive
and my partner and I have just finished
writing the screenplay for a
local producer. It would appear that
this story will make it to the big screen in
2009. But it wasn't meant that way when I first
wrote it.
5.When writing
your books, do you try and write to a specific
word length, or do you just let it evolve and
take its own shape?
Yes, I do try to write to
a specific word length. I think we have to
consider word lengths when writing children's
books. It's the way many publishers work.
Their guidelines often include word lengths and
age groups for particular series or types of
books they're publishing. "The Pony
Game" had to be close to 2,500
words to fit Lothian's Giggles series. If it
was too long or too short, they wouldn't have
accepted it because it wouldn't have fit their
publishing list - or they would have asked me to
make it fit the word length. When you're writing
longer junior novels, you have more flexibility
with word length. A lot of publishers just want
them to be over 20,000 words. Therefore I aim for
at least 20,000 words. But, with the shorter
series-type books, the guidelines can be very
specific - X number of words for Y age
group. You have to get close to what the
publishers want or they can't use your work in
the series. The word length affects the layout of
the book. They chose X number of words
because they already know it will fit a book
of Z number of pages and allow for W
number of illustrations. Therefore all the books
in the series are the same basic format - Z
number of pages with W number of illustrations.
6.The Pony Game
drew a lot on your own experiences as a child. Do
you think this gives an added warmth and depth to
the story by having that personal element?
I think it does. I don't
think you can write a good story without pouring
some of yourself into it. It's the element of us
- the writer - in the story that makes it come
alive. Of course, the illustrator adds
to the story too. It's a team effort.
"The Pony Game" is based on my
house in Port Pirie and my experience with my
best friend, a horse lover. It also contains my
passion for dogs. As a child I used
to spend a lot of time with my
dog "Boots". I used to play games
with her, including the pony game. Then I wrote
about my feelings of someone ignoring their
dog. Heaven forbid! Sometimes my dogs just have
to look at me and it melts my heart. Yes, there
was a lot of me in the story and I think it added
warmth and depth. It makes it more real,
more emotional. It gives the story that
"sparkle" publishers are looking for,
which I once heard three publishers end up
agreeing (after some discussion) that the
special element that they look for in a
submission is - the writer. They are looking
for that emotional personal element that makes a
story fresh and original. My characters are
always me. I write about what interests me, how I
feel, things I care about etc. So, yes, there is
usually some personal element in my stories.
Makes me wonder? "Black Baron" is about
a boy and his racing cockroach. I'm going to have
to think about that one. Me and
cockroaches? I did start off with the
opinion that cockroaches are dirty,
stinking, rotten. . . Now, I just love Black
Baron - the racing legend. He's my favourite
character.
1. Was the
title for this story always "The Pony
Game", or was it a changed or last-minute
choice?
The title was always
"The Pony Game". I decided on it
at the time of developing the idea, shortly after
writing my non-fiction book "Looking After a
Pony". I've had very few titles changed
from my original ones.
2. Do
you think the popularity of pony stories has
changed since its heydey in the 1960s?
No. The books and stories
have obviously changed with the times, but not
the love of ponies/horses. I think children have
the same interests, though technology has
introduced many new ones. However, when I queried
Era Publications with this story line, it was
rejected as unsuitable for the US market.
Apparently we have to write for urban US children
and keeping ponies/horses is not for
them. I was a little surprised as I
thought the fascination with ponies/horses
was universal. I think this rejection
stemmed from the fact that the US publisher Era
Publications works with wouldn't purchase
my non-fiction book "Looking After a
Pony". Therefore Era Publications
were avoiding pony stories.
3.
Part of "The Pony Game" is
role-playing... Black Beauty is inserted into the
role of "pony". This role/substitution
is a surprisingly common habit with real-life
children, but is not often addressed in
children's books. Do you think your protagonist
is a writer-to-be?
Yes, I think my
protagonist is a writer-to-be. Me! After writing
the story, I realised how much of my childhood
was reflected in the story. I grew
up in Port Pirie, a regional
city in South Australia. Behind my house was
a horse stable. I used to walk the long way home
from school so I could visit the horses. I used
to climb my back fence so I could look at the
horses. For most of my life, I've had a
dog - different ones, of course. When I was
young, I played games with my dog
"Boots". I even played the pony
game. My favourite animal has always been
the dog. My best friend at primary
school was mad about horses. Put it all together
and you have "The Pony Game". In a lot
of ways the protagonist is me, growing up in Port
Pirie.
4. I read
somewhere that pony stories are the precursers
(sp?) of light romance, with Pony in place of
Handsome Hero. Comment?
I guess I can see that.
Ponies/horses usually have that
"handsome" look to them. And, of
course, our Prince Charmings are supposed to ride
on horseback and whisk us away to some glamorous
life. I wasn't thinking of any of this when I
wrote "The Pony Game". A
confession - I tried writing romance many years
ago. I prefer children's stories. So I'll
stick to ponies/horses as the handsome
heroes.
5. You did
quite a lot of rewriting and restructuring on
"The Pony Game". Did you feel this
improved the story, or did you do it because
that's what others wanted or suggested?
The story itself didn't
change much. But I rewrote and restructured for
different publishers. The first series I
submitted to was Puffin's Aussie Nibbles and the
word count had to be between 1,500 and
2,000. My second submission to Walker Books
was a long short as I suspected the story would
be too short for them. Third time is the charm,
so they say. I rewrote the story up to around
2,500 for Lothian Books' Giggles series and it
was accepted and released twelve months
later. I believe this is the best version of
the story. That may be because it's the version
I'm most familiar with now. But I think the extra
600-700 words added to the depth and
characterisation.
6.
How do you classify The Pony Game's genre? It's
certainly not the classical pony story, but would
you call it "family",
"animal", "problem" or
just plain "story"?
The first time I saw
"The Pony Game" in a bookstore it was
under the heading "Classics". Great, I
thought. It's a classic in its first month of
release. "The Pony Game" was shelved
with other horse stories under this general
heading. If I was to classify "The Pony
Game" I'd call it
"animal". The protagonist's dog,
Black Beauty, was the main focus for
me, being a big dog lover. I was more
interested in Lucy's relationship with her
dog because, again, the story reflects
me as a child.
1. The Pony Game is about a girl who
wishes she has a horse. Do you/have you ever
owned a horse? Or did you wish for one when you
were a child?
No, I've
never owned a horse. And I've actually never
wanted one. That may be because the first two
houses I lived in - until I was seventeen - had
horses living right behind them,
over the back fences, so I was never really
without a horse or six. I could see them whenever
I wanted to, which was a lot. I looked after a
horse for a while and, yes, it was hard work.
Hope I didn't neglect my dog "Boots"
like Lucy neglects "Black
Beauty" in "The Pony Game". I've
wanted other animals though because I haven't had
much contact with them. I've always wanted a
dolphin, like Flipper. I whale would have been
great too. I've wanted a kangaroo and a possum
and . . .
2
A fellow writer once told me that only horsey
people can write horse books. Do you think this
is true for horse books and/or for other subjects
(ie do you need to love dogs/aeroplanes/dragons
whatever to write about those things)?
I think
you have to love what you're writing about - the
story - and want to write it. I think you have to
feel excitement about the story and immerse
yourself in it. Writing is hard work and takes
time. If you don't love what you're doing it's
too easy to lose interest and give up, or write a
story that doesn't excite readers because
you're not sufficiently excited about it.
For example, my book "Caught in a
Cyclone" is about a family living in
Darwin in 1974 and being caught in Cyclone
Tracy. I've received a lot of positive
feedback on the story and some people have
assumed that I was living there at the time
and writing from personal experience. It's a
great compliment. When I started writing the
story, I had little knowledge of cyclones
and only a vague memory of Cyclone
Tracy from TV footage seen from my home in Port
Pirie. I did a lot of research on Cyclone Tracy
and imagined what it would be like if I'd been
caught in it. I don't love cyclones but I
was interested in the subject and wanted to
experience it as a writer from the safety of my
lounge chair. I was the little girl -
the protagonist - and, yes, she has a dog
that gets lost during the cyclone, so there was a
lot of me in it again. What really inspired me
was the character's reactions and experiences -
and I was her. In my opinion, you don't have
to "love" the subject but you have to
be interested in it and "love"
some aspect of the story. I always look for
something to get excited about. It's my
passion for writing and stories that
makes me a writer - I love the writing and
stories first.
3.
Going on a virtual book tour is a novel way of
promoting a new book. What else do you do to
promote your books?
Book
launches, though I've only had two out of 75
published books
Author visits to schools
Book fesitvals and similar events
Association with the SA Writers' Centre
Newspapers - I've been featured in three local
newspapers this year
Writers' groups and networking
A personal website www.robynopie.com
4.
As well as writing children’s books,
you’ve written ebooks and tutored writing
courses. What do you think is the most
important piece of advice you can give
prospective authors?
I think
the most important advice is to learn about
writing for children and to learn from people who
are in the industry. That means reading books on
the subject, doing courses and getting feedback
from experienced children's authors. All of this
hones a person's writing skills
and helps them write stories that fit
the market, even if they aren't quite ready for
publication. I always recommend manuscript
assessments before sending anything to a
publisher or publishers. I think feedback from
other writers, with experience, is invaluable. It
worked for me, pointed out my strengths and
weaknesses. I needed to know my weaknesses so I
could improve. Networking is another factor which
I think is very important. All of my
opportunities have come from networking with
people in the industry.
5.
And, as follow up, is there are any advice you
give in the courses which you don’t always
follow?
I don't think so. Not now. But
I've learned from my mistakes. When I first
started writing children's books, back in my
twenties, I wrote a "picture book" and
sent it to publishers. To my horror and
embarrassment, I later realised it wasn't a
picture book at all and had to be rejected. The
publishers had no choice. This first story was
around 2,000 words, much too long for the picture
book market. Yikes! This is part of the reason
why I tell new writers to learn about writing
children's books. A lot of new writers, me
included, write a story and send it to
publishers, expecting it to be published. Now, I
know it's not that easy. We have to learn about
writing children's books first and make sure our
submissions fit the various categories of
children's books and the market, or it's an
automatic rejection, like my first one.
I also tell new writers to do other things
to gain experience and publishing credits, like
enter competitions, write articles and stories
for magazines etc. I didn't do it myself. I was
lucky to get published and continue getting
published, so I didn't need to. But I do
think it's a good idea to look for other ways of
gaining experience and publishing credits while
waiting to break into the book market.
6. What next for Robyn
Opie? What are you working on now and what will
be your next published title?
My next
title will be "Black Baron" published
by Walker Books in May 2008. I also have five
books coming out with Era Publications. I won't
list them all here but they are mentioned on my
website www.robynopie.com/2007.html. I've
just finished writing a screenplay with my
partner, Rob Parnell, and we'll soon be
starting another one for the same film company. I
signed with an agent in August, Jacinta di Mase,
and we've been working on a number of books
together - two junior novels, a picture book
and two short chapter books. Fingers
crossed! I'm about to start work on another
chapter book. I write full time, so I'm always
working on something - or some things.
It's
been great! Fantastic! All of the blog hosts
have been wonderful. You are a bunch of
friendly - I was going to say nice but I'm
not fond of that word - supportive
people and I feel honoured to have you as
writing buddies. Answering the questions has been
an interesting experience too. Your
questions made me think - really
think. Sure, we think about things ourselves
but it's different when other people ask the
questions. You've lead me off into different
directions, new places I haven't explored before.
Thank you for the experience. I appreciate
the time and effort everyone has put into
this blog tour. I recommend it and am happy to
return the favour.
2.
I like that The Pony Game is different
to most pony books because the
protagonist doesn't actually have her own
pony even though a pony enters the story. I
think a lot of children will relate to having to
invent a Pony Game. You were also
fortunate enough to have the talented
and funky Elise Hurst http://www.elisehurst.com/folio.html illustrate
your cover. Did you meet Elise or have any
input into her design? How proud of this
book are you? Is there any question you haven't
been asked about the Pony Game yet?
No, I
haven't met Elise. But we now have the same
literary agent. I hope to meet Elise one day and
tell her how much I appreciated her being a part
of "The Pony Game". No, I didn't get
any input into her design. I loved her
"rough illustrations" and thought she
captured the story and characters well. It was
almost as if she was in my head and childhood.
I'm pleased that she illustrated the book and
helped make it as beautiful as it is. So,
yes, I'm very proud of it. I'm sure there
are questions I haven't been asked yet. But
I think we've done a good job, without going on
and on forever and boring people to death. We
don't want them to end up hating the sound of
three little words - "The Pony
Game".
3.
The Pony Game is actually one book in a very
busy year for you. You've had seven books
published this year and already have six lined up
for next year! A few books jump out at
me. For instance, Child Heroes, a story
about Iqbal Masih, a carpet factory labourer
in Pakistan who spoke out about child
slavery. What a fascinating and
courageous boy. How did you
go about putting his story together?
This book
has an interesting history. I was commissioned
by Era Publications to write a book Child
Heroes and include three child heroes,
one being Anne Frank. It was the US
publisher who works with Era that suggested this
title and Anne Frank's inclusion. So,
off I went to research child heroes on the
Internet. I picked three with different
backgrounds and themes - Anne Frank, iqbal Masih
and The Tree Musketeers. The editor approved my
choices and I went to work. However, I soon
realised that Iqbal's story was so strong it
was taking over the book. I did all my
research on the Internet, spent hours poring over
information and checking facts. During this
time, I fell in love with Iqbal. He
became my hero. I finished the
manuscript and sent it to the Era editor,
pointing out that Iqbal's
story shone so brightly it made
everyone else look pale in comparison. even
though they had their own heroic stories. I
didn't hear a word on the manuscript for months.
Then I was called into the Era office. Uh-oh! It
felt like I was being called to the Principal's
office. The editor sat me down and explained
that they'd decided to make the entire book
about Iqbal. Was I surprised? No, Iqbal has that
effect on people. Was I happy? You bet!
Iqbal is an amazing boy. He is no longer
with us, unfortunately, but I'll never refer to
him in the past tense. He lives on.
His bravery, selflessness, determination,
belief - inspiration - is still part of our
lives. As you can see, I'm passionate about
Iqbal Masih. You can go here to view
the cover and see this brave hero www.robynopie.com/2007.html
4.
Another book I see coming up is Black Baron with
Walker Books. Is that a full on glossy
picture book? I understand that the
protagonist is a racing cockroach. Of
course! What an endless source of stories
you could have about a racing cockroach.
You could even add another story about his cousin
from Queensland, the flying cockroach! (I
hate how they fly). Tell me all about this
new book: How stoked are you? Who is the
illustrator? Why a cockroach? etc.
"Black
Baron" is a novel for 9 to 13 year olds. It
will be one of the first books released in a new
series, Lightning Strikes, by Walker Books due
out in May 2008. I'm very excited about it.
"Black Baron" is probably my favourite
fiction book and my favourite fictional
character. "Child Heroes: Iqbal Masih"
is my favourite non-fiction title. It is a novel,
so there aren't any illustrations. Why a
cockroach? Hmmm. . . When I started "Black
Baron", my aim was to write a funny story
for boys. I love writing funny stories for
boys. I thought about the things that boys
liked and decided to write about bugs. I wanted
to be different so I decided on a racing
cockroach. At the start, I thought of cockroaches
as dirty, stinking, rotten pests. Yuck!
They have to die! Then I began writing
and pretty soon I was in love with Black Baron. I
was faced with a dilemma. My original idea and
plot outline meant that Black Baron had to die. .
.dirty, stinking, rotten. . .But I'd stopped
thinking of him that way. Now I thought he was
cute, wonderful - a champion racing hero. Did I
kill him as I first intended? Or did I let him
live? I eventually came up with a
different ending I was happy with. You'll
just have to read it to find out what happens to
Black Baron - and his manager, Jake. I shudder at
the thought of flying cockroaches!
5.
I interviewed you a couple of years ago for my
book, "How to Become a Children's
Writer" in which you talked about other
avenues of income for writers and balancing
finding income with finding time to write.
I have been fascinated with your career ever
since. I think we both started getting
children's books published in the same year
but, of course, you are up to around 70
children's books now and have launched a
career built around writing while I've
pussy-footed around working conventional jobs
and my mere 25 publications are in multiple
genres, medias, and age groups. I feel like
a butterfly in a blizzard next to the
Rock of Gilbraltar. You seem to have
tremendous focus and drive. How do you
maintain that drive and what other ways do
you bring in income to survive as a writer?
Obsession!
Honestly, I'm obssessed. Writing is my life. I'm
a full time writer now. Having a "proper
job" used to frustrate me because I wanted
to write while I was at work and work got
in the way - or the bosses did. There never
seemed enough spare time to write. So I do
have an advantage on you now, Bren, because
I can commit myself to writing at least 8 hours a
day. I think the more you write, the more
obsessed about it you become. I never used
to be this obssessed about writing. My
partner is a writer too, so we talk about writing
and writing related subjects a lot. We also work
on projects together. We've just written a
screenplay together, which felt more like
spending quality time together than work. I don't
have any children, though my partner does. So we
do have child-distractions but on a part-time
basis. I find it difficult to do anything other
than write. Dragging myself to the supermarket is
difficult. And forget housework! My e-books
and writing courses on the Internet bring in some
regular income. I do author visits to
schools and other paying gigs. Now, I'm
working as a screenwriter too. ELR and
PLR make a big difference. One of
the reasons I can write full time is the
fantastic lack of a mortgage. I own my house
because, for many years, my husband and
I invested in real estate and were able to use
the capital gains to pay off our own home. The
lack of a mortgage - any loans, actually - means
I don't need a huge income to survive.
6.
Looking through your list of books, it seems that
you have very good relationships with some very
busy publishers. I know that good
relationships with editors has helped me,
but, in an age when publishers are projecting
themselves more through websites etc, it
seems increasingly hard to get to know the
people behind the company front and when the
people change you can suddenly find yourself
pushed away again. How important is the
publisher/editor/writer relationship to
you?
I think
the publisher/editor/writer relationship is
important. Publishers and editors have to enjoy
working with you. In other words, it has to be a
positive experience for them. Otherwise, they
might think twice about it next time. But I think
the most important thing is your
writing/stories. It doesn't
matter how well you get on with a
publisher/editor if they don't like your writing
or your stories don't fit their list. I have good
relationships with lots of publishers - and they
still reject my stories. These publishers like my
writing and style. Sometimes I have to work
harder to get the stories to fit publishing
opportunities and lists. It really is the writing
and individual stories that matter. Having said
that, publishers do have to want to work with you
too. I write stories that I enjoy and feel
passionate about and that I think readers
will also enjoy. I hope publishers want to
publish my stories. If they do, I think you have
to be professional and easy to get along with.
You know, treat others the way you want to be
treated, do the right thing etc. I once heard a
publisher say that she didn't want to know a
thing about the writer - she didn't care. She
made her decision on the strength of the
manuscript and writing.
Click
here to learn more about this
comprehensive guide on how
to write a great children's book
by Robyn Opie.
Click
here to learn more about this
comprehensive guide on how
to write a great picture book
by Robyn Opie.
Robyn Opie, Copyright 1999-2010.
Old Teddy illustration by Donna Gynell.
