This week, from Sept.1- Sept. 8, I am showcasing author Margot Finke as a part of my new venture of hosting authors. This was something I decided to do, because as an author we tend to talk a lot about ourselves, which is something I really don't like to do. This is a way to bring some light to other authors and I am so excited about it. Margot has 13 books published as of right now, yes 13. She mostly writes children's books and preteen books. I had the pleasure of reading through a couple and I have to say, they are beautifully done.
I asked her which of her books she would highlight and even though she has so many(I would have a hard time choosing) she said:
My ghost mystery I think,
"The Revenge of Thelma Hill." While writing it I found the ghost
becoming increasingly familiar. Turns out I was channeling my dear mum. So I
thought, what the hec! Mum would be tickled pink to feature in a book of mine.
I went whole hog. Even used her name in the title -
When Frannie’s dad transfers to Oregon, she
worried about going to a new school, and why she and her twin, Jeff, weren’t
really close. Frannie also dreams about her missing Mom, and wonders why she
never returned to them. Ghosts, a long ago murder, and helping to trap a killer
was never on her private “worry” list. Yet a late night visit from a scary
apparition, trailing long gray veils, and begging for Frannie’s help, changes
everything. Twin Jeff was not a believer, and her dad thought ghosts were
rubbish. So Frannie and the ghost, who was amazingly kind and friendly, put
their heads together and planned revenge.
A chilling encounter in
the basement, and the appearance of the ghost’s familiar, an arachnid of
gargantuan size, persuades Jeff to help them trap Thelma Hill’s killer. Keeping
Dad out of the ghostly loop is tricky, and using the internet to trap the
killer is dangerous. When the panicked and treacherous killer pays a midnight
visit to their basement, the trap is sprung. Later, Thelma Hill gets her wish
to be buried in a consecrated church cemetery. And when the hoo-hah of the
capture dies down, Dad meets a reporter he can’t say no too, and Thelma Hill
finally brings news about Frannie’s mom.
(I
will be purchasing this story for my daughter.)
I thought that was amazing. Being
a writer myself I know how life and personal experience tend to influence
stories so I’m always curious as to what an author’s story is.
While talking to Margot I got up close and personal and asked her a few questions.
The big
question everyone asks, how did you get into writing?
I was top of my class in writing, and I always wrote “stuff.” But what really gave me a big nudge were the
kids in the Oregon school where I was a Teacher’s Aide. They asked why I spoke
funny. I told them I was an Aussie from Down Under, and that we had a language
all our own. I brought in a National Geographic map that showed the Aussie
animals, and I began telling the classes about the wonderfully unique critters
in Australia. I even made up stories about them off the top of my head. I did
the same thing at bedtime for my three kids, because I didn’t want them to
forget where they came from. My teacher friend said, “You have to write those stories down before you forget them.” I
did, and the rest is history!
What
genre do you write?
I began with “Wild and Wonderful,” a series of 7 rhyming picture books about
animals from the US and Australia.
Unfortunately they were eBooks, long before anyone was buying them. But
now they are with a different publisher, and will soon be available in soft
cover as well as eBook.
Of course I didn’t stay with picture books. I have 2 young teen adventures published, and
another two will soon hit the shelves, plus the third picture book from my
original series.
That makes 10 picture books in all + 4 young teen adventures – and
more to come.
What
genre do you like to read?
My favorite author, for both lyrical language, and the ability to
paint marvelous word pictures, while delivering a fascinating plot and
characters, is Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
are awesome reads – the best I have read in years. I am eager to read his
latest, And the Mountains Echoed. I also
enjoy a really good mystery – ones that are well crafted and capture my
interest.
Tell me
about your book/s
These 5 are the original “Wild and Wonderful” series of
ebooks –
(soon available in soft cover)
*Don’t
Eat Platypus Stew – 3 separate stories : Platypus, Kookaburra and Koala.
*Never
Say BOO to a Frilly – 3 stories: Frill-neck Lizard, Rainbow Birds, Tasmanian
Devil
*Prairie
Dog’s Play Day – 3 stories: Prairie
Dogs, Bald Eagle and The Stinker (skunk)
*Humdinger
Hummers – one story about hummingbirds in our gardens.
*Squirrels
Can’t Help Being Nuts – 3 stories: Squirrels, Kitty Kats, Bumblebees.
Hold onto your boomerang mates, there’s MORE!
The following
are PBs already published as soft cover books.
*Rattlesnake Jam: pure boy fun. No one
has a Gran and Pa like these!
*Ruthie and the Hippo’s Fat Behind: how sudden changes can turn your kid into a
brat.
*Horatio Humble Beats the Big D: help and encouragement for kids with dyslexia -
and their parents.
PLUS: these two from the original e-series:
*Mama Grizzly Bear: a year in the life
of Mama and her cubs.
*Kangaroo Clues: how Old Man Roo tricked the wild dingoes that were chasing
him.
Young Teen Adventures: (Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/bg9dtxt)
*Taconi and Claude – Double Trouble: This
coming of age adventure is set on a cattle station in the Australian outback,
circa 1950. Taconi, a young aboriginal boy, is fearful of his upcoming man ceremony,
worried about his dad’s crazy plans, and torn between two worlds.
And the Dreamtime spirits have plans of their own for him. His only mate is a
fast talking, Sulfur Crested cockatoo named Claude – always happy to toss out a
helpful one liner.NOTE: ***Survival by Walkabout is the follow up
book - coming soon.
*The Revenge of Thelma Hill – Ghost mystery
set in Oregon. Frannie and her twin brother move to Oregon.
At first her thoughts are of old friends, making new friends, and the sibling
rivalry between her and her twin.
There’s also the nagging worry about her mom. Where is she? Everything changes when the ghost comes to
her and begs for help. Frannie and her reluctant twin join forces to help the
ghost trap her killer. Yet will they ever discover what happened to their
mother? Their dad certainly isn’t talking.
As I wrote this, the ghost began to feel very familiar to me. Then it hit
me – I was channeling my dear mother!
But what the heck. . . Mom fitted the bones of my ghost to
perfection. And I knew she would be SO
tickled to be a main character in a book of mine. I even used her real name for the title -
love you Mom!
*COMING SOON:
Down Under Calling – When a reluctant grandson in Oregon is
pressured to write to his grandma in Australia, wonderful things happen. Both
have a need for love and reassurance. Back and forth the letters go. The reader
gets to share Andy’s and Grandma Rose’s daily problems, and his grandma also
writes about her childhood memories. They astonish Andy and his friend Kelly.
Together they shrink the Pacific Ocean into a puddle they can easily ford.
Who or
what is your biggest influence?
My
mom. She always encouraged me to read. Mom read to me, and made up stories of
her own to tell me at bedtime. Later, when I was a teen, she read books at
night to both Dad and myself. Funny ones mostly, like “The Egg and I.” She had
a way of reading stories, or telling them, that could make you laugh or cry. I
loved to hear her tell stories of when she was young, or how Dad and her met. I
have included some of her true stories in my upcoming book, Down-Under Calling. A lot of what Grandma Rose tells her grandson,
Andy, comes from what my mom told me. It is a tribute to her and a kind of
virtual hug.
What is
something an average person doesn’t know about you?
That I am not the “oh so confident”
person I appear on the outside. I hide my fears and uncertainty. Maybe I should have been an actress instead
of a writer?
What is
your guilty pleasure?
I have decided to give guilt the boot. At my
age I need to give myself permission to “tell it like it is, mate!” My pleasure (minus the guilt) is to relax and
let the dust bunnies roam. In the past I
felt compelled to do it all perfectly. Now, “perfect” be damned!
I love to sit and watch the birds in our
garden feed on the seeds and nectar we lay out for them. They come, flocks of
them, and I am guessing Finke’s Avian Outdoor Restaurant has a 5 star rating. A
great book to read completes my pleasure. My husband tends our ¾ acre of trees
and gardens these days, and he does a marvelous job.
Who is
your book boyfriend/girlfriend?
No one in particular. I
have been around a long time, and my website and Manuscript Critique Service
offer lots of help for writers. Writers tend to come to me.
Who
would your dream cast be?
Hmmm. . . glad you
asked. My dad knew a Frillneck Lizard
very well. It holed up in the brick wall
of the home Dad was building for us in his spare time. He could star in the
movie of my PB, “Never Say BOO to a Frilly,” quite well. And there are several kangaroos at the
Queensland Lone Pine Sanctuary that would be perfect leads for Kangaroo Clues.
There’s also a squirrel and a skunk that frequent our yard. They could easily become headline film stars
if asked nicely.
An
average day of writing, what is your ritual? Set the scene
You know, when you have 14
books published, finding time to write is like looking for gold – scarce! Promotion looms large. I do try to sneak in
an hour or two each day for my own projects, but sometimes my client’s demand
for critique services nibble away at the edges of my writing time. Then there’s
all the social networking sites to infiltrate, clients to deal with, interviews
to fill out, my illustrators to deal with, and two new books to final edit for my
publisher. What mostly throws a spanner
in my work-wheel is that unplanned email. Someone, or something, that has to be
dealt with immediately - ASAP.
I have set up my writing
shop in what was once our family room.
Fireplace, comfy sofa, book shelves, and a large L shaped desk with
cupboards and shelves. PLUS wall shelves
with gro-luxe lighting, where we put tender plants to winter-over. Lovely when
it is cold, rainy (this is Oregon), and miserable outside. Like working in
plant heaven! I can even view a bird feeder from one of my windows.
What
was your best and worst review?
Now I feel terrible. Dare I confess. . .? Lean closer and I’ll whisper: All my book reviews are 4 and 5 stars. My husband says, “Don’t tell me about
another great review. I only want to know when one of your books is panned!”
My
best review began, “Australian author Margot Finke’s new book, Kangaroo Clues, is a masterpiece” - Nicole Weaver for
Blog Critics. It doesn’t get better than that.
How do you shake off those dreadfully painful reviews?
I still get nervous when someone sends
me their review link. The knot in my stomach twists and grows. I guess no matter
how many terrific reviews I receive, I am always waiting for the
inevitable. It has to come; that one
devastating review that will make all the others seem as if they never
happened..
Thank you for taking the time to get to know this amazing author a little better. If you would like to know anything else about her, her links are below. Don't forget to go on my Author Hosting page and like her introduction that I will be posting today, Sunday Sept. 1, to enter to win one of her books. http://www.facebook.com/authorsrock
Website: http://www.margotfinke.com
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