I hope you get to check out some of Joyce's great books soon!
What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers?
Read a lot! Write a lot! Revise, even more!What is your current favorite book (can be a kid or adult book) and what was your favorite as a kid?
I think The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank is always going to be my favorite book.Do you have a favorite Newbery winner?
Hmmmm – tough decision. Maybe Out of the Dust. Or Jacob Have I Loved.When and where do you write?
Every morning, I take my laptop to a recliner with a cup of coffee. And after checking email and reading blogs (including Laura’s Life!) I start writing. Later I take my laptop to my desk, or the dining room table, with me in the car while my hubby drives, and even to my treadmill. If I have to leave the computer I keep writing in my head – imagining dialogue or thinking through what needs to happen next in my story. So, in some ways, I am always writing.What are you working on now or having coming out soon we can look forward to?
I’m writing a book on war and peace. It feels complicated to me and I’ve been struggling for several years to tell this story effectively.How many bookcases do you have?
I love this question. Hmmm let me see. Eight. And I also have boxes of books in my attic.How much research is involved in writing historical fiction?
Infinity! Seriously, it never ends. I start by reading everything I can about my subject. This gives me a feel for the overall story. From this research I begin to plot my story. I read the whole time I am writing it and all during revisions. By the time the book is published I am so hooked on the subject that I keep reading and learning. All this ongoing research comes in handy when I do school visits and public speaking.What historical event would you most like to write about?
I would love to write about the construction and the fall of the Berlin Wall. If only I could do research in the German language. Sigh….Do you have a favorite time period? Do you wish you could live in another time?
I like writing about the first half of the 20th century. But I don’t want to go back to any other time. I like computers too much. And indoor bathrooms. And flying to other parts of the world.
