Interview with author, Bettina Restrepo on her book, Moose and Magpie

My interview today is with Bettina Restrepo. Her writing has appeared in Highlights for Children, Nature Friend, and Boy's Life magazines. Moose and Magpie is Bettina's first picture book. She is also currently writing young adult novels.

Your current children’s picture book is called Moose and Magpie and is called “a fiction book with a non-fiction base.” What exactly does that mean?
Sylvan-Dell’s concept is that children absorb facts best in a story rather than bulleted factoids. While a talking moose is pure fiction, the idea behind his migration or the symbiotic relationship he has with Magpie is straight fact.

The book is published by Sylvan Dell, a publisher who strictly deals with stories about nature and science. What made you decide to contact them?
My writer friend, Doris, had just finished 3 beautiful math books for them. I met the publisher at a conference and he referred me to their website where they provide their current list of needs. I designed Moose and Magpie solely for SD. It never went anywhere else. My experience in the educational market was magazine writing which helped me to think in small “bites” of info.

What sort of research did you do in preparing to write this book? Reading over 40 books about moose, wildlife blogs and just a general curiosity about these large animals.

Did you suggest the fun facts in the book?
Most of them, yes. But, the information was edited beautifully by my editor.

I see their guidelines say up to 1500 words. Do you recall the original word count for your book?
It was 800. To me, it’s still too wordy. I think I could have done a better job at 500 words!

From the time you sent in your manuscript how long was it before you got any feedback?
One month – which floored me. Donna German has a quick eye and knows what fits her list. She finalizing her list by season and I received a contract within four months.

Is this the original title?
The original title was “Why did the moose cross the road?” Moose and Magpie is so much better,

How is the writing process this book for Sylvan Dell different from writing for Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins)?
My SD book was very focused on format. I knew I had sixteen spreads to get from birth to migration. Systematically, it was broken down and then the story built around the concept.

In my YA novel, Illegal, I worked with the character Nora to tell one snippet of her story. The ARC is larger, the characters deeper. But, the editing process was minimal. Books nowadays must be 98% ready to go to market. My agent (who I didn’t have while I did Moose) truly helped shape Illegal.

Do you have a preferred preference for writing in a specific genre? If so, which one and why?
Yes, YA. It’s where my voice is at. I hope to return to fictional picture books in a few years when the market is better.

Do you have any other books in process with either of these publishers? Yes, my next novel is optioned at Harper Collins. They are a fabulous publisher to work with and I have been very pleased with the product we have created together.

What do you do to promote your book?
EVERYTHING. Blogs, conferences, bookstores. I’d dance down Broadway naked – but I think that wouldn’t be so good for my book career.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to submit a manuscript to Sylvan Dell or other education related publishers? Research what they have – and look for their holes. Then, understand their style and tailor your word to fit within.

Thank you for your time, Bettina. If you would like to learn more about her writing or would like to buy her books, here are some helpful links...

If you would like to read an except from her YA book,Illegal, click here
To see the the book trailer, click here.
www.bettinarestrepo.com
http://www.facebook.com/bettina.restrepo
http://twitter.com/bettinarestrepo

BREAKING NEWS >>> Jimmy Hoffa May Hold Clue to his own Murder

On July 30, 1975, Jimmy Hoffa went to the Red Fox Restaurant outside of Detroit to allegedly meet with a couple of labor leaders and a local mobster kingpin. Witnesses said no one met him in the restaurant but he was seen getting into a car in the parking lot with several other men. That was the last anyone saw or heard from him. The controversial leader of the Teamsters Union, which boasted strong connections to organized crime, just disappeared.

That is until recently when a field in Waterford Township, Michigan was breaking ground for a new shopping center. In their excavations they unearthed a 55-gallon steel drum that contained a corpse. Through dental records it proved to be Jimmy Hoffa’s body. And now through a DNA resuscitation matrix, police hope to solve that crime and perhaps others as well. Through many years of research, forensics scientists have finally found a way to temporarily revive a person’s cortex and vocal cords for a scant 60 seconds. They hope this is enough time to get the answers as to who was the perpetrator of the deadly dead. Whether or not the responses will hold up in court is yet to be determined.

The above is a true story in regards to the first paragraph, but the rest is not. It is April 1 – or April Fool’s Day. The concept actually comes from a short lived TV series where the lead character was able to revive a murder victim for 60 seconds to see if the victim could point to the perpetrator. However, it wasn’t without consequence as someone else would die in that time frame not to be resuscitated.

We may not be able to resurrect another human being but you can resurrect or make new your own life. Others in this blog chain will be discussing resurrection and redemption (which is the theme for the month) in more theological aspects, but here I will deal with it within a psychological experience. This is taken from notes on a recent inspirational talk by a Christian motivational speaker, Dan Sneed. The topic of his talk was “Success is never final; failure is never fatal.”

For many people the recent economic downturn has affected their income. I can attest to that as the career that supports my writing is real estate sales. Those sales have been spiraling down for the last few years. Now I need to start creating a new business model or a new career that pays. I could look back at the diminishing returns in real estate and feel diminished as well. Or I could look forward and use this as an opportunity to renew and refocus.

Many people define themselves by their income or their job title. When you make that your identity you might believe that you are a failure and unworthy. But as long as you have breath you have the opportunity to be redeemed and restored. Here’s how the famous feel about failure in their own words…

"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely." Henry Ford

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Sir Winston Churchill

"All my successes have been built on my failures." Benjamin Disraeli

The last one is my favorite. I’ve had many ups and downs in my life, but I’ve learned from my past. My failures are a part of my life and have helped me to see that I will survive. I can pass that hope to others as well.My worst month was when both my husband and I both lost our jobs and my dad died suddenly. I didn't shrivel up and hide then. I let my hopes and not my disappointments shape my future.

So do you need redemption or resurrection for your life? It is still possible – you just need to have faith in yourself!If you that personal renewal, you might want to read the book that is link to the talk I heard. The book is called The Power of a New Identity by Dan Sneed. You can find it here.

Heart Clip art copyrighted by Bobbie Peachey,
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