Interview: Christine Brodien-Jones

I’m trying a new format for today’s author interview. I’m very thankful that Chrstine Brodien-Jones was such a good sport.

We’re going to call this a 5,4,3,2,1 Interview.

Here are the rules:

1. I give the interviewee 5 questions

2. They have to answer

• 1 question with 5 sentences

• 1 question with 4 sentences

• 1 question with 3 sentences

• 1 question with 2 sentences

• 1 question with 1 sentence

3.  They get to pick which question which question to answer with each number of sentences

4. Have fun!

Interview

1. Can you tell me a little bit about The Glass Puzzle? (2 Sentences) 

Eleven-year-old Zoé Badger, imaginative, carefree and adventurous, lives a transient life, moving with her mother from one town to the next—except for summers, when she stays with her granddad in Tenby, Wales. But when she and her cousin Ian discover a glass puzzle that’s been hidden away for decades, ancient forces are unleashed that threaten to change their safe-haven summer town in sinister ways.

2. What is your favorite thing about being a writer?  (3 sentences)

The best part of writing for young readers is meeting them! It’s exciting to connect with kids: I love talking with them, hearing about their creative efforts, their opinions on everything and anything, what particular books they love—and why. I’m always heartened by young readers’ honesty and enthusiasm.

3. What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?  (1 sentence)

Hardest of all are those early mornings when I sit down at my desk and stare at the empty computer screen.

 

4. If you could spend one day inside the world of any book which book would you pick? (4 sentences)

 

Providing I could have a dæmon of my own, I’d happily spend a day with Lyra Belacqua, the feisty heroine of The Golden Compass, the first book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy. I’m willing to jump into the pages at any point: spying on the Jordan College scholars, traveling with the Gyptians on their narrow boat or journeying to the far north to confront witch clans and armored polar bears. Maybe Lyra would teach me how to read her mysterious alethiometer. How cool would that be?

5. What advice do you have for the young writers in our classrooms?  (5 sentences)

Read a lot, write a lot, learn to be self-critical and to accept criticism graciously. Be persistent, have a story worth telling, don’t give up. Write every day—keep a notebook or journal—and open your mind to new experiences. Trust your reader and respect your characters, even minor ones. Write honestly, believe in your creativity, be passionate about what you write!

CHRISTINE BRODIEN-JONES is the author of three middle-grade fantasy adventure novels, The Glass Puzzle (Delacorte, July 2013), The Scorpions of Zahir (Delacorte, 2012) and The Owl Keeper (Delacorte, 2010).Booklist magazine praised her writing, saying “Brodien-Jones mixes fantasy and adventure in a way that would make Indiana Jones feel right at home.” Ms. Brodien-Jones studied writing at Emerson College in Boston and has worked as a reporter, an editor, and a teacher. She divides her time between Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Deer Isle, Maine. Learn more about her life and work and download additional free discussion guides for her novels at her website: www.cbrodien-jones.com. Visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChristineBrodienJones.

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Be sure to visit the other stops on Christine Brodien-Jones’ blog tour for THE GLASS PUZZLE!

Mon, July 8: Read Now, Sleep Later – readnowsleeplater.com

Tues, July 9: Sharpread – https://sharpread.wordpress.com/

Wed, July 10: Once Upon a Story – http://www.novalibrarymom.com/

Thurs, July 11:  The Book Monsters – http://www.thebookmonsters.com/

Fri, July 12: I Read Banned Books – http://www.jenbigheart.com/

Mon, Jul 15: Children’s Book Review – http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/

Tues, July 16: The Book Smugglers – http://thebooksmugglers.com/

Wed, July 17: Cracking the Cover – www.crackingthecover.com

Thurs, July 18: Mother Daughter Book Club – http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/

Fri, July 19: Hobbitsies – http://hobbitsies.net/

GIVEAWAY

Today’s giveaway is of all three of Christine Brodien-Jones’ middle grade fantasies – THE OWL KEEPER (2010), THE SCORPIONS OF ZAHIR (2012), and THE GLASS PUZZLE (new in July!). (U.S. addresses.)

Rules for giveaway:

1. Must be at least 13 years of age

2. Must have a U.S. mailing address