Tell us
about the books you enjoyed as a child.
I don't
remember being all that picky about it - I loved books and devoured them. I did
shy away from the books that had award seals on them; probably only because my
mom was taking a course in Children's Lit and I got the sense that those books
were like vegetables - supposed to be "good for you." There were no
books I wasn't allowed to read, or that were deemed "too old for me,"
other than books that dealt with sex, drugs, and little girls whose heads
swiveled 360 degrees before they spewed obscenities at priests. I remember the
school librarian challenging me to read a passage aloud from Ben Hur and
discuss it with her before she allowed me to check it out of the school
library. But she did let me check it out, in the end. My mom was more disturbed
by my reading The Exorcist when I was 12 or 13 than I was with the book,
itself. But some of the books that I enjoyed enough to want to share with my
own kids were Bedtime for Frances - you can probably spot the influence that
book had on Trockle, all of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books - I reread a few of
those while raising my own kids, as much for the parenting advice as to
entertain them, anything by Madeleine L'Engle (especially A Wrinkle in Time),
The Chronicles of Narnia (I've read every one of those at least twice).
What
inspired you to become a children’s author?
I've
never outgrown my inner child. Writers are advised to write the books they want
to read. I think I'm just writing to my own inner child, and I want to share
the stories with other children. Writing fiction, particularly for children, is
as much play as it is work. That's how reading should be, but too often,
it's not. I think that turns off a lot of young readers way too early.
Describe
your path to publication.
Good
things often come along when you are not expending a huge effort towards making
them happen. I am notoriously bad at submitting my work for publication. I
can't even pretend I'd be better at that if my financial survival depended on
it. I've had non-fiction published because I was able to fill in at the last
minute for a writer who couldn't meet deadlines; I've had fiction and poetry
published by people I knew before they worked for, or started their own,
publishing companies. I've been very lucky, really. And I've self-published.
That, to me, is very different from "vanity press," by the way. Vanity
press is the business of selling flattery for top dollar. I honestly don't
believe anyone should pay money to give away their product for free - or worse.
That said, I don't see a problem with paying artists, print providers,
distributors, and others involved in book production to do what they do best.
And with providers like CreateSpace, where you don't have to bear huge - or
even any - up-front costs, but rather a portion of the cover price for books
sold, it's a great option for writers who have faith in themselves and their
work.
Tell us
about your latest book.
A New
Leaf for Lyle is based on a charming story that I heard from a friend, a
creative and really awesome mom, and when I asked her if I could use it as the
basis for a children's book, she readily agreed. The illustrator, Carrie
Salazar, is a mutual friend, and she agreed to illustrate the book. You can
read more of the back-story in the dedication.
What
are the main themes?
It's
about a good kid - really - named Lyle, who has a big problem. He lies about
everything, to the point where lying is as much a habit as it is naughtiness.
He just can't seem to tell the truth about anything - from brushing his teeth
to why he missed the school bus. His mom's frustrated - but Lyle's hurt that no
one believes him or trusts him, so he runs away. Mom's reaction surprises him,
and together they figure out a way for Lyle to turn over a new leaf.
What do
you like best about your main characters?
Any
character should be someone the reader can relate to. I think we can all relate
to Lyle (and parents reading this to or with their kids can probably relate to
Lyle's mom, as well).
Do they
have any peculiarities?
Define
"peculiar"? Unlike Trockle, Lyle has two eyes and five fingers on
each hand... One of the kids who read and critiqued the story before
publication pointed out that Lyle looked a little older than they thought he
was in the story. But I suspect it was a girl who said that, because neither my
husband nor my teenaged son thought he looked too old to play in a blanket fort
with toy trucks, video games, or action figures.
How
does your main character evolve?
Children
are the perfect characters to grow and to evolve, don't you think? Like any
kid, Lyle learns about trust, love, and honesty - and he's lucky enough to have
an understanding, compassionate - and, dare I say, clever? - mom to guide him.
Their real-life counterparts inspired me to write this, and I think kids and
adults, alike, will enjoy it.
What’s
the principal message you want to send to your audience?
That
love, trust, and honesty go hand in hand. And...don't sleep in trees with
tigers.
What’s
the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?
Everyone
has said such wonderful things about it, but one review that really touched me
came from Dave Michaud, who wrote, "Jahangiri's ability to impart traditional lessons and experience
to children from their own point of view is unmatched in my opinion. She always
tells a story and that's what kids dig rather than "lectures and
shoulds". My kids are grown and I purchased her latest book for myself
because I enjoyed her first two." Remember what I said about steering
clear of the books with the little foil award seals? I don't want young readers
to be bored or feel lectured or preached to. I think good fiction always has a
point - if not a moral, then at least a message. We writers are trying to
communicate something - but it's just as important, to me, that readers be
engaged and have fun while they're reading. I want them to come back, again
and again, whether it's to my books or other books.
Where
can we purchase it?
Tell us
about your other children’s books.
Well,
there's Trockle - that was my first children's book. I wrote Trockle for my
son, who was going through that stage every kid goes through, thinking there's
a monster under the bed or in the closet. I set out to write something for him
to practice reading, if he insisted on laying in bed, wide-eyed, with the
lights on. When I sat down to write, that adorable little monster who lived
under my son's bed followed me and demanded to tell HIS side of the story. When
people ask me how I came up with the book's title, I can only say that the
little monster told me his name. It turns out that he was even more afraid of
the great big boy who slept on TOP of the bed!
Do you
have any other children’s books in the works?
Of
course. But I'm not ready to talk about any ideas or works in progress just yet
- it seems that every time I do that, I end up going in a different direction!
What
advice can you offer new writers?
Read
voraciously.
Write
whenever you get some spare time. I even wrote while watching television,
during NaNoWriMo. It sounds so counterintuitive, but I told myself, "No
excuses!" and challenged myself to write through what might otherwise have
seemed to be distractions. Music, TV, different locations in the house - I
finally got a laptop PC! I think the most important thing is to make it a
habit, and one you can do anywhere regardless of the tools and time at your
disposal.
Get out
and get exercise; clear your head and move your body.
Remember
back when you were a child and everything was possible.
Don't
quit the day job and don't wait until everything is absolutely PERFECT before
submitting your work for publication, or self-publishing. The world doesn't
need "perfect," it needs good stories. We want to be lifted out of
our own heads and our own day to day routine for a few minutes or hours. It
only has to be good enough to suspend our disbelief, and to not have any
glaring flaws that pop the bubble and yank us out of the daydream a good book
can create.
Posts
