December's Featured Author

Children’s Book Review would like to give a special thanks to children’s and young adult author Ann Herrick for stopping by to do an interview with us. It was our sincerest pleasure to have the opportunity to chat with one of our favorite authors.

Just in case you haven’t heard about Ann yet, we would like to introduce her to you as an extremely talented author who also happens to be an all round nice lady as well. Ann’s books can be found in most stores, including online stores like Amazon.com. Her novel, The Perfect Guy, was an International Reading Association/Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice winner and an American Library Association Recommended Book for Reluctant Readers. Several of Ann’s stories have also appeared in several nationally, acclaimed magazines such as Single Parent, Teen Children’s Digest, Positively Kids!, and Turtle. In addition, Ms. Herrick has also written greetings cards for Hallmark, Gibson, and Oatmeal Greetings.

CBRS (Children's Book Review Staff): How long have you been writing and how many books have you written?

AH: I've been writing for about 25 years. I've had 7 books published and have written more.

CBRS:Did you always want to be a writer?

AH:I first thought about writing when I was in sixth grade, but I thought I had to not only write the book, but assemble it! So I put aside my first effort. I started again in high school, but thought, "Who am I to write? I'm no Jane Austen or Charles Dickens." Eventually I realized there is room for lots of voices in writing.

CBRS:What was the first book you remember reading as a child?

AH:PIE FACE. It was a picture book about a little dog who saves the day when he eats a cream pie, and the cream on his face scares off a would-be burglar who thinks the dog is rabid!!!

CBRS:We’re always told by our parents that we should pick a quiet, comfortable place to do our homework. Do you have a quiet, comfortable place where you write? If so, where is it?

AH: Yes, I have an office in a 9 X 10 room in a quiet part of the house.

CBRS: You write for both children and young adults. Is it difficult to switch gears like that?

AH: I do have to "get in the mood”, but once I get going, it's easier to stay in the proper voice.

CBRS: The Chocolate Day is one of our favorite stories. Who wouldn’t want to be allowed to eat nothing but chocolate for a whole day? What inspired you to write the story? Are you a chocolate lover yourself?

AH: As a child my brother loved chocolate and always pestered our parents for some. One day my Dad said, "Okay, you can have chocolate all day for one day--but that's all you can eat." Of course, my brother jumped at the chance. Needless to say, by the end of the day he learned that "too much of a good thing is still too much." But he still liked chocolate! :)

CBRS: Your novels for teenagers include The Real Me & An Adorable Couple. Both have a dash of romance in them. Are you a big fan of romance novels?

AH: I like to think of them as "relationship" novels, because it's the relationship between the characters that really makes the story.

CBRS: What do you do when you’re not writing?

AH: Reading! I also like to work out with weights, walk, work in the yard, connect with friends, and watch UO Duck football. Go Ducks!

CBRS: Any suggestions for all the future writers reading this today?

AH: Read, read, read some more. Be persistent when submitting your writing. I know too many people who've gotten discouraged because of one or two rejections. I have file folders stuffed with rejection letters! Fortunately, some of them were encouraging, so that helped.

CBRS: Do you have anything new coming out soon?

AH: Yes, WALK SOFTLY AND WATCH OUT FOR BIGFOOT is due out in June 2006. It's an adventurous story of culture clash when a girl from New York City visits her cousin in Oregon, and they go camping in an old-growth forest. There's a lot of humor in the story and also an undercurrent of an environmental theme.

CBRS: Thanks again Ms. Herrick for letting us visit with you. And you our fellow readers, while you’re waiting for Walk Softly and Watch out for BigFoot, why not check out Ann’s website at http://ann.herrick.home.att.net to learn more about her and her writing.

If you’re in a hurry to read more about Ann’s works, click here to read a review of one of our favorite books by Ann, Summer Replacement.