Today I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with published children’s author, Vikki VanSickle (and yes, this is her birth name).  Vikki’s inaugural book, Words that Start with B, was launched this fall with Scholastic Canada, and was so successful that she was featured on a top ten list with Amazon, along with Harry Potter and the Hunger Games trilogy.  She’s received positive reviews left, right and centre; and meeting her in person only assured me that this dynamic woman has a long and fruitful career ahead of her.  In person, she’s energetic and friendly, but even more remarkable is her sense of humility and gratitude.

As you can tell by my gushing, I have a total (professional) crush over Vikki’s journey.

I got in touch with Vikki because she graduated a few years ahead of me from my same program at university, and because she was friends with several of my friends.  I saw that she had written a young teen’s novel and I was frankly shocked to see someone just a few years older than me who had already “made it.”  I asked a mutual friend to put us in touch, and tonight I finally got to meet her.

What I was hoping to gain from our meeting was a realistic idea of what the publishing process is like.  Anyone can write a book; but it takes another set of skills altogether to get it published.  She was completely open with me about what I should expect…I was prepared for the rejection aspect, but what surprised me was the time period.  She hypothesized that if you were to have your book picked up in January 2011, it would probably take until January 2013 for the book to actually hit the shelves.  She also warned me about the danger of self-publishing (looks extremely unprofessional), and gave suggestions for how to query at agencies throughout North America. Read the rest of this entry »

Run, don’t walk, to buy this book.  I guarantee that you will not regret it.  I recently picked it up from my local library, and although I expected it to be good, I certainly wasn’t expecting to be reading a quintessential guide to writing.  I never buy books, as I always get them from the library, but I’m going to be breaking this rule after I have to return my copy.

Here’s my deal with Stephen King’s books:  I’ve only read two of them, The Green Mile and Misery.  The Green Mile was absolutely brilliant.   Misery was the same, but I have a really tough time dealing with the concept of amputation, so this book was not quite up my alley.

Aside from that, I have stayed clear of his writing because I know it’ll scare the crap out of me.  I don’t like scary movies.  I cry, huddle, and then lie awake late at night praying that a zombie doesn’t jump out from under my bed.  Similarly, I don’t like scary books.  A good, suspenseful writer such as Mr. King makes it his duty to freak you out.  Mission accomplished, sir, and so I avoid your fiction like the plague.

With this bias in mind, I absolutely loved On Writing.

I truly believe that everyone should have a mentor.  An older, experienced person to show them the ropes, coach, instruct, and pass on a legacy.  Well, this book makes you feel as if Stephen King has invited you into his home, poured you a cup of coffee, and then proceeds to tell you everything he has learned about writing after over 20 years in the business.  At the end of the book is a reading list, which makes me feel like he has assigned me homework.  I love that – I want to arise to the challenge he has presented to me, the challenge to be the best writer I can be.

I guarantee that it won’t be boring, and it should be mandatory reading for all bloggers.  Read the rest of this entry »