HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? 25 years.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN WRITING? I began writing books for young readers as a young father and a second grade teacher.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?
I was stuck on a historical piece about Babe Ruth when he was with the Yankees. As I did more research I became fascinated with Ruth's time in Boston pitching for the Red Sox.
IS THIS YOUR FIRST BOOK? Nope, it's my 24th book.
Here are a few of my best-selling books:
Bein' With You This Way (Lee & Low, 1994)
Shake Dem Halloween Bones (Houghton Mifflin, 1997)
The Year With Grandma Moses (Henry Holt, 2000)
How We Are Smart (Lee & Low, 2006)
DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?
My next book takes me back to the New York Yankees. It is a piece of historical nonfiction titled "The Men Who Made the Yankees." It tells the story of the origin of the American League and how the Yankees came to Manhattan.
TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT OUR READERS MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU:
I'm a left-handed, double Gemini, that can't sit still.
WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
Ride my bicycle. I go out everyday for several miles. It's how I split my day in half: morning for writing; afternoon for guitar studies.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW/MOVIE?
PBS News Hour (it's the only thing I can stand to watch on TV)
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE AS AN AUTHOR?
Right now, it's the changing and quite turbulent publishing industry. Quite hard to navigate at the moment.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?
Read, read, read,...and then write, write, write. There's no magic to it; just a lot of hard work that you can't avoid.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY TIPS ON GETTING PUBLISHED?
Have a strategy and follow it. I work the trade and self-publishing angles at the same time. While I'm trying to sell my books to established publishers (20 to date), I'm always working on 1-2 self-publishing projects at the same time.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
Regarding self-publishing, although it's more accessible and more affordable, it is not necessarily easier. In fact, it's more difficult because the author bears more of the responsibility to produce not only an accurate, but a beautifully crafted book. Knowing this, I take great care in producing my self-published works, which is reflected in my website's name:
Gyroscope Books: Beautiful Books for Curious People
http://gyroscopebooks.com
LITERARY CLASSICS Book Reviews & Awards http://literaryclassicsreviews.com
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