Here's a sample:
Baby Fox: "Do they wrap their tails tight
‘round their bodies just right
as heaters to chase out the chill?"
Mama Fox: "No tail to drape them,
to cover and cape them.
Their blankets are cotton and wool."
Carrie's book is on tour in Blogland, and this is the October 8 stop.
I had the chance to ask Carrie some questions:
You've said the idea for your new book came when you were snowshoeing, all bundled up, and encountered a deer. You're a Michigan native, and now live by Lake Superior. How has living in Michigan, and especially in the Upper Peninsula, influenced your sense of the natural world, and your writing?
I'm blessed to have lived in a variety of natural surroundings but the water of the Great Lakes State has provided the most opportunity for me to understand and interact with the natural world. When I was a child, we lived on a small inland lake with mallards, muskrats, and bluegills. Now my front yard is the largest fresh water lake in the world by volume and although the species it draws might be different, the thrill of living among wildlife continues. Fresh water sustains so many plants and animals that I am always surprised and delighted by what is out there.
Just today, the particular red on a leaf reminded me of a campfire and that image helped me describe the feeling of being warmed by a fire for a MG novel I am writing. Yes, "life imitates art," but I think natural life contributes to art.
Lynne Rae Perkins was your mentor for a year, an experience
you earned through an SCBWI-Michigan competition. How did that experience affect
A Warm Winter Tail? How did it affect your writing in
general?
My experience with winning the competition was a defining
moment in my writing career and my life in general. Knowing that a Newbery Award author read my manuscript and saw something meaningful in it was the gift I
needed at that time to continue. The award validated my writing
and immediately after the announcement, I gave myself permission
to be a writer. I stopped feeling like I was pretending or that I shouldn't
spend so much time on something that hadn't been fruitful
(published). Since I didn't belong to a critique group then, I thoroughly
enjoyed the consistent feedback Lynne provided.
What's the Michigan writers' community been like for
you?
 |
| Carrie A. Pearson |
In a word, "supportive." I've learned so much from writers (and
illustrators) ahead of me on the experience curve because they share!
We encourage pre-pubbed and published equally and provide many
opportunities for growth (conferences, newsletters, listserv,
networking/critiquing days, etc.). Writing can be solitary but it never has to
feel lonely -- if you live in Michigan!
