An Interview with Caroline Stellings

Author extraordinaire . . .

I became acquainted with Caroline Stellings through a review I wrote of her book, The Manager, an engrossing tale about boxing with quirky, captivating characters. You can read the review at The Children's Book Review HERE .  The Children's Book Review is an award winning, online, book review site endorsed last year by the Association for Library Services to Children, a division of the American Library Association.  

          The Manager, published by Cape Breton University Press in 2013, is a young adult novel that won the Hamilton Literary Award for Fiction.  Carolyn Stellings' middle-grade novel The Contest (published in the USA by Seventh Generation) won the ForeWord Book of the Year gold medal in 2010. Her teen mystery, The Scratch on the Ming Vase -- which I'm reading right now and loving -- was published by Second Story Press and was included in the Canadian Children's Book CenCentre's 2013 Spring edition of  Best Books for Kids and Teens . She also writes and illustrates picture books.

Humor and boxing . . .

Anne of Green Gables,
look out!

First in an exciting mystery
series . . .

It’s my pleasure to have this award-winning author as my interview guest today. I’ll get right to it:

EV: Have you always been interested in writing? When did you first get into it seriously?

CS: Well, it was nearly 20 years ago, and I was in a PhD program at McMaster University, but stumbled upon a book about the life of the famous illustrator from Vermont, Tasha Tudor. She, of course, has done numerous stories about her corgies, and I decided then and there to quit the academics and write books about my dogs, which have always been Schipperkes. These are little black sailing dogs from Belgium, and very smart. First, though, I had to learn how to do watercolors.

EV: You write both YA fiction and picture books. Do you favor one of them over the other, or do you enjoy them equally?

CS: I love the picture books because they feature animal characters, not only my Schipperkes, but I have also done a series of mice books, and recently, my book about a fortune-telling cat, Gypsy’s Fortune (published by Peanut Butter Press) was chosen as a Best Bet in Canada, one of the top ten picture books of the year. I think everyone liked the traditional fortune cookie sayings! Novels are more difficult, but I have enjoyed doing a mystery series because I am a big fan of Nancy Drew.

EV: Do you approach the two genres differently? If so, what are some special challenges of each?

CS: The biggest challenge with the picture books, for me, is the art. I was not lucky enough to be born with artistic talent; in fact, it took me years to learn to paint. With the novels, the challenges come at that stage when the publisher assigns an editor. She then goes over the book piece by piece, and there is a lot of re-writing to do. 
          With The Secret of the Golden Flower, the second book in my Nicki Haddon mystery series, my wonderful editor really worked hard to get it right. Nicki, the main character, is a female Chinese James Bond, and anytime a book has a number of clues, etc. the editing can take almost as much time as writing the book in the first place.

EV: Do you have any favorites among the books you’ve written?

CS: My two Skippers books, Skippers at Cape Spear and Skippers Save the Stone because they are about my dogs.

EV: Can you describe your writing process? Do you plot ahead of time? Become haunted by a theme or idea? Start with a character and then see where that leads?

CS: It usually takes me a few months to decide on my next project. Those are the months when my house is the cleanest, because I find it easier to wash floors than face the blank page. Once an idea hits, then my house isn’t so clean, because I can’t tear myself away from the computer.

         I always seem to know what my ending will be, and then I sketch out a basic plot, and a few sentences for each chapter. This inevitably changes, of course, once the characters start developing minds of their own and bossing me around.

         Sometimes, a book requires research. With The Manager I had to learn about boxing. Even though the book is a comedy, and boxing is just in the background, I still had to know it, right down to the last jab.

EV: The research really showed. I felt the world of boxing come alive when I read it. What was your inspiration for The Manager?

CS: One hot summer night, when I couldn’t sleep, I watched a movie called The Station Agent starring Peter Dinklage, an achondroplastic dwarf, and a fantastic actor. I fell in love with him, and decided I had to write a YA novel with a dwarf character. I wound up with a female lead, but never stopped thinking about that film. Nothing much happens in that film, but thanks to the superb actors, it haunts you for a long time.

EV: What were some of your favorite books while growing up?

CS; The Wind in the Willows was my favorite illustrated book, and then Nancy Drew when I was a bit older. Later, of course, it was Tasha Tudor’s books, and Corgiville Fair is a masterpiece.

EV: What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?

CS: I keep this piece of advice on a sticky note on the front of my computer at all times: SOMEONE MUST WANT SOMETHING ON EVERY PAGE. 

EV: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

CS: 1.) Don’t invent a book, experience a book and then write it.  2.) Don’t tell the reader anything; make the reader feel everything instead.

EV: What are you working on now, or can you say?

CS: I am starting a western, set in 1857 Utah Territory. Because I must learn the time period, speech, clothing, etc. I am taking longer than usual with the preparatory stages, but enjoying it. And I hope to begin editing a novel I have written about Janis Joplin called Saskatoon Blues. She came to Canada just before she died in 1970 to ride the Festival Express, and when the musicians aboard the train ran out of liquor, they made an unscheduled stop in Saskatchewan. That is where my story begins!  There‘s only one problem with writing about Janis Joplin – she steals every scene she is in!

EV: Ah . . . Janis Joplin. I can believe she would. When oldies-but-goodies come on my car's radio, she outshines all the other singers the DJ plays.

Caroline. It’s been such a pleasure to learn more about you and your work. Thank you for sharing all this.

Thank you so much, Elizabeth!

EV: Readers can find more about Caroline Stellings and her books at:

http://secondstorypress.ca/authors/280-caroline-stellings

http://www.bookdepository.com/author/Caroline-Stellings

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3074659.Caroline_Stellings

http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Stellings/e/B00JA4GUF6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

http://cbup.ca/author/cstellings/

The Cruise - Part One

Holland-American lines: This
ship was the Veendam.

This ship held 1200 passengers and
a crew of 400.

My husband, Rajan. You can
see from his size, the size of
the cruise ship!

 As I mentioned earlier, my husband's business partner planned an 8-day cruise to celebrate 20 years of the business. The cruise began in Quebec City, Canada, And we set out on Friday, hoping to have an evening visiting with friends before the cruise left the following afternoon. On leaving QC, the ship would travel along the St. Lawrence River, stopping at Prince Edward Island, Sydney and Halifax in Nova Scotia, Bar Harbor, Maine, ending in Boston in time for us to catch a flight home. It was a wonderful time for all. How could it not be when organized by our fearless leader, Ernie Pucci?

Ernie, his lovely wife, Liz, and their son, Anthony("Tony") 
You know that, traveling with these folks, nothing 
but good times are ahead!

Getting to Quebec City was an adventure, however: In Washington D.C., just before boarding time in the evening, our connecting flight to Quebec City was cancelled. By the time we worked out standby status for the next morning, it was past 10:00 p.m., too late for taking taxis to and from a hotel with only toothbrush packets from the airline and no change of clothes. We decided to sleep in the airport. Long story short, we got on the standby flight and arrived at QC a little after 1:00 p.m.—but our luggage didn't. After lunch with friends and a quick shopping trip to buy a change of sweaters and some toiletries, we boarded the ship and went to our cabin, hoping our luggage wouldn't be chasing us from port to port. Never did a hot shower feel so welcome!

Afterwards, we spent the afternoon and evening socializing with friends from far and wide (this is an international company) and catching up with news. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the first evening, but Rajan and I had signed up for a shore excursion in Quebec City the next morning, a three &1/2 hour trip with two stops: The Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre (I've mentioned before that Rajan loves to photograph old churches and cathedrals) and Montmorency Falls, at a breath-taking height above the Saint Lawrence river.

First the Shrine of SainteAnnede Beaupre: Quebec City is a very Catholic city. Most of the churches are Catholic. I was used to seeing churches dedicated to St. Mary, but this was dedicated to Mary's mother (Jesus's grandmother.) The shrine is in a village of the same name about 23 miles northeast of Quebec City. The church was first built by shipwrecked sailors—sailors often became shipwrecked off a nearby island on their way to QC and Sainte Anne is the patron saint of sailors. It has been a major pilgrimage center for 350 years. The church has been re-built many times, since early versions were of wood and easily burned down. This one looks here to stay, though!

The basilica, looking up from
the front steps. How small I felt!

The basilica seen from side & rear.

Scala Santa Sanctuary, a separate building.

  

                  As you can see, Quebec was
enjoying a splendid Autumn.

There was also a monastery, and a gift shop, but the major thrill was seeing this incredible building, inside and out.

We entered the building through doors that had intricately worked copper-bronze panels.

Look closely at the scenes.

Inside, we saw one wonder after another. Truly overwhelming beauty at every turn. Everywhere we looked, we saw mosaic tile work, stained glass, gilt pictures depicting stations of the cross, and statuary. 

Downstairs was the Immaculate Conception chapel with a statue of Mary, a low-ceilinged room compared to upstairs, decorated pale blue, studded with golden stars. In a special alcove we saw a  replica of the Michelangelo pietà that is housed in Saint Peter's basilica in Rome.

A closer view..

Notice the huge pipe organ.

I am not Catholic, but religious art moves me. In an age when art could only take religious form, the artistic spirit worked wonders in stained glass and marble and stone, and this replica captures the beauty.



There were other highlights of the shrine, but there's not enough space in one post to show all of them. So. On to  part two of the excursion—Montmorency Falls.

Montmorency Falls is roughly 7 & 1/2 miles (12 km) from the heart of Quebec City. It is 270 feet high, 98 feet higher than Niagra Falls, although not as wide. It is a remarkable force of nature to view up close, as you can see.

The falls from one angle.

The falls from another angle.

The bus stopped first at the Manoir Montmorency, an elegant former mansion that now has a restaurant, a bistro, and a gift shop. Then we walked up a slope until we came to the recommended point to see the falls above.

Manoir Montmorency

The manor, shot from a  gazebo
some distance away.

There wasn't enough time to go inside the manoir and take tea, or to walk across the suspension bridge or take the tram down to the river and back. But I'd love to return for the tea. (Not too crazy about heights.)


To get a better view of the park surrounding the falls, we returned by way of a lower boardwalk. You can see how beautiful the scenery is. And then, at the little gazebo, from which I took the long shot of the manor, my husband also took a picture of the rock on which the viewing points are fixed. We were on a platform below those!

Me on the the boardwalk, still
 innocent of wht the viewing
platforms look like from afar.

Yup. We were on a platform below
the ones you see here.

Whenever we were on the bus, our guide, Jacques Baillargeon, did a wonderful job of informing us about life in Quebec. Before this trip, I had heard of the French-speaking part of Canada, but I naively assumed French was a second language for locals. Not so. French is their first language, and their English has a pronounced French accent—although Jacques is quick to point out that they don't think so in Paris. He kept us entertained with stories of his visits to Paris, where every time he tried to ask questions in French, he was encourage to speak English. "Movies from Quebec are subtitled in Paris," he quipped.

Jacques, a guide with a
 great sense of humor.

All too soon, the excursion was over, although an afternoon and evening of socializing and fun lay ahead on board the ship. Meanwhile, should you decide to go to Quebec City, I would heartily recommend Jacques Baillargeon for your guide (jacquesbaillargeon@hotmail.com), and Autobus Laval for your tour bus.

Meanwhile, stop by my other blog HERE to learn more about my free giveaway of The Fourth Wish 
(good middle grade fantasy that takes place over winter holidays.)