I’m really pleased to have the chance to Book Chat with author and educator, Penny Macoun, who has just released her fourth picture book, Two Can Be Trouble, a rollicking account of a very messy play session between two rambunctious brothers.
Many thanks for taking the time to chat, Penny.
Thanks Cameron, my pleasure.
Firstly, I’d love it if you’d tell us about your journey to becoming an author. Had it always been an ambition of yours?
As a child I loved to read, but with poor vision, reading always made me very tired very quickly. I struggled with school because of this, and my spelling was absolutely dreadful. I didn’t want to show anyone my writing because of my poor spelling. When I was in high school, I wrote a short story in English and my teacher said I should publish it in the school newsletter. It took me a while to be courageous enough to do it. After receiving positive feedback from other teachers, I realised that I could write and didn’t have to be afraid anymore. That’s when I decided I wanted to write.
When I left school, I started writing a novel and took every short writing course I could. I worked on that novel as much as I could, but allowed the practicalities of life to take over and studied and worked as a teacher.
In late 2019 I attended a workshop about self-publishing. I left feeling that even though I had learnt about how self-publishing worked, I also felt it was something I couldn’t do; I remember feeling that both traditional and self-publishing seemed unattainable to me.
When the pandemic hit, I stopped teaching and decided to look into self-publishing more.
And that’s my journey to writing and self-publishing.
Your previous books have explored a wide range of themes, subjects and settings. Is there any kind of thread linking them together, or have they each come from their own unique place?
All of my books have been inspired by different things, each coming from a unique place. Having said that, if I were to name a theme that connects them, I would say communication.
What was the initial inspiration for Two Can Be Trouble?
Two Can Be Trouble initially started out as a story about how cute my nephews were when they were very young and how children often use their cuteness to get out of trouble. Over time, the story developed into what it is today, a light-hearted story capturing the bond between brothers as they enjoy an afternoon of fun. Ultimately, this story was inspired by watching my nephews playing as small children.
Is there any particular message you hope readers will take away from Two Can Be Trouble?
Have fun with your siblings, respect each others’ boundaries, listen to each other and above all, love each other.
As a primary teacher with many years’ experience, I’d be interested to know a little about how your time in the classroom has shaped your writing, and if it has influenced the subject matter you’re interested in exploring.
Before I started teaching, I was working on a novel for adults. I didn’t think I could write for children because I didn’t know what they liked, and I wasn’t very good at writing very short stories that were simple. After several years in the classroom, I realised I had read a lot of picture books to children and thought that maybe I could write picture books too.
As for influencing what I write about, I get inspiration from things around me and sometimes from things children say. As for my books published, none of those have been influenced by my time in the classroom.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing the manuscript for Two Can Be Trouble?
Cutting it down. When I write a story, I like to write the story I feel is right. They often end up being far too long for a picture book. Reducing the length is often difficult, so I often leave it alone for a while, so I don’t feel so emotionally connected to it when it comes time to edit. Also, having other people give me feedback helps, particularly if they are teachers or parents, because they are very experienced at reading picture books and often give the best critiques.
Your illustrator, Paul Nash, does such a great job of capturing the emotion and humour in your stories. Would you mind sharing a little about the way you and Paul work together to produce such spectacular results?
I start by sending Paul the manuscript. If it is a story I have definite ideas about, like with Rollo’s Wet Surprise, I will break the manuscript up and write illustration notes. For both The Christmas Door and Two Can be Trouble, I gave Paul free rein. After Paul reads the manuscript, he will send me a black and white story board. This will include a sketch of each spread of the book and the lines of the story. The next step is to add colour. Paul will send me a few spreads at a time and will respond with suggestions of illustration changes. Sometimes I even change the story slightly to match what Paul has illustrated. This process can take a long time because sometimes there are a lot of changes; or I might ask someone to view the latest round of illustrations to see if they pick up any issues I may have missed.
I also need to supply Paul with the barcode, the back cover blurb, the ISBN and any other information he needs to put the book together. Once I am happy with the end result, Paul will send one last, larger copy of the book for review. The very last step is the most exciting. Paul will send the print ready files of the cover and the internal pages for me to upload to IngramSpark ready for book production.
What’s next for Penny Macoun?
I currently have three picture book ideas in the works and three novels for adults: all at various stages of completion. I am also progressing through a Master of Creative Writing. There are a few more ideas I’m mulling over, including a fantasy story for middle grade readers as well.
Where are the best places online to get a copy of Two Can Be Trouble, and to follow your continuing journey in the world of books?
The best place is through my website: www.pennymacoun.com.au
Two Can Be Trouble is also available through online booksellers worldwide. A list of these places can be found on the home page of my website.
Thanks for your time, Penny. I wish you great success with this very fun story, and with all of the other exciting projects you have in development.
This post is part of a blog tour for Two Can Be Trouble, presented by Books On Tour PR & Marketing. Please keep following Penny's journey on all of the fine blogs and sites below.
Comentarios