I am a first time author of the children’s book, The Secret of Smiley’s Woods. I married my high school sweetheart when I
was 17 and we are getting ready to celebrate our 23rd wedding
anniversary. I have a wonderful 4 year
old little boy who is the light of my life.
I am a bookkeeper by day and a writer by night, or midnight, or sitting
at the stoplight.
Tell
us about the genre of your work.
My published genre is children’s. I am open to any direction which I feel led
to create.
Why
did you choose this genre?
I have always had the desire to create. I am a huge reader and always seem to have a
story line circling around in my head. I
was never able to figure out where to start to get what I had inside of me
out. I saw an advertisement for a
children’s writing course and signed up for it.
My children’s book was derived from one of my first writing
assignments. Now that I am a mother, I
seem to think and write more in that direction and genre naturally.
What
are some of your books, stories that have been published?
At this moment, I have one children’s book, The Secret of Smiley’s Woods.
What
ages do you direct your books?
The
Secret of Smiley’s Woods is a 5 to 11 age group. My next book, which has not entered
production yet, will be a slightly older age group.
Can
you tell us more about the book and where we may find it?
The Secret of Smiley’s Woods can be found online at
my publishers website, Tatepublishing.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and
Books-A-Million. The ISBN is ISBN 978-1-61663-771-2
Do
your books have a teaching objective? If
so, what is it?
I believe the book shows you to always believe in
yourself. You never know what you can
accomplish when you find yourself in any situation until you try. Also, never judge other people, you never
know where and in who you will find a special friend.
How do you come up with the names of
places and characters in your books?
With
Smiley’s Woods, the main character is Sarah.
At the time I started working on this, one of my very good friends was
named Sarah. As I was writing the story,
her name kept coming to my mind and was the only name who seemed to feel right.
How did you develop the character/s of
your in each of your books (If you have more that one)?
Is there a unique character or a recurring character
if you have more than one published or to be published book?
My primary character
in The Secret of Smiley’s Woods is Sarah along with her brother Peter and their
cousin Jason. In my second book, Jason
gets to have his own adventure, and I hope to write a third which will allow
Peter to have a little fun himself. If
all goes well, we may get to visit with Sarah again in Peter’s adventure.
What
is your favorite thing about your book/s?
We all have fears and when you are a child, those
fears can be so huge. I love the way
Sarah is able to face a large obstacle and keep pushing forward and finds out
just how strong she can be. We all need
just a little Sarah in us.
Is
your book illustrated? If so, would you
tell us by whom, and if you worked with an illustrator, can you discuss that
experience?
My book was illustrated by a wonderful lady, Rebecca
Riffey, in my publisher’s illustration department. It was fabulous and so exciting! I spoke with her several times and she really
understood my characters from the very beginning. She was excited about my book and that made
the journey feel more personal. She
really cared about my book and that made it so much easier handing over my
vision to her and knowing she was taking it in the direction it needed to go
which, I believe, really enriched my book.
How
is writing in the genre you write, different than other genre?
There comes such a responsibility when creating for
children. You really have to be careful
in the content of your writing. Children
are developing at such a rate and the world it getting so harsh. When writing for children, we need to create
a story which will lift them up and be safe for them to read and enjoy and it
is bonus if you are able to provide a lesson which will help them as they grow.
Are
there any problems in getting children’s’ books published?
Right now the market is so saturated; I think it is hard
to get any genre published but children’s is pretty hard. I never knew how many children’s books were
out there until I started writing myself and after becoming a mother. It is amazing there are enough publishers for
us all.
Why
and when did you begin writing?
I began writing when I was in high school. I actually still have those stories in my
someday file. I was blessed to have a
very special teacher who encouraged us to follow creativity in any direction it
took us.
What
is your writing schedule?
At the moment, being a mother to a very active
preschooler, it is whatever moment I can find quiet and paper or my computer
and am still awake enough to get the words out.
I keep a notebook in my purse, van and bedroom so I am able to get that
paragraph or thought out fast.
What
projects are you working on now, or plan for the future?
I have a second book at my publishers
awaiting production. It is following
Jason, Sarah’s cousin as he embarks on his adventure. I hope to start working on a third book which
will allow Peter, Sarah’s brother to have and adventure also.
What
kind of advice or tips to you have for someone who wants to write and get
published?
Get a good set of second eyes to edit your
work. Don’t be afraid of
change…sometimes it can be a really good thing and help your piece of
work. Stick with it. No matter what, if you want to write, never
give up. It may take years, but the
right publisher or magazine will come along exactly when it is supposed
to. Always surround yourself with a supportive
group of people in friends or family. Only
take anything negative someone may say to heart enough to get better or grow
but never enough to give up on your dream.
What
do you do when you are not writing?
I read as much as
possible. I am also learning I am not
too old to get around the equipment on the playground. The sliding board is still a girl’s best
friend!
What
“Made It” moments have you experienced in life?
I was at our neighborhood store and I saw a lady in
there with her small daughter. She
pointed me out to her daughter as the “lady who had written her new book”. The little girl looked at me with such awe, I
felt 10 feet tall and pretty much floated out of the store.
Where
can we learn more about you?
My website is www.gailyalenkeller.com
My blog is http://gailyalenkeller.blogspot.com/
My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-of-Smileys-Woods-Gailya-Keller-
