Talent Sits Before Me
(Video song credit: The Good Life, One Republic)
I have to say a great big thank you to Danielle A. Vann. Not only did she give me an advance reading copy of The Whizbang Machine to enjoy and review, she also agreed to an interview at Mansfield's Book Fest!
Before I get to that, I have to talk about Mrs. Vann’s Writer's Workshop at Mansfield's Book Fest. Readers and fans left the room inspired, motivated, and encouraged to write.
She helped us see that we all have a story and those stories begin with what inspires us. When she asked participants just that, what inspires us, I shared football – but not for the reasons you might be thinking.
When I play other teams, I find that some of the kids are kids who go to my school. Yes, we end up talking about the games when we are at the same school, but more importantly, we become friends. So football helps kids develop new friendships. I learned that an idea that simple can be inspiration for writing a story.
Mrs. Vann discussed elements of a story and I must say it was very interesting….you think you know it all, but from a writer’s point of view, there’s so much more than just setting, problem, solution, and characters.
I really liked how she asked us some questions to develop a framework for a story, then gave us time in the session to actually develop a simple short story. We were all so wrapped up in our writing that she gave us a little extra time to finish up. A lot of us had a chance to share our stories and it was interesting to hear so many perspectives branch off into different directions that all originated from the same framework.
If you ever have a chance to attend a panel discussion of Danielle Vann’s, you should clear your calendar and make sure you can be there!
Now, back to the interview. I follow Mrs. Vann on social media, so I try to stay up to date on the accolades her books receive, but I wanted to do my research to make sure I didn’t miss anything – so I did.
Remember that advance copy that I told you I received of The Whizbang Machine? This is a book where you just don’t see things coming, or you thought something would happen one way, but it really turned out another way. The suspense and mystery are both nail biting!
After reading it, there were so many behind the scenes questions I wanted answered, so I am really happy that I had the opportunity to get those questions plus many more answered in the interview you’re about to view. Thank you again, Mrs. Vann, for spending time with me at Book Fest, it was an honor.
Mrs. Vann's works include her first book, Gracie Lou and the Bad Dream Eater; and the following books are all published by Waldorf Publishing: Ranger and Keys, The Whizbang Machine, and Building Faith Through a Carpenter's Hands.
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And be sure to grab your copy of The Whizbang Machine, it hits stores on November 15th!