Writers and Readers Network -Tibbetts

An interview with Peggy Tibbetts

Interview conducted by Charlene Austin

Char: Peggy, I loved reviewing Road to Weird, both Carly and Harpo are wonderful characters. They each struggle with very realistic, everyday problems of adolescence and wedge an edge of the seat battle with the unusual and unknown, each in their own unique way. Tell us about Carly and Harpo.

Peggy Tibbetts: Thank you Char! I'm thrilled you loved these characters. Carly and Harpo are opposite personality types, which makes their reactions to their paranormal experiences quite unique.

Carly Baillie is faced with the challenge of adjusting to her new home and new life in Colorado. At the same time she needs to stop letting her obnoxious sister, Jackie push her around. In the beginning, Carly is shy and introverted. She desperately needs to come out of her shell to deal with the changes of moving cross country and finding new friends. While her sensitive nature is what enables her to recognize the strange occurrences in the family's new home, it's also what makes it so difficult to cope when Jackie picks on her. In the end, her desire to uncover the secrets of the ghost brings her out of her shell and able to stand up to her sister's bullying.

Harpo Marx, on the other hand, is a talented, witty extrovert. However a bump on the head from a fall off the balance beam rocks her self-confidence. As a result of her head injury, she is suddenly "blessed" with psychic ability while at the same time forced to sideline her gymnastics goals. Harpo has to go inside herself and do some soul searching to cope with the challenge of understanding the visions she's having, while enduring the ridicule of her classmates and her own self doubt.

Char: Carly's Ghost and Harpo Marx is Seeing Things, from haunting to psychic abilities. Each story is told with credible plausibility and realism. How much research went into writing Road to Weird?

Tibbetts: I've always been interested in the paranormal, such as ghosts and psychic phenomena, and done a great deal of research on the different aspects of the metaphysical. These books came about as a result of that research and my desire to show different children coping with their own experiences with the paranormal in the context of real life.

Char: You also wrote Rumors of War. Tell us a little about it, and what differences you found in writing adult and YA fiction? What challenges did you face as a writer switching between the genres, if any?

Tibbetts: Rumors of War is an adult suspense novel set in Duluth, Minnesota, at the onset of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. When Ilene Singleton's husband is sent to war she discovers series of shocking family secrets that put her and her two daughters in danger. The book has received excellent reviews and quite a lot of interest from film producers.

I'm often asked about the difference between writing for adults and writing for children. There really is no difference, except that children's books tend to be shorter than adult books. But other than that, the goal is always to tell a good story.

Writing for children is more challenging than writing for adults because I'm always mindful that the story not only has to be good but told in a way that's hip to today's kids and real enough to hold their interest in the face of all the other competing media out there -- videos, games, and TV.

Char: Rumors of War is self published, but Road to Weird is published by Zumaya Publishing. Tell us a little about your experience with each publishing option, the pros and cons.

Tibbetts: Self-publishing gives the author more control over the whole process of production, distribution, marketing and promotion than with a traditional publisher. Plus the book stays in print for as long as the author wishes. I have really enjoyed my experience with self publishing and plan to publish more books this way. My experience with Zumaya is too new to judge the pros and cons. However my first book, Carly's Ghost was published with Press-Tige Publishing, but the publisher went bankrupt the year after the book was released. So that was a huge "con." The problem for authors regarding small publishing companies is we can be subject to the bad business practices of the individuals in control of the company.

Char: You are also managing editor for writingworld.com's newsletter and do a monthly children's writers column. Busy, busy lady! How does this very busy schedule fit into and effect your writing?

Tibbetts: And I'm also the new YA book reviewer for Readers Room.

As a result I never have enough time to write! Of course that translates into my having to maintain a rather rigid, disciplined schedule. I'm less spontaneous than I ever used to be. I used to be a late night writer. I would get really cranked up and rolling at around 8:00 at night then go till 1 or 2:00 a.m. But I find my overloaded schedule makes me more tired at night and I don't have the stamina to keep going till all hours. I've learned to adapt to an afternoon/evening writing schedule that seems to be working out better and better for me.

Char: Have these writing credits helped you to promote your own work? How important is getting the experience and writing credits to aspiring writers and where should we start?

Tibbetts: Yes, having a constant presence on the Internet through Writing World and now Readers Room has been a big boost for promoting my work. My books are featured at Writing World's Author's Bookshelf, which is excellent exposure. Because of my already busy schedule I don't have a lot of time to devote to promotion so I'm thankful for the support I get from any and all directions. Web sites like Writers and Readers Network are so important for bringing authors together with readers.

These days I think it's more important than ever for aspiring writers to accumulate writing credits in order to attract the attention of editors and get their work read. How writers gain writing credits depends on the individual writer. In my case, I sought jobs in the field of writing. I've worked at various editorial jobs, wrote a newspaper column, wrote educational film scripts, and ran a desktop publishing business. Through job experiences, I've built up my writing resume. However if a writer is also working full-time in another career outside the home, such as nursing, teaching, accounting, advertising, etc., then I think it's important to write stories, articles, or book reviews and submit them to magazines, ezines, web sites, contests, etc., to develop a presence online and in print and start building that writing resume.

Char: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, or I should say, that you were a writer? What and who have most influenced your desire to write and your writing?

Tibbetts: When I was in first grade our teacher, Miss Knight helped the class compose a "Today" story on the blackboard. Then we had to copy it down on paper. Through that daily exercise I grew to love writing and learned how to tell a story. Through most of my childhood I thought I wanted to be veterinarian. Though how that manifested itself is I wrote animal stories. It wasn't until I was in high school and found out how much I hated Chemistry that I realized I writing was a better choice for me.

As for what influences my writing I'd have to say the news, both history and current events. I'm both a CNN junkie and a history buff. The news and history always get me wondering "what if?". I always want to know more about a particular event, and explore deeper into the story.

The who, when it comes to influencing my writing, is other authors. Too numerous to name and unfair because I always leave out someone. So let me just say that I think it's very important for aspiring writers to develop and cultivate relationships with other authors as friends and mentors as a way of networking and surviving in this tough business.

Char: What advise do you have for aspiring writers?

Tibbetts: It's no longer enough to be disciplined to write every day and be a good writer. You must learn to promote yourself and your work. You need to develop an online and print presence in order to get your work noticed.

Char: Peggy, thank you for taking the time to talk with us.

Tibbetts: Thank you Char. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share some of my books and myself with other writers and readers. Writers and Readers Network is a great way to bring authors together with their readers. After all, that's why we write -- for our readers.

Peggy Tibbetts is the author of "The Road to Weird," "Rumors of War," and "The Word of Mouse." She has worked as an associate producer of educational videos for Upper Midwest Films, contributing editor for Children's Magic Window magazine, and Children's Writing Resource Editor at Inkspot.com. Currently she Managing Editor of the Writing World newsletter and writes a monthly column for children's writers, "Advice from a Caterpillar," at Writing-World.com. She is also the YA book reviewer for Readers Room. She lives with her family in Silt, Colorado. Visit her web site at: www.peggytibbetts.net