This week we have an interview with author Sandra Mcleod!
1) How long have you been writing and when did you first start? I was a clinical psychologist at a state hospital for more than 31 years and retired in 1992 to begin my second career as a children's author. I've always loved to write and my first book was published in 1995.
2) Where do you get your ideas? I get my ideas from the kids themselves. My idea for Keepin' It Real: A Young Teen Talks With God came from working with my confirmation group at church. The kids in my group asked questions and it's those same questions that Leslie asks in the book. The idea for Dare to Dream: 25 Extraordinary Lives came directly from my school visits. There were so many kids who were so lacking in self-esteem that I purposely searched for role models from all walks of life and different cultural backgrounds who had difficult adolescent periods but who overcame their obstacles and attained their dreams. That book is for all kids but especially for those kids who are feeling like "losers." My idea for Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs also came directly from my school visits. My school visits invariably ended with the students talking about their experiences being bullied and the book is dedicated to a 12-year-old boy who took his own life as a result of being bullied.
3) What is your favorite genre? Mysteries are my favorite genre--especially mysteries with a female sleuth. I just finished reading Backyard Bones by Nancy Lynn Jarvis and I loved it!
4) What is the name of your latest book and where can readers find it? My two latest books are Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, and Put-Downs and Me, Myself, and I: Youth Meditations for Grades Five through Eight. Both books are available at all the major bookstores and online bookstores along with my other books.
5) If you had to give one great book recommendation, what would it be? One of my favorite books is Lois Lowry's Number the Stars.
1) How long have you been writing and when did you first start?
I was a clinical psychologist at a state hospital for more than 31 years and retired in 1992 to begin my second career as a children's author. I've always loved to write and my first book was published in 1995.
2) Where do you get your ideas?
I get my ideas from the kids themselves. My idea for Keepin' It Real: A Young Teen Talks With God came from working with my confirmation group at church. The kids in my group asked questions and it's those same questions that Leslie asks in the book. The idea for Dare to Dream: 25 Extraordinary Lives came directly from my school visits. There were so many kids who were so lacking in self-esteem that I purposely searched for role models from all walks of life and different cultural backgrounds who had difficult adolescent periods but who overcame their obstacles and attained their dreams. That book is for all kids but especially for those kids who are feeling like "losers." My idea for Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs also came directly from my school visits. My school visits invariably ended with the students talking about their experiences being bullied and the book is dedicated to a 12-year-old boy who took his own life as a result of being bullied.
3) What is your favorite genre?
Mysteries are my favorite genre--especially mysteries with a female sleuth. I just finished reading Backyard Bones by Nancy Lynn Jarvis and I loved it!
4) What is the name of your latest book and where can readers find it?
My two latest books are Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, and Put-Downs and Me, Myself, and I: Youth Meditations for Grades Five through Eight. Both books are available at all the major bookstores and online bookstores along with my other books.
5) If you had to give one great book recommendation, what would it be?
One of my favorite books is Lois Lowry's Number the Stars.