      
      
      
An Interview
With
Shirley Parenteau
ER!-Shirley,
thanks so much for letting me practice up on my
interrogation skills:-)! Your book Blue Hands, Blue Cloth
is a children's story from Hard Shell Word Factory.
I have to tell you, this book has a special place in my
heart because it was my daughter's first e-book.
The story is very original and she loved the
pictures.
SP-Cass, I'm so glad your
daughter loved this story. It was my first
children's book and is special to me.
ER!-Can you give eBooks Rock!'s fans
a brief description of this story?
SP-"Sometimes,
twelve-year-old Iman felt invisible..."
Descriptions of intricate tie-dying patterns used by
the women of Gambia add intriguing detail to a young
girl's story of self-discovery and growth.
ER!-What was the inspiration for Blue
Hands, Blue Cloth?
SP-My then-six-year-old
daughter Cherie and I explored the art of dying wool
with plant materials found on our California
farm. Then a non-fiction writer, I researched
natural dyes and was fascinated by an article on the
women and girls of Gambia, West Africa, who worked
with indigo. Iman's story evolved from
that. The book was published in hardback by
Children's Press in Chicago. When I received my
rights back I offered the story to Hard Shell Word
Factory who published the current version with
vibrant new illustrations.
ER!-Blue Hands, Blue Cloth recently
won EPIC's Eppie award--What was that like?
SP-I'd read excerpts of the
other finalists and while delighted to be one of
them, was so confident I wouldn't win that I enjoyed
the banquet and program without nervous
tremors. Then I was called as the winner and
nearly fell off my chair. It was and is a
tremendous honor.
ER!-And can you tell us a little
about the award itself?
SP-The Eppie celebrates the
best e-published books in 15 categories.
Entries are accepted from both members and nonmembers
of the sponsoring organization EPIC (Electronically
Published Internet Connection).
ER!->What are you currently
working on? And what's it about?
SP-Susan Walker, who
illustrated Blue Hands, Blue Cloth, is currently
working on illustrations for my second book to be
published by Hard Shell Word Factory. Called
What's A Girl, But Dragon Feed? the story is based on
a Chinese legend of a girl who conquers a dragon when
she's sent as a sacrifice. Her success
convinces her village and her brothers that girls
have value, after all.
I'm also working on a mystery novel for adult
readers, tentatively titled Hush, Little Baby, about
a woman trying to uncover the mystery of her birth
and early years.
ER!-Are you a dedicated children's
story writer or are there other genres you >intend to
explore?
SP-After 8 published
children's books, I turned to contemporary women's
fiction, publishing two novels with Ballantine Books,
then to historical romance, publishing three with
Harlequin. I've always written wherever my
interests lead me.
ER!-Are there ever times you consider
giving up the writing?
SP-Yes, when markets collapse
and rejections take the place of sales.
ER!-Bouts of writers' block? If so,
what do you do to overcome it?
SP-Read. Sometimes, it
helps to "refill the well" of the
imagination. Ideas flood back, along with the
need to do something about them.
ER!-What's your writing schedule
like?
SP-Erratic, at present.
I used to write at least five hours a day, but that
hasn't been possible for awhile.
ER!-What do you do for fun?
SP-Travel, camp, read, cook,
search out great "brunch places" with
friends.
ER!-Many writers have written since
they were young. They were daydreamers. Avid
readers. What about you? Has your passion to write
always been there?
SP-Yes. I've always written,
was an early reader. My mother wrote for Oregon
newspapers. I read her writer's magazines and
knew I would follow in her footsteps. I
received my first two sales on the same day, one a
short story in a puzzle magazine, the other an
article with tips on traveling with a baby.
What a thrill! I was on my way.
ER!-What advice would you give to
beginner writers?
SP-Become well read in the
field that most interests you. It may be best
to concentrate on one genre to become known to
readers rather than scatter your writing projects as
I did.
ER!-What's the non-writing world like
for you? Are there children, grandchildren, a
"day" job?
SP-I have three
children. Our oldest son has a daughter and a
granddaughter, our second son and his wife are
expecting their first baby in February, our daughter
became a bride this past April 22nd among scattered
showers in our lovely local park. It was a
beautiful wedding with few people scared away by the
weather.
As for a day job, I do the bookkeeping for my
husband's Sacramento sheet metal shop. It takes
a lot of time, although I work from my home office
which helps.
ER!-Is there anything out there that
you'd like to do, but haven't yet been given the
opportunity?
SP-Is this where I put down,
"Achieve fame and fortune"? Actually,
I'd like to travel outside the U.S., besides Mexico
and Canada, which I love.
ER!-Is there a book that you've
written, but we'll never see? Why?
SP-I have a book of my heart
set in Mexico City during the Austrian Maximilian's
glittering empire, a time when defeated Confederate
officers and soldiers from America's Civil War rode
south to join Maximilian. I dearly love the
romance I developed between an emotionally wounded
Confederate officer and a determined young woman from
Maximilian's Court, but I've been told that readers
don't like Mexican settings and won't read war or
post-war stories, so Court of Secrets remains on the
shelf.
ER!-If you weren't a writer, what
would you be doing?
SP-Traveling. Or
reading non-stop!
ER!-Describe yourself in one line:
SP-Daughter of a NW Oregon
logger and a journalistic mother, once told by a
graphologist that I have a bizarre imagination, I was
born under the sign of Aquarius and think that pretty
much says it all.
ER!-What would you consider your
greatest accomplishment?
SP-My children.
ER!-Of all the character's you've
written about, who would you say is most like you? And
why?
SP-Julia in my Harlequin
Historical, Golden Prospect, who makes her way to the
Klondike gold rush in search of the father she has
never met has the adventurous spirit I'd like to
claim.
ER!-Many readers wonder what's going
on in an author's head, and here's the part where we find
out<g>.
SP-It's like a multi-plex
theater with every screen showing a different story.
ER!-(Finish this sentence) On a
Saturday night you'll find me...
SP-On the couch, revising the
week's work.
ER!-If I were a cartoon character I'd
be...
SP-even more imaginative.
ER!-If I could have one wish, I would
wish...
SP-To have a dozen more
wishes!
ER!-What kind of car do you drive?
SP-A Buick Century--our
daughter calls it a car for seniors.
ER!-What kind of car do you *want* to
drive?
SP-I'd love to have back the
'67 Chevy Malibu I drove a few years ago, but finally
sold to a collector.
ER!-Answer the following questions as
quickly as possible, but feel free to >expand on any
of your answers (Hey, it's not a test).:
What's your favorite movie?
SP-Jane Austen's Pride and
Prejudice
ER!-Favorite song?
SP-Amazing Grace
ER!-Favorite snack?
SP-Chocolate, but I'm
resisting
ER!-Favorite book?
SP-Too many to list, though
I'm currently enthralled with Lindsay Davis' series
of novels featuring Marcus Didius Falco, a
"private eye" in ancient Rome.
ER!-Typewriter or computer?
SP-I love my computer, except
when it freezes.
ER!-Soup or salad?
SP-Salad
ER!-Pre-planner or blind leap?
SP-Depends on the project,
but usually a pre-planner.
ER!-Turkey Burger or steak?
SP-Steak, but prefer any kind
of seafood
ER!-Skirt or jeans?
SP-Jeans
ER!-Are blondes really more fun?
SP-Optimists have more fun,
whatever their hair color.
ER!-Do you believe in love at first
site?
SP-Well, what site is this,
construction? Beach? Gym? Oh, you mean, first
sight. Yes, I do. I knew when I first met
my husband that he was going to be an important part
of my life and dated no one else from that time on.
ER!-Are aliens real?
SP-It's
fun to think so.
ER!-If you could vote members off of
Gilligan's Island, who would get the boot first?
SP-Richard Hatch (g) I
haven't gotten over seeing him win on that other
island!
ER!-And finally (and you can take
your time on this one:-)), what's next for you? Your next
book? Writing venture? Goal?
SP-I'm hoping first to sell
Hush, Little Baby, then to follow with at least three
other mysteries with the same main characters and
setting. My agent has suggested revisions,
especially in making the heroine more uniquely
memorable. I'm struggling with that.
And with the Eppie on my desk, I've cast out a mental
net, hoping to snag fresh new ideas for future
children's books.
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