Interview with middle grade author, Shelley Sly
What do you like best
about writing middle grade fiction?
I love writing for young readers. I remember being
completely smitten with books as a kid. I really dove into the stories and
believed in the characters. Now, as an adult, I’ve talked to many young readers
who feel the same way about books as I did. It’s the best feeling to see a
kid’s face light up when they tell you how much they liked your book.
Where did you get the
idea for One Hundred Thirty Stars?
I’m a video game geek, and in my college years, I attended
conventions dressed up as video game characters. It was such a unique
experience that I just had to incorporate it into a novel. The silliness, the
awkwardness… it was all loosely based on real events.
What's your favorite
part about writing?
To me, there’s something exhilarating about having the
chance to go places that I’ve never been, and having the chance to be people
who are different from me, if only for a short while. Yes, I’m just using my
imagination, but there’s something very real about the worlds that we writers
create. It’s a beautiful escape.
Thank you so much for having me here today, Tyrean!
Thank you, Shelley! I picked up One Hundred Thirty Stars the other day and couldn't put it down! Poignant, sweet, and brilliantly written, it's one of my favorite reads from this year!
Thank you, Shelley! I picked up One Hundred Thirty Stars the other day and couldn't put it down! Poignant, sweet, and brilliantly written, it's one of my favorite reads from this year!
Shelley Sly lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with
her husband and their chocolate lab mix. She writes middle grade novels about
friendship, family, and figuring out where you fit in. Shelley is the author of
WISHING FOR WASHINGTON, and her brand new release, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY STARS.
You can find her online at www.shelleysly.com.
35 comments:
Thank you so much for featuring me today, Tyrean! I enjoyed answering your questions. :)
Dressing up as video game characters sounds cool to me! I liked how Shelley summed up what's great about writing. It does feel real.
You're welcome, Shelley!
Yes, it does. Shelley's a great author!
Congrats, Shelley! I love how you came up with the idea for your book.
Thanks, Nick! Dressing up was a lot of fun, back in the day. :)
Thank you, Cherie! It was a fun story to develop and write.
Love that you're sharing your love of geeky things with the next generation!
Thanks, Laurel! I'm proud to be a geek! :)
Congrats, Shelley, on your new release! Building your story around the gaming conventions must have been fun.
How fun to attend geeky conventions. I've only been to a few, but would like to attend more.
I went to those conferences, but I never dressed up. I saw lots of things that would make an interesting read. Thank you for the interview...and best of luck to Shelley with her book! :)
Thank you, Lori! It was so much fun to write about a convention!
They really are a blast. I haven't been in a couple of years, but I look forward to attending more.
Thank you! I didn't dress up at first, but after a little while, I just had to join in the fun. :)
We can travel the universe through our writing. Congrats on the book, Shelley.
Great interview! I can relate a lot to the "beautiful escape" Shelley feels while writing. It's one of the things I enjoy when working on webcomics! And how cool that she loosely incorporated real experiences into OHTS. That's always fun to discover as a reader! :)
Watching a child's face light up with the wonder of the written word is worth ten-fold!
Cons can be weird! Lots of inspiration there.
Very true! And thank you!
Thanks! That's awesome that you experience that with webcomics, too! The escape is one of the most fun parts of writing. :)
Yes, it really is!!
Oh, definitely! The people you meet, the costumes you see... lots of weird stuff!
I love the cover! Congratulations, Shelley!
I'm not generally much of an MG fan, but this story sounds wonderful. :-)
Congrats, Shelley! I bet the kids will love the video game aspect of your story.
Thank you so much! I credit my cover artist, Steven Novak.
Thank you, Misha!
Thanks, Natalie! I hope so -- I loved video games as a kid.
Thanks everyone for visiting with Shelley! And thank you, Shelley, for rocking this convo for two days!
I LOVE this cover!! I will have to keep an eye on it for when I go on a book spending spree
What a great cover. Congrats to Shelley!!!
Thank you, Jack! That's great to hear! :)
Thanks so much, Cathrina!
Thank YOU, Tyrean! :)
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