published April 2013
The Hook: When bully Bryce Billings bets Fish Finelli that he can’t find Captain Kidd’s legendary long-lost treasure, Fish and his friends embark on a quest to find real-life pirate treasure. Between sneaking into the library to track down Captain Kidd’s map, stowing away on a boat, and trespassing on an island, Fish and his friends have their work cut out for them. But will Fish actually be able to find Captain Kidd’s booty and win the bet? Appropriate for both boys and girls, this first book in the Fish Finelli series will inspire readers to use their imaginations, learn about the world around them, and appreciate the bonds of friendship.
Why I Loved It: Voice and perfect for younger middle grade boys and reluctant readers. Seriously, they will love it.
Want More? Read the first chapter here. Check out Fish's Facebook page.
(pictured with her son Niko)
Fish is a great character, what was your inspiration for writing him and this adventure? Also, which came to you first: the character or the plot?
My son, Niko, was my inspiration for
Fish Finelli as a character and as a book series. (Fish Finelli is actually a
nickname I gave him when he was small). His insatiable curiosity and interest
in facts about everything from hieroglyphs to hot air balloons inspired me to
create a boy character who, besides questions, has lots of answers and who,
like Niko, loved learning so much, he wanted to share what he knew with
everyone else. I also wanted to create a hero for boys who was smart and
independent, spirited and compassionate, but also funny, with old-fashioned
values and the grit to do what he set out to do. I wanted Fish to narrate in
first person, sharing his “knowledge,” but not too much of it before he was
interrupted by his two best friends. This was why I liked the idea of nonfiction
sidebars as a way to include more information.
The
character came first along with a few plot points—including the lobster piggy
bank, the dare/bet, Roger and T.J, Uncle Norman and his boat, and the coveted
Seagull motor. As soon as I decided to write in first person versus third, I
heard Fish talking to me:
It all started the morning I broke into my lobster piggy
bank. It’s
kind of funny I had money on my mind, since pretty soon all I was going to be
thinking about was treasure. But a dare’s a dare, and there was no way I could
take back what I said, kind of like Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion
about how every action (the dare) has
an equal and opposite reaction (taking
the dare). It explains why the planets stay in their orbits and why if
Bryce Billings calls you a baby for playing pirates then you tell him it’s
not a game, it’s for real.
Which character did you enjoy writing the most and why?
I enjoyed writing all three main
characters--Fish, Roger, and T.J.--because of the way they play off one
another, making puns, poking fun, joking around. I know the story is moving in
the right direction when I hear them talking to one another—then it’s almost
like taking dictation, writing down what they come up with.
What's your favorite scene in the story?
My favorite scene in the story is the
entire stakeout at the duck pond, particularly Fish’s swim through the mucky
yucky water, Roger’s run-in with the mutant, and T.J.’s notes on the clipboard
about Munch Eggs, the island where the treasure is supposedly buried.
You have a lot of facts for your story, how did you research for the story or was this part of your childhood?
I did lots of research for the story—I
love researching—and because I spend so much time in the library I had a lot of
amazing help from some amazing librarians and archivists. One book I found in
the Long Island Collection of the East Hampton Library was all about a supposed
secret pirate museum where the author had seen Captain Kidd’s “actual” treasure
map, which he included in the book, and I used as the basis for the look of the
treasure map in the story.
That's soo cool. My 9-yr-old will love that!
Can we expect more books about Fish and his gang?
Operation Fireball is the second Fish
Finelli adventure, which is coming out in Spring 2014.
Why do you write for middle graders?
You know how J.M. Barrie writes in Peter Pan about Wendy when she is two and
realizes that she must grow up that “Two is the beginning of the end?” Well, I
guess in my experience it seems as if twelve is that end. The middle-grade age
group is my favorite, because it’s before that growing-up time and all of the
pressures of adolescence. It’s a time when kids are more likely to still
believe in “magic.” I identify very strongly with that age group, and have many
memories of that time period in my life—I actually often feel as if I am still
twelve-years-old.
As a writer, do you plot out your whole story before you start or do you write by the seat of your pants?
Usually once I get the characters
figured out and a sense of the story—then I start writing and see where the
story wants to go by listening to the characters and feeling out what they want
to do. I do an outline, but a loose one, which I tighten up as I go along. I
always start by writing scenes for each chapter in a notebook, because I find
my ideas (or the characters’ ideas) seem to flow more easily on paper—then once
I feel sure of the direction of the chapter, I start typing.
You have an amazing middle grade voice. What advice can you give to aspiring writers about how to find a middle grade voice?
Thank you! As I said, I have a strong
affinity for the middle-grade age group. My best advice to aspiring
middle-grade writers is to channel their own inner middle-grade selves,
including all the fears, worries, joys, triumphs, questions, insecurities,
obsessions they remember. It’s also helpful to hang out with a bunch of
middle-graders and listen to them talk, ask them questions, find out what they
think, how they feel. I have to confess that sometimes after school when my son
got off the bus and was telling me about his day, I would actually grab a
notebook and take notes on what one kid said about something or someone, or a
joke or riddle another one told, or a game they played at recess or a fight
that happened at lunch.
Do you have a favorite place to write or snack to eat when you write?
I wrote much of Seagulls Don’t Eat Pickles sitting in one carrel at the East
Hampton Library on one particular maroon office type rolling chair.
I also like to write sitting in a comfy
yellow chair I have at home. I like to eat apples and yogurt-covered raisins
and drink Kombucha, which I feel is a synapse-firing type of beverage, perfect
for the writing process.
Next stop on the Blog Tour: Ms. Yingling Reads on 7/2/13 for another interview + GIVEAWAY!!
