Today I have 2 special guests! Aileen Pound and Michaela Keane are here to talk about their new children’s book, None at the Moment.
During their virtual book tour, Aileen and Michaela will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit their other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bios:
Aileen Pound and Michaela Robertson Keane are a mother and daughter team.
Michaela, who is six, is Aileen’s only child, and they spend a lot of time doing lots of fun things together: going on adventures, creating and being imaginative at home. So last year, when they were housebound during COVID, they started talking a lot about feelings, especially ones that Michaela had never felt before. So they decided to write a book together to help other children with their feelings.
Aileen and Michaela spent a long time talking about what feelings to put in the book, and Michaela provided Aileen all the examples that are in the book. As with everything, they wrote this book together, and Michaela had a very clear image of how she wanted the illustrations to look.
Welcome, Aileen and Michaela. Aileen, what do you enjoy most about writing short stories?
I don’t write short stories but I do write a blog. While I don’t get time to write as much as I’d like I love writing about being a mum and living life with my daughter who is an only child.
Excerpt from None at the Moment:
One of the best feelings to have is the feeling of being excited .
Do you agree? What makes you excited? Maybe you feel
excited when you wake up in the morning knowing it’s
your birthday. You spring out of bed with a smile on your
face and a twinkle in your eye. Now you’re full of energy.
There is a bounce in your step and laughter in your voice.
This is, by far, one of the best feelings to have.
It’s OK to have feelings xx
Can you give us a little insight into a few of your short works – perhaps some of your favorites?
A few of the blogs that I have written have been about suffering anxiety while being a mum, trying to get my daughter who is extremely fussy to eat and what’s it’s like raising a child in this generation.
What genre are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
I do well when writing about life or things that I know about. While I have come up with a few other children’s books I haven’t had the courage to do anything with them yet.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I have written a book about a little girl who travels to different countries and my daughter and I have been working on a book about horses as that is my daughter’s obsession.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve never really considered myself to be a writer it’s always something I’ve done for fun. After this book though I definitely am starting to feel like a writer.
How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for writers?
When Michaela and I wrote this book, we wrote it first and then I researched other books writing about the same thing, to see what made ours different. Researching is definitely important as it makes you aware of what else is out there, what you can offer that others haven’t and you can pick up ideas along the way.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I always sit and write my ideas down while I have the tv on (down low) it always helps me relax and think of things differently.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child I wanted to be either an actress or an archaeologist as I love history.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Have fun when you write, writing should never feel like a chore xx.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
Thank you for being here today, ladies.
Thanks for hosting!
Sounds like a good read.
Sounds like a great book.
We need more books like this for children to understand their feelings. It is not an easy time right now for children. Thank you for writing this book. It is very helpful.
I enjoyed the excerpt and the interview, I like the cover and It’s Okay to Have Feelings sounds like a wonderful children’s book! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a happy & successful New Year!