Today’s special guest author is Lisa Locklin to chat about her children’s book, My MVP and Me.
Lisa is in the midst of a book tour with RABT Book Tours and PR. See tour stop details below and feel free to visit and/all of them!
Welcome, Lisa. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Teaching has been my passion for over 30 years. I am a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with both my elementary and secondary certifications. While teaching, I was excited to establish the PAL program at our school. This program trains high school students to mentor at-risk elementary and middle school students. Also, I sponsored the No Place For Hate Club and earned the No Place For Hate designation for our high school for three consecutive years. This distinguished award is presented by the Anti-Defamation League to schools who meet the required criteria. One of my greatest honors was to receive Spotlight Teacher at Cypress Ranch High School in 2012. Additionally, I was trained and certified by the The Dougy Center which is the National Center for Grieving Children and Families in Portland, Oregon. I have been a facilitator for grieving children in both support groups and grief camp. Currently, I have been tutoring and mentoring foster girls in our area. I live in Houston, Texas with my wonderful husband, Chris, of 40 years and have two beautiful children Alyson and Ross. Our family also includes our loveable cats and dog. As a children’s author, my goal is very simple and yet profound…to make the world a better place, one book at a time.
Please tell us about your current release.
Four-year old Ross admires his older cousin, Eric, and wants to be just like him. And for good reason-Eric is an excellent role model, a superhero in Ross’s eyes. In My MVP and Me, Ross asks his mom to make him just like Eric. With a little help from his mom, Ross learns that the activities he enjoys with Eric such a playing football, body-slamming, and laughing are just a small of part of what it means to be an MVP. Ross learns that he can follow the example of Eric’s attitudes and actions without being just like him in every way: heroes come in all shapes, sizes and colors!
What inspired you to write this book?
We come from a diverse family and this is actually based on a true story about my son and his cousin Eric. I told this story in the classroom to my students for over 25 years and they loved it! My students ranged in age from middle school to seniors in high school. It was, hands down, their favorite story! My students of color particularly loved it because they saw themselves as the hero. I truly believe that all children deserve to be represented and should see themselves in the books they read. In the end, Ross wanting to be like his hero had less to do with the color of Eric’s skin and everything to do with his character. I think the story rings true because it is genuine and comes from the innocent and loving heart of a child.
Excerpt from My MVP and Me:
Ross repeated his sentence in a shy, unsure voice.
“I want to be Black like my cousin, Eric.”
What exciting project are you working on next?
I have already written another children’s book called Windwalker and the Kindness Feather that teaches the definition and importance of empathy. The world is a complicated place to navigate as an adult let alone as a child but I know that children innately want to do the right thing but they have to be shown the way. I think story telling is a wonderful vehicle for conveying meaningful messages that can make a difference.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I actually was a storyteller before I became a writer. I learned in the classroom that students of all ages love a well-told story that has purpose and meaning but can be delivered in an entertaining way. The lessons I taught were always introduced with a relevant story about the content being taught. The letters that my students have written me over the years consistently said that what they loved most about my class was the stories that I told. I run into my students that I taught 10-20 years ago and they still remember the details from stories I told that made a positive impact in their lives.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I am retired but my passion has always been children. Currently, I am tutoring/mentoring girls who have aged out of the foster care system and also mentoring at risk students in the public schools. I am an avid reader and very active in a local book club. I love traveling and in between trips, I am working on several more children’s stories.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I taught English for a number of years and I realize everyone has their own unique writing techniques. I personally like to “verbally vomit” on paper first in a completely “helter skelter” kind of way. This can take place anywhere and at any time on napkins or the back of envelopes etc. Only then will I sit down and begin to type on a computer and organize my thoughts.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, the only thing I ever wanted to be was to be a teacher and a mother. This new venture as an author of children’s books is the unexpected cherry on top of my life!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I still remember the exact moment I fell in love with books and reading as a child. When I was in about 3rd grade, I was reading Charlotte’s Web in my bedroom when I realized I was crying. I was startled to find that I wasn’t on the farm with Wilbur the pig but laying on my bed in my room. I had been transported in time and place through words and it was absolutely magical. The magic continued with everything from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Reading truly is the portal to other worlds and the cheapest way to travel!
Book tour stops:
August 8 – Momma Says to Read or Not to Read – Spotlight
August 9 – BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – Spotlight
August 10 – Matters That Count – Excerpt
August 11 – Reading Authors – Spotlight
August 14 – Nana’s Book Reviews – Spotlight
August 15 – Our Town Book Reviews – Excerpt
August 16 – The Faerie Review – Spotlight
August 17 – HERE!
August 18 – Jazzy’s Book Reviews – Review
August 21 – Crossroad Reviews – Spotlight
August 22 – Writers N Authors – Interview
August 23 – Book Corner News and Reviews – Spotlight
August 24 – Iron Canuck Reviews – Review
August 25 – Sapphyria’s Books – Spotlight
August 26 – Book Junkiez – Excerpt
August 29 – Liliyana Shadowlyn – Spotlight
August 30 – Texas Book Nook – Review
August 31 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – Spotlight
September 4 – Tea Time and Books – Spotlight
September 5 – The Avid Reader – Interview
September 6 – Books Blog – Spotlight
September 7 – Novel News Network – Review
September 8 – RABT Reviews – Wrap Up
