Please welcome Chelsea Flagg author of Tinsey Clover
Chelsea Flagg will be awarding $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Tinsey Clover
by Chelsea Flagg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Middle Grade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I’ve always loved writing. I was that kid in my second grade class always bugging my teacher to let me read my new stories to my classmates. That passion never went away, but I didn’t fully jump into being a writer until after my daughters were born. It was reading Tina Fey’s BossyPants that tipped the scale, I think. Reading that, I was fully confident that I could write a book full of funny stories! And, I did. My book, I’d Rather Wear Pajamas, was just that. Quirky stories from my life.
After winning some awards and earning best-seller status for that book, I knew writing was what I was meant to do. So, here I am!
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
TINSEY CLOVER falls into a tighter niche than a lot of Middle Grade books. It’s an early Middle Grade, which means it’s intended for young readers who are ready for more of a challenge and adventure than picture or chapter books, but aren’t developmentally ready for the scary, sad, or complex themes that come with a lot of Middle Grade stories.
Creating a plot that’s exciting and fantastical without being too “childish” on one end, or too intense on the other was definitely a fun challenge.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I wish I could say I was one of those writers who maps it all out first. I’m always in awe of people who can make an outline, but it’s so not who I am. That being said, I started writing with only one thing firmly in place: Tinsey as a character. From the very beginning, I fell so in love with little Tinsey Clover, I just trusted that her story would unfold itself. If you were to go back and read my very first draft, you’d see that it’s not anywhere close to the same story I ended with, but Tinsey was true to herself the entire journey.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
The best expertise any writer can bring to their work is research. And by research, I mean reading. If you’re not a passionate reader, you’ll struggle to be an exceptional writer. It’s just the way that goes. I read like it’s going out of style. I read adult books, picture books, and everything in between. It’s a great way to learn about what’s out there, what’s working and what’s not, and what’s exciting to me personally. Being inspired by other authors is a great tool.
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
When I’m not reading, I love hiking, singing, and I’m working on learning how to do a handstand! You’re never too old to learn new things, ha!
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I’m excited to get pen to paper on a TINSEY CLOVER sequel! I’m equally excited to announce my intention to set up a service to help young writers publish their own books! Follow me for more information on that soon.
7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
Definitely Tinsey. I feel such a connection to her, and feel like she is me in a lot of ways. I thought of myself as a young girl when pulling inspiration for her. I’m still working on being as brave and fearless as she is, though!
8. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
There are tons of fun scenes in TINSEY CLOVER. Here’s a bit of one after Tinsey’s left her village and makes an unlikely friend in a neighboring troll. She’s feeling surprisingly homesick, and the two of them listen as Tinsey’s people sing their nighttime lullaby that, to Tinsey’s surprise, the entire forest can hear:
If only I could curl up in my own bed. I mean, it’s not like my bed’s anything more than a pile of leaves, but still. It’s my pile of leaves. I wish Mom could wrap me up in her arms and give me some of that lavender oil to strengthen me. Maybe she would even sing me a lullaby and rock me to sleep.
“Are you’s okay, ’iddle friend?” Judder asks.
I wipe my nose and pat my cheeks. I didn’t realize I was crying.
“I’m fine,” I sniff. “It’s just, well, I’ve never slept away from home before.”
Judder nods like he understands.
“Every night before bed, my family sings a little song together,” I say. “I know it’s silly or whatever, but every trealfur does the same thing at the same time and it makes us all feel connected.” I look out the cave entrance at the pitch-black night. “Tonight’s the first night of my life I haven’t done that.”
Judder sucks up a sob of his own. “Dat’s really sad fer ya’s,” he says. “I’s heard dat song before, id’s bootiful. You’s trealfurs sure does have pretty voices.”
“Wait, what?”
“You’s all have pretty voices,” he says again.
“No, not that,” I say. “I mean, you’ve heard us singing before? But, how?”
Judder looks at me like I’m missing out on something really obvious.
“Da whole forest can’s hears yer song every night. It carries on da wind, ya knows. Helps puts us alls ta sleep.”
As if on cue, a very faint chanting starts outside. I stand up and walk to the entrance of the cave. Sure enough, I hear the tune we sing every single night before bed. It does sound lovely from all the way over here. I hum along even though my notes aren’t anywhere close to on-pitch. Judder stands up and walks to my side. He starts humming along, too, possibly even more out of tune than me.
9. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
I wish I had time for that! As the full-time mama to three young kids, prioritization is a big thing. For me, writing takes priority. That being said, I definitely have my team of people who I can always trust to read my drafts and give me honest feedback. It’s truly amazing what someone else might see in my story that I’m too close to see yourself. Having extra pairs of eyes looking at my work can sometimes feel daunting, but it’s so rewarding.
10. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The best advice I’ve ever received is the same advice I try to share with every aspiring writer I encounter: KEEP WRITING! There have always been plenty of people along the way who discourage writers or convince them it’s not a worthwhile activity. Those people are lying to you. If you’re passionate about writing, keep writing. You will find so much power, self-awareness, and joy when you put your words down on paper. And no, it’s never going to be perfect. And yes, some people won’t care for your style or your stories, but that doesn’t matter. Write. Anyway. I can’t emphasis that enough.
BLURB:
Tinsey Clover is smart. She’s brave. Also, she can’t carry a tune to save her life. Oh yeah, plus she's an elf the size of a chipmunk. When her bizarre magical power grows in and makes her feel like a total outsider in her own village, Tinsey sneaks into the forbidden forest on a journey to find someone more like her. From trolls to dragons, what she discovers along the way challenges everything, and everyone, she thought she knew.
A coming of age story for early middle grade fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Kate DiCamillo, and Chris Colfer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
We speed through the forest, zig-zagging between tree trunks so huge not even a giant could wrap his arms around one, let alone find the radius and diameter on the thing. The morning fog’s mostly gone now, which makes it much easier to see the little burst of reds and yellows from the wildflowers that grow here. The most colorful item around though is Aspen’s hair. Although, I must say, it looks less like hair and much more like a blue blur as he races ahead of me on his fox.
Pretty soon, all the head honcho trealfurs come into view, sitting knee to knee to form an oval. At first, each of the trealfurs looks like a tiny ant, but they quickly grow as our foxes dart closer toward the council spot.
Aspen barks sharply, and his fox comes to a halt right away. Of course. My fox, on the other hand, doesn’t even slow down, let alone stop. Maybe it didn’t hear Aspen’s orders, but I know better. This fox is just being cheeky, because that’s how wild animals are with me sometimes. It’s like they know I don’t fit in here, too. All I can do is hold on as my rowdy critter runs at full speed straight into the circle. Trealfurs scatter and roll everywhere, trying not to get run over. And still, my ride barrels forward. That’s another thing about animals: they are not always sensible.
Tucking my chin to my chest, I let go and bounce off, hitting the cold green blanket of moss and leaves on the ground. I don’t have much time to notice how it feels to have the air knocked out of my lungs before my whole body rolls noggin over knees and shoulders over shins. Funny sounds pop out of my mouth that I have absolutely no control over.
“Ooof! Eeef! Ouch!” And, my personal favorite: “AIEEEEE!”
I summersault straight toward Uncle Vondur, the King of the Bungaborg Trealfurs, forcing him to dive out of my way. But, I don’t stop there. No sirree. I careen right past him and into a large bush. Some might think rolling into a bush is a lucky thing, and usually I would agree. Unless it happens to be a very healthy thistle plant. Don’t get me wrong, the purple burrs on a thistle plant are quite beautiful, but just not so much when you’re rolling around in them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Chelsea was born and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where she spent countless hours writing stories. Mostly about cats.
In 2015, she published her first book: a quirky memoir for adults called I'd Rather Wear Pajamas that talks all about the journey through her young adult life that led to her becoming an author. It was an Amazon #1 best seller for five straight days and continues to elicit full belly laughs from its readers.
After the birth of her children, Chelsea shifted her writing to the kidlit world. She’s thrilled to share her newest baby: Tinsey Clover.
Chelsea lives in Boulder with her husband and three practically perfect daughters. Unfortunately, she doesn’t own any cats.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
www.chelseaflagg.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chelseawalkerflagg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chelseaflagg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseaflagg/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/099672849X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Chelsea Flagg will be awarding $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2932
