Please welcome Kelly McInenly author of Little Milly and the Great Lakes
Kelly McInenly will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Little Milly and the Great Lakes
by Kelly McInenly
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GENRE: Children's
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INTERVIEW:
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
Every great story has three elements… the hook, the points of engagement and the call to action. What I think is the key to kid-lit is considering what is captivating, engaging and motivating from a child’s point of view. An excellent exercise I did in a Creative Writing course was to think of a memory of a favourite childhood tradition. I immediately went to Sunday supper, which was always roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, followed by Tim Horton’s Boston Cream donuts – I wouldn’t touch any of that today, but I was excited, happy and hungry just thinking about it as my young self. So, I write as Little Kelly which helps me hit all of the components of a kid-pleasing book – pace, predictability, purpose and pop (the element of surprise/the forbidden).
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
Reading inspired me to start writing. I loved reading from a young age, most likely because I had the ability to read at a high school level in grade school, which gave me access to more interesting books, and more of them. With so many complex storylines and rich vocabulary swirling in my head and began putting pen to paper as often as I could, entering poetry contests, writing for school publications, and leading the advertising efforts of school organizations.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
Every great story has three elements… the hook, the points of engagement and the call to action. What I think is the key to kid-lit is considering what is captivating, engaging and motivating from a child’s point of view. An excellent exercise I did in a Creative Writing course was to think of a memory of a favourite childhood tradition. I immediately went to Sunday supper, which was always roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, followed by Tim Horton’s Boston Cream donuts – I wouldn’t touch any of that today, but I was excited, happy and hungry just thinking about it as my young self. So, I write as Little Kelly which helps me hit all of the components of a kid-pleasing book – pace, predictability, purpose and pop (the element of surprise/the forbidden).
3. How did you come up with your idea for your series?
I owe all credit to Little Milly – aka Mildred McInenly aka Grandma Mill. This very proper grandma would tell me silly stories about the trouble she and her five sisters had growing up in the Maritimes with very little supervision (her mother passed away after having Little Milly). Each sister seemed to take a turn featuring in an adventure which gave me the idea for the 6-book series.
I owe all credit to Little Milly – aka Mildred McInenly aka Grandma Mill. This very proper grandma would tell me silly stories about the trouble she and her five sisters had growing up in the Maritimes with very little supervision (her mother passed away after having Little Milly). Each sister seemed to take a turn featuring in an adventure which gave me the idea for the 6-book series.
4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
To my writing…probably none other than my experience of having been a kid at some point![Description: Tongue face with no fill]()
However, after a 20-year career in Sales & Marketing, I might bring some branding expertise to Little Milly… she definitely plays in a clearly defined, old-timey space that I try to reinforce at ever touchpoint, from using Sakshi Mangal to illustrate, our colour palette, the activities I created for classroom visits an my Pinterest page (check out Milly’s Scavenger Hunt, Little Book of Morals and Paper Dolls).
To my writing…probably none other than my experience of having been a kid at some point
5. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I co-create and lead a 4thyear course for Humber College’s Bachelor of Creative Advertising program. It covers everything you wish someone had told you before you graduated (you can see an overview at BOCA). I am always happy to chat with anyone who is interested in the corporate or entrepreneurial business worlds.
I co-create and lead a 4thyear course for Humber College’s Bachelor of Creative Advertising program. It covers everything you wish someone had told you before you graduated (you can see an overview at BOCA). I am always happy to chat with anyone who is interested in the corporate or entrepreneurial business worlds.
6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
This year… Little Milly and the Great LakesBooks 4-6 (Ene and the Ivy, Flo and the Fishermen, Milly and the Mail)… the remaining three sisters have some fun planned for you!
This year… Little Milly and the Great LakesBooks 4-6 (Ene and the Ivy, Flo and the Fishermen, Milly and the Mail)… the remaining three sisters have some fun planned for you!
Next year… Postcards from Heavenwill tell, through their own correspondence home, the more somber story of Little Milly’s three brothers who slipped into the military underage and were killed on the frontlines of the war.
7. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
My dad always preached the ‘P’ Principle – Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. I have found it to be an inelegant but true statement. Little Milly stories have a pattern/framework/rhythm that children find comforting, especially at bedtime, so I need to map out each story to fit within the template. I am just starting on a business book for young people – Foundation Before Creation– and my co-author Julien Leblanc and I have figured out just the right balance of story, theory, tools and techniques for each chapter to keep the book engaging, but slim and practical.
My dad always preached the ‘P’ Principle – Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. I have found it to be an inelegant but true statement. Little Milly stories have a pattern/framework/rhythm that children find comforting, especially at bedtime, so I need to map out each story to fit within the template. I am just starting on a business book for young people – Foundation Before Creation– and my co-author Julien Leblanc and I have figured out just the right balance of story, theory, tools and techniques for each chapter to keep the book engaging, but slim and practical.
8. How do you maintain your creativity?
Sons– My two boys inspire me with their observations about the world which are sometimes so much more advanced than my own and sometimes so hilariously naive.
Sons– My two boys inspire me with their observations about the world which are sometimes so much more advanced than my own and sometimes so hilariously naive.
Sweat– I am a distance runner and I generate new ideas while I run as well as figure out how to set them out in rhyme (keeping pace with my footsteps and heartbeat).
Swill– You can definitely find inspiration in the bottom of a margarita glass! I am a huge fan of Lone Star’s Mar-GO-rita kits to kick off a night of creative thinking and writing.
9. Are you plotting bunnies, angels or demons?
Little Milly and her sisters are all about the bunnies… sweet stories for kids where the girls may find themselves slightly possessed by demons for a moment, but always angels by bedtime when grumpy dad tucks them in.
Little Milly and her sisters are all about the bunnies… sweet stories for kids where the girls may find themselves slightly possessed by demons for a moment, but always angels by bedtime when grumpy dad tucks them in.
10. Anything else you might want to add?
I get a lot of great feedback about the books’ illustrations. You and your little reader can enjoy them even more by 1) looking for the bird hidden on each page and 2) submitting their photo to Little Milly to @littlemillyandthegreatlakeson Instagram so that they can be included in the illustrations for Books 4-6.
BLURB:
Kelly knew Little Milly Lake as Grandma Mill McInenly. The usually serious Mildred would occasionally surprise her granddaughter with tales of the fun and mischief that she and her five older sisters found growing up in the Maritimes in the early 1900s. The combination of little money or supervision, and a notoriously grumpy father, made for simple stories with just the right blend of silly and sweet.Little Milly and the Great Lakes is Kelly's first creative writing endeavor... she has been distracted by Little Mateo and Little Lucas.
Get silly with Milly on her other adventures...Bess and the Boil, Marj and the Medal, and Peg and the Party Line.
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EXCERPT:
Smug as pie, Marj skipped off to claim her big loot,
The prize: A 1-gallon jar stuffed full of dried fruit.
“Marj, won’t you please share… just a wee apricot?”
“Prizes are for winners, and win you did not!”
Marj sat on the dock, pleased as mean Mr. Punch,
And gobbled her winnings… a victory lunch!
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kelly knew Little Milly Lake as Grandma Mill McInenly. The usually serious Mildred would occasionally surprise her granddaughter with tales of the fun and mischief that she and her five older sisters found growing up in the Maritimes in the early 1900s. The combination of little money or supervision, and a notoriously grumpy father, made for simple stories with just the right blend of silly and sweet.
Little Milly and the Great Lakes is Kelly’s first creative writing endeavor… she has been distracted by Little Mateo and Little Lucas.
Connect with Canadian author Kelly McInenly on
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/little-milly-and-the-great-lakes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlemillyandthegreatlakes
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19237406.Kelly_McInenly
Check out Little Milly and the Great Lakes: Marj and the Medal (Book 1) Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Little-Milly-Great-Lakes-Medal/dp/0228808960/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-milly-and-the-great-lakes-kelly-mcinenly/1131792651
Indigo/Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/little-milly-and-the-great/9780228808961-item.html
Check out Little Milly and the Great Lakes: Peg and the Party Line (Book 2)
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Little-Milly-Great-Lakes-Party/dp/0228808952/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-milly-and-the-great-lakes-kelly-mcinenly/1131792650
Indigo/Chapters! https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/little-milly-and-the-great/9780228808954-item.html
Check out Little Milly and the Great Lakes: Bess and the Boil (Book 3) Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Little-Milly-Great-Lakes-Bess/dp/0228808766/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-milly-and-the-great-lakes-kelly-mcinenly/1131792655
Indigo/Chapters! https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/little-milly-and-the-great/9780228808763-item.html
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Kelly McInenly will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
RAFFLECOPTER:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3336
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog. I hope you have a great tour.
ReplyDeleteSounds good.
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