GILLIAN MCDUNN INTERVIEW, CATERPILLAR SUMMER GIVEAWAY, AND IWSG POST

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Gillian McDunn here to share about her MG contemporary CATERPILLAR SUMMER. It sounds like a story with memorable characters that will really pull at your heart. And it has a cool setting—an island in North Carolina. 

Before I get to Gillian's interview, I have news and my IWSG post.

IMPORTANT NEWS

Right now, there is no monthly book giveaway hop scheduled in April. If there isn't one, I'm planning to start a newly released MG and YA giveaway the third Friday of the month starting in April. I will also offer books I've recently spotlighted. So my first post will be on April 19th. It's a way for me to feature new books, and hopefully you all will want to stop by and enter the contest. I'll continue them if I feel there is enough of an interest.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

The co-hosts this month are:  J.H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken!

Optional Question: If you could use a wish to help you write just ONE scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be? (examples: fight scene / first kiss scene / death scene / chase scene / first chapter / middle chapter / end chapter, etc.)

First of all, I'm really happy to be a co-host again this month. I'm glad to Alex and the rest of the IWSG team and get to meet more members of this group.

I'd use my wish for help with my first chapter. It's such an important chapter in terms of grabbing a reader's, agent's, and editor's attention and pulling them into a story. I struggle with my chapter and often rewrite it. In fact, I'm wondering about that now for my current manuscript.

What about you? Where do you need the most help in your writing?

Now onto Gillian's interview. Here’s a blurb of CATERPILLAR SUMMER from Goodreads: 

Cat and her brother Chicken have always had a very special bond--Cat is one of the few people who

can keep Chicken happy. When he has a "meltdown" she's the one who scratches his back and reads his favorite story. She's the one who knows what Chicken needs. Since their mom has had to work double-hard to keep their family afloat after their father passed away, Cat has been the glue holding her family together.

But even the strongest glue sometimes struggles to hold. When a summer trip doesn't go according to plan, Cat and Chicken end up spending three weeks with grandparents they never knew. For the first time in years, Cat has the opportunity to be a kid again, and the journey she takes shows that even the most broken or strained relationships can be healed if people take the time to walk in one another's shoes. 

Hi Gillian! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I’ve loved books ever since I can remember, and have always dreamed of being a writer. I wrote professionally for a number of years--technical writing (software), training materials, grant writing, public relations writing--but inside I felt like something was missing. One day I decided it was time to try the thing I’d always wanted to do. 

2. I'm a contract writer now and as much as I enjoy it, wish I had more time to write for myself too. Where did you get your idea for your story?

When I write, I start with relationships. I had the idea for a protective older sister who would keep her little brother safe, no matter what. After that, I started asking “what if” type questions until the story began to come together. I wanted to explore all kinds of family dynamics: siblings, mom-daughter, grandparent/grandchild. I was also inspired by my love for the North Carolina coast, which is where the book takes place.

3. Like your main character, Cat, you were a big sister to a brother with special needs. How much of this experience did you rely on in creating Cat’s relationship with Chicken? And how did you pick their names?

For CATERPILLAR SUMMER, I borrowed aspects of my relationship with Andy. He had multiple disabilities and the two of us were very close--I was his sister, his helper, and his protector. I wanted to capture a multifaceted sibling relationship--where responsibility and love and joy all mix together. Chicken’s needs are very different from Andy’s, but I hope I captured some of the feel of my relationship with my brother.

As for their names, Cat’s name is short for for Catherine and Chicken’s is a nickname for Henry. Their mom is a picture book author/illustrator of a series called Caterpillar & Chicken and she bases these characters on her children and their relationship.

Mom’s work (and the way she sees her children) is a big theme in the book, and several of “her” illustrated picture book manuscripts appear as books-within-the-book, beautifully illustrated by Alisa Coburn, who also did the cover. Cat begins to feel a bit pigeonholed when she reads Mom’s books. In the stories, Caterpillar is patient, wise, and a bit self-sacrificing--always for Chicken’s sake. Cat loves her brother deeply, and she also wonders if she’s more than those qualities. I hope it will be fun for readers to analyze Caterpillar’s actions and what that means for Cat.

4. That's great how you drew from your own experiences but also made your story different. From reading reviews, it sounds like your characters—not just Cat and Chicken—are really memorable and pull at readers’ hearts. Creating vivid characters that readers are invested in is hard. What’s your advice on doing this?

I do a lot of noodling before I begin drafting. My characters all get their own backstories and

likes/dislikes. I look for their significant moments and also spending time thinking about their favorite breakfast cereal. Even if most of this information doesn’t make its way directly to the written page, it helps me make sense of the characters as real people. After that writing is done, I interview them. This is my favorite way to feel everyone’s voice. Once those parts are down, I usually feel ready to start drafting.

5. What was a challenge you faced in writing CATERPILLAR SUMMER either before submission or when working with your editor or agent? How did you overcome it?

One of my biggest challenges is learning to be more patient with myself. I need a lot of time to noodle around with ideas before I start writing. If I have enough thinking time, the writing part tends to flow quickly. Yet sometimes I’m hard on myself on those days I’m not racking up an amazing word count.

It’s not something I would say I’ve overcome, but I’m definitely improving. Some things that help: talking with my husband (a extremely process-oriented person), walking my dog, cutting back on screen time, reading, spending time outside. Each day I’m learning to trust the process (and myself!) more and more.

6. I have to be patient myself too. Thanks for the great advice. Your agent is Marietta Zacker. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

I queried Marietta in early December and she requested the following week. In January, she sent me one of the most special letters I’ve ever received. She was offering a revise and resubmit, which was exciting in itself. But it was her brilliant insight in her letter that blew me away. I read the whole letter thinking “yes, yes yes!” That same week, I was lucky enough to have a call with Marietta and Erin Casey, a junior agent at Gallt & Zacker, and they impressed me even further with their comment and thoughts. I was so excited that I was shaking--my teeth were chattering at one point!

I revised and sent to her in early March, and Marietta told me she’d get back to me within two weeks. I remember telling myself that I couldn’t handle being on edge for an entire two weeks. I told myself that I would have to wait a solid seven days before I could start checking my email every few minutes. But the next day, my phone rang and it was Marietta offering representation! It was a thrilling moment, and one I will always remember.

Marietta found the perfect editor--Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury. After I talked with Mary Kate on the phone I was pretty much sold. She is a GENIUS and also incredibly sweet and kind. It’s really lovely working with her, and everyone at Bloomsbury has been fantastic in general. I’m very lucky.

  

7. I saw on your website that you are attending a number of book festivals and the Texas Library Association as well as having a release party. How did you decide to participate in these and get invited?

See above for how wonderful Bloomsbury is! They suggested the events and did all the pitching and planning. I am absolutely thrilled to participate. I love books and book people!

  

8. That's awesome how your publisher helped you with this. How else are you marketing your book?

Release week, I will be on tour with stops in St. Louis, Wichita, and Houston. Locally, I have several school visits planned for release month. I love talking to kids! I’ve been an active member of the Novel 19 debut group and participate in their monthly Twitter chats (on the 19th of the month at 9pm).

9. Your book is just releasing. What’s something that you wish you would have done or known earlier that might have helped you with the release of your book?

When I began writing, I never anticipated how special my friendships with other writers would be.

10. What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on revisions for my second book, which explores girl friendships and social aggression. It will be out in 2020.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Gillian. You can find Gillian at:

www.gillianmcdunn.com 
https://twitter.com/gillianmcdunn
https://www.instagram.com/gillianmcdunn

Gillian and her publisher are generously offering a hardback of CATERPILLAR SUMMER for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through April 20th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S.

Here's what's coming up:

Monday, April 8th I have an interview with debut author Swati Teerhadla and a giveaway of her YA fantasy THE TIGER AT MIDNIGHT

Wednesday, April 10th I have an agent spotlight interview with Mary Cummings and a query critique giveaway

Monday, April 15th I have an interview with author Tanya Drecker and a giveaway of her MG fantasy MUSIC BOXES

Friday, April 19th I have a YA and MG newly released book giveaway

Monday, April 22nd I'm off

Monday, April 29th I have an agent spotlight interview with Devin Ross and a query critique giveaway

Hope to see you on Monday!