VC: Not in any noticeable way. Awards are very nice but it is more important to be true to your own beliefs and standards. I think this award is like the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval." It reassures people who already like my books that I'm legitimate.
8. SR: Your "Science Play" books are great. How did you come up with that idea and how many books do you plan for the series?
VC: When my granddaughter, Abby, was three, I was asked to write something for very young children. I came up with I See Myself but the publisher didn't get it and I put it away. Several years later another editor asked to see it. She said it needed work and she would help me whip it into shape for her boss who would only give the material one shot. It went back and forth several times and I came up with two more titles for the series. Her boss like it so much that she bought four (!) titles with the fourth book yet to be determined. That fourth book I Fall Down will be published in the fall of 2004. I would love to do more books like this but we have to see how these sell. Abby is now almost 14.
9. SR: How reasonable is it for children's writers to expect to make a living from writing?
VC: Not reasonable at all. Once you become established and can get school visits you can make a living but books alone won't cut it. Getting into the writing profession is a career that has to be bankrolled by another job or a spouse. However, the world advances by unreasonable people.
10. SR: Please complete this sentence, "My passions are....
VC: ...learning, learning, learning. The mission of my elementary school was to create life-long learners and it certainly succeeded with me. I have learned that I am supremely educable and am only really happy when I am meeting a new challenge.
Please read Vicki's new books for very young scientists in the "Science Play" series.
"I Face the Wind", illustrated by Julia Gorton (A Robert F. Sibert Award Book)
"I See Myself", illustrated by Julia Gorton
"I Get Wet", illustrated by Julia Gorton
All published by HarperCollins Publishers.
