Meet Carol Gordon Ekster, Author of Where Am I Sleeping Tonight?, Ruth the Sleuth and other stories
What inspired you to become a children's author?
My life’s passion was teaching. I loved influencing children to become lifelong learners and strive to do their best always. I worked with children on their own writing in my classroom, my masters degree was in reading and language, and I read picture books daily to reinforce the curriculum I covered. I found picture books powerful in their ability to get across academic concepts as well as teach about life and social skills. I think as I neared my thirtieth year of teaching, a miracle occurred… I started to write children’s books. It was not planned, it just happened to me. This allowed me not to fear retirement as I had. Being a teacher was my identity. Now, I had something I could do that would enable me to continue to communicate with children. Writing became my new passion.
How long did it take you to write your first book Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? - A Story of Divorce ?
I started working on it in February 2004. It went through many revisions, with the help of other writers and an editor whose detailed rejection gave me inspiration to fix the plot problems she found. It’s amazing how many times you can read a piece of writing, and find something new to change. I work on many stories at once, so it’s hard to say how long it took to write. It was the 20th book I wrote, and the first to sell. It took two years after I started the story to get an offer for a contract, and another two years before I held it in my hand. Publishing is quite a process!
What do you hope children will learn from your books?
It is my desire to help children with all kinds of life issues that drive the many stories I write. I hope my books will touch lives.
Children's authors don't always get to choose who illustrates their books. Are you happy with how your illustrations turned out? Are the characters as you imagined them?
I did not get to choose the illustrators, and I had little input into that aspect of publication for either book. My first book was not at all how I imagined it. It took some time for me to see that the book was exactly as it should be. The size, shape, and illustrations might not have been what I expected, but they were perfect for this story. For Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room, it was much closer to my vision. I appreciated the way Kimberly Soderberg, and Character Publishing collaborated to bring my story to life. I love the physical Ruth. I think she’s adorable! I have written another book I hope to see her in.
Are you working on any other books?
Yes! I’m working all the time on multiple stories….starting new ones, and revising old ones. So far, I’ve written more than 40 stories. I consider every new story that comes to me a precious gift.
You can find out more about Carol and her books at www.carolgordonekster.com
My life’s passion was teaching. I loved influencing children to become lifelong learners and strive to do their best always. I worked with children on their own writing in my classroom, my masters degree was in reading and language, and I read picture books daily to reinforce the curriculum I covered. I found picture books powerful in their ability to get across academic concepts as well as teach about life and social skills. I think as I neared my thirtieth year of teaching, a miracle occurred… I started to write children’s books. It was not planned, it just happened to me. This allowed me not to fear retirement as I had. Being a teacher was my identity. Now, I had something I could do that would enable me to continue to communicate with children. Writing became my new passion.
How long did it take you to write your first book Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? - A Story of Divorce ?
I started working on it in February 2004. It went through many revisions, with the help of other writers and an editor whose detailed rejection gave me inspiration to fix the plot problems she found. It’s amazing how many times you can read a piece of writing, and find something new to change. I work on many stories at once, so it’s hard to say how long it took to write. It was the 20th book I wrote, and the first to sell. It took two years after I started the story to get an offer for a contract, and another two years before I held it in my hand. Publishing is quite a process!
What do you hope children will learn from your books?
It is my desire to help children with all kinds of life issues that drive the many stories I write. I hope my books will touch lives.
Children's authors don't always get to choose who illustrates their books. Are you happy with how your illustrations turned out? Are the characters as you imagined them?
I did not get to choose the illustrators, and I had little input into that aspect of publication for either book. My first book was not at all how I imagined it. It took some time for me to see that the book was exactly as it should be. The size, shape, and illustrations might not have been what I expected, but they were perfect for this story. For Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room, it was much closer to my vision. I appreciated the way Kimberly Soderberg, and Character Publishing collaborated to bring my story to life. I love the physical Ruth. I think she’s adorable! I have written another book I hope to see her in.
Are you working on any other books?
Yes! I’m working all the time on multiple stories….starting new ones, and revising old ones. So far, I’ve written more than 40 stories. I consider every new story that comes to me a precious gift.
You can find out more about Carol and her books at www.carolgordonekster.com
Stacie Theis / beachboundbooks@yahoo.com / copyright 2012
