Meet Anne Burack Sayre, Author of The Melinda & Simon Series: The Birthday Book Club Snatching
What inspired you to become a children’s author?
That’s a very good question since I was not a “true writer” from my childhood days. In other words, I didn’t begin writing at a young age and then continue on to now becoming a creative writer.
So what did inspire me? Having a baby.
When my husband and I decided to have a baby, I was working as a marketing and sales representative for a telecommunications company. Now, sure, I had always thought that writing a creative novel along the same lines as the Nancy Drew Mysteries (I would read those books cover to cover in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) could be a satisfying experience.
But something wasn’t quite right. It just didn’t feel complete to have Melinda and no other primary character in my story. It was like having a big scoop of vanilla ice cream but no chocolate or caramel topping to drizzle down on all sides. It just wouldn’t have that yummy taste.
Then we had a baby. As a new mother, I began to see, feel, and touch what is was like to have a little boy. As the years slipped by, I began to imagine that Melinda could have a younger brother, named Simon, who was quirky, odd, and peculiar and always getting into trouble at school. Whenever Simon didn’t like what was happening in real life, he would drift off into his make-believe, imagination called, “Simonworld,” where he is in control and decides the outcome.
And there you have it! Having a baby was my inspiration for becoming a children’s author and hopefully teaching other kids that telling the truth is best and life can be difficult at times but if you keep at it long enough, you’ll achieve happiness.
How did you come up with the idea for The Birthday Book Club Snatching?
The idea came from volunteering at my son’s elementary school. As a PTO member, I was in the school library to explain to students how to have a Birthday Book. That’s when the creative thought started to form in my mind and eventually the whole plot of the story took shape. Since I already had conceptualized the two primary characters, all I needed was to figure out how to build the story structure.
Did you always intend for your Melinda and Simon books to be a series or did that idea come to you later on?
I always intended for my Melinda and Simon children’s books to be a series similar to the Nancy Drew Mysteries or the Hardy Boys Mystery Stories. I always resolved to be an author as my second career and to write creatively for the latter part of my life.
How many books have you written?
Since 2005 when I began my serious writing, I have written three children’s books and have started a fourth. I am currently revising my second Melinda & Simon Series story and should have it completed shortly. Writing for me is a process and it takes a long time for a book to be completed. Writing, rewriting, and revising have definitely become standard operating procedure for me!
What was the first book you ever had published?
The Birthday Book Club Snatching is my first book that was ever published and released for circulation. It is an exciting process to see your hopes, dreams, wishes, and imagination come to fruition in the form of a novel. Now that I have one book under my belt, I’m very enthusiastic about moving ahead with The Melinda & Simon Series.
Do you have a favorite topic to write about?
My favorite topics are the events happening at school because that’s where my target market is for most of the day. School days are definitely the zesty subject for kids throughout the world and there are a variety of topics, subtopics, and sub-subtopics to choose from. In writing, I could choose how students act at school, how children act in front of their parents, how students act and react when they are being bullied or in a sticky social situation. And you know what? It’s different with every child and in every situation. Children at the beginning stages of “growing up” will start to feel a little independent yet still cling to their family members. They will feel more assertive yet still submit to older people’s thoughts and ways. Children will begin thinking for themselves instead of always having others think for them. The diversity of the school environment is why it is my favorite topic for writing.
What do you hope children will learn from your book?
While children are in the “growing up” stages of life, I hope my books can add to their ability to learn and gain knowledge to think on their own responsibly, reliably, yet respectfully. For example, students from all over the world will hopefully read my books and learn to act and react appropriately when students are bullied, teased, or intimidated. Specifically, I hope my books will help students to be more honest, admit when they make mistakes (as we all do at times!), but still have fun and do what you believe in because that is one technique for being a happy person in life.
Are you working on any other books in The Melinda & Simon Series?
Glad you asked that question! Yes, I’m currently revising the second book of The Melinda & Simon Series entitled, The Yearbook Picture Poaching and it should be released sometime this year. My third book is also in the final stages of writing and hopefully will be completed and released next year.
To find out more about Anne Burack Sayre and The Melinda & Simon Series visit www.sbpra.com/anneburacksayre.
That’s a very good question since I was not a “true writer” from my childhood days. In other words, I didn’t begin writing at a young age and then continue on to now becoming a creative writer.
So what did inspire me? Having a baby.
When my husband and I decided to have a baby, I was working as a marketing and sales representative for a telecommunications company. Now, sure, I had always thought that writing a creative novel along the same lines as the Nancy Drew Mysteries (I would read those books cover to cover in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) could be a satisfying experience.
But something wasn’t quite right. It just didn’t feel complete to have Melinda and no other primary character in my story. It was like having a big scoop of vanilla ice cream but no chocolate or caramel topping to drizzle down on all sides. It just wouldn’t have that yummy taste.
Then we had a baby. As a new mother, I began to see, feel, and touch what is was like to have a little boy. As the years slipped by, I began to imagine that Melinda could have a younger brother, named Simon, who was quirky, odd, and peculiar and always getting into trouble at school. Whenever Simon didn’t like what was happening in real life, he would drift off into his make-believe, imagination called, “Simonworld,” where he is in control and decides the outcome.
And there you have it! Having a baby was my inspiration for becoming a children’s author and hopefully teaching other kids that telling the truth is best and life can be difficult at times but if you keep at it long enough, you’ll achieve happiness.
How did you come up with the idea for The Birthday Book Club Snatching?
The idea came from volunteering at my son’s elementary school. As a PTO member, I was in the school library to explain to students how to have a Birthday Book. That’s when the creative thought started to form in my mind and eventually the whole plot of the story took shape. Since I already had conceptualized the two primary characters, all I needed was to figure out how to build the story structure.
Did you always intend for your Melinda and Simon books to be a series or did that idea come to you later on?
I always intended for my Melinda and Simon children’s books to be a series similar to the Nancy Drew Mysteries or the Hardy Boys Mystery Stories. I always resolved to be an author as my second career and to write creatively for the latter part of my life.
How many books have you written?
Since 2005 when I began my serious writing, I have written three children’s books and have started a fourth. I am currently revising my second Melinda & Simon Series story and should have it completed shortly. Writing for me is a process and it takes a long time for a book to be completed. Writing, rewriting, and revising have definitely become standard operating procedure for me!
What was the first book you ever had published?
The Birthday Book Club Snatching is my first book that was ever published and released for circulation. It is an exciting process to see your hopes, dreams, wishes, and imagination come to fruition in the form of a novel. Now that I have one book under my belt, I’m very enthusiastic about moving ahead with The Melinda & Simon Series.
Do you have a favorite topic to write about?
My favorite topics are the events happening at school because that’s where my target market is for most of the day. School days are definitely the zesty subject for kids throughout the world and there are a variety of topics, subtopics, and sub-subtopics to choose from. In writing, I could choose how students act at school, how children act in front of their parents, how students act and react when they are being bullied or in a sticky social situation. And you know what? It’s different with every child and in every situation. Children at the beginning stages of “growing up” will start to feel a little independent yet still cling to their family members. They will feel more assertive yet still submit to older people’s thoughts and ways. Children will begin thinking for themselves instead of always having others think for them. The diversity of the school environment is why it is my favorite topic for writing.
What do you hope children will learn from your book?
While children are in the “growing up” stages of life, I hope my books can add to their ability to learn and gain knowledge to think on their own responsibly, reliably, yet respectfully. For example, students from all over the world will hopefully read my books and learn to act and react appropriately when students are bullied, teased, or intimidated. Specifically, I hope my books will help students to be more honest, admit when they make mistakes (as we all do at times!), but still have fun and do what you believe in because that is one technique for being a happy person in life.
Are you working on any other books in The Melinda & Simon Series?
Glad you asked that question! Yes, I’m currently revising the second book of The Melinda & Simon Series entitled, The Yearbook Picture Poaching and it should be released sometime this year. My third book is also in the final stages of writing and hopefully will be completed and released next year.
To find out more about Anne Burack Sayre and The Melinda & Simon Series visit www.sbpra.com/anneburacksayre.
Stacie Theis / beachboundbooks@yahoo.com / copyright 2012
