1. What inspired you
to write this book?
My daughter is the one
who inspired me to brave the journey. I have always dreamed of becoming a
writer, and until now, that's exactly all it has been-a dream. When
my daughter was born, I went to my father to express that I was finally ready
to take writing seriously and chase after that dream, but while holding my
newborn (and in front of my wife, no less), he quickly discouraged me by saying
I'd never be successful at it and I would be foolish to think
anything else. In the kindest words he could find at the time to express
his true feelings on the subject, he basically told me I did not have the
talent. Deep down, I knew I needed the experience to learn and grow, and I knew
I would make mistakes along the way, but it was still a shot to the gut to hear
that from a parent. I guess I expected support, at the very least, and hoped
for it. But that was not what I received. That was twelve years ago, and he
still has nothing nice to say- nothing to say at all, really, not a single
comment. He hasn't even read my book. So, while my daughter remains my
inspiration, my father's negative words and lack of support sure helped to
light a fire. : )
2. What exactly is
it about and who is it written for?
Martha May McKenzie and The Magic Cake Big
Mistake was written solely for entertainment. With everything going on in the
world today, I didn't want to focus on anything too serious, so I came up with
a fun page-turning adventure I thought my daughter would enjoy and kept it
lighthearted and fun-though the second book of Martha is delving into a
more serious tone, with more magic and adventure and new characters and new
twists-BIG TWISTS-involving Mr. Fergusson of the Tasty Treat and Lucas and
Trinity's Father.
I wrote this book for my daughter. She is the
inspiration behind everything I do. She was also a part of the writing
process, and she even helped me with some of the illustrations. I love her
creative feedback. When writing for kids, I find that their feedback is
gold.
I lost my best friend at a young age, and I
still think about him to this day. I tell my daughter of our adventures as
young children and all the mischief we would get into and worry we would cause
our parents, but I don't have anything of his to remind me of him, only
memories. As a writer, whether I make it big or not or am able to turn my
writing into a full-time paying job, I want my daughter to have more than just
memories of me. I want her to be able to have something that I created,
something that was all me so that when she is having a bad day or feeling blue
or even wants to remember something good, she can grab one of my books and hold
it close and know that she is and will always be loved dearly. I want her to
always have a piece of me. My next book, (The Missing Children Of Blackwood) is
told by a little girl named DaPhne Planter, and I actually based the character
%100 on her. My daughter even came up with the title of my third book (in the
works now) titled, The Own Meister.
3. What do you hope
readers will get out of reading your book?
Honestly, I simply hope it entertains and
makes whoever is reading feel something while they read-a smile, a chuckle, a
laugh-anything positive will be a win for me. And if a child reads my book and
is inspired to become a writer, storyteller, or illustrator because of it or
finds inspiration of any kind-well, then wow, I knocked it out of the
park!
4. How did you decide on your
book’s title and cover design?
I went through so many ideas until, for
whatever reason, I thought about someone I went to high school with and how his
name, first, middle, and last, began with all M's, and it sounded fun to do as
a title. So I just had fun with it until it sounded right. As far as the cover
goes, I had an image in my head of how I wanted it to look, and I reached out
to very talented artists on Fiverr (Dee Nugraha @neosalamana), and she brought
it to life. She is amazing! I have used her for all three of my book
covers thus far.
5. What advice or words of
wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?
I am nobody to give advice. I am still
learning myself. But if I were to say anything, I would say stay true to
yourself and write what makes you happy (otherwise, it will feel like a job).
6. What trends in the book
world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is
heading?
I don't really follow any trends, and I have
even managed to stay off of social media (against everyone's suggestion that I
should absolutely be on social media).
7. Were there experiences in
your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this
book?
My imagination and sense of fun came in handy
when writing this book. My next book, The Missing Children of Blackwood, is
told in the first person and written for an older age group than Martha May
McKenzie (not much older, but older). And while I enjoyed every minute I put
into creating, writing, and developing the book, it wasn't the same as my
first. My wife thinks it will garner a bigger audience because of its horror
genre and that young kids and older kids alike can read it. But writing
Martha May McKenzie was simply pure fun. It was almost as if I, myself, got to
be a kid again with every word I typed.
8. How would you describe
your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I almost feel like I would be insulting other
writers if I compared myself to them. There are so many talents in the world
that I don't even feel I compare. That being said, I thought it was beyond a
marvelous dream come true that the US Review of Books compared my work to that
of none other than Roald Dahl. What an honor!
9. What challenges did you
overcome in the writing of this book?
Honestly, the only challenges I had to face,
and still face, were my own self-doubts (Am I good enough? Will readers like
it? Will critics like it? Will I get a publisher or agent?). I grew up in a
time when having Tourette syndrome was like having leprosy. I myself have
always found it to be my superpower, but to my teachers and others who didn't
understand or didn't want to understand, I was nothing more than a problem or a
weird kid. So, I've never really had anyone in my corner until I met my wife, and
we had our daughter. But even with both of their full support, it is hard to
get a lifetime of negative voices out of your head and see any worth within
yourself. Writing helps.
10. If people can buy or read
one book this week or month, why should it be yours?
Why not? : )
About The Author: Growing up, I had a BIG imagination! I
enjoyed telling stories and drawing pictures, and I absolutely loved to make
people laugh. That often got me into trouble because I couldn't make everyone
laugh. In the eighth grade, one of my teachers found me to be too distracting.
She never laughed once. You can bet I was surprised when I walked into class
one morning to find that my desk had been completely boxed in, using a large
cardboard refrigerator box. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Seems that
teacher thought it would be a quick fix just to separate me from my
"audience." True story. But it didn't work . . . I escaped! For more
information, please see: www.BrianStarr.com
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About Brian
Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be
followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark
Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay,
Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan
RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence
College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured
in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.