Interview With Author Barbara Ann Mojica

 

 

 

1.      What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book?  I wanted to motivate children and their families to recognize the importance of the role that history plays in our lives. History is not merely a collection of facts or a story about the past but part of who we are and how we relate to one another. The critical thinking skills necessary to become a responsible citizen and create the leaders of tomorrow need to be taught and understood. Unfortunately, this has been sorely neglected in our modern educational system. In a world dominated by social media and the internet, children need to learn how to distinguish between facts and opinions and to evaluate truth vs. prejudice.

 

2.      What is it about and who is it for?  The picture book series focuses on people and places that children need to know and understand. I use a cartoon-like character, Little Miss HISTORY, to narrate the series. These books not only educate, but inspire and entertain readers. I like to introduce little-known facts and historical characters that may not be well-known. The objective is to present the truth and encourage children and their families to visit the sites, if possible. Readers of all ages enjoy the series, but my target group is ages six through twelve.

 

3.      What takeaways might the reader will be left with after reading it?  Readers will obtain a good grasp of basic information about the topic covered in each book as well as questions that will lead to additional research. I always ask the reader for opinions and formulate questions and activities for additional learning skills used in personal appearances and virtual sessions.

 

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? My illustrator designed the copyrighted logo for the book series and designed each of the book covers.

 

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? I always talk about the five P’S OF WRITING. For me these are:

 

·         Planning

·         Patience

·         Perseverance

·         Persistence

·         Perfection

Planning is important. Many authors feel overwhelmed. They use a dart board approach. Stick to one objective at a time. Have patience. If you think, you will be successful the day you finish writing, you are dreaming. That leads me to perseverance. There will be more bad days than good. Writers must persist through those days, and it will not be easy. Last, perfection is an unattainable goal. Recognize that the aim is to give each effort your best shot. No one and no piece of writing is perfect.

 

6.      What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I believe that digital books will continue to be popular. However, I feel that print books will make a comeback. There is nothing more satisfying than having a book in your hands. Our senses crave it. Children tend to be visual learners. Teachers and librarians will continue to need hard copies. Also, independently published books will continue to be strong. The major publishing houses do little to assist authors with marketing and I predict more authors will move away from them, preferring to have more control over their work.

 

7.      What challenges did you overcome to write this book?  I love writing for children, so the work is a joy for me. I like traveling to historical sites and gathering the photographs used in the mixed media format of my book series. I do have difficulty condensing the huge amount of information into an easily digestible shorter version for children. There is so much I want to share. I rewrite at least ten or twelve times before my book is ready to go to illustration. The next obstacle is melding the illustrations with the text. Sometimes, the artist vision conflicts with mine, and I need to make minor revisions before the book is ready for final layout.

 

8.      How would you describe your writing style?  My writing style is conversational and informal, but I also include additional information like a glossary for difficult or unfamiliar vocabulary.

 

9.      If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  My books are necessary. We need to improve our educational system immediately if we are to have well-educated, informed citizens and leaders. We require instruction not indoctrination. Children must learn how to examine assumptions, uncover hidden values, evaluate evidence, and assess conclusions.  As Little Miss HISTORY says, “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Barbara Ann Mojica, M.A. S.A.S., S.D.A is a historian and retired educator. Her education career spans more than forty years serving as a teacher, special educator, principal, and school district administrator. Barbara writes monthly historical articles for the Columbia Insider under the banner "Passages." Using the whimsical Little Miss History character to narrate her book series, Barbara hopes to educate, entertain, and inspire children to learn about historical people and places. Little Miss History's antics make reading nonfiction a fun-filled adventure for all ages. She passionately believes, "If you don't know your history, you don't know what you're talking about."

 

Please Contact Me For Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This 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 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.