Flightless Goose author, Mr. Goodman is holding a Virtual Book Tour from June 20, 2011 to July 31, 2011. This concept is new to me, but sounds very intriguing. It involves making a number of stops at various blogs and sites to “meet” readers and answer questions.
Our Family World will be hosting a Virtual Book Tour stop on July 12, 2011. I am anticipating that it will be a good opportunity to meet some new friends and find out more about Goodman’s hero, Gilbert the Goose. We invite you to read the review of Flightless Goose and to ask your questions. Mr Goodman will be pleased to answer them!! Enjoy the interview.
Flightless Goose Author interview
Amy:
Authors usually have many influences and are sometimes inspired by other authors or even Life events. What inspired you to write this story?
Eric Goodman:
Believe it or not, Flightless Goose was inspired by a real goose. Nataliya and I used to live on a lake, and we really did see a goose hit by a car and rendered unable to fly. The geese still accepted the injured goose as part of the flock, but teased it and treated it differently. When winter came, there was no choice but for them to leave the goose behind. We (and other neighbors) fed the goose bread crumbs to help it survive the winter. I thought it was an inspiring story, and a great vehicle for teaching some valuable lessons.
Amy:
Are you an animal lover? Was there a special reason why Gilbert the Goose became your main character?
Eric Goodman:
I do love animals. The main reason Gilbert became the main character was simply due to the real flightless goose that dominated the lake beneath window in my writing studio.
Amy:
What audience did you have in mind when you were writing this story? Were you aiming for public readings at schools and libraries, or families reading at home?
Eric Goodman:
I was thinking universally, wanting Flightless Goose to reach children everywhere. We have done a number of school events and book events, but we also enjoy just reading one on one to children we know. Ultimately, as many events as we do, I think the most valuable experience is families reading together at home.
Amy:
There are many themes present in this book. It may inspire dialogue about road safety, how we treat animals, how life can change after an accident, and the fact that EVERYONE has a purpose and is special. What do you desire for your reader to learn or take with them after reading?
Eric Goodman:
First and foremost, this should be an entertaining story that children enjoy. I’d like the learning to happen beneath the surface of simply enjoying the story. As you point out, there are a number of lessons in this book. I think the primary lesson is that everyone is different, and we should all treat one another with respect. Never bully or tease others because they are different. And focus on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. We can’t all be good at everything, but we can each be good at something … and everyone can make a difference.
Amy:
Will there be more stories about Gilbert? I think he could easily transfer into a hero character with many adventures.
Eric Goodman:
That depends, in part, on how well the first book does. Nataliya and I do have ideas for additional Gilbert books. One idea we like is that the other geese find a way to help Gilbert take a vacation. Others have ideas as well. One common request we get from children at school events is to have Gilbert go to school with Johnny. That may happen, too.
First, we have another childrens’ book we’re working on now with an entirely different cast of characters. Hopefully it will be ready for prime time in another year or two.
In the meantime, I’m also riding the train at the moment. My debut novel in stories, Tracks, just came out on June 30. It’s a novel in stories set on a train; each chapter is the story of a passenger on the train, but they link together to form a full narrative. You can learn more about it (watch videos, listen to radio readings, read excerpts, etc) at www.TracksNovel.com.
Thanks for inviting me to your blog!
Eric
Giveaway: Win a copy of the Flightless Goose Book. Fill in the form below. The form may take few seconds to load. Good luck!! Your questions are welcome!!
About Amy Dell
Good morning! I’m getting ready to read Flightless Goose to children at Chimes School, but will be checking back throughout the day to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks for inviting me to Our Family World!
Eric
Welcome Eric! Hope your reading went well. We look forward to chatting later.
Amy
Amy Dell recently posted..The Memory Palace Book Review, Part Two. "Learning How To Forgive Yourself."
Was wondering with a book such as this, what motivates you first. The text or the illustrations? I guess I am asking a Chicken and egg question…er goose and egg question..which comes first the story or the pictures?
That was a good question, thanks for stopping by.
Amy Dell recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Living With Bravery, Fear, and Courage.
I have two questions (yes, I know I had my chance already).
1) How long did it take to write Flightless Goose?
2)By the way, I love the ideas you have for other possible stories with Gilbert. In terms of all your writing projects, how much of your writing influence comes from real-life? I for example have attempted to write fiction, but get too much of my own influences into the plot. I guess I’m just a little egocentric, haha.
Amy Dell recently posted..The Memory Palace Book Review, Part Two. "Learning How To Forgive Yourself."
Still Blonde After All These Years,
Good question. For us, the story came first, then the illustrations. That said, the illustrations altered the story, so there was some give and take. I had an entire draft of the story written before Nataliya began the illustrations. But as she did her art, I was tinkering with the story, and things she did in her pictures inspired changes in the text.
Amy,
How long it took depends on how you look at it. For some time, the idea of a goose story based on this flightless goose bounced around in the back of my head. So when I sat down to actually write it, a lot of the details had been worked out. It probably took me a week or so to actually write the story once I got to it. But then came the illustrations, and they take a little longer. And as the illustrations were forming, I would tinker with the story a little and make changes. So, from first word to finished manuscript was a few years. But even longer was the road to publication. From first draft to book on shelf was closer to 10 years.
Next question: how much does real life feed my fiction? A lot. But I think it’s important to make sure it’s fiction. Many new writers (including myself a couple decades ago) strive to “keep it real” by, well, keepingit real. That makes it boring. It may be true, but for people to pick it up and read it, it also has to be interesting. So although the seeds of my stories come from real things — an overheard conversation, the unusual expression on a stranger’s face, a goose that can’t fly — I make sure that the seed is just one element disguised by many others. I make sure it’s fiction.
Eric,
Thanks for all the insight into your writing. It was a fun book to read and review. I wish you all the best with promoting Flightless Goose and with work on your other projects.
Sincerely,
Amy
Amy Dell recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Living With Bravery, Fear, and Courage.
Thank you for the great giveaway – (emscout9 at Hotmail dot com)
You’re welcome and good luck. Thank you for stopping by.
Amy recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: The Path of Thorns On A Spring Day.
The NCIS board game looks like it would be really fun!