Diane Adams interviews John Coy

It was my pleasure to interview John Coy for our blog. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Fiona, and they have a 25 year old daughter named Sophie. When we spoke, they had quite a bit of snow in their yard, similar to this photo of John as a boy. I'm guessing that's why he and his wife travel so much!!

In talking to John, I found a joyful, spiritual person with a commitment to encouraging children to love themselves as they are. John said that he tells his young audiences that being shy is a good thing. It helps one pay attention to the details, and that's what writing is about. He views his job as giving every child a fresh start, especially those that need one, and his favorite question came from an 8 year old girl who asked him, "Does being an author bring you joy?" He answered with a resounding "yes!"

So, here are my questions for John:

1. First, do you have a favorite part of writing, such as researching, revising, in-put from kids?

I LIKE REVISION. I LIKE THE SENSE OF PIECE GETTING BETTER, AND I'M ACTUALLY COMFORTED BY KNOWING THAT NO MATTER HOW HARD ONE WORKS THE PIECE CAN STILL GET BETTER.

2. Do you have a not so favorite part of writing that you put off until the very end? What forms of procrastination do you take? I do a lot of house cleaning when I don't want to start on a new story!

I TEND TO PUT OFF STARTING IN THE MORNING AND THE MAIN WAY I DO IS BY READING. I WILL READ ALL KINDS OF THINGS, INCLUDING THINGS I HAD NO PLAN TO READ. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO GIVE MYSELF 'NO READING TIMES' TO WRITE.

3. What are some unique experiences you've had through your travel?

AS A BOY I TRAVELLED TO FORTY-NINE STATES, AND MY LOVE OF TRAVEL HAS ALWAYS BEEN STRONG. I AM FORTUNATE TO VISIT SCHOOLS INTERNATIONALLY AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE EXPERIENCES CAME WHEN A BOY IN NAIROBI RAISED HIS HAND AND SAID, "YOU CAME TO MY OLD SCHOOL." I HAD SEEN HIM AT HIS SCHOOL IN OMAN. LAST FALL A BOY IN BUDAPEST SAID, "YOU CAME TO MY SCHOOL IN NAIROBI." THOSE LINKS BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS FEELS WELCOMING AND SIGNIFICANT.

RECENTLY IN MUMBAI, A GIRL RAISED HER HAND AND TALKED ABOUT TWO OLD POTATOES AND ME AND SAID SHE STUDIED THAT BOOK AT HER OLD SCHOOL IN NEW YORK. THESE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL VISITS SHOW ME WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND MAKE THE WORLD FEEL MUCH MORE CONNECTED.

4. Any books you want to promote right now?

I AM HARD AT WORK ON THE 4 FOR 4 SERIES. TOP OF THE ORDER AND EYES ON THE GOAL ARE OUT AND LOVE OF THE GAME COMES OUT IN JULY. I AM DEEP AT WORK ON BOOK 4, WHICH WILL COME OUT IN THE WINTER OF 2012. THE SERIES HAS BEEN GREAT FUN TO WORK ON AND I ENJOY HEARING WHAT READERS THINK OF IT.

5. Any goals that you haven't reached yet? Or, maybe, that you have reached...

ONE GOAL THAT I AM PLEASED ABOUT IS THAT I GET TO WRITE. THAT'S MY JOB.
AS FOR GOALS THAT I HAVE NOT YET REACHED. THERE ARE PLENTY OF THEM.

It will be a joy watching John achieve his goals.

Illustrators and Earthquakes

Nancy Hayashi is the illustrator of many children’s books, including Bunny Bungalow, by Cynthia Rylant, My Two Grandmothers, by Eileen Spinelli, and I Can Do It Myself, by Diane Adams (who happens to be me).

She lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Bucyrus, Ohio, (don't ask me how to pronounce that - I can't remember), and graduated from Dennison University and The Cleveland Art Institute before beginning her first career as an art director for an advertising company.

In looking back over her high school yearbook recently, Nancy commented that she had written that she wanted to be a children’s book illustrator when she grew up. She has no recollection of writing that, but is glad that her words foretold her future.

Nancy broke into illustration after submitting a book that she had written and illustrated to Harcourt. They did not buy the book, but they did hire her to illustrate Cynthia Rylant's Bunny Bungalow. Not a bad start!

Some of her favorite children’s book illustrators are William Steig, Marc Simont, Marjorie Priceman, and Olof Landstrom. She loves their their mastery with watercolor, (her medium also), as well as their unique senses of humor.

By the end of our short interview, our talk turned to earthquakes, as we both live in Southern California and have experienced recent jolts. Her advice is to lay down next to a large object, such as a bed or couch in order to create a triangle of survival. (This is an update from standing under a door jamb.)

If nothing else, I hope this interview saves some lives, and gives you some talented illustrators to look up on the web.