Friday, July 10, 2020

Yay For Middle Grade Books! Interview With Nancy J. Cavanaugh!



Hi, everyone! Today I'm pleased to present an interview with Nancy J. Cavanaugh, author of multiple MG books, including her newest, When I Hit the Road.

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please tell us a little about When I Hit the Road?
 When I Hit the Road is the story of Samantha’s madcap road trip with a karaoke-loving grandma and a wild summer of memories that will last a lifetime. The entire story is told through Sam’s “Dear Me” Journal – the notebook where she records every mishap of what turns out to be a zany adventure for her older, future self. It’s funny, heartfelt, and uplifting. 
  
Karaoke is mentioned in the summary for the book! If you had to sing a karaoke song, what song would you sing?
 That’s a tough one! It might be a tie between “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow and maybe “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. The truth is there are TONS of songs I’d love to sing. My problem? Or maybe I should say the problem for anyone within earshot of me singing is the fact that I have a HORRIBLE voice.  Ask my teenage daughter. When I sing in the car, she says, “Mom, you’re way off pitch!” But I sing anyway because I love music, and one of the ways I enjoy it most is by singing. 
 
Both fun choices! :)

Random Question! What is your favorite kind of pizza?
 That’s an easy one. If it’s thin crust, cheese and sausage. If it’s deep dish, just cheese. I also love Bacino’s stuffed spinach. Pizza is on the menu at our house at least once a week. Hands down, it’s my favorite food!
 
Those sound good! :)

If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
 I have two projects in the very, very early stages. One is an early reader series with a main character and a pet dog. I’ve never written in this genre, so it’s fun to be creative and try something new. The other project is another middle grade book. I envision that book being a kind of hometown adventure story with a girl main character and two boys as important secondary characters. I can’t divulge many details at this point because I don’t know many details about either project yet. They are both still quite fuzzy in my mind and need a lot of fleshing out. I also can’t share many details because when I’m working on something new, and I haven’t yet finished a rough draft, I can’t talk about it too much or it loses some of its magic and allure.

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?
 One of my very favorite books is The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. I love it because it’s such a unique story with several layers of meaning and absolutely beautiful figurative language. I’ve read the book aloud several times to students when I was a teacher and librarian, and I love how the words sound when I read the book that way. Another favorite is an oldie but goodie – The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I love this book because the story is so simple and yet amazingly powerful. The last favorite I’ll mention is What I Believe by Norma Fox Mazer. It’s written in free verse poetry, and the entire story is told in very few words. It is absolutely, exceptional writing!
 
A book I’m looking forward to reading is The One and Only Bob by K.A. Applegate. I loved The One and Only Ivan, and this one looks just as good.

I actually haven't read any of these, but they all sound good! :)

Thank you to Nancy J. Cavanaugh for participating in this event! :)


Author Bio: Nancy J. Cavanaugh is the acclaimed author of Always, Abigail, a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee, and This Journal Belongs to Ratchet, a Florida Book Award winner, an NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts Award winner, and a nominee for numerous state awards.

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