#AtoZChallenge X is for Sherry Ellis' setting in Xi'an #giveaway

Established Author Name: Sherry Ellis

1- What inspired you to use Xi'an, China for a book setting, and what do you love most about that place?

You’ve probably heard the expression, “You can’t dig a hole to China.” In my book, Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China I wanted to challenge this notion and imagine what would happen if you could. Xi’an, China is the home of the Terracotta Warriors, the army the first Emperor of China built to protect his tomb. Imagine being a kid, digging a hole, and ending up where life-like stone warriors are all lined up with their weapons. Wow! Plus, I think the history associated with Xi’an is fascinating.

2- In what category/genre do you write? Why?

I write children’s books. Mostly because I love sharing stories with them. Having kids sit on your lap or gather around while you share a picture book or chapter book is the best. And if it’s a story you wrote, that’s icing on the cake. The Bubba and Squirt books I’ve written have an educational side to them, too, which appeals to the teacher in me. Bottom line is I love working with kids.

3- What part of one of your stories was the most fun to write? The most challenging?

I had a blast coming up with all the crazy things the elephant does in my book, Don’t Feed the Elephant. He makes cotton candy wigs, hurls hamburgers like frisbees, and jumps rope with spaghetti noodles. Can you imagine such a crazy pachyderm? The most difficult was creating the rhymes for my book, Ten Zany Birds. Rhyming properly isn’t easy!

4- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Read your manuscript out loud. This lets you see if you have good rhythm and flow.

5- Great Poetry Reading Day is observed on April 28, 2023. What is a great poem to share with children?

"Life Doesn't Frighten Me" by Maya Angelou. It’s a great poem to help kids be brave if something scary comes along.



6- What do you love and hate most about being a published author?

I love when people who read my books say that they enjoy them. Hate is a strong word, so I’ll say I don’t like that it’s so challenging to sell a significant number of books. It’s a lot of work for little pay (for most of us). I guess the reason we do it is because we love to write stories.

7- Do you publish traditional, self, hybrid, other? Why?

Hybrid. There are benefits to both. Traditional publishing means you have a publisher paying the cost of producing the book and handling some of the marketing. The trade-off is that you don’t get as much in royalties. Self-publishing gives you more control and more cash per book sold. Since it’s harder to market by yourself, I lean more toward traditional publishing whenever possible.

8- What question are you dying to answer?

How long did it take you to write Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China?
Ten years!

9- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

10- What's coming up for Bubba and Squirt?

Later this year, a new Bubba and Squirt story will be released: Bubba and Squirt’s City of Bones. This one will be set in Paris, France. If you want to start at the beginning of the series, read Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China.

GIVEAWAY

Sherry will give a copy of the anthology, Voyagers, in which a short Bubba and Squirt story is published. It also features many other Dancing Lemur Press authors, and will mail it anywhere.
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Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge 2023
a-to-zchallenge.com