Recently, I was guest author on Clancy Tucker's blog. Here is the beginning of the interview I did with Clancy...
Robyn Opie Parnell
- Guest Author
G’day
guys. Today I welcome a very successful writer, author and screenwriter –
Robyn Opie Parnell. Robyn is the author of 88 children’s books. She has
been writing for children for 15 years; most of her children’s books
are sold around the world and many have been translated into foreign
languages. Welcome, Robyn. Tell us more …
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I wrote my first novel when I was fifteen.
In my early twenties, I submitted a 2,500 word picture
book to publishers. I thought the book was brilliant. I loved it.
Publishers, unfortunately, didn’t agree. But I didn’t know back then
that picture books are usually less than 700 words and never ever more
than 1,000. Oops! It’s a good thing we live and learn.
Around the mid-nineties, I read books and completed courses on
writing for children. My first three books were accepted in 1998 and
published in 1999. The three books are still available today. They are My Bike, Jen Stays Inside, and People Need Trucks.
Thirteen years later, I’m the author of 86 published books.
Naturally, I’ve written many, many more that haven’t been published. I’m
still hopeful with some of them. Others I now chalk up to experience.
WERE YOU A GOOD READER AS A KID?
Yes, definitely. I loved to read. I still do. Books are the best escape from reality. And we all need to escape from reality.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?
I wrote my first children’s book when I was fifteen. My English teacher
gave me an “A” for every essay I wrote. One day, as he handed back an
essay, he said to me, “You should be a writer.” Talk about a light bulb
moment! I went home and wrote my first novel. It was a mystery, like an
Australian Nancy Drew – too much like an Australian Nancy Drew!
The rest of my journey was described in question 1.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Not working in an office from 9 to 5.
I love the freedom. I love being able to do anything and go anywhere.
I’m talking about my imagination. I can have great adventures, from the
comfort and safety of my recliner chair. I love being able to explore
ideas, themes, subjects, times and places. Being a writer opens me up to
anything, all sorts of possibilities, anything can happen. In my novel
Backstage Betrayal, I explored a fear of mine. In Maya and the Crystal Skull, I traveled to Mayan ruins in Central America. I also defeated the villains and saved the world. In Working Like a Dog, I focused on one of my favorite things. In Black Baron,
I tried to save an animal from the ultimate cruelty – extermination. I
did all of these things from the comfort and safety of my recliner
chair. Basically, I get to dream every day about the things I’d love to
do and occasionally about some of the things I’d hate to do. Oh, and I
love still being a kid!
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
CLICK HERE for the remainder of my interview on Clancy Tucker's blog.
Thank you, Clancy!
Best Joke Ever! 
