She is the author of Wounds, which you can find at MuseItUp Publishing.
Here is some more information for you. Enjoy!
Q) What inspired you to write this story?
Near my home in north Florida, someone tried to cut down a five-hundred-year-old oak tree. I wanted to incorporate that violation into a children's story. At first I thought about doing a magazine piece, but I knew I couldn't do either the tree or my protagonist justice that way. The next step was to create a plot involving middle grade kids.
Q) How long did it take you to write?
It's hard to remember exactly how long it took me to write Wounds. I think it was about a year. It went through two critique groups. Then when I decided to submit to Muse, I realized it was almost five thousand words too long. So I took a couple more weeks to get it down to size.
Q) Can you talk about the story's evolution and publishing history?
Like many new novelists, I thought the story was done before it actually was. I submitted it once and it was rejected. Then I worked on it a lot more, trimmed here and fleshed out there until it got better.
Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?
I'm working on a YA historical novel set in ancient Rome. I've done a vast amount of research, but there again--it needs to be trimmed here and fleshed out there. This one I'm not rushing.
Q) Where can readers find you?
I would be thrilled to hear from your readers. My email address is: bbockman@bellsouth.net ; my blog is http://barbarabockman.wordpress.com ; my twitter handle is @babs22582.
I want to tell your readers today about the setting for Wounds. The period is the present. Craig, the main character, lives in a rural area near a small north Florida town I built and named Magnolia Crest. I didn’t name the city that is the county seat, but I refer to it casually. Craig’s friend, Nelson’s mother, Mrs. Ark, takes some of the kids to the movie there. And that’s where the hospital is, although Craig is not taken there after he is wounded; he is taken to the local clinic in Magnolia Crest.
Craig lives in a small house on the Ark property. But most of the story takes place at the Ark home. This is an old house dating back to the late nineteenth century. I visualize it as being painted white and having a front porch with posts and banisters. There is also a back porch and a modern garage attached to the side. Mrs. Ark loves to garden. She has a lovely rose garden on one side of the house and a more casual-style butterfly garden on the other side. Camellia bushes line the front boundary of the property and the other three sides are surrounded by woods. Mr. Ark, with Nelson and Craig’s help, build her a coi pond. The family carpet store is located in Magnolia Crest, but there are no scenes there.
The tree on the book’s cover is a major part of the story and is located in the Ark’s back yard.
In later blog postings, I will tell more about Wounds. But for anyone wishing to read about the plot, I would like to invite them to go to Rebecca Ryals Russell’s blog, Plotting Worlds, for my posting of yesterday.
Thanks again, Pembroke. I’m always tickled to talk about Wounds. Better put your fingers in your ears on September 16 because you will hear me screaming for joy.
Wounds, an ebook, will be available on September 16 from these venues:
My wonderful publisher, Lea Schizas and MuseItUp Publishing.
And this is my buy page.
Amazon.com, for download to computer or Kindle.
