Pump Up Your Book Chats with Children’s Picture Book Author Susan Chodakiewitz

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Editor’s Note: Susan will be right in this very spot live on Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., answering any questions you may have about her book. Leave a question or comment (along with your email address) and you may win a free copy!  One lucky reader has until 8 p.m.  eastern time on Nov. 17 for a chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Susan’s book, Too Many Visitors for One Little House.  The lucky winner will be announced on Nov. 18.  Thank you and good luck!

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Susan Chodakiewitz is a writer, composer and producer. She is the founder of Booksicals Children’s Books- Encouraging the love of reading through the arts. Through her company Booksicals she has created the Booksicals on Stage literacy program which is currently presenting musical performances of the picture book Too Many Visitors for One Little House at schools, libraries, and special events.

Susan lives in Los Angeles in a lively household filled with music, three sons, a husband, a Dalmatian and lots of visitors. Susan loves picture books and when she wrote a musical based on one of her favorites, she realized it was time to start writing her own picture books. Too Many Visitors for One Little House is Susan’s debut book. You can visit her website at www.booksicals.com.

Thank you for this interview, Susan.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?

As a child I mostly lived in the world of musical theater.  My dad made a tradition of taking us all to a Broadway show every birthday. My sister and I knew the songs and lyrics to so many shows.  I remember walking to school being oblivious to the world and singing out loud all the parts to a show I had just seen or listened to on the stereo.  My sister and I used to ( and still do ) break out in song in the middle of a conversation if something we say reminds us of a lyric from a show.  I spent a great part of my childhood teen age years performing as opposed to writing.  I also read a lot.

I didn’t start writing till much later in life.  First came writing songs, then musicals. Then I discovered my passion for children’s books.  Too Many Visitors is my first published picture book.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

I love crafting the book, revising, tightening the story, deepening the characters and the process of discovery. Pitching your work once it is completed ( which you know it NEVER is) is very frustrating. The research to find which editor might be a good fit, then sending it out. Then waiting to hear back which could take weeks, months!

Too Many Visitors for One Little House (click on cover to purchase)

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life?  Do you have support?

My husband and children are extrememly supportive of my writing.  They are my sounding boards, my best critquers, and provide a great deal of creative and humorous input.  But being a mom, wife and also responsible for the household as well as helping my husband over see his business is always a juggling act.  Little sleep of course. I do have to sneak out to my computer sometimes in the wee hours of the morning in order to get some creative work done.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

I love family dinners, cooking up a gourmet meal with my sons and watching movies as a family.  My husband and I love walking or riding a bike along the beach.    A very memorable vacation was the summer we rented a house in Sweden.  In summer daylight lasts until 3 am so the boys and my husband would go fishing at midnight, bring home a huge catch and then we would all cook it up and have a very late dinner.  My favorite vacations are renting a place in a foreign country and exploring the land and its people.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

I love Jerusalem.  It is a place where I feel like I am in the center of the world.

Who is your biggest fan?

My son are my biggest fan.  And my sister and nieces.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I have a cozy little office where I can work.  It has a lock on the door, but if I use it, someone will ALWAYS bang away at the door furious at me for locking them out.  When the kids were small, I learned to work through crying, screaming, fighting and rambunctious playing all around me.

What’s your favorite library and why?

On a visit to Milan, Italy I discovered The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana which houses a library of ancient manuscripts and books. Without realizing what this library contained I happened upon amazing  illuminated biblical and Talmudic manuscripts from the 14^th and 15^th century.  I was able to request the books examine them and found hand written notes in side some of them. Perhaps I was connected to this is some past life, but I found the experience exhilarating.

On a lighter note, I love the Manhattan Library and the children’s section of the Beverly Hills Library.

What’s your favorite bookstore and why?

I love the Barnes and Noble at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles.  The children’s section has a little stage with an enchanted forest that I just adore.  The Booksicals Repertory Company performed Too Many Visitors for One Little House there recently and set of the enchanted forest made it so totally charming.

Do you have any pets?

Yentyl.  She is my Dalmatian dog.  She loves eating important mail, especially tax rebate checks from the IRS or newly acquired DMV registrations.  She is very independent, not at all obedient, and quite opinionated.  She fits right into my family.

What are you reading right now?

I am in a non-fiction mode for the last 3 weeks and the book currently at my bedside is Why God Won’t go Away, which is a book that deals with the science of Neuro-theology- which studies the effects religious rituals and beliefs on the brain.

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

It’s not really a secret, because  I do this in front of everyone… But… If my sons are at home and within reach,  I trap them in my grip and cover their heads with gushy kisses and declare my unconditional love.  They indulge me this behavior. though they really have no choice about it.

What’s the first thing you notice when you meet someone?

Their eyes. Looking into a person’s eyes usually tell me if they are kind people.

Have you ever won anything?

I won a great husband, great kids and a blessed life.

What’s on your to do list today?

Work with my bookkeeper. Prepare for tomorrow’s upcoming Booksicals show at Hillel Hebrew Academy for 1,2 3 and 4^th grade.  Create a study guide for the teachers as a follow up to the performance. Go to the grocery store to RESTOCK my empty FRIG (husband unhappy this morning with the low level of goodies to eat).

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in November via a virtual book tour.  Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

Dorothy Thompson is so professional, well connected and very fun to work with.

Thank you for this interview, Susan.  Good luck on your virtual book tour!