Interview and Giveaway with Author Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky

Hello friends and welcome to my second blog post. Today I have the wonderful Dianna Wilson-Sirkovsky here to talk about her debut picture book, JAMES’ READING RESCUE. Trust me when I say this is a story you are going to want to share with your little ones. 

But before we dig in to this heart-warming tale, I want to share a story that is sure to bring you the warm and fuzzies. Piran, a black cat who looks an awful lot like Dianna’s kitty character Ghost, rescued her 83-year-young owner after she took a fall down a steep ravine. Read more about how Piran saved her owner here. 

Photo credit: Bodmin Police

And here’s Ghost. Don’t those eyes look just like Piran’s?

Nothing sweeter than an animal rescuing a human. Okay, let’s get to it. 

Where do you currently live and what is one of your favorite things about it? 

Thanks for this opportunity, Lindsey! I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It’s a wonderful blend of an old, historical city and vibrant, festival-filled modern city.

Wow. I love how you describe Montreal. It sounds both charming and lively! Speaking of charming and lively, tell us what inspired your debut picture book, JAMES’ READING RESCUE? 

JRR is based on a true story I read on the internet several years ago about a cat rescue shelter that ran a reading program for their cats. It all began with the young son of a volunteer. He struggled with reading and his mom suggested he read to the cats. It offered a safe, non-judgmental environment for him to practice and had the added value of helping to socialize the cats for adoption. A win/win! It spoke to me on several levels – my own son needed help with reading and I’ve been involved with cat rescue for many years. My children grew up with nine rescue cats! I felt this was a story I just had to write.

Nine rescue cats? It’s clear you have a big heart, Dianna. By the way, you did a beautiful job flushing out James and Ghost as characters. I love how Ghost has his own set of fears and a love for dark stories. Can you give us a peek into your creative process? Did the story start out with just James and a box of kittens, or was Ghost there from the very beginning? 

Ghost was integral to the story from the start. I wanted his and James’ story arcs to mirror each other. Both have internal struggles to overcome that have social implications. James doesn’t read as well as his classmates and has to miss recess to practice. Ghost is a solitary, feral cat frightened and overwhelmed in a bright, busy, multi-cat rescue. Each has a specific need that is, at first, inadvertently fulfilled by the other. It’s a win/win – and who doesn’t love a happy ending?

Brilliant, Dianna. A win/win for sure! Can you tell us what your critique group thought of the story? 

This was my first story, written before I knew anything about the process of writing picture books – story arc, the rule of 3, the dark moment and all those other critical things! I had no critique group until I was on probably my third version of the story. We were all new but it was wonderful learning and sharing together. They were so supportive and we’ve celebrated this success like it belongs to each of us.

How wonderful you were able to celebrate this success with such a supportive group! I want to tell you, the illustrations for JAMES’ READING RESCUE melted my heart. Can you tell me if you were able to choose Sara Casilda as the illustrator or were you paired together? 

Oh yes, Sara is the gift that brought JRR to life! Clavis is a collaborative publisher; they asked me for some illustrators whose work I liked and suggested several of their own. I selected Sara from their list and we had wonderful collaboration through the process. She was a delight to work with and we communicated fairly often through email, she in Spain – me in Canada!

That sounds like an author’s dream. Congratulations on getting this heartwarming picture book out in the world. Is there anything new on the horizon? Exciting news, stories brewing, anything else? 

Thanks so much, Lindsey. It means the world to me that children can now read this lovely story.

I’m delighted to say that Sara and I have another book, Just One Pebble, coming out this fall with Clavis. I also have some work out on submission at the moment and am hopeful that some editor out there will love them enough to publish!

How exciting that you and Sara have another story coming out this fall. I look forward to reading it with my girls. Do you have any tips or words of wisdom for your fellow authors? 

Don’t give up! Writing is like any other skill – the more you practice the better you become. Find a critique group where you feel at home – they will be your greatest supporters. And learn patience – time doesn’t pass in the publishing world as it does everywhere else!

I love your advice. Practice, patience, and supportive critique partners. A winning trio for sure! Tell us just a little more about yourself, Dianna.

I’ve always been a passionate reader and animal lover. So my children grew up in a house full of books and cats! I rediscovered my love of picture books reading to my children many years ago and it is the realization of a dream to now write for other children. I spent my childhood years on the Canadian prairies but have lived in Montreal for many years, raising my family and working at McGill University. Writing for children is both a pleasure and privilege that I hope to enjoy for as long as possible!

Thank you for sharing that, Dianna. And now a quick peek into JAMES’ READING RESCUE.

What else can you say except gorgeous!? To see more, you’ll have to get your hands on a copy.

Thank you so much for spending this time with us today, Dianna. And readers, be sure to follow Dianna on Twitter so you can stay tuned on her upcoming book, JUST ONE PEBBLE. @diannawilson99

But before we go, it’s time for the GIVEAWAY!

Dianna will request a copy of JAMES’ READING RESCUE from her publisher for one lucky winner. To enter the giveaway read the post, retweet, and tag a friend. It’s that simple. I will draw the winner on Saturday, February 26th.

That’s it. Thank you all for reading.

Lindsey is the creator of two imaginative little girls, the wife of an extreme sport enthusiast, and a member of many picture book critique groups. In her spare time, she enjoys watching webinars, attending conferences, and borrowing outrageous amounts of picture books from her local library.