Tag Archives: Angeline Jellybean


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Welcome back, Crystalee

You are such a fun guest. I love having you with me. You are such a fun and talented writer. We’re learning more about your book and about your relationship with jellybeans today. Let’s get started.

1. Did you have a vice like jellybeans as a child? If so what was it?

Oh, I think I still have that vice! haha. Chocolate. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. If it contains chocolate I will eat it!

2.    If you could be any color jellybean, what color would you be?

Red! No, I like the red ones too much. I don’t want to be eaten. Black. Yeah, those nasty black ones. No one eats those, right?

3.    Do you like the different flavored jellybeans, like jelly belly or the harry potter ones?

I am in love with Jelly Belly jellybeans! No others compare.

4.    What is your food guilty pleasure?

Chocolate or cheese, definitely.

5.    If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I would say chocolate except I think that would make me sick. So I’m going with cheese. A nice variety of hard and soft cheeses.

6.    If you were written about in the newspaper, on the front page, what would the headline say?

Why, can you get me a headline on the front page? “Local woman completes MFA, debuts first children’s book in same week.” On second thought, that’s not exciting enough.

7.    If Hollywood were to make a movie of your life, what actress/actresses would you want to play you?

Julianne Moore. I’ve been told twice now that I look like her. *shrugs*

8.    If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Sara Adkins, What is with the Hard Questions? or It All Happened Because of Pittsburgh

9.    Do you remember your favorite children’s book when you were a child?

I had many. I read everything I could get my hands on. But for most of my life I read nothing but the Baby-sitter’s Club books by Ann M. Martin.

10.    Do you like to be read to aloud? Do you think different things can be gained from reading to yourself and being read to?

Yes, definitely. Listening to someone read a picture book aloud is a multi-sensory experience. Characters can really come to life when a reader adds the right inflection to his or her voice. A good storytime involves the children as much as possible, gets them thinking or moving or discussing. Of course, there is always a place and time for curling up in a chair with a good book too.

Thank you for interviewing me. It’s been fun.

Book Synopsis

Angeline wants to eat nothing but jellybeans.  Year round, from Easter to Christmas, she asks for her favorite treat.  But a strange event teaches Angeline that there's such thing as too much of a good thing!
With colorful, delightful illustrations by Stephen Macquignon, Angeline is sure to win over hearts of young picky eaters everywhere.
Where to buy:
http://www.amazon.com  Search by title or author
http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Store-Books.html 

Contact the author:
crystaleecalderwood@gmail.com
http://crystaleecalderwood.blogspot.com
http://crystaleecalderwood.bravehost.com


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My Guest Author This Month is Crystalee Calderwood

I am delighted to have Crystalee Calderwood as my guest. She is another great, energized, busy, talented writer that I hope you’ll put on your list of favorites.

Crystalee, have you always wanted to be a writer? When did you get started?

I’ve been writing for almost as long as I can remember and reading for even longer. I remember writing some of my first short stories in first grade. I didn’t always want to be a writer; my career aspirations as a kid changed every five minutes. I didn’t really start thinking of writing as a feasible career until I was in grad school and started writing for children.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

That is a really hard question. I love almost everything about writing, from the moment when I come up with a cool concept, to making it come alive on the page, to revisiting it like visiting an old friend, for revisions. But my all time favorite thing about writing has to be that I know I’m creating worlds and characters that will someday come alive for the children who read my work.

What is the most challenging part of being a writer?

To me, the most challenging parts have to do with publishing: finding markets, sending out manuscripts, and then once your book is published, marketing and promoting it.
Who is your favorite author?

Another very hard question, since I rarely hate any authors and love different authors for different reasons. I rarely ever read adult novels, but I love picture book writers like Mo Willems, Karen Katz and Katherine Ayres (who I owe so much to). In YA novels, Lois Lowry, Jane Yolen and Sharon Flake come to mind.
What’s new that you’re working on right now?

I’m finishing up my very first full-length YA novel! (Hopefully, it will be finished by time your readers see this interview.) It is a modern YA novel set in Pittsburgh about a 17-year-old named Chelsea Anderson who must fulfill a volunteer requirement at school. She finds herself in the Hill District, a predominantly black area of Pittsburgh, tutoring kids at an after school program. The novel is about coming-of-age and breaking out of your comfort zone as much as it is about race. It is also based on some true events in my life, although my breaking out occurred when I was 24, not 17.
What are your goals for the rest of 2009?

Finish this YA novel! I also hope to revise the novel in verse I wrote for my thesis in grad school. And, of course, I’m still trying to get more things published: poetry, short stories, but especially picture books.

To find out more about Crystal and purchase her awesome book use these links:

The link to my blog is http://crystaleecalderwood.blogspot.com

You can buy my book Angeline Jellybean from Amazon.com or http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Store-Books.html