Welcome to my guest author, Deborah Ramos

Deborah Ramos enjoying a sunny day in Seattle

 

 

 

 

Thank you for being with me this week Deborah. You are a talented writer that offers good reading for children of all ages. Tell me a little about yourself.

 

I’m a mother, grandmother, teacher and animal lover – including a pet snake. I’ve always loved words and combinations of words.

 

What is your favorite word combination?

 

I love collective nouns. I think the most interesting one is an Escargatoire of Snails. I imagine a little snail party crawling in circles on a plate. I love a Pandemonium of Parrots; can’t you just hear them squawking in the trees? What an image that conjures up.

 

What got you started in writing about collective nouns?

 

I was writing a story about Africa, and in my research, I found a website that listed animals in alphabetical order, along with their group name. It sparked an interest, and I dug deeper. Group names can bring to mind such interesting images, such as a prickling of porcupines; you can almost FEEL those, pokey, prickly quills.

 

Do you have a lot of pets at home?

 

I’ve always had pets growing up. And I have quite a collection now. I have two cats, two noisy parakeets, a variety of tropical fish, and a ball python named Mercury. Mercury sheds his skin and donates it to my art projects.

 

 

Thanks for coming today, Deborah. I look forward to chatting with you on Wednesday about your works in progress and your upcoming release in 2009.

 

Thanks for having me.