Sunday, August 12, 2012

Be Inspired Meme! Here's the Story...



Thanks to Claudine from Carry Us Off Books for tagging us in a fun Meme about The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow. This week, we have been on the topic of other people's stories, so it is fun to share a little about our book with you. Here's a bit of the story behind our story. ~ Jess & Stephanie

Preview the Book!


What is the name of your book?

The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow

Where did your idea for the book come from?

Jess: The story originated in a creepy house when I was just a kid. It all began at my grandparents’ house in Ridgefield, CT. Even my dad will swear that when we were in the house, you could hear someone walking around upstairs when everyone that was supposed to be there was downstairs. My grandfather used to tell me that it was Ruby Begonia in her high-heeled sneakers. I can remember sneaking around the house, trying to catch a glimpse of her. My own imagination glammed up the shoes and developed the story around her. Initially, I wrote a rhyming children’s poem entitled, Ruby Begonia and the High-Heeled Sneakers. That story continued to evolve, and I decided to turn it into a chapter book. I asked my best friend and book buddy, Stephanie, to co-author it with me, and the rest is history!

Stephanie: After Jess asked me to work with her on changing her poem into a story the ideas began emerging from all over the place. We would meet, talk, brainstorm, and dissect each other’s ideas. Each time one of us shared something we would spark new ideas in the other person. Some of the elements of Fairday’s story have appeared in my dreams and others that have happened in my everyday life. For a short period of time I lived in a house that dated back to the 1700s. It was a house filled with mystery, hidden passages, and local lore. It wasn’t just like the Begonia House, but it did give me a lot to think about and got my mind whirring!

In what genre would you classify your book?

This is tricky- it could fall under mystery or fantasy. 

Stephanie Robinson
If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition of your book, who would you choose?

This is a tough question! Possibly Susan Sarandon as Ruby Begonia : ) 

Give us a one-sentence synopsis of your book.

Fairday Morrow and the Detective Mystery Squad piece together odd clues that they find in a spooky, old manor known as the Begonia House.


Is your book already published/ represented?

Our book isn’t published yet. We decided to pursue the traditional route for publishing The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow. Although we both love writing, we work other jobs to pay our bills. We understand that self-publishing and marketing for yourself is a full-time job and, at the moment, we don’t feel we have the time to devote to publishing ourselves. We are lucky enough to be working with a wonderful agent, Rachael Dugas from Talcott Notch Literary and hopefully we will find an editor to publish our book. We are keeping our fingers crossed!

How long did it take you to write your book?

It took us about 9 months to write the book, and we spent time editing along the way. Before the book was completed, parts of it were read to two 5th grade classrooms and they provided feedback which we used to make changes to the story. Once the book was done we spent more time revising.  We have probably edited and revised the story over 100 times to get to the version we are at now.

What other books within your genre would you compare it to? Or, readers of which books would enjoy yours?

The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrrow is Coraline meets Nancy Drew. Kids that like a story with fantasy elements and mystery intertwined will enjoy our book.  Other books to compare it to would be The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DeTerlizzi and The Books of Elsewhere by Jacqueline West.

Jessica Haight
Which authors inspired you to write this book?

Jess: I loved the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary- and Ellen Tibets was one of my absolute favorite stories. I also really enjoyed fairy tales, preferably Grimms. And, oddly enough, books about space and astronomy.

Stephanie: I started out in first grade as a struggling reader. I couldn’t wait to read, and once I got the hang of it I couldn’t get enough! I devoured books growing up and would find an author I liked and read everything I could by them. The authors that stand out the most to me are Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, and Roald Dahl. I loved fairy tales and Shel Silverstein poems. I read every Nancy Drew book and the Little House series. I wanted to be Nancy and Half-Pint!

Tell us anything that may pique our interest in your book:




25 comments:

  1. Awww! I loved hearing about your girls books and the background of it.

    I didn't know you guys haven't published it. I always assumed you had. I'm sure when you do you'll have a bunch of bloggers and fan base already (:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ardiana, Thanks so much! We enjoyed sharing a little bit about our story with you- it was fun! ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  2. Good luck. I'm sure you'll soon find a publisher. My daughter wants to read it already.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Roger, That's great! Thanks so much for your kind words : ) ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  3. Katertot and I loved this! It was so much fun reading your answers! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cheles Bells, Thanks so much for stopping by! We enjoyed being interviewed by Katertot- that was so much fun! Her questions were outstanding. Great to hear from you : ) ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Hi Patty, Thanks so much! ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  5. I will dance in the forest under the moon for luck to get your book pubbed. With Rachel in your court it's bound to happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Leslie, Awesome! We've been doing this for weeks now, so it will be nice to know that someone else is out there with us- lol! Thanks so much for stopping by- Rachael is fabulous, we are thrilled to be represented by her. ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  6. Thonking good thoughts for you! You ladies are the best! Love that rainbow hat Jess! Thanks for sharing! Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Heidi, Thanks so much! We truly appreciate your support! ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Thanks about my hat- isn't it fabulous? I found it in a store called Happy Rainbows ; ) ~ Jess

      Delete
  7. Love hearing about your book! Mixing fantasy and mystery - great choices. All crossable appendages crossed for you too on publication. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cate, Thank you so much for your support-! We truly appreciate it : ) ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  8. Ooh this sounds fun! I love mixed genres and adding mystery to any genre makes it even more filling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi LM Preston, It's a fun mystery- lots of intriguing clues to follow. Thanks for stopping by : ) ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  9. I've always thought your book is already published! Great background on how the story came by. I'd love to read the children's poem. And how delightful that Grandpa started the story, Jess. And Stephanie, how lucky to have lived in such an ancient house! (I imagine I would have been spooked, but curiously spooked.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Claudine, Thanks so much! We will send you a copy of the original poem, it would be great to hear your thoughts about it. That old house was absolutely fascinating! ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  10. Claudine just took the words out of my head! I assumed your book was published! I also assumed you were full time authors - everything you do is just so professional. I’ve always been impressed with your blog – I’m even more impressed now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Barbara, Thanks so much! We are truly enjoying this journey and meeting all of you- When we were younger, we used to put puzzles together for fun. For hours, we would have an absolute blast silently finding the right piece, and then watching as the picture would reveal itself to us. The adventure that we are on with the DMS feels very similar to that. Lovely to hear from you today : ) ~ Jess & Stephanie

      Delete
  11. Thank you all so much for your wonderful support of The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow! We are loving our journey and the chance to share our thoughts with all of you! ~ Jess & Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'd definitely read a book inspired by Nancy Drew and set in a creepy old house. Growing up, I loved reading Nancy Drew and the Ramona series too :) Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A Canadian Girl- Yeah! So glad that our book would appeal to you. Nancy Drew and Ramona are both awesome. Your blog is great and thank you for stopping by! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

      Delete
  13. How I love that - Fear not the unexpected. I think your book sounds great and fun. Publishing is a tough step.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna- Thanks so much! We are so happy you love Fear Not the Unexpected. It is true. :) Publishing is a tough step- but we are enjoying the ride and trying to take our own advice about the unexpected. Glad to hear our book sounds like fun to you. Yeah! ~Jess and Stephanie

      Delete

Thank you for stopping by and commenting. We love to hear your thoughts! We had to turn on comment moderation due to a high volume of spam. Fairday's Blog is no longer accepting awards. We appreciate all the nominations that we have received and are honored to have been mentioned! Happy Reading!

Twitter Bird Gadget Twitter Bird Gadget