Jo Linsdell writes about Italy, pregnancy and parenting,
marketing (She LOVES social media) and the writing industry.
Linsdell enjoyed writing since she could hold a pen in her
hand but officially started her writing career in 2006. Since then, Linsdell
has worked for numerous clients around the world and won a few awards
along the way too. She has also published several books including the
popular "Italian for Tourists" phrase book.
VS: What do you do to help
balance your writing life with your family life?
Jo: It's not easy but I try to make
time for both everyday. I always have a to-do list written up for each day and
make sure it includes both work and family based tasks. A trip to the park with
my kids is right up there with writing a new chapter or carrying out marketing
tasks.
I think when you love doing
something you make the time for it in your life regardless.
VS: How long have you been
writing?
Jo: Pretty much since I could hold a
pen but seriously since 2006.
VS: What inspired you to write
your book?
Jo: I wrote my children's picture
book Out and About at the Zoo after
taking my son to the zoo for the first time. He's always shown a big interest
in my writing and asked me why I hadn't written a story for him. I figured he
made a good point and so Out and About at
the Zoo was born.
This experience has been
completely different from my other writing projects as it's the first time I'm
also an illustrator. Who ever thinks putting a children's book together is easy
is wrong. In a way it's harder than writing a full length novel.
I started by writing the text
and that was actually the easy bit. Next I sketched some ideas for the
illustrations and made a paper draft of the book layout.
My son was a huge help as at 4
years old he is full of questions and very honest in giving his opinions. He
made it very clear, both with the text and the illustrations, what he liked and
what he didn't and I made changes until it reached his standards.
It was nice to be able to
involve him so much in my work for once and has made the book even more special
to me.
VS: What is a typical
writing day like for you?
Jo: I don't have a typical day as such. Being a
full-time mum to a 4 year old and a 9 month old means I have to fit in my
writing time around them. I grab time when I can and make the most of it when
they're napping. I tend to get most of my work done late in the evening after
the kids are in bed.
VS: Is your family supportive
of your writing?
Jo: Very. My husband had told everyone
we know about my book even before it was finished. He is my number one fan and
very supportive.
My kids are great too and my 4
year old son is showing an increasing interest in what I do. He played a very
active role in the creation of Out and About at the Zoo.
VS: If this isn’t your first
publication, what was the first thing you ever had published?
Jo: My first book, Italian for
Tourists, came out in 2007. It's an English-Italian phrasebook designed
specifically to cover only the language needed by tourists during their visit
to Italy.
VS: Can you share with us
a little about your current book?
Jo: Out and About at the Zoo is a rhyming
children's picture book with bold, colorful pictures. It's about a child who
goes to the zoo with his mum and the different animals he discovers during the
visit.
VS: What did you find to
be the most challenging part of writing your book?
Jo: The most challenging aspect of this book was
the illustrating part. The text flowed quite easily and didn't take long to
write.
As this was my first experience using an
illustrating program, dealing with the technical stuff like transparencies,
layers and embedding text was a real learning curve.
VS: What part of your book do
you feel really stands out to you personally?
Jo: That's a tough question. The whole
book is so closely linked to my kids from the idea to the text to the
illustrations and so it's all special.
VS: If this is a work of
fiction, what character is most like you?
Jo: Probably the crazy monkey's :)
VS: Do you have any other
works in progress? Can you share a little about them?
Jo: Yes several. I'm already working
on another rhyming children's picture about a young fairy called May that
dreams of one day becoming a tooth fairy.
I'm also working on a chick-lit
and a non-fiction book about social media.
VS: What tips can you give
writing parents with children at home to help them see publication?
Jo: Make the time for working on your
writing. Take advantage of moments when your kids are at playschool or napping.
Put smaller kids in a play-box with a few toys to keep them busy so you can
have a window of time to concentrate on your work. Do a 5 minute writing sprint
or work on marketing when you get the chance. Make the most of the evenings
after the kids are in bed.
VS: What do you think are the basic ingredients of a good book?
Jo: It needs to keep the reader turning the pages to find out what is going
to happen next. You need to make them want more. In the case of Out and About
at the Zoo it's wanting to know what other animals there are and what they'll
be doing.
VS: What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create
yours?
Jo: In Out and about at the Zoo, the
animals are seen through the eyes of the child. I asked my son what he
remembered about the animals he'd seen at the zoo during our own trip and used
his answers as inspiration for the text.
VS: What do you feel as parents we need to do to help our children see
success?
Jo: Be supportive and encourage them to try new things. When they know your
there for them no matter what they aren't afraid to experiment and in doing so
can reach their true potential.
VS: Have you received any awards for your writing?
Jo: I've won several awards for my
blogs and was listed on the Literary World Who's Who in the writing industry in
2009.
VS: Where can the readers of
The Writing Mama find out more about and your writing?
Jo: Readers can find more information
about this book, me and my other writing projects at my website http://www.jolinsdell.com
About the Book:
Jo Linsdell picture book Out
and About at the Zoo is a rhyming picture book with colorful pictures
showing children a fun day out discovering different things in the world around
them. This first book in the ‘Out and About’ series is a wonderful introduction
to a day at the zoo for children young and old.
Linsdell, also the illustrator, has created pictures so
adorable it makes you want to hug each animal in the book. Both the pictures
and the text will entice a child's wonder and excitement during a day at the
zoo.
The World of Ink Network has
joined in helping to tour author Jo Linsdell’s first book from the 'Out
and About' series of rhyming children's picture books, Out and About at the Zoo.
You can find out more about Jo Linsdell’s World of Ink
Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/7jml423
To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com