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Hi Shellie,

Thanks for having me on your blog today. I’m happy to say the MuseItUp Publishing young adult and middle grade authors are getting lots of exposure on each other’s blogs this month.

My novel, Wounds, falls into the middle grade category. I think this book will be of interest to youngsters who have ever done anything they have felt guilty about and didn’t know how to go about rectifying things. And doesn’t that cover just about all of us?

My main character, Craig, tries to cut down an old oak tree that is venerated by the greater community. And this is where other readers might find this book of interest. The harm done to the tree brings the community together. Various people who become involved are the newspaper,  the police, the school principal, teachers, a Juvenile Court Judge, a state officer of the Department of Children and Families, a doctor, a kid’s club, and the city arborist.

It makes Craig realize how connected everything and everyone are, but he has a hard time seeing this fact apply to himself.

I personally like the arborist who comes to take care of the wounded tree. Craig is ordered by the judge to assist in the care of the tree. We get to see some natural science that pertains to trees in general and to grafting in particular as it applies to this tree. I kept the details to a minimum so as not to get bogged down. But teachers could use this as a starting point to teach students some science out in the field. My arborist is described as “a big man with a big love of big trees.” He is enthusiastic, optimistic, and a hard worker.

I would not presume to compare my book to anything by Eve Bunting. But her book, Blackwater, also deals with guilt and influenced me.

If my book were turned into a movie, I think the boy on the cover would be good to play the part. He has a brooding expression that seems to hide the hurt inside. Don’t know who he is, though.

I have many, many favorite fiction books. (Don’t know if that’s possible, but it’s hard to pick just one). But one in particular that stands out for  me is Who Really Killed Cock Robin? by Jean Craighead George. And another, non-fiction, is Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. They share a common theme of pesticides. I guess that shows you where my greatest concern is.

I recall that my favorite book in the third grade was Pegeen by Hilda van Stockum. I think I identified with Pegeen because she was a country girl who loved storytelling and she was an orphan. I wasn’t an orphan but I had lost my dad in the War and I was a country girl. Now I’m a storyteller.

Shellie, it’s been fun for me to share some info about Wounds. You have an interesting bunch of questions—sorry I couldn’t get to all of them.

Thanks for inviting me to talk about Wounds, my upcoming Muse middle grade e-novel. It is going to be available starting September 16 on these sites:

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/

And this is my buy page: 11 Comments on A Visit with Barbara Bockman, last added: 9/8/2011