It’s great to have Maggie Grinnell, author of “The Ketchup Bottle and the Takeover,” on my blog today. Maggie has been writing since 1992. She writes poetry, short stories and article. She is also a book reviewer/staff member for Poetic Monthly, and a member of SCBWI.

Katie: What a great sounding name for a book! It’s got me intrigued already. Can you please give a brief synopsis?

Maggie: Sure. Tommy Tomato, a ketchup bottle with an ego, moves into the refrigerator with plans to take it over. When he goes missing, everyone in the fridge forgets his ego and searched for him because they want him back.

Katie: Is this your debut children’s book? What was your motivation behind writing this book?

Maggie: This is my debut book. My motivation for this book and idea was seeing the biggest ketchup bottle I had ever seen in a fridge. I then wondered if this ketchup bottle had an ego and what would happen if he tried to take over a fridge.

Katie: How did you happen upon writing for the earlier reader group?

Maggie: I use to write suspense stories. Then one day, I wrote a poem about my inner child and I thought about writing a story about childhood and there it grew.

Katie: What did you learn, as you wrote, about writing for the early reader group?

Maggie: I learned that just because the reader group is younger, it doesn’t mean that they are any less educated. These kids are smarter today then I was at that age. Writing for children isn’t any easier than writing for adults.

Katie: I wouldn’t think so, but did you have to do any research for this book?

Maggie: Laughing. No I didn’t have to do any research for this book. All I had to do was look inside a refrigerator.

Katie: What about the early reader group as a whole makes it interesting for you to write for that age group?

Maggie: I have always felt like a kid at heart. I sometimes even feel that I haven’t quite grown up yet. I am always looking for that next adventure, that next story which I feel that the early reader does too.

Katie: Do you think you will continue to write for this age group? Why or why not?

Maggie: I feel as if I will continue to write for this age group. Because I feel that I can relate to always wanting to go on an adventure and see what is out there, to have my mind constantly being engaged.

Katie: Why did you decide to self-publish this book?

Maggie: The publ