Hi, Becca. Welcome to Writers4Higher!
1. Tell me about yourself. Your books, your life, your inspiration.
I was born in Tallahassee, Florida where I have lived my whole life, except for four years that I lived overseas in Scotland as a missionary. In Edinburgh and Bathgate Scotland, I helped with music and children’s ministries. My passions are music, writing, and working with children.
Although I have a serious side too, I enjoy being funny and making people laugh, feel comfortable, and feel like they belong and are valuable. If you ask nicely, I may even do my “famous” monkey sound for you ;0!
Relationships are important to me. I’d rather be with my friends and loved ones than alone. We can learn so much from each other. I had an awesome relationship with my two grandmothers (My two grandpas died in the same year when I was three, so I didn’t get to know them very well.). I believe that I am a better person today for spending such quality time and learning valuable lessons from both grandmothers. Now, I am watching my two boys build those wonderful relationships with my parents.
My first published book, Birthday Grandpa and Me, was written to celebrate those important inter-generational relationships. It is my hope that the book will celebrate life and bring people together.
I currently teach elementary school which I have done for a total of 12 years. In my free time, I enjoy making music, writing, and going on adventures with my husband and two boys (ages 7 and 3).
I started writing songs in my teens and my love for writing stories and books grew when I had the opportunity to teach writing in an elementary school. I earned a Master’s degree in Publishing from Napier Univeristy in Edinburgh, Scotland in hopes of gaining more knowledge for publishing my ideas. After graduating in 2007, I took some time off of writing to care for my husband (who was wounded in Iraq) and my two young boys. My husband is on the mend, the boys are growing, and I am now back in the swing of things and “making time” for my writing.
2. Where do you see your writing taking you in the future?
As a teacher, I have seen a decline in the love of reading due to competition with gaming and a resistance to rigorous standards. I want to help change that. The new educational standards don’t allow for as much imaginative and creative writing as there used to be. Kids want to have fun and enjoy reading fun things that make them laugh and feel good. I want kids and parents to know that they can still master the standards AND have fun loving to read and write at the same time.
I hope to continue publishing more children’s books that celebrate the joys of life, fun, relationships, love, and laughter that will give hope and bring people together. My second book, Goodnight, “I’m Not Charlie”, will be out later this year. It celebrates the joys of bedtime through a resistant little boy who comes up with all kinds of imaginative excuses as to why he can’t go to bed, until Mommy uses a trick of her own to get him into bed. I am actively seeking an agent to represent me so that I can publish traditionally. The company I used for my first two books is a hybrid (Tate Publishing) which I used in hopes of getting a start as a new author.
In addition to writing and sharing books with others, I am interested in providing workshops that will help other up-and-coming writers to gain more knowledge in the writing field.
Other than children’s picture books, I have ideas for chapter books (fantasy) and adult nonfiction relating to being a missionary and an army wife.
3. How do you use your talents/time to help others?
As a teacher, I use my time and talents to help others learn and grow on a daily basis. I enjoy watching students and parents bond in rejoicing over progress. I use my music and writing talents to inspire the families to courageously take on new challenges and desire to better themselves through reading, music, and the arts. I am also involved in the music and children’s ministries at my local church, where I participated as a lead role in our Christmas musical last year as Alice in The Christmas Post. That was so much fun- my first musical ever! Why did I wait so long to participate in one? Another thing I do is write commissioned poetry gifts for friends, family, coworkers, students, and parents. They give me information about someone, and I put it all together in a fun rhyming poem as a gift.
Where to find Becca:
Website:
Blog:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Amazon.com:
Barnes and Noble.com:
National Press Release:
Youtube trailer:
Thank you for joining us on Writers4Higher!
Rhett DeVane
southern fiction author and blogmaster
Wow, Scotland for four years. I'm jealous. I hope you enjoyed plenty of haggis. Best of luck with the upcoming new book.
ReplyDeleteLol! Nope - I couldn't stomach the haggis or the blood pudding, but I did eat plenty of fish and chips and drank lots of hot tea!
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