A while ago I was interviewed by Carol(ina) from Genre of the Month. I had fun with the interview and asked her if I could reprint it here.

Chris Rettstatt is the author of the sci-fi & futuristic new series Kaimira (first book, The Sky Village).

1.) What made you start writing?

When I was eight, I read Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, and I immediately began writing poems. Within a few hours I’d filled up a notepad with poems. And since then, I never stopped writing.

2.) If you weren’t an author what would you be?

I sometimes joke that I’m a children’s book author who wishes he was a linguist. That’s because I love language and grammar, and I love studying foreign languages. I also like making up my own languages, which I’m doing with the Kaimira Code. But that’s mostly a joke, because as much as I love those things, I love writing even more.

3.) How did you choose you character’s names?

My wife’s nickname is Longmei. She was born in the year of the dragon, which is “long” in Chinese. Adding “mei” which means “sister” in Chinese, makes it into a nickname.

When I first started developing Rom’s character and his tribe, I was drawing inspiration from Romani cultures (sometimes called Gypsies). And then ROM has a techie meaning as well, as in CD-ROM, and so I just kind of liked it.

4.) What’s the best thing about being an author?

No matter what I do, whether traveling to other countries or standing in line at the supermarket, it’s all research.

5.) What’s your ideal writing spot?

I do a lot of writing in coffee shops, particularly when I’m traveling, but I’d have to say my favorite spot is my desk at home. I’ve got everything I need there and plenty of room to pace around.

6.) How did you come up with the idea of The Sky Village?

I was sitting outside, trying to imagine this strange future world I had just started to create. What would my characters see and hear? I looked up at the clouds, and the idea just hit me — a village made of hot air balloons.

7.) Why YA?

I don’t think so much about the age borders around books. When I was in my teens, and even before, I read whatever looked good, and even now I have a hard time remembering which of those books were technically written for young adults. So I just write for the sort of reader I am, and the sort of readers my friends tend to be. And lately, a lot of the best books that fit my personal taste happen to be YA books.

8. Do you ever come up with play lists for your books? If so, what are the songs?

I did have a playlist while I was working on The Sky Village. The songs included:

• If I Give My Soul, by Johnny Cash (cover)
• Various songs by Faye Wong (especially Ni Kuai Le, Suo Yi Wo Kuai Le)
• It Isn’t Easy Being Green, by Kermit the Frog
• This Woman’s Work, by Kate Bush
• Don’t Give Up, by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush
• Fight Club Soundtrack, by The Dust Brothers (the whole thing)
• Where Is My Mind, by The Pixies
• Gypsy Caravan (compilation by Putumayo)

9.) Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

I believe my best advice can be drawn from my playlist. It’s somewhere between “Don’t Give Up” and “Where Is My Mind?”

Ok, my actual advice comes in two parts. On the one hand, you have to know the business of the business. You have to become familiar with what books are being published and read lots and lots and lots of them. Pay attention to the publishers. Subscribe to newsletters that keep you updated on publishing trends. Join your local SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Think of yourself as a partner in the publishing process.

On the other hand, you can’t let the business steer you. Stay flexible, and listen openly and humbly to feedback you get. But at the end of the day, it’s your story, and you have to trust your creative instincts. If you aren’t fiercely loyal to your creative vision, nobody else is going to be.

10.) Which character are you most like? (Can be from any book)

When I was a teen, I wanted to be like the Motorcycle Boy from Rumble Fish. But wanting it didn’t make it so.

11.) If you could collaborate with any author dead or alive who would you pick?

I’m not sure I like the idea of collaborating with a dead author. But assuming he wouldn’t be a zombie or vampire, I’d have to choose Dostoevsky. Not that he’d be all that pleasant to work with, but I could just sit at his feet and try to soak in some of that brilliantly layered characterization.

12.) Do you have any upcoming books?

Kaimira is a five-book series, and I’m currently hard at work finishing up #2, which is called The Terrible Everything.

13.) What is your favorite food or snack to eat when you’re writing?

I can’t say that I snack much while I’m writing, but I do drink a lot of strong coffee before lunch and then a lot of green tea after lunch.

14.) What were some of your favorite books when you were younger?

Lord of the Rings, The Dark Is Rising, A Wrinkle In Time, The Outsiders

15.) Do you have any pets?

Right now I travel too much to keep a pet, but I grew up with all kinds of pets running around. My dad used to rescue stray animals and bring them home, everything from hungry dogs to a pig that fell off a truck. My most recent pet, before I moved away from home to go to college, was a ferocious kitten named Grendel: Slayer of Grasshoppers.

16.) Does writing cut into your family time?

It helps that I’m a morning person, and I get my best work done before anyone else wakes up. But my twins know that I can’t resist playing with them every day, even when I’m under deadline.

17.) Do you have any hobbies other than writing?

I absolutely love traveling to other countries and then trying to figure out how to cook the food I eat there.

18.)What are some of your favorite movies?

Raising Arizona, Rushmore, Man On Fire, Miller’s Crossing, Spirited Away, Harold and Maude, A Clockwork Orange, Princess Mononoke, Oldboy

19.) What’s your favorite ice cream?

I call it Twin Can Ice Cream. You need a small coffee can and a large coffee can, ice, rock salt, and ingredients for home-made ice cream. Put the ingredients into the small can and tape it shut, put the small can into the large one, surround it with ice and rock salt, and tape it shut. Then give the can to a pair of energetic twins to kick around, throw, roll, or whatever for about a half hour. At the end, you have some delicious home-made ice cream.

Children’s book authors,

Do you have a website where you collect email addresses from kids?

Are you familiar with United States federal law regarding commercial websites that collect personal information from children? It’s called the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, and a single violation can have a civil penalty of up to $11,000.

Even if you aren’t making money from your author website, it’s a commercial site if you are using it to promote your books. Because of this, you have to be careful how you collect personal information from children.

The best resource for learning about this is the FTC website, but it’s a lot of data and more than most of you need. And this is where I make it clear that I’m not a lawyer (IANAL). But I am familiar with the legislation and best practices that protect children online.

So here are a few basic tips.

The easiest thing is not to collect email addresses from kids at all, which means deleting them from your inbox, address book, and anywhere else they might be hiding.

But you wouldn’t be an author if you had any interest in the easy path. And you want to be able to collect those email addresses and send out announcements.

So, let’s take a look at what’s second easiest.

1. Post a privacy statement on your website, in a prominent place on the main page and on any page where you collect email addresses.  There are specific things you should include in the statement, so check them out:
   • Your name, address, telephone number and email address. You may want to use a P.O. Box and create a separate email address. Just be sure to check it regularly
   • The type of personal info you are collecting (in this case, names and email addresses), and how you are collecting it
   • How the info is going to be used (in this case, to send email announcements)
   • The fact that you won’t disclose this info to third parties
   • That the parent can review what info you’ve collected from their child and ask you to delete it
   • And that you aren’t allowed to condition a child’s participation in an activity on the disclosure of more information than is reasonably necessary to participate. That means you should only require email addresses for activities that need it, such as a newsletter or forum notifications.
2. Make sure your sign-up gizmo has an age-screening mechanism:
   • This is generally just a drop-down menu that asks for date of birth.
   • If the signer-upper is under 13, they should be prompted to include a parent’s email address as part of the sign-up process.
3. A notice should automatically be emailed to the parent’s email address. This notice should state the obvious:
   • that you have collected the child’s name and email address.
   • that the parent can respond to the email and tell you to delete the child’s info.
   • and that if the parent doesn’t respond, it means you have permission to use the child’s email address to send announcements.

   Note: this method is only good for collecting email address. If you are collecting home addresses and such, that will require additional steps, which we won’t get into here.

4. Don’t allow children to post freely on your site. If you have a blog or forum open to children, screen everything and remove any personal information, including email addresses.
5. And while it might not be required as part of this particular law, you should remove any other information, such as school or teacher names, that might help a predator track down the child. Best to be safe.
6. If you have a section to display fan mail, fan art, fan fiction, etc., be sure to strip away any personal information. First name and city should be sufficient to give credit.
7. Most importantly, don’t let this scare you into shutting down communication. These few steps will allow you to stay in direct contact with your fans, which is the steady breath of fresh air any children’s book author needs.

I posted a while ago that my first book, The Sky Village, had made the shortlist for the Eva Perry Mock Newbery Book Club. Then it made the second shortlist. And now I’m delighted that it’s on the third shortlist.

Here are a couple of nice things the Committee had to say about The Sky Village:

“Well-formed writing style that impeccably blended two plot sequences… and it had demons fighting!” – T.
“I experienced sensations that at times made me feel like saying ‘Don’t do that or you will get hurt!‘” – J.

Excerpts from early reviews of Kaimira: The Sky Village.

The Sky Village is the soaring debut to Monk and Nigel Ashland’s new young adult series, Kaimira.

I loved the imagery of the Sky Village. The colorful hot air balloons seemed so full of life that they made the contrast with the barren Las Vegas even more apparent. At first I was much more drawn to Mei’s story, but over the course of the book I really connected with Rom. His devotion to his sister and his determination to do anything to save her was very touching.
- Bookish Ruth

If you love to read novels with complex, unusual and well-realized futuristic societies, you will likely enjoy The Sky Village. It’s clear that Monk and Nigel Ashland put real heart into developing a believable and intricate world. The episodes in the Sky Village itself were my favourite parts of the story. I could really imagine this huge floating city drifting above the Chinese landscape. I’m sure that there will be many fans Rom’s plotline, as the demonsmithing scenes are dark and thrilling. This is a story for guys and girls, for anyone who loves tales of adventure and other worlds.
- Guys Lit Wire

This was a great sci-fiction, futuristic book. It immediately pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go. It’s thought provoking and the characters feelings are great.The characters felt real and you couldn’t help caring for them or wanting to smack them on the head sometimes.When Rom was fighting in the arena you couldn’t help gasp with horror or cry out when Rom was hurt. The writing was amazing. If you like sci-fiction books or books set in the future then you will love this book. The Sky Village was an exciting, adventurous, amazing first book in a series of 5.This was a great debut from Monk and Nigel Ashland I can’t wait for the sequel to come out. The ending left me wanting more.
- Bookluver-Carol’s Reviews

Kaimira, book one, was a very satisfying read. Satisfying, because it was exciting. Satisfying, in a sense that you want more. And satisfying, it was above your expectations.
Minkster’s Blog

Charles Dickens meets Star Wars in this tale of brave waifs battling nightmarish evils in a future world. It’s a story rich in visual imagery, derring-do and doing-the-right-thing. While the parts of the story gave me the creeps, it’s a good read for kids who aren’t afraid of the dark, especially those who relish a creative story.
- Carol Fahey, Teacher

For an action adventure book it delves into emotional states quite often. Even though more descriptive than most books for this age group I think that the pace fairly flew and would be able to keep the attention of any child who had a fascination with anime, fantasy, and heros taking on monumental, adult tasks.
- Rurik Reviews

I found this novel to be fascinating and thought-provoking. After reading how the beast and machine elements are blended with humanity in Mei and Rom I began to see these elements in balance and in conflict within myself. When I am trying to get my little ones organized and out the door on time for work in the morning I feel the beast rage rising
in me and struggle to bring cool mek intelligence to bear.
- a wrung sponge

I was captivated by the idea of the sky village itself and I often found myself turned back to the two-page illustration of all those hot air balloons and the people sliding between them on ropes hundreds of feet above the earth. The story itself alternates between Mei in the sky village and Rom in the scary underground world beneath Las Vegas, where he battles mechanical beast demons in a life or death game. While I found myself identifying with Mei, I can see how other readers will find themselves absorbed by Rom’s struggles.
- brighton book bloggers

The Sky Village is an exciting story with likeable main characters. The writing was engaging and the changing viewpoints kept things interesting.
- tardis, LibraryThing

The Sky Village is a unique fantasy with rich world building. Monk and Nigel Ashland have created two fascinating cultures, each of which shows elements of their root cultures. The Sky Village is a lovely concept, a city made of balloons tied together and floating above China. The culture of the Sky Village is an interesting mixture of traditional Chinese elements with unique elements unique to an airborne society. I particularly loved the nuptial rituals. The caves under Las Vegas, by contrast, have a culture steeped in greed and gambling that seems appropriate to their location.

The characters are also interesting, varied and colorful. The two protagonists are likable, sympathetic, and quite human: they make mistakes and they fail, sometimes with disastrous consequences, but they are both courageous and caring, and try to make up for their mistakes.
- Wands and Worlds

In Sky Village, the Ashlands combine elements of future story, fantasy, survival, adventure, identity, and culture. The series reminds me a bit of Philip Reeve’s Hungry City Chronicles (Mortal Enginesand the like). Although Reeve’s series is aimed at a slightly older audience than the Kaimira series, both grapple with ideas about Otherness and possible ways of interacting with those who are different from ourselves.
- Library & Literary Miscellany

…any child or adult fan of Sci Fi/Fantasy should find something of interest in this series, and I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series.
- A Reading Life

Monk and Nigel Ashland’s The Sky Village oscillates between pulse-raising action, and heartfelt takes on grief and loss. Both primary characters are richly written, and the emotional travails Rom and Mei face come across in sharp paragraphs and gripping situations. The depth of familial love is captured perfectly as Rom helps his sister construct puppets modeled after their parents, and Mei relishes her time with one of her mother’s pets.

Though a teen series, Rom and Mei wrestle with adult situations as both must save those around them by recognizing and controlling their newfound genetics. Throughout The Sky Village profound questions are raised, such as a futility of progress in science, the price of power, and what differentiates man, beast, and machine. The Sky Village is an exciting new entrance into the children’s literature world, and a worthy contender.
- BriMeetsBooks.com

A dazzling start to what promises to be a sensational new series, The Sky Village hosts a likable and sympathetic cast of characters, an exciting and fast-paced plot, and a wonderfully rich and believable setting. Occasional illustrations compliment the story nicely by allowing for better visualizations of this fantastical world and its inhabitants. While I enjoyed almost everything about this book, I especially liked the descriptions of Mei’s life on the balloons. The Ashlands have created a unique landscape that spoke to the child in me. I could see the sky walkers dancing across ropes from balloon to balloon as Mei watched breathlessly. It was a stark contrast to the dark underbelly of Las Vegas that served as home to Rom and his sister, Riley.

Geared toward middle readers, I think even adult fans of science fiction and fantasy books will be pleased with The Sky Village. I’ll definitely be looking for the second installment, when hopefully we’ll be introduced Lizard Girl, another Tree Book owner we’ve yet to meet.
- Traci’s Book Bag

Yesterday was the final stop on my virtual blog tour for Kaimira: The Sky Village. Thanks everyone who participated. Tracy from Candlewick who got the ball rolling.

Sheila from Wands and Worlds, who kicked things off. She also gave the book a very nice review and is hosting a contest to win a free copy, and will be hosting an author chat with me in August.

Shelf Elf (read, write, rave), came next with some challenging questions (which I had a lot of fun answering). The best fantasy or sci-fi book of all time? Geeze, that’s a hard one!

Next was Cloudscome at A Wrung Sponge, who somehow managed to get some secret info about my childhood. How exactly did the Incredible Hulk become a theme in my life?

An interview with Jan at Brighton Book Bloggers was the next stop. Again, some very challenging questions and fun to answer. The interview reminded my why I love apocalyptic sci-fi.

On Friday there was a bit of a twist, when the stop was Susie’s blog at the Association of Online Community Moderators. I attempted to demonstrate how my shift from the online community field to writing fantasy isn’t as gigantic as it seems.

And wrapping up the tour was an interview with Bri from Bri Meets Books, who also had some fantastic questions. My favorite, I think, was what characteristics from my characters would I like my twin girls to have.

Thanks again, everyone. And for anyone reading this who hasn’t visited the tour stops, there’s no time like the present.

Here’s the schedule for next week’s Blog Tour for Kaimira: The Sky Village.

Monday, July 14, 2008
Wands and Worlds

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Shelf Elf

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A Wrung Sponge

Thursday, July 17, 2008
Jan Dohner, Library Media Specialist

Friday, July 18, 2008
Association of Online Community Moderators

Saturday, July 19, 2008
Bri Meets Books

My interview with the very talented Cynthea Liu and her rabbit Snoop was posted today.

Here’s an excerpt:

Tell us a little bit about your path to publication.

I started writing when I was eight, the moment I’d finished reading Where the Sidewalk Ends. By bedtime I’d filled a notepad with poems. Fast-forward a few years, and teenage me is reading series fantasy like it’s going out of style. Which it never does. Because two decades later, when I’m given an opportunity to pitch a book series for kids, my thoughts turn immediately to series fantasy with a bottomless well of world building.

Read the rest, and be sure to post a comment there

If you don’t follow the online children’s literature monthly called The Edge of the Forest, you need to bookmark it now, and not just because there’s now a review of The Sky Village in there. It’s just an all around excellent resource.

But since I mentioned it, there is a very positive review there for The Sky Village. Allison Fraclose wrote the review, and she reposted it on her personal blog.

In the next 2 or 3 months Candlewick will be setting up a blog tour for Kaimira: The Sky Village. I offered to provide some names of people who are interested in participating in the tour.

So, consider this an open invitation to participate. I don’t care if your blog gets a million hits a month or ten. If you want to participate, I’d be happy to have you.

What are you getting yourself into? If you participate, you’ll sign up for a day of the tour. On that day, you’ll post something relating to me and my book. It can be an interview, or you can just let me take over and write something, or you can post a review, or it can be something else that I haven’t even thought of. I’ll have plenty of suggestions, including interview questions you can use, but you are free to do your own thing.

If you are interested, just email me: r e t t s t a t t @ g m a i l . c o m

And if you don’t have a copy of the book, I’ll make sure you get one.

And if you don’t know what a blog tour is, check out Elizabeth O. Dulemba’s explanation.