Ten Questions with Frieda Wishinsky

Open Book talks to Frieda Wishinsky about reading, writing and her book, Stop that Stagecoach (Maple Tree Press). Frieda will be at The Word On The Street on Sunday, September 27th. Click here for details.

Open Book: Toronto:

Tell us about your latest book.

Frieda Wishinsky:

My soon-to-be -published Canadian Flyer Adventure #13 is called Stop That Stagecoach. In this story it's the early 1830s and Emily and Matt meet new settlers to Canada, Thomas O'Brien and his mother. Together they travel the long and difficult roads to Upper Canada. Their stagecoach almost tips over, and they encounter unfriendly innkeepers and drunken sailors and hope they will make it safely to their destination before Mrs. O'Brien has her new baby.

OBT:

Did you have a specific readership in mind when you wrote your book?

FW:

Kids in grades one to four.

OBT:

Describe your ideal writing environment.

FW:

A coffee shop.

OBT:

What was your first publication?

FW:

Oonga Boonga, a picture book.

OBT:

Describe a recent Canadian cultural experience that influenced your writing.

FW:

I just visited BC and it's given me new ideas for forthcoming books. Travel is always rich in ideas and inspiration.

OBT:

If you had to choose three books as a “Welcome to Canada” gift, what would those books be?

Wow Canada and any of my Canadian Flyer Adventures.

OBT:

What are you reading right now?

FW:

I just finished The Guernsey Literary Society and Potato Peel Club by Shaffer and Barrows. Loved it.

OBT:

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer?

FW:

Write what you're passionate about and in your own "voice". Be persistent.

OBT:

What advice do you have for writers who are trying to get published?

FW:

Read, be persistent, write often and listen to good feedback.

OBT:

What is your next project?

FW:

I have two wonderful picture books coming out this fall, You're Mean, Lily Jean, Scholastic and Maggie Can't Wait, Fitzhenry and Whiteside. I'm finishing a short novel called Blob for Orca. I'm working on an alphabet book for Maple Tree and book 14 in the Canadian Flyer Adventures, which is about the Titanic.

Frieda Wishinsky was raised and educated in New York. With a degree in special education, Frieda went on to teach children and adults with learning disabilities in New York, Israel and Canada. She has also been active in establishing a number of school libraries. Frieda began writing in the 1980s and has published more than twenty titles for children. Her books have earned much critical praise and have been reviewed in magazines and newspapers around the world, including The London Times, The Observer and The New York Times. Her book, Each One Special, was nominated for a Governor General's Award. Frieda loves humor, history and exploring new ways to tell a story. In her presentations, she uses drama and storytelling to engage her young audience. She is the author of Please, Louise; Jennifer Jones Won’t Leave Me Alone; What’s the Matter with Albert?; and the books in the Canadian Flyer Adventures series among others. Frieda lives in Toronto. For more information about Stop that Stagecoach please visit the Maple Tree Press website. Buy this book at your local independent bookstore or online at Chapters/Indigo or Amazon.