An Interview with Mildred Potash, author of Millie and Cupcake

Hi, all! So, I am continuing to make progress in writing my super-secret, YA sci-fi novel of doom. Recently, I passed 118 pages, 31,000 some words. As I said in a recent twitter post, "wondering at what point I leave novella-land and enter into fo-reallsy novel-dom".  I've also, recently been struggling in nailing down the genre of the book. Weeks ago, I asked this question, "is there such a genre as contemporary sci-fi? My YA MS takes place modern day (no real dystopian elements). Is it just YA sci-fi?", but I got no real answers. I know that I needn't focus too long on labeling the work, but I do think it's something I want to be clear on before I enter the querying phase.
 
But, I digress. Today, I'm very excited to bring you all our first ever interview with an author of a children's book. Publishing a book for kids is an area that we've not touched on yet and I feel that it's just another perspective that we could all benefit from hearing. In this post, we will be speaking with Mildred Potash, author of Millie and Cupcake.



-Hi, Mildred! So, what can you tell us about you?

MILDRED: I have had a love for animals since I was young. I love to rescue them. I am almost done with completing my BA in multimedia.

I have a feeling that Millie and Cupcake is a bit autobiographical. Is that correct?

MILDRED: Yes, I named the character after my pet rat Cupcake.

-Who did the beautiful illustrations for your book?

MILDRED: My good friend Jesse Jay Jones created my illustrations. You can check out his work at Jessejaymesjones.com.

-What made you want to tell this story?

MILDRED: My love for animals, especially rats, has inspired me to write Millie and Cupcake.  I feel this story needed to be told because rats are the most misunderstood animals. They are clean, intelligent, loving, and they make great companions. Their bad reputation is completely undeserved. I love rats and all animals and I think people should not judge them so quickly.

-Are there any other animals out there that need to have their stories told and/or made into children’s books?

MILDRED: Most other animals have been represented in children's stories, except rats

-Do you have any pets?

MILDRED: Yes, I have a few pet rats, three dogs, a hamster, and my sister's rabbit.

-What was your favorite book growing up?

MILDRED: My favorite book growing up was Charlotte’s Web.

-What advice can you give new children’s authors out there who are in the process of writing their own book?

MILDRED: If you love writing, pursue it. Even if your book is not a success, don’t give up.

-Is there a moral to Millie and Cupcake? What do you want kids and adults to take away from this story?

MILDRED: My story brings a good message for kids about learning to take care of a pet, going through new things like moving to a new place and making friends. it is also a story about true friendship.

-Mille and Cupcake teaser trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKLuRNjaQ8A

-Where can we buy it?

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Millie-Cupcake-Mildred-Potash/dp/1478709979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397407075&sr=8-1&keywords=millie+and+cupcake
Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/millie-and-cupcake-mildred-potash/1115928662?ean=9781478709978
Outskirts Press:http://www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore/9781478709978.html

 

Well, thanks for joining us today, Mildred! I feel like this is a book that I'd want my own daughter to read. No doubt, many of my readers out there are likely thinking the same thing.

 

***Please check out this blog and my twitter handle @RimerTom for many more author interviews, advice about getting published, and more stories from my journey as I attempt to write my first book.