Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Connie Kallback

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Connie Kallback

How did you learn how to write?

By reading. The magic of recognizing words as they popped from the page when I was learning to read has never left me. A warning: I’ve been on the earth since my favorite era, WWII, earning me the label of historical, regardless of what era I write about. On my first trip to the library, circa 1946, I came home clutching, This is a Watchbird Watching You. Each page described a bad habit such as not cleaning your plate. At the bottom of the page, the Watchbird, a funny, gawky bird with an elongated beak asked, “Were you a dirty plate today?” I was forever hooked on books. As I went through school, I became rapt with anything related to words - not only literature, but grammar as well. Back in the day, we diagrammed sentences. It’s not a surprise that I went off to college to become an English teacher.

What was your favorite childhood book and why?

Despite the influence of the Watchbird book, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame stayed with me through stages of added curiosity and development. In my preschool days, my mother read it to my brother and me, sitting on either side of Mom in our wide rocker. By the time she finished an evening’s chapter, I would often be asleep, and she would carry me to bed. I’m sure that comfortable feeling of nodding off was attached to the book in some way. Years later, the personalities of Ratty and Mole, the wisdom of Badger, the wild antics of Toad, who would no doubt have been stamped with the ADHD label today, made them come alive for me. I think of them still with great fondness. I was also intrigued by the range of unfamiliar words that prompted me to take the book and a dictionary with me when I began babysitting to earn money. While the children slept, my vocabulary grew.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?

Because I write to see what happens, completely without an outline, I waited for a plot to eventually

reveal itself for Chasing the Blue Boat. One short incident described two main characters in shock at seeing their toy boat suddenly disappear down a storm drain. I wasn’t sure I would keep it. My first reader, who happens to be my husband, read it and said, “They have to find that boat.” I argued about the impossibility of it until he added, “Dogs and cats have been dragged out of those drains.” After much thought and a return to the keyboard, I was amazed at what happened. A small change suddenly shaped the trajectory of the novel! As it evolved, that seemingly insignificant scene became the novel’s symbolic focus and naturally had to become the title.

How has your book changed since your first draft?

The most significant change came as a suggestion from a wonderful copyeditor who worked with me through Ambassador International. She could easily sympathize with Dana, Luke, and their parents, but when she got to 14-year-old Seth and his grandmother in the last part of the book, she felt they were too perfect to be believable. They didn’t yearn for anything. Her advice hit hard at first because they were among my favorites. I especially loved Seth. Although I never knew anyone like him in real life, I just loved that kid. In spite of that, as I reread his conversations with Dana, he sometimes sounded too wise for his age. One of my personal readers agreed Seth seemed older than 14 but added that books often portray people that way, making it unlikely readers would question it. Still, I slept on it and awoke with the realization that the copyeditor was quite right and set about to fix it.

What is your advice to fledgling writers?

God is my writing partner. If you’re stuck, I recommend that you have a talk with Him and keep writing. I also urge everyone to read, read, read, and then write, be it a letter (the art is dying), text, or blog. A note to your spouse or children counts if you give it that extra piece of flair that connects with them. And don’t forget to jot down overheard conversations, dreams, or the phraseology of your grandparents or people from all over. You never know when they’ll come in handy. My dad and his sister sometimes sat over coffee in the kitchen and told some of the most outlandish tales anyone could imagine. Some of their unique phrases became utterances from my characters. My aunt once described the rain as falling a little but drying on the way down. The words fit perfectly with Gram’s manner of speaking in the mountains of North Carolina.

About Chasing the Blue Boat

Nine-year-old Dana follows her brother, Luke, wherever he goes. From climbing on ledges, jumping in a fish pond, and causing general mischief, Luke is fearless. But when tragedy strikes the Foster family, everything Dana has ever known turns upside down. When the storms of life come, will the Foster family stand firm in their faith? Or will they shatter under the pressure? Suddenly, a blue boat that Dana and Luke received from their uncle leads Dana on a journey of faith, hope, and love that she will not soon forget.

Purchase Links

Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3ZR6Ts9

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/mdewJl

Ambassador International: https://ambassador-international.com/books/chasing-the-blue-boat-a-novel-of-longing/

About Connie

Connie Kallback grew up on the plains of Wyoming, migrated to the Pacific Coast, and settled in New Jersey where she transitioned from English teacher to publishing with McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, and CPP, Inc, in positions from writer to acquisitions and managing editor. Her early writing, penned while teaching, appeared in magazines, newspapers, and literary journals. No longer wearing the hats of Mary Poppins or Sherlock Holmes, necessities of raising six children in two separate families, she writes in South Carolina where she lives with her husband.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.chasingtheblueboat.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connie.kallback

Instagram: http://www.instagram/connie.kallback