Author Interview & 2 Book Giveaway: Beverly Stowe McClure

Welcome to Author Beverly Stowe McClure

Bio: 

When Beverly was a child she hated to read. She hated to write. Even though her eighth grade teacher sent her poem “Stars” to a high school anthology and it was published in Young America Sings, she hated to write. In spite of her rocky relationship with books she attended the university, where she read hundreds of books. What was she thinking? She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education and became a teacher. Imagine that. Reading to her students and to her sons made Beverly realize what she’d been missing. Reading was fun. Now she reads every day, and she writes too.
Beverly has four novels for teens published and one for MG/tweens. Her latest is Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines, the story of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Stamford and her family’s daily struggle to survive a changing way of life during the American Civil War. It is a story of fear, courage, and understanding that people, no matter where they live, have the same needs: love, peace and security.

Link to: http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com
Website: http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/#!/beverlymcclure
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/beverlysmcclure

Interview:


If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
The future because so many exciting things are happening in the medical fields and in science.

What is one book everyone should read?

The Bible

If you could have any superpower what would you choose?
I think it would be neat to fly.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Vanilla

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?
Jesus Christ

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Cheerios and cinnamon toast, with coffee.

Night owl, or early bird?
Early bird.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines gives readers a glimpse into the effects of the American Civil War on the common people whose lives were changed forever and how they survived.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?
Tumbleweed Christmas, my first easy reader, is scheduled for release in September. My YA contemporary novel, Life on Hold, will be out soon, and my first picture book, Frankie’s Perfect Home, is forthcoming. I’m shopping my MG paranormal adventure story around now, and working on another YA contemporary, as well as a sequel to my tween novel, Just Breeze.

What inspired you to want to become a writer?
Seeing how much my fifth grade students enjoyed reading great Newbery books inspired me to venture into the world of writing.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Even with the heat and insect population, I’m pretty happy with my home in Texas. The people are great, the trees are sturdy in spite of the lack of rain, and Texas has beautiful skies.

What is your favorite Quote?
If you don’t get it done today, there’s always tomorrow. And if tomorrow never comes, it won’t matter anyway. (My mother always said this.)

When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?
Either a singer or an ice skater. Since I sound like a frog when I open my mouth, and I do good to stand on my feet much less skate, I had to change my goals.

Hidden talent?
I play the piano. And the cat leaves the room.

Favorite Food?
Angel food cake, strawberries, and cool whip.

Favorite Candy?
Anything chocolate.

How do you react to a bad review?
I remind myself that it’s one person’s opinion and everyone has different tastes and then promise myself not to read any more reviews.

If you were a bird, which one would you be?
Hummingbird

What do you do in your free time?
Take pictures of nature, genealogy, and play the piano.

What's your favorite season/weather?
Fall when the air grows cooler, the trees turn lovely shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the sound of band music drifts from the football stadium.

Favorite places to travel?
South Carolina and California where my sons live.

Favorite music?
Anything Elvis Presley sings, along with country.

Caves, Cannons and Crinolines:

On Thursday, May 21, 1863, a mortar shell rips through the wall of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth (Lizzie) Stamford's bedroom. Afraid their home is no longer safe, her mama, Susan, rushes Lizzie and her younger brother, Nathan, to the cave, where she plans to live until the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ends. Lizzie, however, has her own plans: to enlist in the Confederate Army and help drive General Ulysses S. Grant and his Yankees into the Mississippi River. Her older brothers, Joseph and Willie, are in Virginia, fighting for their cause. Can she do any less? But Willie's death in battle, Joseph's return home, wounded, bitter, and filled with guilt, and a young Yankee whose life she saves make Lizzie question whether there is a right or wrong side to the Civil War.

Just Breeze:

Eighth grade starts out the same as every other year for Breeze Brannigan. She's still the tallest student, boy or girl, in her class, wears shoes that would fit an elephant, and her smile reveals dazzling braces that blind everyone within ten feet. Then she meets Cam , the new boy in school who speaks with an accent and must be from another planet, for none of the earthling boys she knows are so polite. He also has a secret, a secret that could mean life or death for Cam and his mother and that Breeze must help him keep.

Giveaway Details:
2 winners will each receive a copy of both Just Breeze & Caves, Cannons & Crinolines.
Open to US & Canada
Ends 8/27/11

To enter just leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you.