Three Times A Charm with Lisa Ard


Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry.

This week author, Lisa Ard, is visiting with us. I met Lisa through LinkedIn. Lisa, can you tell us a little about yourself? 

Writing is an adventure for me. It's been a long and winding journey to authoring children's books. Here's some of that journey's highlights:
  • I grew up in Wenatchee, Washington. Better look it up on the map, because it's the Apple Capital of the World!
  • As a kid I played lots of sports, enjoyed art and photography, read lots of books (still do) and dreamed of traveling the world. 
  • I left home to study at the University of Washington where I earned my B.A. in German. (And yes, my dad asked me "what are you going to do with a degree in German?")
  • After a couple years living and working in Seattle, I went back to school. Now, you may be asking why I signed up for MORE school. Actually I've always thought school was pretty fun. I found a really cool school that let me work overseas. I got my Masters in International Business from the University of South Carolina and worked in Germany.
  • For the next 15 years, I worked in Finance and Quality departments for some really big companies. In other words, I went to lots of meetings, talked on the phone, traveled all over the country and sat in a cubicle for a lot of that time.
  • Then I fell in love, got married and had two wonderful kids. We now live happily ever after in Portland, Oregon.
We only live a few hours from each other! We’ll have to have coffee sometime J

Tell us about your work.

I have two new books out this fall. The first is Saving Halloween, a middle-grade novel for ages 9-12, that’s a spellbinding tale of outcasts who find acceptance, a girl who discovers the true meaning of family, and characters who are not always what they seem. Here’s a synopsis:
When book-smart Anne Parson meets Halloween Spavento, she sees exactly what she wants to see -- a friend. Halloween waves away trouble, magically silences school bullies and offers Anne unfailing friendship. But, when the Spavento family's enchanting exploits are exposed, will Anne face her fears and save Halloween?

The second book: Dream Team, Dream Seekers Book Two, continues the adventures of Patrick and his family of dream seekers. For Patrick, being twelve years old can be challenging. Add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand Patrick's need for a little self-control. When Patrick's voice begins to change, he declares disaster! But one magnificent dream will introduce Patrick to some real-life heroes, who faced far greater adversity. Patrick discovers that his troubles are minor league in comparison. Will Patrick find the courage to face his fears?
Read an excerpt from both of these books on www.authorlisaard.com


They both sound great, but I especially love that you have a Halloween book! Perfect timing, no?

Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’s to help us know you a little better.

  • Top 3 books you’ve read in the past year.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous, by Georgia Bragg
I saw this pass over the holds desk at the library and had to read it. It’s hilarious but not for the faint of heart!

Millicent Min, Girl Genius, by Lisa Yee
Funny, sweet, poignant – all these describe this book. I picked it up looking for a comparable book dealing with overscheduled kids.

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow
Wow – big brother in today’s world. Read it.

  • Top 3 snacks to munch on while working.

    • Green apples and cheddar cheese
    • Chocolate and banana smoothie
    • Big pot of tea

  • Top 3 professions you wanted to be when you grew up.

    • Author
    • Linguist
    • Astronaut – until I discovered my susceptibility to motion sickness

  • Top 3 authors.
    • J.K. Rowling
    • Roald Dahl
    • No one else comes close

Ugh! I get motion sickness too. You’re top 3 books sound great (I’ve read Millicent Min – great one!) Lisa, where can our tech-savvy readers go to keep up with you and your work?

www.authorlisaard.com
www.facebook.com/authorlisaard
www.twitter.com/lisaard
www.dreamseekeradventures.com/blog

Thanks, Lisa, for joining us on this week’s Strands of Thought. Best of luck with your writing.

THANKS!

I am always looking for guests for Three Times A Charm. If you are an author, illustrator or book reviewer, an agent or an editor. If you have something related to children’s publishing that you’d like people to know about, feel free to contact me about a future appearance.

Comments

  1. Lisa ArdOctober 17, 2012 at 10:05 AM

    Thanks for the nice interview! Here's an additional offer -- readers who read and review Saving Halloween on Amazon by 10/31 (that's right, Halloween) will be entered to win a free copy of the book for their favorite non-profit (library, school, etc.) To enter, send me an e-mail once the review is online: lisaard2002@yahoo.com
    Go to Amazon for Saving Halloween: http://tinyurl.com/9hvab65
    available as ebook $2.99 or paperback $8.99
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 17, 2012 at 10:09 AM

      What a great offer, Lisa! I love your generous spirit. Glad you could visit with us this week!

      Delete
  2. M PaxOctober 17, 2012 at 2:46 PM

    I always have to take dramamine before flying. All success to you, Lisa.

    Waving at Kai.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lisa ArdOctober 18, 2012 at 12:47 PM

    Dramamine is my friend when I encounter turbulent airplanes, boats, long car rides, elevators... no kidding! and it seems worse the older I get. Thank you modern medicine. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.

    ReplyDelete

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