Three Times A Charm with Beth Overmyer

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers.

Today’s guest is children’s author, Beth Overmyer. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Beth! Can you tell us a little about you, please?

Beth Overmyer is a stay-at-home writer and a slave to The Cat. She mainly writes middle grade, but also is trying to branch into young adult and some new adult fiction. (Hi, Mom!)

I get that. At our house, we are slaves to The Bunny.

Beth is a fellow middle grade author over at MuseItUp Publishing. Tell us about your novel, Beth.

In a Pickle is about Charlie Pickle, a boy who time-travels every other day...quite accidentally. On a trip back to 1910, he meets a man with a secret. Murder makes the headlines that day, and Charlie’s new friend knows who the guilty party is. Now, not only does Charlie have bullies to contend with, he’s got some history to fix.

  • Top 3 books you recommend reading and why you recommend them.

I recommend…
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It’s fun, it’s hilarious, and it paints kids with difficulties (ADHD and dyslexia, that is) in a positive light.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It’s a true mystery, no detectives on the case. From chapter to chapter, you’re left hanging by your nails, wondering “What on earth is going on?” If you like a good puzzle and are up for an intellectually-challenging read, this book should do.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt really has a way with weaving a good story and delivering an emotional gut-punch. Highly entertaining and moving.

  • Top 3 tools of the trade you couldn’t live without.

1.      My computer (Samwise is his name—yes, after Samwise Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.) He is my ally in all my writing adventures. Bob was his predecessor. He was evil. EVIL. (That’s awesome. Samwise is the epitome of friendship in my book, so I LOVE that name!)
2.      Critique Circle, an online group where I can vent to fellow writers and get their help with honing my craft.
3.      Tea. Caffeinated to help me through the tiring scenes, herbal to soothe my upset nerves when things start going downhill.

  • Top 3 pieces of advice for kids these days.

Stay in school. Really, if I hadn’t finished, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. School may not be fun, but it’s great story fodder…I mean…it’s character-building.

Don’t worry about what other people think…it really is true that they’re probably too busy thinking about themselves.

Don’t be ashamed of your weaknesses. Use them to your advantage. I’m shy with a short attention span. This is how I can sit alone and write/rewrite/research for large chunks of time…and keep 30+ storylines straight.

Beth, where can our tech savvy readers find you online?

You can reach me at: bethovermyer@gmail.com
Also, there’s my blog http://bethovermyer.blogspot.com and my website http://bethovermyer.com. You can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bethyo

Thanks for charming us on this week’s Three Times A Charm, Beth. Best of luck to you and In a Pickle.

THANKS!

GUESTS WELCOME!  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.
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Comments

  1. Beth OvermyerSeptember 25, 2013 at 5:35 PM

    Hey, thanks for the interview, Kai! 'Twas lots of fun :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorSeptember 29, 2013 at 10:45 AM

      My pleasure, Beth. You're welcome anytime. So are your fun characters :D

      Delete

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