Guest Author, Tonja Drecker

Today, special guest, Tonja Drecker is here to tell us about her soon-to-be-released book, Music Boxes. 

How did you get the idea to use ballerinas in your book? Were you ever a dancer?

The idea came to me while I was weeding my garden—nasty blackberries with vicious thorns. An image of a ballet teacher staring over her shelves of music boxes with an evil grin settled in and wouldn’t leave. I have no idea what it had to do with the weeds, but I loved the image and built on it from there.

I never had the chance to learn how to dance, which is too bad since I’ve always enjoyed watching ballet. However, music was always a large part of my life as a pianist, organist and choir director. My daughter is the dancer. She started ballet when she was four, and then switched to hip-hop when she was about twelve. From there, she was discovered by a private trainer and competed all the way up to the German nationals. She kept us on our toes for many years.

It's funny how ideas happen. You must've had ballet on your mind from your daughter's years of dancing. Sounds like she's a talented dancer! 

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

I adore several of the characters, which probably isn’t surprising. If I had to pick a favorite, it might be Ms. Mulberry. She makes her grumpy appearance on the first page but proves that first impressions aren’t always correct. She’s such a spunky, quirky lady who packs a ton of secrets and surprises. I’d love to have a neighbor just like her.

She sounds fun!

Who or what inspired you to be a writer?

I’m not sure anyone or anything really inspired me to write. I’ve always had a vivid imagination and assume the love for stories came from there. The moment I learned how to spell, I wrote my first ‘book’, which was an entire three pages long and colorfully illustrated in crayon. Of course, my parents read picture books to me every now and then, but it wasn’t something they did regularly. I wrote stories on and off all the way through college and had a couple things published in the school’s poetry/story collections, but I never considered becoming a writer. The idea of allowing others to read my stories came after my first two children were born. We stayed in Ireland for several months while my husband headed a project in Dublin. The house we rented had shelves of romance novels. While the kids took their afternoon naps, I didn’t have anything to do. So, I flipped through those books. And then, it hit me—people wrote books. It might seem like a silly realization, but it was the first time I thought about it. And that’s where my writing began.

A vivid imagination and a love of books are definite musts for a writer! 

When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?

When reading this question, I have the urge to flip it around because writing is probably the thing, which I spend the least amount of time doing (am I allowed to say that?). I run a small farm with cattle and chickens, and still have my youngest two children at home. Keeping everything up, going and repaired—it’s amazing how often things break on a farm—along with the usual household chores and running after the kids (and husband), fills most of my day. I also have a children’s book review site, which takes time too. The writing floats in between. I do love to hike, travel, bake, garden, and canoe too.

Sounds like you are super-busy. With that much going on it's a wonder you have any time to write! 

Are you working on anything else?

Currently, I’m working on two manuscripts. One is a joint project with another writer, a fantasy packed with magic, intrigue, adventure and action, which runs a bit on the darker side of things. It’s aimed at the young adult audience and will hopefully be ready to send off this coming Fall.

The second manuscript is aimed toward the middle grade audience again. This one is a mystery and adds a good dose of humor. The cases are inspired by real life crimes but more quirky ones. The entire thing is very STEM centered and keeps curiosity, experimentation, and fun as the primary agenda.

Teachers will like the STEM aspect of the middle grade book. It'll help get you in to do author visits!

Where can readers find your book?

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

Goodreads

Thanks for stopping by! 

Here's more information about Tonja's book:

Music Boxes

By Tonja Drecker

Middle Grade Fantasy / Performing Arts

158 pages

Dancing Lemur Press

Ages 9 to 12

·         ISBN-10: 1939844568

·         ISBN-13: 978-1939844569

Book Blurb:

“I only desire your talent...”


Twelve-year-old Lindsey McKay's biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.
When she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who offers her classes for free, Lindsey can't believe her luck. In exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not right...
One by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine herself.

Goodreads 

Sale Links:

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

Author Biography:

Tonja Drecker is a writer, blogger, children’s book reviewer and freelance translator. After spending years in Germany exploring forgotten castles, she currently resides in the Ozarks with her family of six. When she’s not tending her chickens and cows, she’s discovering new adventures, nibbling chocolate and sipping a cup of tea.

Links:

Author website

Review blog

Twitter

Facebook

Youtube

Book Video

Early Order/Pre-order Special

Pre-order/order your book (ecopy or print) before midnight (EST) on Friday night, March 8^th, send a copy of your proof of purchase to  tonjadrecker@gmail.com along with an US mailing address, and you will receive an envelope with exclusive swag (bookmark, sticker, etc).

Giveaway

The giveaway will run from midnight (EST) on the night of February 21^st, 2019 until midnight (EST) on the night of March 15^th,  2019. Entries will be made through the Rafflecopter. One winner will receive a music box ( the one found in the book video: https://youtu.be/ww_RY4IVg3w ) with the author’s golden signature on the bottom as well as swag (US addresses only). The second winner will receive an Amazon GC of $10 (US). The second winner must be in possession of a qualifying US Amazon account.

And it's that time of month for the IWSG post. Since I won't be back on Wednesday, I'm doing this today. The question is, "Whose point of view do you write from–the hero or villain, and why?"

 I'd have to say I've always written from the hero's point of view, for no good reason other than that's what I do. This question has made me think, though. It might be fun to look at some of the things I've written from the villain's point of view. It's certainly a great way to get to know your bad guy!