Creativity…Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks

February 6, 2015 2 Comments
Meet the Authors


ChrisChat:
Why did you write the book that brought you to MuseItUp Publishing?
Ken and Anne:
The original idea for THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM came from watching seagulls perform their aerial antics in late winter when they are trying to attract a mate.  At first our idea for a story involved a person who had been changed into a seagull by some evil magician.  In order to defeat the spell that made him into a bird, he now had to have faith that, if he dove straight into a particular spot in the ground, he would not kill himself but would, instead, through the act of faith break the spell and transform himself into a human again.  That plot evolved as we decided to use a pigeon rather than a seagull and, also, to require the two young siblings to make the leap of faith to help the pigeon transform himself.  In addition, we introduced the fact that the pigeon/person (Arthur Whitehair) was responsible for his own transformation to a bird because he had been attempting to work a spell that would have given him eternal life but botched it.  The theme of Whitehair’s continuing weakness and the possibility that he might never do what was necessary to have just a normal life span again was an ongoing part of the book, and will recur in the next book.
ChrisChat:
Again, I’m lucky enough to know your story being your content editor. I love Arthur. His opening meeting with Jennifer and their adventure had me cheering and smiling.  Even with knowing the story, you weaved this leap of faith, doing what you need to do effortlessly.  How important to you find a leap of faith is for writers? Is it a leap or more a self-belief in themselves?
Ken and Anne:
Every time we sit down to write there is a kind of fear lurking in the background.  One part of that fear is the worry that we do not have the ability to write a story the way it should be done.  Even if we have a piece of polished, published prose that might prove otherwise, we might well torture ourselves by thinking that whatever merit it had was a fluke!  The second fear is that the plot idea that exploded into our minds like a fireworks display is, in fact, a dud—the characters will not get along, the dialogue will be stale, and no publisher, agent or reader is going to care!  Still, you have to put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, and soldier on, (or just quit, of course, which neither of us considers an option).  Also, we know from experience that there is a lot of work to do before we get to the point where the effort starts to seem successful.  So, yeah, we would say that writing indeed does take a considerable leap of faith.
ChrisChat:
Is it easier or more difficult writing one story with a partner or writing alone?
Ken and Anne:
Funny you should ask.  The best part of writing together is that you’re never alone with those fears we just mentioned!  For us, the question is not whether it is easier or harder to write together or alone; this is simply the way we always have done it, do it now, and will continue to do it.  Although on certain projects one of us may end up accomplishing most of the work and it may appear that this person is working alone, that would be an inaccurate conclusion.  There is really no time when one of us works that the other isn’t there also in some sense, to poke and prod, to question and to reassure, and inevitably to put in solid work.  After a lot of talking, writing, talking, re-writing again and again, and a lot of walks thrown into the mix, we finally come up with a finished product that satisfies us both. This symbiotic relationship has served us well so far, and we are constantly trying to push it to the next level. 
 ChrisChat:
Because you are a writing partnership, would you say you fall into a planner or pantser (by-seat-of-the-pants) writing method? Or is it such that both methods are used as you have each other to bounce and tweak your ideas.
Ken and Anne:
Exactly right, we use both methods.  Generally, we will begin with a basic idea of where the book will start and end and why we want to write it.  We talk about these things and refine them endlessly, it seems.  Although we rarely write out a full outline, we do discuss the major movements.  Characters are very important to us, and sometimes they take on a life of their own as to how the story should proceed.  But, we always know where we want to end the story so, ultimately, we get back in control.
ChrisChat:
Having never written with a partner, I know or think I know my strengths and weaknesses. I’m going to jump in with an assumption that writing partners are more aware of their and each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Would you agree or am I really way off in this assumption (hearing my dad’s voice due to his dislike of the word ‘assume’)?
Ken and Anne:
Ah, don’t you love it when you start hearing voices!  We would like to think that we are aware of our own and each other’s weaknesses and are making progress toward improving, and yet some of the same mistakes keep recurring with annoying frequency and have to be rooted out.  However, the fact that two of us look over a piece of writing makes it harder to fool ourselves into thinking something is good or finished when it is not.  We go through many drafts when we are working on a book.
ChrisChat:
Anything in the works to revisit Arthur and the gang?
Ken and Anne:
Yes.  We have two projects in mind for Arthur and the foursome.  One involves going back in time to the Revolutionary War and the Battles of Manhattan and Harlem Heights.  Many people who live in New York City are unaware that battles were fought right here in Manhattan and we have an idea that we would like to pursue as a middle reader sequel.  We also have an idea for a book that would take place when Jenny and James are a few years older.  It would be a young adult book and explore some serious themes.
ChrisChat:
I hear there’s a blog tour coming up, please share any details.
Ken and Anne:
We now have organized a blog tour with Mother, Daughter & Son services for THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM, with an emphasis on reviews with some interviews and excerpts thrown in.  It will run for two weeks from February 20 through March 5.  We are very excited about the prospect.

Thanks Renee!

“Things Are Not What They Seem” Blog Tour Schedule (2015)

February 20
Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch & Review)
Rockin’ Book Reviews (Excerpt)
February 21
2ReadBook (Review)
February 22
Deliciously Savvy (Review)
Adventures of a Military Family of 8 (Review)
February 23
Sher A Hart (Review)
Contest Patti (Excerpt)
February 24
Kay LaLone I Love Books (Review)
Heart of a Philanthropist (Excerpt)
February 25
BeachBoundBooks (Review)
My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews (Review)
February 26
Sally Writes (Review)
Icefairy’s Treasure Chest (Review)
February 27
The Book Lovers’ Lounge (Review)
The Library of the Seen (Review)
February 28
Eloquent Articulation (Review)
March 1
Sweet Little Pretties (Review)
Stitch Says (Review)
March 2
Debra Shiveley Welch Love and Writing (Review & Author Interview)
March 3
Bookworm for Kids (Review)
For the Love of Reading (Review)
March 4
Cat’s Kid Lit Book Reviews (Review)
March 5
Sunshine, Bubbles and Books (Excerpt/Guest Post)

WhenIGrowUpIWannaWriteAKidsBook (Guest Post/Excerpt)

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