Children's Book
Date Published: October 2014
Bubba is out on one of his undersea adventures when he finds a frightened Orca trapped by a fishing net! In this attention gripping yet comical tale, Bubba works with his buddy Sammy the Seagull to free Ollie. Come along and join Bubba the Bottlenose dolphin as he makes a new buddy while sharing a day they won’t soon forget.
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View from
the Birdhouse Interview with Laura Maw
Q1:
What inspired you to write this book?
I have a very vivid imagination that
often takes me on wondrous adventures in my dreams. In fact, the idea for my
first book, Bubba’s Balloon, came to
me in the form of a very funny dream. I woke up laughing and felt that it was a
story that must be shared with others. My second book, Ollie the Orca, was later created through daydreaming about what
other adventures Bubba might be having.
Q2:
What was the research process like?
Looking at the story with its
audience’s needs in mind was the first part of the research process. Children’s
books are tough because you have such a wide audience to please, including
kids, teachers and parents. Trying to balance the kids’ desire for fun, with
the parents’ need for lessons, and the teachers’ need for educational learning
was definitely the hardest part of the research process. The second part of the
research process was evaluating the words for grade level. When writing a
children’s book that can also be read by a child them self it is important to
keep a tight grade level range for words.
Q3:
What is your daily writing schedule?
I don’t have a writing schedule of any
sort, you can’t force inspiration. As dreaming and daydreaming are a major part
of my story creation process, when I write depends on when a great story
decides to unveil itself.
Q4:
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
With out a doubt I would have to say
Robert Munsch. I loved reading his books when I was a kid! I must have read
every one of them. I really liked the humour in his stories and the different
imaginative situations that his characters would find themselves in.
Q5:
Who are your favorite authors?
For children’s books these authors are
at the very top of my list: Robert Munsch, Stanley and Janice Berenstain, and
Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss). All four of these authors have something
very important in common, they are not afraid of the power of imagination.
Outside of children’s book authors, George Orwell is without a doubt my
favourite! Nineteen Eighty-Four is my
favourite novel of all time! I can’t stop myself from reading it again every
few years. I plan on reading Orwell’s entire collection over the course of my
life.
Q6:
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
My favourite activity is hiking out to
see beautiful lighthouses and ocean scenes. I’ve been to lighthouses in Nova
Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia. I also enjoy spending time
with my horses, Vinni and Jake.
Q7:
What is your next writing project?
I have a story idea for a third Bubba n’ Buddies book that I hope to
develop in the near future. There is a new marine character named Sally to
introduce!
