Barrie Summy is the author of a humorous tween/teen series starring amateur detective Sherry (short for Sherlock) Holmes Baldwin. In its newly released third installment (following I SO DON’T DO MYSTERIES and I SO DON’T DO SPOOKY), Sherry takes on a brand new mystery when she learns that someone's been tampering with the cosmetics at a kiosk at the local mall. Today, Barrie joins us to answer some of the questions she's often asked during school visits, and to share details about an exciting new contest she's hosting on her website.
School visits! They’re the best! Why? Writing can be lonely. You. Your characters. A keyboard.
School visits are a great way to get to spend time with real, live, interesting people. Here are some of the common, and not so common, questions I get asked.
Q: Where do you do most of your writing?
A: In parking lots and driveways. I spend LOADS of time driving my very busy children to their various activities and then I have to wait for them. So, I bring my trusty laptop and a snack, and write in my car.
Q: How much of your life do you put in your books?
A: More than I mean to. Although none of the characters are based completely on actual people, all kinds of real details do creep in. A few examples: I really have a child who’s super allergic to bees. I carry an epi-pen everywhere. And I have kids who play water polo, like Josh. Like Sherry’s mother, I have zero sense of direction.
Q: What are you going to do with all your veiled chameleon eggs when they hatch? (note: We have a male and female veiled chameleon and EIGHTY-FOUR eggs in incubators.)
A: Sell them to the pet store. We do NOT want to be the proud owners of EIGHTY-SIX chameleons (84 + the parents)! Do NOT.
Q: Does your eighth-grade son have a girlfriend?
A: No.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Here, there and everywhere. Sometimes I overhear a remark or a conversation and it gets me thinking. Or an article in the newspaper will grab me. For I SO DON’T DO MYSTERIES, one of my kids was doing a project on rhinos. He mentioned that rhinos have a keen sense of smell. I thought, hey, that would make a great clue. And that’s how MYSTERIES began.
Q: Does your sixteen-year-old son have a girlfriend?
A: No. Hmm… At least I don’t think so.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I SO DON’T DO FAMOUS. This is the fourth mystery in the series, and it’ll be out in 2011. I’m working on the revisions. And there are LOTS of them!
Q: Is there a booktrailer for I SO DON’T DO MAKEUP?
A: Yes, yes, yes! And it was made as a surprise for me by Bookworm Reader, a teen blogger.
Here it is:
Now….drum roll….about a giveaway!!
I’m hosting a giveaway based on my mystery series! One Grand Prize winner will receive autographed copies of the three books in the series, I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP, I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY, and I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES, plus a tote bag and t-shirt! Three lucky runners up will win an autographed copy of I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP and a t-shirt!
To enter, send an email to ISoDontDoMakeup@gmail.com (note: no apostrophe!) with the subject line "Pick Me!" In the body of the email, include your name and email address (if you're under 13, submit a parent's name and email address). One entry per person and prizes will only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses. Entries must be received by midnight (PDT) on June 30. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on July 1 and notified via email. Check my website after July 6 for the list of winners!
- Barrie Summy
