I’m very excited about to getting to know author Sandy Carlson today. Sandy is a teacher and author of children’s books, but – even more exciting than this! – Sandy’s website states:
I have climbed mountains, swum in oceans, and run down sand dunes. I’ve outrun wildfires, hid in a basement from a tornado, cleaned debris from a hurricane, outwalked the incoming tide at Fundy Bay, and survived our house getting smashed by 100 year old trees. I’ve ridden horses, been on cattle round-ups, avoided stepping on rattlesnakes, charged by a wild boar, cleaned oil off of turtles from the largest inland oil spill in USA history, and know how to put a worm on a fish hook
Wow! All great experiences for a writer of children’s stories!
Thank you for having me on your blog today, Helena.
Good to meet you, too, Sandy!
Where do you live, Sandy? Presently, I live in Battle Creek, MI, Cereal Capital of the World. But I have also lived in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, western South Dakota, and Western New York.
I love US place names. Battle Creek has such a romantic ring to it!
Where is your favourite place in the world? Algonquin Provisional Park, Ontario. Spending one week camping there each year as our boys grew up was worth whatever the other 51 weeks of the year threw at us. The wilderness. The colors. The animals. The waters. <Ahh.>
That sounds so romantic, too.
Being a writer is a great job. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I’ve had dozens of different jobs with pros and cons to each. However, there were a couple I remember dreading going to each morning, both had to do with monstrous, irrational bosses. <shiver>
They are definitely the worst sort of job
What book do you wish you’d written? I could answer this differently every decade, but for now I’d say THE PRINCESS ACCADAMY by Sharon Hale. Besides great writing, it has magical natural elements to it.
I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard lots of people say how much they loved it
What’s your favorite song? I love music, and in each story I write, there is always a musical element. That said, trying to pick a favorite…it changes all the time with 10,000 reasons why.
If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you have to say to them? C.S. Lewis. And I wouldn’t say a word. I’d just sit and listen.
What’s your happiest childhood memory? My happiest childhood memory is of my maternal grandmother laughing with me.
That’s such a lovely memory :)
If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? There is no one who comes near to my husband. So if not him, then I’d be celibate.
Another romantic answer. Love it!
What mythological creature would you like to encounter? The Mers: mermaids, mermen, merchildren.
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? I’ve realized that our time is limited. So, choose your battles; make peace whenever possible; and don’t be afraid of failures.
And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website
My latest book is WAR UNICORN, by S.L. Carlson, is the story of a 14-year-old boy and a rude ancient war unicorn. His task is to return the spell-bound unicorn to the king – a simple 3-day trip, which ends up taking weeks, not to mention war!
Sandy’s blog and website can be found at www.sandycarlson.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/sandycarl
Twitter: @sandycarl
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/authorsandycarl/
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That sounds a tremendous read, Sandy! And I LOVE the dramatic cover. Thanks so much for coming by today. It’s been great getting to know you.
If you’ve enjoyed Sandy’s interview, or have any questions or comments at all, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!
Helena Fairfax 
Aloha Sandy and Helena,
Great interview as always Helena. I do love hearing what people are going to say to the questions. You sound fun Sandy!! I tell you… the amount of writers that come out of Michigan astounds me!! LOL. Kay Dee Royal and Alix Richards are two of my friends. Richard Burns is another Michigonian. My cover artist on my last book was from there. It was the first US state I lived in when I came out here twenty odd years ago. And to my surprise, the team I picked to support are the Detroit Tigers. LOL.
You’ve done some really interesting things. How cool!!!
I think doing Michigan winters must spark people’s creativity on lots of levels. :-) I did two winters, and have the scars to prove it. :-)
I was always disappointed that Battle Creek didn’t have the Giant Cereal Flake on display somewhere. LOL. I was expecting it. :-)
Thanks, very fun. Aloha Meg :-)
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Hi Meg, I agree about Michigan! Author J.Q. Rose is from that state, too. The winters sound severe, but the scenery around the lakes looks stunning. Would love to visit some time, and see if I can soak up some of that creativity :)
Thanks for your great comment, Meg!
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Aloha Helena,
Oh my God, JQ is as well?? Far out. That’s quite a few actually. The winters are horrific. I nearly went mad out there in winter. Quite literally. Six full months of winter. Sometimes no blue sky or sunshine for three weeks on end. Minus 22 Celsius in January! It’s hideous. But people who live there, love it!! :-)
I think it’s that madness and creativity thing that goes together, you know. LOL.
They U.P. (Upper Peninsula) is supposed to be lovely, but my one summer I was there, I ran away, so I’ve never gotten to see it. LOL.
Thanks and aloha Meg :-)
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Thanks for your comments, Meg and Helena. You’re so right about Michigan — both about the creativity within and the natural beauty. But I imagine Hawaii has a few good points, too. lol. Thanks for stopping by.
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What an interesting author you are, Sandy! Another great interview and the cover is amazing.
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Thanks for coming, Ros. And I love the cover, too!
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THANKS for your questions and for hosting me today, Helena. (And I’m hiding under my keyboard this morning as I realize I misspelled/miswrote SHANNON HALE’s name. Oh, how embarrassing. I know several Sharons, and only one Shannon. Sigh. Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.)
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Don’t worry, Sandy – I never even noticed! And Shannon Hale doesn’t follow my blog, anyway (I wish!) Maybe she might drop by and comment now, though. You never know!
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Hey, Helena. Sorry, I’ve been missing a lot lately. Working on the WIP. Can’t seem to juggle evenly. :) Hey, Sandy. Nice to meet you. Fascinating answers to Helena’s great questions. So here’s my question for you. Have you thought about writing an autobiography? You’ve done an amazing number of amazing things! Think we could all learn something from your experiences. I sure don’t want most of them myself! LOL Great book cover and sounds like an interesting read. Good luck with sales. :)
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Thanks for stopping by, Marsha. An autobiography? Oh gosh and blush. Who would want to read THAT? But thanks for the compliment. I think I’ll put my experiences into my fictional tales. Who knows? Maybe someone will believe I have a bit of magic on my own. And I totally agree about the awesome cover! Illustrator Charlie Volnek is amazing.
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Oh, I so agree about the cover, Sandy! I wondered if it was Charlie’s work. She did both of mine for Muse, and they’re fabulous! Hope your WIP is progressing well, Marsha. Thanks so much for taking time out to drop by and comment. It’s really much appreciated!
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Oh, my goodness! I really enjoyed learning about you, Sandy! What a great interview, Helen! I want to go and hang out with you both! Sandy, you sound like a person I’d LOVE to follow around and be friends with! I will definitely check out your book! My 13 year old daughter is a reader, so I’m sure we’ll be downloading! :))
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I’d love to hear your daughter’s reaction. Please have her contact me after she’s done (and has reccommended it to a zillion of her friends! lol).
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Thanks very much for your great comment, Sandy! I’m sure your daughter will enjoy Sandy’s book. It looks a great read!
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Looking forward to reading a fellow unicorn author’s book!
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Fellow Unicornist Suzanne, you know there’s nothing quite as lovely as a unicorn. (la-la — singing the song in my head).
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Thanks for coming by, Suzanne!
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Sandy, what exciting things you have done. It was great to find out more about you here on Helena’s blog. And I know you love to travel as well.
Best wishes with your book.
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Thanks, Susan. And yes, I do love to travel, as you have said. All the more ways to incorporate places and adventures into my stories.
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Thanks for coming by, Susan!
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Great interview Helena! And Sandy is one great gal. What wonderful experiences. Wow. Enjoyed the post and wishing you both the best of luck with your books. :)
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Thanks very much, Charlie! And thanks so much for the beautiful covers, which people comment on so often. They make me proud to sell my books!
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Your book sounds great, Sandy! Where in WNY did you live? I’m near Rochester.
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We lived in the Buffalo area. Greetings to overcast Rochester. And GO BILLS!
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