New Series: Interview with a Young Writer -- Felicia from Stanley and Katrina

I'm starting a new series on Project Mayhem today. In coming posts, I plan to feature young writers. I've noticed how many talented young writers there are out there--and I say "more power to them." I remember the thrill I had when I was first "published" in my school magazine in 4th grade--I still have a well-worn copy--and I think it cemented from a young age my desire to be a writer.

The current crop of young writers are something else, however. They are super-talented and confident, as well as being media savvy. I am positive we are going to see great things from these guys in the future.

So, to kick-off the series, I invited Felicia, a.k.a. Neighbor Girl, to be my inaugural interviewee. I saw Felicia on an interview with Rick Riordan on HuffPost Live and, quite frankly, I was blown away by her intelligence and her naturalness under pressure. I would have been a basket case at her age! Felicia (and her mother, Christine, who is her media contact) produce the Stanley and Katrina website, which I hope you will immediately go to and enjoy once you finish reading this interview with Felicia.

Without further ado: Hi there, Felicia. I am a huge fan and I hope you'll answer a few questions for me. Here's the first one: When did you write and publish "The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets"?
I wrote The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets in November of 2012 and published it January 2013.

What was the most enjoyable part of the writing, and then the publishing, process? The most enjoyable part has been knowing that I actually wrote something, and that people liked it.

It really was a job well-done. Can you give our readers the "pitch" for "The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets"?
My book is about a dog and a cat who have lived in the same house for about three years but never bothered to learn each other’s name. They exchange letters to build their acquaintanceship. Katrina loves treats, naps and bossing the dog around. Stanley loves snow, attention and turkey. The diva kitty, Katrina, will have none of Stanley’s antics and most certainly will not stand for him eating her food. The only reasonable solution is to take him to Kitty Court.

I'm sure those people who have dogs and cats at home are nodding sagely at this. Are you writing anything else now?
I am working on the second book in my series.

How much time per week do you spend writing?
It depends what time of the year it is. Sometimes I don’t write at all but when I am in NaNoWriMo I write like crazy.

I like your attitude. Tell me, how did you get to be invited to talk with Rick Riordan on the Huffington Post Live? 
I sent in a request to HuffPost Live to be on their Tell Me Why Program. After my initial interview, the producer said she was going to get an author to be a guest, and I recommended that they contact my friend, Erik, who is also a young author. The producer thought it would be great to have us on the program together, and was able to get our favorite author, Rick Riordan (YAY, YAY, YAY!) as the expert guest for our program.

As I said before, I was so impressed by you and Erik. Hopefully I can get Erik to stop by this blog in the future too. What about school work? Besides writing (and reading) what are your favorite subjects at school?
Well, I like Language Arts (of course) but I also like Humanities.

What books are you reading right now? 
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series by Maryrose Wood.

Oh, I loved that series! When you read, do you like hard copy books, or e-books--or both?
I like both, but prefer hard copy.

Me too! I'm wondering if you have had an inspirational teacher?
My Mom, since she homeschooled me most of my life.

Awesome! As for "awesomeness," would you mind filling the blank: "I am awesome at..."
directing movies.

Okay, I see you are talented on many fronts. Finally, I so loved learning about the adventures of Stanley and Katrina, it got me to wondering: Is there a real Stanley or a real Katrina living in your house? If so, are their personalities similar to their fictional counterparts?
There is not a real Stanley and Katrina in my house, as we have no pets, but I wish there were. :)

Thanks so much, Felicia, for being my first young author interviewee here at Project Mayhem. I look forward to following your career as author and movie director!

Here's Felicia's bio:
Felicia is known as Neighbor Girl on Stanley and Katrina’s website. She is a ten-year-old sixth grader attending the University Scholars Program at PALCS. She adores writing, reading, acting, gymnastics, stuffed animals and working with technology. Felicia is a member of the Davidson Young Scholars Program and her latest creative project is organizing the D.I.R.T. Kids - a small group of performing kids who want to raise money for charities.

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXGiztzEyr4&index=2&list=PLXDRYii1_FTTsuAHXmm7S5C72Z_Ubz18q Connect with Stanley & Katrina:
Website/Blog: http://www.stanleyandkatrina.com/:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanleyNKatrina
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StanleyNKatrina:
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/stanleynkatrina/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Stanleyandkatrina/posts
Free Printables for The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets: http://www.kidlitprintables.com/the-perpetual-papers-of-the-pack-of-pets
Katrina's Words of the Week: http://www.stanleyandkatrina.com/search/label/word%20of%20the%20week