Judging by her books, author Ammi-Joan Paquette seems to love strong princesses, ghosts, fairies, bunnies and the truth. In our interview, we get to know a little more about our wonderful client.
Booking Biz: What does your average day look like?
Joan: In my day job I am a literary agent, so I don’t really have an average day! I tend to be at my most creative first thing in the morning, though, so when I’m writing, earlier is always going to be better. Typically I will go to a coffee shop nice and early, settle myself in with a caramel latte, and let the creativity flow. After a good writing chunk, I’m ready to come home and tackle work, laundry, dishes, and whatever other excitement awaits to fill the rest of my day. 🙂
Booking Biz: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do best?
Joan: I’m a huge book nerd, so if I’m not writing or working, I’m very often going to be reading. (I read a ton of books!) Lately I also have been getting interested in quilting and embroidery, and this is something I hope to do a lot more of up ahead!
Booking Biz: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?
Joan: Usually a book will have two big inspirations: an exciting storyline or character, and a deeper thematic question or issue I want to explore. My newest upcoming book, for example, THE TRAIN OF LOST THINGS (out in March), came about when a very special object of my daughter’s became lost after one of our trips. This got me thinking about things I had lost and still thought of with longing, and how much I still thought of those things—and what if there was a way to get them back? What if that involved a magical train which collected all those lost things? What if you could find that train? From such “what ifs”, stories are born…
Booking Biz: Did you always want to write books for children, or was there another career you wished for as a child?
Joan: I don’t know that I ever seriously considered being a writer as an option when I was young, but I certainly have always written—starting way back in my youngest years when I would fold large sheets of paper, staple them together, and pen in my own “books”, complete with covers, inside illustrations, and “Other Titles In This Series” on the back cover. 🙂
Booking Biz: If you ruled the world, what would it look like?
Joan: Let’s see. I would establish Little Free Libraries on every convenient street corner, and also, while we’re at it, Little Free Gourmet Food Stops. Chocolate would be heavily provided but not exclusively. (Cheese should also be a high priority; LFGFSs must therefore be climate controlled.) I would also provide vast amounts of funding toward the development of teleportation devices, which are clearly the understated need of the decade.
Booking Biz: Maybe Little Free Libraries with Little Free Gourmet Food Stops attached, because who doesn’t like chocolate and cheese when they read? It would be a wonderful world indeed.
Learn more about Ammi-Joan Paquette, her books and her presentations on her speaker page.