It’s a great thrill to have an interview with Carmen Oliver this month. Not only is she the founder of The Booking Biz, working tirelessly behind the scenes to match speakers and audiences and help organize wonderful author visits, she’s a fantastic author and speaker in her own right. This year, Carmen’s launching two new books: the nonfiction picture book A VOICE FOR THE SPIRIT BEARS: HOW ONE BOY INSPIRED MILLIONS TO SAVE A RARE ANIMAL, illustrated by Katy Dockrill, and BEARS MAKE THE BEST MATH BUDDIES, illustrated by Jean Claude, a followup to her popular BEARS MAKE THE BEST READING BUDDIES. SPIRIT BEARS arrives May 7 from Kids Can Press, and MATH BUDDIES will be available on July 1 from Capstone. Find these and more upcoming books here.
What does Carmen do in her day? We asked…
Booking Biz: What does your average day look like?
Carmen: Every day, I start my morning with a couple cups of coffee, watching the morning news and checking my phone for urgent emails and texts. Because I have authors attending events in various time zones, I try to check for anything that needs immediate assistance. I also like to work in a walk on the treadmill in the morning or over lunch. Some days, the emails come so fast and furious it’s hard to keep up. I don’t like to keep people waiting so I try to respond within 24-48 hours. I want to be respectful of everyone’s time.
During the week, I work on my clients’ events and I delegate my writing to the weekends. If I’m on a writing deadline, I’ll often work in writing time early in the morning or late at night. My husband also works from home, and he’s a godsend at getting our teens out the door to school and reminding me to stand up and stretch and to eat. I do keep protein shakes under my desk for those harried days when stepping away for lunch or dinner doesn’t happen.
Evenings are a mix of family time and client work. With two teens playing sports, you’ll often find me on the sidelines of soccer or basketball games.
Every night before I turn out the light, I read. It’s my favorite part of the day. Nothing is better than getting lost in a good story. By 9’oclock everyone in our house is supposed to be off their devices and reading. Most days, we achieve success!
Booking Biz: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do best?
Carmen: I love to be outdoors. One of the perks of living in Texas is that you can garden almost year round. I’ve always got a herb garden on the go and sometimes a vegetable one. There’s nothing more rewarding than growing your own food, and I think this year our pear tree will be plentiful. Spring and fall are the best times to hike and camp, and we hit the trails with friends and family. I grew up with an appreciation of nature, and so even though I love a good movie night, my favorite place to be is outside with the wind rifling my hair and the sun warming my face.
Booking Biz: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?
Carmen: I love to read, so many of my ideas come from news articles, magazine stories or other books. Back in 2005, I stumbled upon an article on Kermode or spirit bears, and I was surprised that I’d never heard of this North American black bear species before. After all, I was a Canadian. And I was a bear lover. How had I missed hearing about this rare bear?
Spirit bears are found in a remote part of Canada, a pool of Islands on the west coast known as the Great Bear Rainforest. There are likely less than 400 spirit bears in the province of British Columbia and probably closer to only 60 white bears. Every one in ten is born with white fur instead of a black coat. In writing articles for children about them, I discovered D. Simon Jackson’s story, and I began to work on the book A VOICE FOR THE SPIRIT BEARS: HOW ONE BOY INSPIRED MILLIONS TO SAVE A RARE ANIMAL.
This book was a labor of love. Not only did it parallel my own writing, but my twelve-year-old-activist-self connected with Simon. How one voice has the power to unite, reach, and evoke change. I would have devoured this story as a teen. To know that my voice mattered. To know that I had the power to make change. To know that perseverance, hard work, and passion can triumph over challenges. And that first and foremost you have to believe in yourself especially when others don’t. Simon’s courage and fearlessness would have taught me a lot as a young teen, and I wanted to do what I could to share his story and bring it into the world for today’s kids.
Booking Biz: Did you always want to write books for children, or was there another career you wished for as a child?
Carmen: I’ve always been a writer although I didn’t acknowledge it until my adult life. I wrote stories and poetry throughout my youth. Sometimes I wrote in tree houses other times in my bedroom listening to the radio. When I was young, I wanted to be a singer. I’d listen to records and lip-sync to the music. In grade three, I performed for my class to Shaun Cassidy songs “Do You Believe in Magic” and “The Do-Run-Run.” A singer I was not, but the experience left a lasting impression on me. Somehow, I needed to figure out a way to use my voice. But how? How could I make people feel good the way music did? How could I make a difference in the world? What was my purpose?
Those questions would eventually be answered but not until later in my 30s when I returned to storytelling, after I began to trust myself. After I began to trust that I had something important to say.
Booking Biz: If you ruled the world, what would it look like?
Carmen: Growing up, I loved to build tree house forts and I think it’d be incredible to live in the trees and live off the land. If I ruled the world, we’d live in communities where we walked everywhere. Cars and buses and trains would not be our everyday mode of transportation. We’d cycle to school. Cycle to work. Or use our own two feet. We’d vow not to waste and do our best to be caretakers for each other and our planet. We’d work together FOR each other.
Whenever we go camping with other families, I’m reminded of this kind of philosophy. We work together to feed ourselves and provide fellowship and safety. A simpler lifestyle where good stories are shared around campfires over good food, good wine and with good friends.
Booking Biz: Ahhh yes, a simple life with good stories. Sounds like bliss.
Learn more about Carmen Oliver and her speaking on her speaker page.