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MEET ANN MARTIN BOWLER
by Bonnie O'Brian

When did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

Ann Martin Bowler

There are 3 main reasons I became a writer:

I was a teacher for many years before becoming a writer. My students would often beg me to keep reading great books but they’d groan when they were asked to read other books, like boring textbooks. I want to write things that kids enjoy, first and foremost.

My mom was a writer. She died when I was in my twenties but she left me a whole suitcase full of her writing. I have missed her greatly but her words had such a powerful effect on me; I can still feel her through her words.

And lastly, I love children’s literature. I read kids book all the time. My goal is to keep improving my writing, in hopes that I will write things that will stand the test of time.

What are the topics are some of your books?

I’ve written across the genres: beginner readers, biographies, fiction, historical fiction, and non-fiction. It’s been fun to try out different approaches to writing.

What are some of my favorite projects?

I was honored to write a biography on Jane Goodall, what a great lady! It was awesome to get to know the six teens I wrote about in Remarkable Kids; they were truly inspiring. Each of them faced some major challenges but did well despite it all.

Do you focus on fiction or nonfiction? Which do you prefer? Do you find one easier than the other?

I like them both but I honestly like historical fiction the best. History is filled with such fascinating stories about people. It seems to me there is nothing better than a well-told piece of historical fiction. I ended up using both historical fiction and non-fiction in my book, ADVENTURES OF THE TREASURE FLEET. It is such an amazing piece of history but there was so much to tell! In short, ADVENTURES OF THE TREASURE FLEET is the fascinating story of seven epic Chinese voyages lead by the larger than life Admiral Zheng He. Beginning in 1405, Zheng He led more than 300 brightly painted ships across the South China Sea, to the Indian Ocean, and all the way to the distant coast of Africa. The story was written as historical fiction. They fought pirates, were in a hurricane and brought back treasures for China’s emperor so it wasn’t hard to make this story lively! But there was still more to tell so I put additional facts across the bottom of each page, enough so that a curious reader or a student could get all their questions answered.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Yes. Right now I am working on 5 books, four beginner readers for a Korean publisher, Unibooks, as well as KOREA FOR KIDS, for Periplus. It has been a bit of a juggling act, but I feel so lucky because I know they will all be published soon!

Which of your books did you most enjoy writing?

I think I’d have to say I enjoyed writing GECKO’S COMPLAINT, a Balinese folktale the most. It was such an adventure! My oldest son lives in Indonesia. Indonesia has so many wonderful stories and art; I really wanted to retell one of their stories to share with American audiences. So my son and I traveled to Bali together first to find a suitable story to retell and then later to find an illustrator for the book. We found Gusti Sukanada on Bali just by happenstance; he turned out to be a wonderful illustrator and is now a family friend. It was so much fun to work directly with a folk artist half way around the world on the book. I hope we can do another book together someday!

What are you working on now? When do you expect to start submitting it to publishers?

My next book will be titled KOREA FOR KIDS. It is a hands-on anthology of the Korean culture; it’s filled with Korean games, crafts, music, how they celebrate holidays, etc. This will be my third book published by Periplus. You probably wonder how I know so much about Korea. My two youngest children are adopted from Korea. They are helping with the book. My older daughter is experimenting with recipes and my son is making all the craft projects. We are lucky to have a very wonderful local Korean community; they have shared the Korean culture with us. KOREA FOR KIDS will be a great resource for any family that wants to know more about Korea as well as for schools and libraries.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

Yes, I write almost every day. I think it’s important to write a lot to make headway on projects and to improve as a writer. I am sharpest first thing in the morning so I get up and begin writing often when no one else is up.

When is your next book going to be in bookstores?

I am hoping KOREA FOR KIDS will be in bookstores in 2009, but it might be early 2010, depending on how long the illustrations take.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

It is my hope to bring distant places like Indonesia or ancient China alive to kids during my readings of GECKO’S COMPLAINT and ADVENTURES OF THE TREASURE FLEET. But more than that, I hope they remember the message I always say, “Books can take you anywhere! Find a type of book you enjoy! Allow it to take you wherever you want to go, because books can take you anywhere!”