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MEET LINDA BOYDEN (3/2011)
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

I was the only girl sandwiched between two brothers until I was nine so I had a room of my own. I loved to create stories for my dolls to act out. I also loved to draw and make things, and play school. My mother called me a bookworm and I still am, devouring books both then and now. I liked to write, too, and always had a diary…with a key!

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

As a child I knew I would be a teacher and a mother, and in that order. I taught for nearly 30 years and have 3 children of my own, 2 stepkids, 2 foster kids and now almost 12 grandchildren. I didn’t become a writer/illustrator until after I had raised my kids and taught. These two loves propelled me into children’s literature.

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

Upon graduating from Framingham State University (MA.) in 1970, I taught in public schools in the primary grades until 1997. I earned a Masters Degree in Gifted Education in 1992(University of Virginia). I guess I fell in love with picture books because I spent so many years reading them to so many chidren. When my last child became an adult and my husband’s work caused us to move to Hawaii, I decided to pursue writing. I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. Both are excellent organizations that have helped me hone my skills. My first book, THE BLUE ROSES wasn’t published until 2002, but I’ve always written a steady amount of poetry, some of which have been published in journals or anthologies. My first book for kids, I wrote during snow days specifically for my third grade class. It’s a chapter book, “Bruce and Lucy” about two white geese on our farm. It is very special to me, but not worthy of being published. Like most first attempts, this book was a necessary and wonderful learning experience.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections? 

Rejections are part of any artist’s life, and I ought to know because I have so many of them. In fact, I’m happy to report I still receive rejections. They mean I am actively pursuing my career as an author/illustrator.
 
Do you enjoy researching or do you prefer working totally from your imagination?

I have a healthy curiosity about this wonderful world so nonfiction writing appeals to me. My most recent book, GIVEAWAYS, AN ABC BOOK OF LOANWORDS FROM THE AMERICAS took a year to do the research and write the text and another year for the illustrations. It celebrates the contribution Native languages of the Americas have made to American English. THE BLUE ROSES, however, is fictional and I revel in the freedom of that genre. I enjoy all aspects of the process of creating books.

Have any of your books earned special recognition?

I was very blessed with THE BLUE ROSES (due out in paperback, April, 2011). It won Lee & Low Books’ first New Voices Award, then the Paterson Prize and Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers’ Book of the Year, 2003. It was also included on the CCBC list of recommended titles in 2003.

Is there anything about yourself that you’d like to share - hobbies, where you were born, special talents other than writing/illustrating.

I must confess I have never been to art school or have had any formal art training, but I have illustrated my last two books. Needless to say, I am very lucky. My medium of choice is cut paper/collage.

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

I want two things: first, for them to know the first thing you put on paper is not your best work. It’s revision that makes a story sing. Second, that writing or art should be fun. To write well, you must play in a sandbox of words. To create art, you must be fearless and think outside the box.

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

I have many works in progress: a middle grade novel about a modern Cherokee boy who has to learn traditional ways to save his family; a biography of a Paiute woman told in free verse; and any number of picture book manuscripts. I am also working with my web designer to create a line of ebooks.