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MEET P.I. MALTBIE
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did I like to do most as a child?

P.I. Maltbie

Read.  I had several health issues as a child and reading allowed me to sample new experiences,  travel around the world, meet great people in history.  

What books influenced me the most as a child?

The earliest books were the "Little Golden Book" series published by Simon and Schuster, wonderful stories and illustrators.  
Later, the "Junior Classics"...like TOM SAWYER, HUCKLEBERRY FINN, ROBINSON CRUSOE, the Louisa May Alcott books, etc.  Also, biographies and lightly fictionalized biographies for 8-12 year old readers and young adults.   

If you didn't write as a child, when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

I was an English major in college and, consequently, writing on a daily basis.  During those years I thought I would one day write adult level novels or short stories.  

What was your first job after you graduated from college?

My first job was as a writer for the Orange County Department of Education.  I wrote educational video scripts for young people in 3rd through 5th grade.  It was at this point that I started thinking about writing for children.   

When was your first book published?

My first book, PICASSO AND MINOU was published in 2005, many years after my 1st job.

Was your book accepted immediately or did you experience several rejections? 

I have at least 2 plastic shopping bags filled with rejection letters for PICASSO AND MINOU.  I was a 1st time author and didn't have an agent, which limited my possibilities of potential publishers.  Fortunately an author-friend recommended Charlesbridge, a publishing house willing to take a chance on a new writer if they liked the story.  My manuscript was given to an editor who did like it and it was accepted for publication.

Do you focus on fiction or non-fiction?  Which do you prefer?  Which do you find easier?

So far I'm focusing on non-fiction, and true life stories, as I find actual experiences are filled with more drama and twists and turns than I could ever imagine.  I particularly love the "aha" moments when my subject finds the solution to a problem, or takes the road that leads him/her to success. 

 Do you do any other types of writing....?

Yes, I have written short stories, op-ed pieces for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and magazine articles.  Currently I am a contributing editor to NEW MOBILITY, a monthly magazine focused on the lives and issues of wheelchair users.  The majority of my contributions to NM focus on the lives of memorable individuals in history or currently making  contributors to society.

Where do you get your ideas?

From the biographies of my subjects. I'll research the life of someone who intrigues me and, suddenly, I'll stumble on an idea that will lead me into the start of a story. 

What gave you the idea for CLAUDE MONET: THE PAINTER WHO STOPPED THE TRAINS?

I was researching the life of Pierre-Auguste Renoir to write a magazine article for NEW MOBILITY (a monthly magazine aimed at the wheelchair-using community) and I discovered Renoir's account of Claude Monet's creation of the Gare Saint- Lazare paintings.  I knew  immediately that I had the start of a children's book.  

What really triggers your imagination?

Those wonderful "aha" moments when my subject discovers the solution to his/her problem, issue, etc.

Have any of your books earned special recognition?  

PICASSO AND MINOU won best children's book medal of 2005 by the Cat Writer's Association.  It's also been included in the online bibliography Best Read Aloud Picture Books published between 2004-2008. http://www.mnstate.edu/cmc/BestReadAlouds.cfm
CLAUDE MONET is in the 2011 Elementary California Collection!

Do you write about people that you have been interested in for a long time, perhaps sincechildhood?