Posts Tagged ‘Educational Book Author’
Interview with Author Dy Nees.
Posted on: September 27, 2009
One of my “some day dreams” has always been to have interviews with authors that I know and admire on my blog. Today is the fulfillment of that dream.
INTERVIEW WITH DY NEES By Peg Finley
I want to share with my readers… my friend and fabulous fellow picture book critique group member for the last five years… the wonderful and multi-talented teacher, children’s author, adult novelist, and greeting card verse writer … Dy Nees. She also writes screenplays and designs paper dolls. 
Dy Nees
Peg: Welcome Dy. Is there anything that you won’t tackle?
Dy: No, there isn’t. I enjoy all sorts of writing, like to flip around and do new things all the time.
Peg: When did you first begin to write?
Dy : I can’t really recall not writing. Some people carry a book, I carry pens and paper.
Peg: How important is writing to you?
Dy: Very . . . it is my life. Even during ‘dry’ times, something is always rolling around in my head and I’m always thinking of ideas and deciding what to do next.
Peg: Do you remember what the first piece you wrote was about?
Dy: I recall writing short stories, one in particular about my aunt’s foster babies.
Peg: Why did you write it? Was it for you personally or for a school assignment?
Dy: She had to let Julie Ann go to an adoptive home and that affected me. Very personal.
Peg: When did you begin to write seriously with the idea of becoming a published author?
Dy: Many moons ago, right out of high school. I believe at that time it was poetry and shortly after I began a novel and searched for places to send work. Those were the days when you could even send novels in without an agent.
Peg: Hold on there, Dy. I think you are dating us. They’ll know how old we are if you say anything more. Did your teachers encourage you to write?
Dy: No, I never shared that kind of writing with them in grade school or high school.
Peg: Were your parents supportive of your desire to write?
Dy: Very. They were my editors and loved to read everything I wrote. I’m sure they kept my motivation high.
Peg: Parents can be good at that, can’t they? What challenges, if any, did you face at the beginning of your writing career?
Dy: Finishing long projects. I wanted to get a new idea going instead of staying with one.
Peg: Did you take any courses for writers as a way of growing as a writer?
Dy: I took a college course for English but it was not one that taught skills… it was more of a sharing time. Then, a few years later I took an ICL course on writing short stories.
Peg: For those of my readers who are unfamiliar with the initials ICL, it stands for the Institute of Children’s Literature. As a student, you get one-on-one personal instruction from an experienced instructor. Do you feel that any courses or associations were especially beneficial for you as a writer?
Dy: The ICL course was uplifting and informative.
Peg: What other genre do you write? For those who don’t know what genre is, it means “a particular kind of sort” of writing…like writing for children versus writing for adults.
Dy: I also enjoy writing teacher resource books.
Peg: How long have you been a teacher?
Dy: Twenty-eight years.
Peg: What grades?
Dy: Mostly first through third, but also fourth, firth and pre-first..
Peg: Do you have any suggestions/tips for a beginning writer who wants to write resource books?
Dy: Believe in yourself and never give up. Also, make sure you have an idea that has not been done too many times or at least a new slant on it. Research the field once you have your idea to see what is out there.
Peg: What publishers have you worked with?
Dy: The publisher I have worked with the most is Teacher Created Resources. They are the ones who published my set of six books.
Peg: Do you have more teacher resource books under consideration by another publisher?
Dy: Yes, one is under consideration right now. I’m waiting!
Peg: What projects are you currently working on?
Dy: I’m working on a new screenplay.
Peg: How many resource books have you written?
Dy: I have written eight and six are published. I also have two other book proposals ready in that genre.
Peg: What are your resource books about?
Dy: Two are geared for reading, two for math and two for writing, different grade levels.
Peg: Where did your inspirations for these books come from? Did the ideas that you wrote about in your books come from things that you have used in your classroom?
Dy: Yes! From the classroom and from students who can and have used the activities in the books.
Peg: How many resource books have you written?
Dy: Six are published.
Peg: Tell my readers a little about your books. What are their approximate lengths?
Dy: 64 pages each. I had a choice, 48, 64, or 80 pages.
Peg: When were they published?
Dy: April of 2006.
Peg: What are their titles? Where can one go to purchase them?
Dy: The titles are:
These are a couple of her books. All six are still available on Amazon.com.
Peg: Where can one go to purchase them?
Dy: At teacher book stores throughout the US or at the publisher’s site.
http://www.TeacherCreatedResources.com/ at
Peg: Do you have other stories, poems or books published.
Dy: Yes, articles, poems and hundreds of greeting card verses.
Peg: If so, what, where and when were they published?
Dy: Everything has been published since 2002. I should know the specifics but I don’t. I have two poems published in and Anthology titled Throwing Stardust. Another poem appeared in Wee Ones Magazine (online). I two articles but by ICL, one interview and the other an article I wrote on getting ideas. My greeting cards were published by Current, Inc., Paradise Greeting, Inc., Gallant Greetings, and New Hope Greetings and of course, my Teacher Created Resources books.
Peg: Is there any thing that we forgot to talk about? I don’t want to leave out a single thing..
Dy: I think we covered it all. Thanks so much.
Peg: Dy, I did want to mention that you have an interview that you did with Mel Boring, a former Institute of Children’s Literature affiliate, on your greeting card publication experience. Can you share that link with our readers so they can check it out and learn more about the process?
Dy: That link is:
http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/tr01/nees.shtmlt
Peg: Thanks for sharing your time and expertise with us. I know that I have enjoyed your talk and learned a few things as well.
Dy: You are very welcome!
Peg: Be on the lookout for my next interview.
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