Pat Lowery Collins
Pat Lowery Collins is a poet, painter, and the author of many books for children and young adults including the Reading Rainbow selection, I Am An Artist, and the recent sequel, I Am a Dancer. Her newest historical novels are Hidden Voices, The Orphan Musicians of Venice and Daughter of Winter, both published by Candlewick Press. The latter is a Must Read Finalist for the Mass Book Award. Her young adult novel in free verse, The Fattening Hut, won the Boston Author’s Club 2004 Julia Ward Howe Award and was a Book Sense Pick and ALA Amelia Bloomer choice. A picture book, The Deer Watch, is also forthcoming from Candlewick. She teaches in Lesley University’s MFA program in creative writing and lives and works in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Her Website is www.patlowerycollins.com and she can be reached to schedule a Skype visit at patlc@comcast.net.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“I cannot paint the wind. As hard as I try, I cannot paint the wind.”
From Painting the Wind by Patricia MacLachlanWho are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
In the children’s and YA book field, I particularly enjoy reading Sherman Alexie and Lois Lowry, and love the illustrations of David Slonim and Katy Schneider
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I come from a family of storytellers and writers. Writing was just something I did from an early age.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Accept the fact early on that rejection is part of the process. With each rejection, you are closer to a sale, particularly if you have heeded the advice of editors who have made helpful comments. Join a writer’s group and be open to critiques and other perspectives.
