An Inside Look with James Bird
(Author of The Brave)
*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.
*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)
*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)
*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)
*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)
*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)
*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)
*I'm excited to be back for season #TEN with brand new interviews/authors.
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*This is the FOURTH interview in which I'm calling Season #TEN.
*Thank you to James Bird for being the One-Hundred Sixty-First author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
*Here is my Review of the Novel..
The Brave
by James Bird
(June 30, 2020)
How did you come to know Collin?
Hello. I came to know Collin by mixing a bit of myself into the character. Like Collin, I am half Ojibwe and half White. I never met my dad, where Collin has never met his mom. And I was introduced to my Ojibwe family when I moved to Minnesota. And also, books and boxing helped Collin. They also helped me. Collin represents any kid who was bullied and learned how to be brave by realizing his strength was always there inside of him and just needed to come out by having people believe in him.
Hello. I came to know Collin by mixing a bit of myself into the character. Like Collin, I am half Ojibwe and half White. I never met my dad, where Collin has never met his mom. And I was introduced to my Ojibwe family when I moved to Minnesota. And also, books and boxing helped Collin. They also helped me. Collin represents any kid who was bullied and learned how to be brave by realizing his strength was always there inside of him and just needed to come out by having people believe in him.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Probably the fact that he never gives up. Even when life is hard and he is sent to a place where he knows nobody, he still finds a way to be optimistic and not turn angry.
Is there anything you wish Collin would have changed or done differently in his story?
Not really. I’m pretty proud of him on how he handled most situations. He’s a better person than I am. I would have reacted differently in his shoes. I’m glad Collin took the high road with the bullies. I definitely didn’t and was in a lot of fights as a kid. I learned from him. And that makes me happy.
What do you think he can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Probably the fact that he never gives up. Even when life is hard and he is sent to a place where he knows nobody, he still finds a way to be optimistic and not turn angry.
Is there anything you wish Collin would have changed or done differently in his story?
Not really. I’m pretty proud of him on how he handled most situations. He’s a better person than I am. I would have reacted differently in his shoes. I’m glad Collin took the high road with the bullies. I definitely didn’t and was in a lot of fights as a kid. I learned from him. And that makes me happy.
What do you think he can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Never give up. And that its okay to be different, in fact, its awesome to be different. Learn at your own pace.
How did you research Collin and the circumstances he found himself in?
I had learning disabilities when I was young. My brain wouldn’t allow me to do things other kids my age were doing. Like reading, speaking out loud in front of a class, etc… So my research was really reflecting on my childhood and the stages of overcoming all those difficulties.
Do you and Collin share any similarities?
So many. I love to draw. I love my mom. I had a really tough time in school and I turned my disadvantages into strengths, just like he did.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
How did you research Collin and the circumstances he found himself in?
I had learning disabilities when I was young. My brain wouldn’t allow me to do things other kids my age were doing. Like reading, speaking out loud in front of a class, etc… So my research was really reflecting on my childhood and the stages of overcoming all those difficulties.
Do you and Collin share any similarities?
So many. I love to draw. I love my mom. I had a really tough time in school and I turned my disadvantages into strengths, just like he did.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
Probably at the end when he forgives his dad. Because if I was him, I wouldn’t have.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
His biggest supporter was Orenda, but his mom and Grandma come pretty close. They didn’t ever see something in him that needed to be fixed. They all saw something special in him. Something unique. I think the world would be a far better place if we all thought like Orenda and his family in Minnesota.
Why do you think some people, including young people, are accepting of other’s differences, when some can’t get over or beyond them?
I think it all depends on how the kid is raised. The parents will play a major part in whether their child is compassionate, kind, and accepting. Kids are born like blank pages in a book. The parents will fill those pages with what is right and wrong. The kid grows up believing what their parent’s wrote inside of them.
What do you think Collin is doing as the present time?
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
His biggest supporter was Orenda, but his mom and Grandma come pretty close. They didn’t ever see something in him that needed to be fixed. They all saw something special in him. Something unique. I think the world would be a far better place if we all thought like Orenda and his family in Minnesota.
Why do you think some people, including young people, are accepting of other’s differences, when some can’t get over or beyond them?
I think it all depends on how the kid is raised. The parents will play a major part in whether their child is compassionate, kind, and accepting. Kids are born like blank pages in a book. The parents will fill those pages with what is right and wrong. The kid grows up believing what their parent’s wrote inside of them.
What do you think Collin is doing as the present time?
I believe Collin is finally having the childhood he deserves. I imagine he has many friends now and who knows, maybe we will get to see him again, in my next book.
*Here are links to the One Hundred Sixty interviews...
SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)
SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)
SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)
SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)
SEASON #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
SEASON #NINE (Fall 2020)
SEASON #TEN (Winter 2021)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods
