Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Monday, September 10, 2018

An Inside Look #60 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Eric Walters
(Author of Elephant Secret)

*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to my blog which was called "Season #ONE".  This first season ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.  

*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017.  It was great to get back to Season #TWO.  This season ran throughout the summer.  

*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017/2018.  


*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the NINTH interview of what I'm calling Season #FOUR.  

*Thank you to Eric Walters for being the Sixtieth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  

*Here are links to the first Fifty-Nine interviews…

SEASON #ONE

























SEASON #FOUR

Interview #53 with Preston Norton (Author of Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe)

Interview #54 with Jonathan Auxier (Author of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster)

Interview #55 with Sharon Creech (Author of Saving Winslow)

Interview #56 with Stacy McAnulty (Author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl)

Interview #57 with Kelly Yang (Author of Front Desk)

Interview #58 with Jennifer A. Nielsen (Author of Resistance)

Interview 59 with Christina Collins (Author of After Zero)


*I received an advanced copy of the novel from the publisher during the summer of 2018.  I remember picking it up, bringing it out to the deck on a beautiful summer afternoon, and being transported to a world full of elephants and incredible characters.  I reached out to Eric after reading it and asked if he would be interesting in an author interview.  As with most of the authors I contact, he answered back with a great big YES!  

*Eric was kind, gracious, and giving with his answers to the questions.  It is an honor to post his responses here on the blog.  

*Here is a link to my review of Elephant Secret...

*Thank you Eric Walters for writing this story for readers and taking the time to share your thoughts with us here...


Elephant Secret
by Eric Walters (Released August 28, 2018)


How did you come to know Sam?
I had the idea of a girl who had lost her mother at birth so that she could identify with the baby woolly mammoth.  She evolved from there.


What do you think is Sam's most admirable quality?
Sam is strong, she is a survivor, she has great empathy for the elephants - even if she doesn't for people.


Is there anything you wish Sam would have changed or done differently in her story?
Once a story is done I never look back so no changes, no differences.  She is her own person and for me she is so real that I don't even entertain the thought that I can change her.


What do you think Sam can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
Sam is a role model for surviving tragedy.  She was knocked down before she was even  old enough to have ever been on her feet.


How did you research Sam and the circumstances she found herself in?
My mother died when I was four.  I think I understand the emotions.  I also have degrees in psychology and social work and worked as a family therapist and understand the dynamics.


Do you and Sam share any similarities?
Similar histories.  I'm a survivor. 


What was the hardest scene to write about Sam?
The death scene was pretty emotional for me.


Who do you think was Sam's biggest supporter and why?
Her father, the members of the herd, and I think, to her surprise, Joyce.


Why do you think humans and animals have such a special connection?
Elephants probably share more characteristics with humans (compassion, grief, family connections) than almost any other animal.  We apparently share 98.5 % of our genetic information with a chimpanze so how different can we be?  Often animals allow us to show our compassion and caring more than with people. Sam certainly feels more comfortable with the elephants than she was with people.


What do you think Sam is doing as this present time?
She's in high school, caring for the elephants, becoming more comfortable with people.

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