An Inside Look with Barbara O'Connor
(Author of Wonderland)
*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.
*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 FIFTEENTH interview of what I'm calling Season #FOUR.
*Thank you to Barbara O'Connor for being the Sixty-Sixth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
*Here are links to the first Sixty-Five interviews…
SEASON #ONE
SEASON #TWO
Interview#38 with Terri Libenson (Author of Invisible Emmie)
Interview#39 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Summer of Owen Todd)
Interview #40 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Perfect Score)
Interview#39 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Summer of Owen Todd)
Interview #40 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Perfect Score)
SEASON #FOUR
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)
Interview #60 with Eric Walters (Author of Elephant Secrets)
Interview #61 with Phil Bildner (Author of The Rip and Red Series)
Interview #62 with Erin Soderberg (Author of Milla in Charge)
Interview #63 with Laura Shovan (Author of Take Down)
Interview #64 with Donna Gephart (Author of In Your Shoes)
Interview #65 with Alan Gratz (Author of Grenade)
*I truly enjoy reading any Barbara O'Connor novel. She writes such a special story that always touches my heart. I've had the honor of meeting her in person. She is delightful. My fourth grade class has a Skype visit coming up in November. Her newest work of fiction is a must-read!
*Barbara was kind, gracious, and giving with her answers to the questions. It is an honor to post her responses here on the blog.
*Here is a link to my review of the book...
*Thank you Barbara O'Connor for writing this book...
Wonderland
by Barbara O'Connor (August 28, 2018)
WONDERLAND actually started out as ROSE AND HOWARD GO TO WONDERLAND. I knew Rose instantly. I knew her house and her family. She just presented herself to me from the get-go. Now, the problem I had was that Mr. Duffy would NOT come to life for me. I just couldn’t get a handle on him as a character. So I set that manuscript aside and began to write WISH. But I liked Howard so much, that I took him out of ROSE AND HOWARD GO TO WONDERLAND and plunked him right down into WISH.
After I finished WISH, an amazing thing happened. Mavis appeared to me - sitting on a bus stop bench with her mother. Bingo! The story came back to life - even Mr. Duffy! So now I had ROSE AND MAVIS GO TO WONDERLAND, which eventually got shortened to WONDERLAND.
What do you think are Rose and Mavis' most admirable qualities?
Rose is very empathetic and sensitive to the feelings of others. She also wants to obey rules and always do the right thing (which, of course, Mavis interfered with sometimes. haha)
Mavis is creative, independent and full of life. She also has the ability to persuade others (especially Rose) to do things her way.
Is there anything you they would have changed or done differently in their story?
Not really. MAYBE I would soften Rose’s mother a bit at the end so we have a little more hope for Rose’s family life to be happier.
What do you think Rose and Mavis can offer other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
Mavis is creative, independent and full of life. She also has the ability to persuade others (especially Rose) to do things her way.
Is there anything you they would have changed or done differently in their story?
Not really. MAYBE I would soften Rose’s mother a bit at the end so we have a little more hope for Rose’s family life to be happier.
What do you think Rose and Mavis can offer other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
I think they are a great example of how to be true friends and to get to know others who are quite different from you and who live in very different circumstances.
How did you research the girls and the circumstances they found themselves in?
How did you research the girls and the circumstances they found themselves in?
The only research I did was in my head - thinking long and hard about them and imagining their behavior, dialogue, etc.
Do you and these two characters share any similarities?
I think they both are loyal friends.
Do you and these two characters share any similarities?
I think they both are loyal friends.
What was the hardest scene to write about them?
The hardest scene to write was when Mavis and her mother moved into the apartment and Mavis’s mother is telling her she thinks she loves her new job and wants to stay. I had to make that convincing and believable.
Most of Rose’s scenes were pretty easy.
Who do you think were Rose and Mavis' biggest supporters and why?
Mr. Duffy, for sure. He accepted each girl as an individual and was kind-hearted, yet truthful with them.
Why do you think humans and dogs have such a special connection?
Because dogs offer unconditional love and all humans want to be loved.
What do you think the girls are doing as the present time?
I think they’re having weekly meetings of the Best Friends Club and getting together after school to play. I think Rose learns to ride the skateboard and Mavis joins the Tullys for dinner occasionally, maybe even eating tomato aspic.
Why do you think humans and dogs have such a special connection?
Because dogs offer unconditional love and all humans want to be loved.
What do you think the girls are doing as the present time?
I think they’re having weekly meetings of the Best Friends Club and getting together after school to play. I think Rose learns to ride the skateboard and Mavis joins the Tullys for dinner occasionally, maybe even eating tomato aspic.
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