Friday, January 5, 2018

Interview with Debbie Manber Kupfer author of The P.A.W.S. Saga



Let's welcome Debbie Manber Kupfer author of the P.A.W.S. Saga today!



As always, why  don't we start out learning a little about you first.


I grew up in the London. I have lived in Israel, New York and North Carolina and somehow ended up in St. Louis, where I work as a writer and a freelance puzzle constructor of word puzzles and logic problems. I live with my husband, two children and a very opinionated feline. I’m the author of the young adult fantasy series, P.A.W.S. which features a secret institute of shapeshifters hidden deep beneath the Jewel Box in Forest Park, St. Louis. In addition I have stories in several anthologies including Fauxpocalypse, Stardust,Always, 13 Candles, and Sins of The Past. I have also published a book of puzzles, Paws 4 Logic, with my son Joey and two picture books, Esmeralda Grunch and the Red Tulip and Cecilia’s Tale. I believe that with enough tea and dark chocolate you can achieve anything!

  

You have me with the chocolate! Share a short excerpt from your novel


Sure – here is an excerpt from the very beginning of my P.A.W.S. Saga.

So who would like to read an excerpt from P.A.W.S.? This is from the very beginning of Book 1.

Vienna, October 20, 1941

Today was Celia’s tenth birthday. This was not how she imagined celebrating it. She was with her family – her mama, Miriam; her papa, David; her elder brother, Issel; and her baby sister, Sara. They were huddled together in the back room of their tiny two-room apartment in Grosse Spielgasse, in the dark, barely breathing.

Outside the building, the boot steps got nearer and nearer. Celia heard shouting, screaming, gunshots. She crouched down even closer to the ground, wishing that somehow they could all melt away into the shadows. Celia clutched her cat, Max, tightly in her arms, feeling his warmth, his soft tabby fur close to her skin, willing him to stay quiet.

Her mama cradled little Sara at her breast, nursing her so she would not cry out. Outside, the pounding footsteps were getting closer, closer: “Juden, Juden, Heraus, Heraus, Schnell, Schnell!” Now they were at the door of the neighbors – the Wassersteins. She heard crying and a single gunshot.

Miriam beckoned to her. “Celia, mein Katzerl, come here,” she whispered. “I have something for you, for your birthday.”

Celia approached Miriam cautiously, still clutching Max to her. “What is it, Mama?” she asked, gazing into Miriam’s blue, blue eyes. She studied her prematurely wrinkled face, memorizing every crease. Mama, my mama, she thought.

Still holding baby Sara with her left hand, Miriam reached around the back of her neck with her right and unclasped the chain that she always wore beneath her clothes, close to her heart. It was a silver chain with a cat charm on it. “Take this, Celia, mein Katzel. Wear it always, and remember I love you. Ich liebe dich.”

“I love you, Mama,” Celia whispered as she fastened the chain around her neck just as the doors burst open. Six Gestapo soldiers rushed into their home – “Juden, Heraus, Heraus, Schnell, Schnell...” Celia watched as her family was herded out of the door.

What brought about the idea for this book?


I’ve always been fascinated by shapeshifters. In fact the very first story I ever wrote as a child was a shapeshifter story. In this case it was about a girl who changed into a ladybug.

In P.A.W.S. I wanted to go further. I wanted to understand what it felt like to change.



P.A.W.S. stands for the Partnership of Animagi, Werewolves and Shapeshifters. Each of the different kinds has their own rules. Animagi are magicians that learn how to change into animals. I wanted to know how that worked. How did they choose? Were the spells difficult? Werewolves in my world are either bitten or born and there’s no black or white. There are good weres and bad. Shapeshifters get their magic from a silver charm that is passed down through the generations.



My story focuses on a shapeshifter, Miri, who is passed her charm by her grandmother on the day before her grandmother dies. I came up with the initial idea for P.A.W.S. when I saw that first scene in my mind’s eyes, saw the silver cat charm being passed and knew it was important. The idea came in October 2012. I told my daughter my idea and she said “Mom, you have to write this.” So I decided to try during NaNoWriMo that November. That month and the months following I lived in the world of P.A.W.S. – and still do!



Currently, what are you working on?


I’m currently working on Cotula – book 5 of my P.A.W.S. Saga. This one opens with an old witch sending stones or cotula around the globe. All being well the book will release sometime in late 2018.



I also have a new picture book, Adana the Earth Dragon coming out on Earth Day 2018. For this I’m working with Sri Lankan illustrator, Tina Wijesiri who also drew pictures for my little fairy story, Esmeralda Grunch and the Red Tulip. It’s been an awesome experience watching my little dragon come to life and I can’t wait to release my story.



It's amazing when our stories come to life. Tell us a little bit about your main characters

My main character, Miri Katz, is a little like me. She loves to read and write, especially fantasy and most especially Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She’s kind of awkward and clumsy and was bullied at school. It was the bullying that led Miri to discover her shapeshifter powers. Miri’s shifter form is a black cat with one white whisker. I modelled her cat form on Snowy, my childhood pet.



Debbie, what was your favorite scene to write?

Nearly all my favorite scenes in the P.A.W.S. Saga have a big dose of humor in them. I particular scenes that include my wild Welsh warlock, Gromer the Green. The scene when we first meet him in Argentum (P.A.W.S. 2) is probably my favorite scene I’ve ever written.



What has been the best compliment you have received?

Best compliment hands down came from a young reader who told me that she’d never really wanted to attend Hogwarts, but she most definitely wished she could go to P.A.W.S. “Well, who wouldn’t?” she said.



Now that is an awesome compliment! How do you promote your books? Any tips you can share?

Best tip I have here is to remember that other authors are not your rivals, so help promote other indie’s books and they’ll help you.



Do you have people read your drafts before you publish?  How do you select beta readers?

Most certainly. I have a group of dedicated beta readers whom I adore. They are a mixture of authors and readers and are not scared to criticize. I also have an editor (Rebecca Jaycox) who I work with. As an indie author it’s really important not to skimp on this. Even after my editors been through my book and I’ve made my changes I still proofread several times to make sure I’ve eliminated those little errors that insist on sneaking in.



Having a good team is critical. Who designed the artwork for your cover?  Or did you design it yourself?

My P.A.W.S. Saga covers were all created by the awesome Rachel Bostwick. For my picture books I’ve so far used two artists – Tina Wijesiri for Esmeralda Grunch and the upcoming Adana the Earth Dragon. And local author, artist and friend Victoria Szulc for the illustrations in my kitty story, Cecilia’s Tale.



How do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

Well if it comes from my betas or my editor I’m grateful. If it comes in a review that I think is unfair I go read all the crappy reviews of Harry Potter and realize you can’t please everyone.



I think that's a great idea, and something I haven't heard before. Debbie, any last words you'd like to share?

My favorite dinosaur is a stegosaurus? What’s yours? Seriously I love hearing from readers and connecting with other authors. Stalker links below. Thanks for inviting me on this blog and keep in touch.




Mine is a velociraptor, although I'd never want to run into one. Thanks for sharing with us today, don't forget to check out Debbie and the P.A.W.S. saga.  Happy Reading!! 

Also the P.A.W.S. Saga is on sale January 7th to the 13th of January. All 4 titles will be 99 cents each. A great time to check out a fun new series!
















Twitter - @CiciCat42



Cover designer – Rachel Bostwick - http://rachelbostwick.com/

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