Interview Roberta Olsen Major

by

Michael Murphy

1) Tell readers about the title of your new novel, The Ice Cream Crone.

Each of the books in my fairy tale series for young adults has a title that as has a play on words. The series is freckled with puns in general, but I really try to make the titles fun in and of themselves. THE ICE CREAM CRONE, the fifth in the series, takes place in a very cold country, and one of the characters is an old lady. "Cold" led to "ice cream" and "old" led to "crone". Voila!

2) Could you tells us about the story?

Absolutely! It is available through Wings ePress, Inc. in both download and trade paperback format. :)

Actually, the story is about Benno, a prince, who is away from home at boarding school in a very cold kingdom. He has always been in the shadow of his perfect older brother--until now.

3) Where did the idea for your novel come from?

All the books in the Royal Pains series have classic fairy tales at their roots, but the branches and blooms don't follow the traditional growing pattern. At the heart of The Ice Cream Crone is a hint of an old Russian fairy tale about a girl made of snow who comes to life. The Abominable Snowman, only beautiful and tragic. :)

4) What's the best thing you've found about being a writer?

It's great therapy--and much cheaper than the alternative. I have always loved words, and being a writer allows me to relish them and play with them for hours at a time.

5) Who is your favorite character in all of fiction, other than your own?

This changes on a regular basis, but at the moment I am still in the thrall of having discovered a 19th century English novelist named Elizabeth Gaskell. Her character of Molly, in Wives And Daughters, is a young lady of compassion and intelligence, and I would like to sit down with her for tea this very afternoon!

6) The Ice Cream Crone is your eleventh Wings novel. Is it still a thrill seeing your novel come to life?

It is actually my 13th (lucky 13!), as I have two additional Wings novels in which I collaborated with a writer of great imagination and energy, Sara V. Olds. The novel comes to life for me as I am writing it, but it is always a real delight when I get an acceptance and again, when I see the cover art for the first time, and again, when the publication date draws near, and again, when I hold the finished product in my hands. It never gets old, any of it!

7) Roberta, you were one of the first Wings writers.  How has Wings changed over the years?

Wings started small. The biggest change is in the numbers of books being released every month. But, at heart, Wings remains the company that wants to be a nurturing place for writers. It's not all about the bottom line at Wings, but about really encouraging authors to let (as the logo says) imagination soar and dreams take flight. I have the greatest admiration for our executive editor, Lorraine Stephens, who is really the heart, soul and backbone of Wings. She started this venture with the authors' interests at heart, and has remained true to that vision over the years. She is also the editor of all my books, so I hope a million people buy them so she can reap the financial rewards. :) Though, frankly, it would take more than a million to pay her what she is worth.