Ask the Author: Penny Draper
Answered Questions (3)
Penny Draper
Thanks so much, Precious! I'm really glad you liked Ice Storm. It's one of my favourites too, mostly because ONE of the girls is a lot like me. But you'll have to guess which one! No, at this point I'm not planning a sequel. The ice storm was a really important turning point in Alice and Sophie's lives. They're different people now, and they need time to adjust. If I were ever to write about them again, it would probably be about their lives as adults, looking back on the ice storm and how it changed them. I don't want to throw them into another adventure just yet!
Penny Draper
For a little change of pace, my next book will be part of the Orca Limelights series. All the stories are about teens in the performing arts, like music, dance and theatre, and the challenges they face. My story will be about a male ballet dancer, and since my own son was a professional dancer with Dancemakers in Toronto, it's a perfect fit! And there's another disaster book in the works as well. Any guesses as to what kind of disaster might be next?
Penny Draper
The idea for the very first book in the Disaster Strikes! series came from a friend and fellow storyteller. We were visiting a school and she told the true tale of the Frank Slide, a terrible rockslide that nearly wiped out the town of Frank. My friend's grandfather had moved to Frank shortly after the disaster, so she had lots of interesting anecdotes to share. All the students wanted to know more, so after the performance my friend said, "Penny, you should make this story into a book." So I did.
As for my most recent book, Red River Raging, I wanted to add a flood to the series. Floods are a global force of nature, causing great devastation and great change. But it was a hard book to write. Floods move slowly and in places like the Red River where everyone is prepared, there's no surprise. Writing about a flood was a little like writing a mystery but telling everyone in the first chapter where and when the murder would take place. How could I make that exciting? You'll have to read the book to find out!
As for my most recent book, Red River Raging, I wanted to add a flood to the series. Floods are a global force of nature, causing great devastation and great change. But it was a hard book to write. Floods move slowly and in places like the Red River where everyone is prepared, there's no surprise. Writing about a flood was a little like writing a mystery but telling everyone in the first chapter where and when the murder would take place. How could I make that exciting? You'll have to read the book to find out!
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