The Pony Game (Lothian Books)
ISBN 978 0 7344 1005 4 QBD Bookshop

Welcome to Day 6 of THE PONY GAME Blog Book Tour!

You can revisit previous venues here:

Day 1 - Mon 10 Dec - Tina Marie Clark's What is Happening in my Office?
Day 2 - Tue 11 Dec - Claire Saxby's Let's Have Words
Day 3 - Wed 12 Dec - Sally Odgers' Spinning Pearls
Day 4 - Thu 13 Dec - Jacqui Grantford's JacquiGrantford.com
Day 5 - Fri 14 Dec - Sally Murphy's Scribblings

Bren: Welcome, Robyn, to the final day of your blog book tour.

Robyn: Thanks, Bren, for inviting me to your blog. It's great to be here.

Bren: How has the journey from blog to blog been?

Robyn: It's been great! Fantastic! All of the blog hosts have been wonderful. You are a bunch of friendly - I was going to say nice but I'm not fond of that word - supportive people and I feel honoured to have you as writing buddies. Answering the questions has been an interesting experience too. Your questions made me think - really think. Sure, we think about things ourselves but it's different when other people ask the questions. You've lead me off into different directions, new places I haven't explored before. Thank you for the experience. I appreciate the time and effort everyone has put into this blog tour. I recommend it and am happy to return the favour.

Bren: I like that The Pony Game is different to most pony books because the protagonist doesn't actually have her own pony even though a pony enters the story. I think a lot of children will relate to having to invent a Pony Game. You were also fortunate enough to have the talented and funky Elise Hurst illustrate your cover. Did you meet Elise or have any input into her design? How proud of this book are you? Is there any question you haven't been asked about the Pony Game yet?

Robyn: No, I haven't met Elise. But we now have the same literary agent. I hope to meet Elise one day and tell her how much I appreciated her being a part of "The Pony Game". No, I didn't get any input into her design. I loved her "rough illustrations" and thought she captured the story and characters well. It was almost as if she was in my head and childhood. I'm pleased that she illustrated the book and helped make it as beautiful as it is. So, yes, I'm very proud of it. I'm sure there are questions I haven't been asked yet. But I think we've done a good job, without going on and on forever and boring people to death. We don't want them to end up hating the sound of three little words - "The Pony Game".

Bren: The Pony Game is actually one book in a very busy year for you. You've had seven books published this year and already have six lined up for next year! A few books jump out at me. For instance, Child Heroes, a story about Iqbal Masih, a carpet factory labourer in Pakistan who spoke out about child slavery. What a fascinating and courageous boy. How did you go about putting his story together?

Robyn: This book has an interesting history. I was commissioned by Era Publications to write a book Child Heroes and include three child heroes, one being Anne Frank. It was the US publisher who works with Era that suggested this title and Anne Frank's inclusion. So, off I went to research child heroes on the Internet. I picked three with different backgrounds and themes - Anne Frank, iqbal Masih and The Tree Musketeers. The editor approved my choices and I went to work. However, I soon realised that Iqbal's story was so strong it was taking over the book. I did all my research on the Internet, spent hours poring over information and checking facts. During this time, I fell in love with Iqbal. He became my hero. I finished the manuscript and sent it to the Era editor, pointing out that Iqbal's story shone so brightly it made everyone else look pale in comparison. even though they had their own heroic stories. I didn't hear a word on the manuscript for months. Then I was called into the Era office. Uh-oh! It felt like I was being called to the Principal's office. The editor sat me down and explained that they'd decided to make the entire book about Iqbal. Was I surprised? No, Iqbal has that effect on people. Was I happy? You bet! Iqbal is an amazing boy. He is no longer with us, unfortunately, but I'll never refer to him in the past tense. He lives on. His bravery, selflessness, determination, belief - inspiration - is still part of our lives. As you can see, I'm passionate about Iqbal Masih. You can go HERE to view the cover and see this brave hero.

Bren: Another book I see coming up is Black Baron with Walker Books. Is that a full on glossy picture book? I understand that the protagonist is a racing cockroach. Of course! What an endless source of stories you could have about a racing cockroach. You could even add another story about his cousin from Queensland, the flying cockroach! (I hate how they fly). Tell me all about this new book: How stoked are you? Who is the illustrator? Why a cockroach? etc.

Robyn: "Black Baron" is a novel for 9 to 13 year olds. It will be one of the first books released in a new series, Lightning Strikes, by Walker Books due out in May 2008. I'm very excited about it. "Black Baron" is probably my favourite fiction book and my favourite fictional character. "Child Heroes: Iqbal Masih" is my favourite non-fiction title. It is a novel, so there aren't any illustrations. Why a cockroach? Hmmm... When I started "Black Baron", my aim was to write a funny story for boys. I love writing funny stories for boys. I thought about the things that boys liked and decided to write about bugs. I wanted to be different so I decided on a racing cockroach. At the start, I thought of cockroaches as dirty, stinking, rotten pests. Yuck! They have to die! Then I began writing and pretty soon I was in love with Black Baron. I was faced with a dilemma. My original idea and plot outline meant that Black Baron had to die... dirty, stinking, rotten... But I'd stopped thinking of him that way. Now I thought he was cute, wonderful - a champion racing hero. Did I kill him as I first intended? Or did I let him live? I eventually came up with a different ending I was happy with. You'll just have to read it to find out what happens to Black Baron - and his manager, Jake. I shudder at the thought of flying cockroaches!

Bren: I interviewed you a couple of years ago for my book, "How to Become a Children's Writer" in which you talked about other avenues of income for writers and balancing finding income with finding time to write. I have been fascinated with your career ever since. I think we both started getting children's books published in the same year but, of course, you are up to around 70 children's books now and have launched a career built around writing while I've pussy-footed around working conventional jobs and my mere 25 publications are in multiple genres, medias, and age groups. I feel like a butterfly in a blizzard next to the Rock of Gilbraltar. You seem to have tremendous focus and drive. How do you maintain that drive and what other ways do you bring in income to survive as a writer?

Robyn: Obsession! Honestly, I'm obssessed. Writing is my life. I'm a full time writer now. Having a "proper job" used to frustrate me because I wanted to write while I was at work and work got in the way - or the bosses did. There never seemed enough spare time to write. So I do have an advantage on you now, Bren, because I can commit myself to writing at least 8 hours a day. I think the more you write, the more obsessed about it you become. I never used to be this obssessed about writing. My partner is a writer too, so we talk about writing and writing related subjects a lot. We also work on projects together. We've just written a screenplay together, which felt more like spending quality time together than work. I don't have any children, though my partner does. So we do have child-distractions but on a part-time basis. I find it difficult to do anything other than write. Dragging myself to the supermarket is difficult. And forget housework!
My e-books and writing courses on the Internet bring in some regular income. I do author visits to schools and other paying gigs. Now, I'm working as a screenwriter too. ELR and PLR make a big difference. One of the reasons I can write full time is the fantastic lack of a mortgage. I own my house because, for many years, my husband and I invested in real estate and were able to use the capital gains to pay off our own home. The lack of a mortgage - any loans, actually - means I don't need a huge income to survive.

Bren: Looking through your list of books, it seems that you have very good relationships with some very busy publishers. I know that good relationships with editors has helped me, but, in an age when publishers are projecting themselves more through websites etc, it seems increasingly hard to get to know the people behind the company front and when the people change you can suddenly find yourself pushed away again. How important is the publisher/editor/writer relationship to you?

Robyn: I think the publisher/editor/writer relationship is important. Publishers and editors have to enjoy working with you. In other words, it has to be a positive experience for them. Otherwise, they might think twice about it next time. But I think the most important thing is your writing/stories. It doesn't matter how well you get on with a publisher/editor if they don't like your writing or your stories don't fit their list. I have good relationships with lots of publishers - and they still reject my stories. These publishers like my writing and style. Sometimes I have to work harder to get the stories to fit publishing opportunities and lists. It really is the writing and individual stories that matter. Having said that, publishers do have to want to work with you too. I write stories that I enjoy and feel passionate about and that I think readers will also enjoy. I hope publishers want to publish my stories. If they do, I think you have to be professional and easy to get along with. You know, treat others the way you want to be treated, do the right thing etc. I once heard a publisher say that she didn't want to know a thing about the writer - she didn't care. She made her decision on the strength of the manuscript and writing.

Bren: Thank you, Robyn, for giving us some of your precious time (you could probably have written another book in the time it took to answer all these questions). I think you've worked so hard in the last few years that you deserve to be on a best seller list somewhere and I'm always amazed at your humbleness and your helpfulness towards other writers. I think you're a star. Good luck for the future.

Robyn: Thanks, Bren. I've gone a lovely shade of red. Clashes with my pink T-shirt though. I hope I can inspire others, like my child hero Iqbal Masih. Part of my enjoyment as a writer is being able to help others and give back to the community. A best-seller would be good. I'd like to be able to donate lots of money to the environment, animal welfare and education of children in developing countries. That's my dream. Best of luck with your writing and everything you do. Thanks again for letting me visit your blog. It's been a great pleasure.

Keep up with Robyn at her website: RobynOpie.com or her blog: Writing Children's Books with Robyn Opie