BLOG TOUR: World Cup Mouse by Richard Seidman - Author Interview!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to another week, another post here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....your bookish source for fun any day of the week.  Before me jump into the week with both feet, allow me a brief moment to remind you that there are THREE contests ending soon...which means YOU still have plenty of time to get your entries in.  But really, why wait?  There's a little something for everyone so please, finish today's post and then....get YOUR entries in for your chance to win!  Now, back to our regularly scheduled post....

Today, we are playing host to a blog tour for the Children's Fiction and Middle Grade audience starring an author and his mouse.  NO really, an author and his MOUSE.  *ahem*  First up, a brief get-to-know-your-book spotlight.  Ready?  Set?  Read!

World Cup Mouse

by

Richard Seidman

Illustrated by 

Ursula Andrejczuk

"Where there's a mouse, there's a way," says Louie LaSurie. But it will take more than lofty words for Louie to achieve his goal: to be the first mouse to play for France in the World Cup soccer tournament. Can Louie do it?

Amazon   |   Goodreads   |   IndieBound   |   Shelfari

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Okay, admittedly, not much to go on, but it's called an introduction for a reason.  Now, to scope out a bit more of the book itself, just CLICK HERE.  Once you return from that field trip, you'll be ready for the second part of today's post. 

*waits*

*waits*

Oh, there you are!

Glad to see you made it back alright.

Now, let's get to that "part 2" shall we?

The "part 2" is referring to the author interview alluded to in the post title...but this one is with a bit of a twist.  Yep.  Instead of an interview conducted by myself with the author, we thought it might be amusing to have a character from the book interview his "creator"!  So, without further ado, let's give a big Insatiable Reader welcome to both interviewee (the author) and interviewer (the mouse!)....

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Interview withRichard Seidman

...by the mouse, François DuBois

Bonjour, I’m François DuBois.

I’m here interviewing children’s book author, RichardSeidman.

François: Richard, I enjoyed reading World Cup Mouse, 
especially the parts with me in it!
 Your books are really funny.

Richard: Thank you, François. I love to make jokes
 and funny business. That’s one of the main reasons 
I enjoy writing – to amuse myself and children 
(and also the big children that we call “grown-ups”). 
For me, funny business is a way to love life, and it’s 
also a way to transform sorrows.

François: Why do you like writing about mice like 
me and Louie?

Richard: Some of my favorite literary characters are mice: Stuart Little,
 Dr. De Soto, Norman the Doorman, Desperaux. It’s fun to write about 
you mice guys.

François: Thanks. Where did you grow up, and what were you like as a child?

Richard: I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I was a really shy child, and to tell you the truth, I’m still pretty shy. I didn’t really know how to play chess when this picture was taken, but I liked moving the pieces around. My father, Herb, was one of the best chess players in the U.S. When I was growing up, playing games and sports and reading were the favorite things I enjoyed, and they’re still the favorite things I enjoy today! In high school and college, my number one passion was running.

François: My last name, you know, means “of the trees.” I heard that you were part of a tree-planting

organization.

Richard: Yes. In the 1970s, I moved to Portland, Oregon, and in 1989 I founded the nonprofit tree-planting group, Friends of Trees. I’m proud that all these years later Friends of Trees is still going strong. More than 10,000 volunteers have planted more than 500,000 trees since the beginning of the organization.

François: Wow, that’s a lot of trees! What other accomplishments are you proud of?

Richard: Well, I’m proud of the book I wrote for grown-ups, The Oracle of Kabbalah: Mystical Teachings of the Hebrew Letters. In 2014, I’ll be publishing a revised version, The New Oracle of Kabbalah. And I’m proud that in the fall of 2014, after training in the martial arts for eighteen years, I finally earned a black belt in Shotokan Karate.

François: Congratulations. Remind me not to pick a fight with you.

Richard (laughing): Don’t worry, François.

François: My cheese soufflé is almost done. Is there anything else you want to say about yourself before we close?

Richard: Yes. I’m a member of SCBWI, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and a founding member of a local children’s book writing critique group. I helped create a nonfiction children’s book for Benchmark Education, I Am Deaf and I Dance: A Memoir. I now live in Ashland, Oregon with my beloved wife, Rachael Resch, our chickens, and our myriad stuffed animals and other small friends.

François: Any mice?

Richard: Only a stuffed toy Despearaux looking over my writing desk.

François: I guess that’s better than nothing. Well, thanks for the interview.

Richard: Thank you. Please say hi to Louie for me.

François: Oui. Au revoir.

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Thank you Francois and Mr. Seidman for that most enlightening share.  I'm sure everyone can agree that not only was that a most interesting turn of the tables (the character interviewing the author!) but a delightful experience overall.

Special thanks to Samantha at JKSCommunications Literary Publicity, for the chance to participate in this tour.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, be sure to check out the official tour page where you can get the skinny on all the other stops along the way.  To find our more about the author behind the work or discover his other writing endeavors, be sure to catch up with him online....the links to which I've included in the post above.

Until next time...happy reading!