Today I'm talking
to Beth Finke, award-winning author, teacher and journalist. Beth travels to
speaking engagements with her guide dog from The Seeing Eye.
Lend Me a
Paw
by Beth Finke
Photo of Beth and Harper from Beth's blog, Safe & Sound
A picture
page from “Lend Me a Paw.”
(Photo courtesy National Geographic School
Publishing.)
Cherie: Hi Beth. Thanks for being
with us today. Can you tell us about your picture book, Lend Me a Paw.
Beth: Lend Me a Paw is a compilation of three stories about animal
intelligence. My story, called One Smart
Dog explains why sometimes Seeing Eye dogs have to rely on
"intelligent disobedience" to keep the blind person they are guiding
safe. When a Seeing Eye dog decides that what their blind companion is
asking would put them in danger, the dog must refuse to follow the command.
Example: let's say I told my dog to go "Forward!" at an
intersection, and just then she realized a car was turning right on red. Even
though I was urging her to go forward, she would refuse to budge. Intelligent
disobedience is the most difficult skill a Seeing Eye dog must learn, and they
use that skill in all sorts of different situations.
Cherie: That’s very interesting. Where
did you get the idea for your book?
Beth: An editor at National
Geographic School Publishing contacted me about an idea they had to publish a
couple of stories in a book. At the time the working title was
"Animal I.Q." My previous picture book, Hanni and Beth: Safe & sound (Blue Marlin Publications, 2007)
won an ASPCA/Henry Bergh Book Award for children's non-fiction, so the editor
thought I might be able to write a story that fit into the "Animal I.Q."
category.
The first thing that came to mind was
the "intelligent disobedience" concept, and when I explained
that to the editor she was all over it. I live in the Printers Row
neighborhood of Chicago, and a National Geographic photographer came and
spent a day taking photos of us in action here, and along with photos supplied
by the Seeing Eye in Morristown, they are the illustrations for the book.
Cherie: What is your favorite (or
least favorite) thing about writing picture books?
Beth: My favorite part about writing
picture books is that it forces good editing. You don't have a whole lot of
words to work with, so your writing has to be strong.
Cherie: Where can someone purchase
your book,
Beth: "Lend Me a Paw" is
not available at bookstores, and the National Geographic School Publishing web
site is set up to sell to teachers and schools who use purchase orders
and the like. If you're dying for an individual copy, though you can
phone in an order at 1-888-915-3276. Ask for sib number
978-07362-95116. My previous children's book, "Hanni and Beth: Safe
& Sound" is far easier to come by. Order it from your favorite
independent bookstore or purchase it online at Blue Marlin Publications: www.bluemarlinpubs.com My memoir, "Long Time, No
See" was published by University of Illinois press in 2003 and is also
available commercially through traditional routes.
Oh, and my Seeing Eye dog and I love
to visit schools, please email me at info@bethfinke.com if
you are planning author visits for the next school year.
Cherie: Do you have any advice for
aspiring picture book authors?
Beth: If you want a publisher to
publish your book, send your manuscript out to publishers an agents!
Sounds obvious, I know, but I hear from oh so many people who have a picture
book written but haven't sent it anywhere. Maybe they're afraid of rejection?
They're thinking well, as long as they don't send it out, no one will
reject it? But hey, if you don't send it out, no one will ever publish
it, either!
Cherie: That’s great advice! What
are you working on now?
Beth: I teach memoir-writing classes
for senior citizens in Chicago, and I am working on a book for adults about my
experiences with those writers.
Cherie: That sounds fascinating, and
I’m looking forward to learning more about that book. Now for some fun
questions:
Favorite color? Red. I lost my sight when I was 26 years old due to a
somewhat rare disease called retinopathy. Red was the only color I could still
see as my sight was fading, so it remains my favorite.
If you had all the money and time in
the world, where would your dream vacation be? At an ocean beach house with friends.
Are you a morning person or an
evening person? Morning. I love being up before everyone else is. I get a
lot of writing work done that way.
Do you have a favorite place to
write? In
hotel rooms when someone else (a conference that hired me to speak, a book fest
where I'm sitting on a panel. that sort of thing) is footing the bill.
Who is your hero? My mother is my hero.
I am the youngest of seven, my father had a heart attack and died at home a
week after my third birthday. Flo had not graduated from high school and worked
to get her GED degree and then held a job as an office clerk until she was 70
in order to raise us on her own. The heroic part is that she never
complained to us about her lot in life. She took naps when she could, though,
always telling us she was "just resting her eyes." I follow her lead:
naps are good when you can get 'em!
Your mom sounds like an amazing
woman. Thanks again for being on my blog!
Stop by Beth Finke's website to learn more about her and her books, or visit her blog, Safe & Sound to follow her adventures with her Seeing Eye Dog.
