Community
Author Spotlight
February 2009 --- Bruce Lord
.jpg "Bruce Lord") |
Author Bruce Lord, a regional manager for Indigo bookstores, has spent over a decade performing for children as a professional storyteller. Lord, along with co-author Elisabeth Richards, published a collection of dark-humored tales, Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed: And Other Cracked Tales, in November 2008 and has sold more than 1,500 units since. Lord has a PhD (ABD) in English Literature and lives in Ontario, Canada.
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1. How did you become involved in performing for children?
About 12 years ago, a co-worker introduced me to a professional storyteller. When I saw him perform, I decided to give it a try. I quickly discovered I was able to make hundreds and thousands of kids laugh and introduce them to some of the greatest young adult books ever written. I have performed for more than half a million children in the near dozen years of storytelling and I hope to perform for at least a million more before my storytelling days are over.
Children are generally the most honest critics and will hold little back. When they are not impressed they will certainly tell you—they are the best first-line editors you will ever find. And when they cheer and applaud for a draft of a story you are working on, there is no greater validation that you are on the right path.
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2. Your book, Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed, consists of 22 twisted fairy tales. What prompted you to write the book?
Becoming an author was something I had thought of from time to time since childhood. I had even thought of using the title Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed for a book when I saw it painted on a brick wall over 20 years ago. While I had the desire, I had never been able to write the book, as life tends to be rather distracting. Luckily, I found a talented co-author who wrote some of the most beautiful lines in the book and helped me focus my energy.
3. Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed has sold more than 1,500 units and was listed as the No. 7 best selling book through Chapters in January 2009, how did you achieve these accomplishments?
The generosity of spirit and helpful support has been exceptional, from talented booksellers across Canada who recommended Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed to their customers, to teachers and librarians here in Ontario who asked me to perform at author events.
The first goal was just to sell one book to someone who was not obliged to buy a copy because they were a relative. After 10 had sold, the next goal was 100 – and when 100 had sold, we hoped to sell 500 copies by Canada Day. When we reached that goal on Christmas Eve, more than six months ahead of schedule, you can imagine how ecstatic we were. Knowing that children would be unwrapping our book on Christmas morning was the greatest Christmas gift we could possibly receive.
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4. What advice would you give other aspiring authors?
Trust your own voice, but when it comes to receiving professional editorial advice, listen to be altered. The hours it takes to edit for comma splices and dangling participles are painful and mind numbing, but they are some of the most important hours you will spend on your book. If you have something that needs to be in book form and if you bring a serious commitment to the project, iUniverse will bring an equal commitment to helping you make your dream a manifest reality.
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5. Why did you choose iUniverse?
I was impressed with the quality of iUniverse books that I saw at a conference and was intrigued by what I initially heard about the company. Upon further research, I discovered that iUniverse provided a terrific path to publishing a collection of short stories which could be brought to market quickly and professionally.
6. Any thoughts on your experience with iUniverse?
Like any process where quality counts, there are highs and lows, mis-starts and epiphanies, moments of great jubilation, and moments of frustration. In short, creating our book with iUniverse was an adventure, one well worth going on. The straightforward step-by-step process, editorial advice, and level of involvement iUniverse gave me in approving changes was invaluable.
When UPS drove up with that first box of our newly created book, there was a joy in my heart that rarely has been equaled. To say that iUniverse helped “make a dream come true” is cliché, but simultaneously it just happens to be correct.
7. What are you currently working on?
Currently, I am working on two books: A second collection of short stories, which will include a sequel to the title story in Humpty Dumpty Was Pushed, and a full length novel.
