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Today former rock band frontwoman Fran Cannon Slayton chats it up with Book Addict Editor Angela Wilson about becoming an author, why she wrote a historical coming-of-age story featuring trains and how writing compares to riding a bull.

How did a former rock band singer become an author?

That sounds like the set up for a bad joke, doesn’t it!  (Did you hear the one about the former rock band singer that . . . ?“)  Actually, I think being a rock band singer and being an author are flip sides of the same coin: creativity.  My day jobs were as a prosecutor, publisher, and title insurance agent – my creativity had to come out somewhere, or I was going to pop!

The longer answer to your question is that although I’d been writing all along as a hobby, after my daughter was born in 2003 I finally got serious about writing.  I joined the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI.org), went to conferences, joined a critique group, and signed up for professional critiques. 

I was a finalist in the SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grant competition in 2005, and in 2006 I received a full scholarship to the weeklong children’s writers workshop at the Chautauqua Institute, put on by the amazing folks at Highlights Magazine.  At that conference I met my editor, Patricia Lee Gauch, who read the first 12 pages of my manuscript and loved them.  She asked for the rest of my then half-finished manuscript and read it on vacation.  Three weeks later she offered to work with me as I finished the novel.  A few months after I finished it, she gave me my first book contract!

How is riding a mechanical bull like penning a novel? (Come on, now, you know there are comparisons!)

Great question!  Both were things I really, really, really wanted to do for much of my life.  And for both writing and riding, sometimes you just have to hang on for dear life and enjoy the ride!  Both left me with a couple of bruises, but I consider them to be battle scars that I’m pretty proud of.

On your Web site, you call yourself an “author, dreamer.” How do your dreams inspire your stories?

Dreams come on many different levels.  There are daydreams, there are goal-oriented dreams, there are dreamlike states of being, regular dreams and nightmares.  Most of these have inspired my writing at one time or another. 

Daydreams combined with goal-oriented dreams have been the most important for me.  If I had not allowed myself to daydream about being an author, and if I had not practiced those daydreams by actually trying to write – I would not be a novelist today.  We have to be dreamers – but active dreamers – if our dreams are to have any hope of becoming our realities.

Tell us about your latest, When the Whistle Blows.

When the Whistle Blows is a coming of age novel about a boy by the name of Jimmy Cannon, who is growing up in the 1940’s as the son of a B&O Railroad foreman.  Jimmy has a series of Halloween adventures from the ages of 12 to 18 as he discovers more and more about his crotchety old father, who is a member of a secret society.

The novel is written as a series of short stories, each set a year apart on All Hallows’ Eve, that build together to form the overarching story of Jimmy’s transition from boyhood to manhood.  It is a book about the meaning of home, family, loyalty, friendship and most of all, change in the face of difficult economic times.

While it is being marketed by Penguin as a book for upper elementary, middle and high school students, it is also considered to be a cross over book into the adult market because the story can be read at a number of different levels. 

I’m happy to report that the major trade reviewers have had great things to say so far!  When the Whistle Blows has received starred reviews in both Kirkus (which called it “an unassuming masterpiece”) and School Library Journal (which said it is “nostalgia done right”).  I couldn’t be more thrilled!

What was the impetus for writing the novel?

I was inspired by my own father’s stories of his childhood growing up in Rowlesburg, West Virginia in the 1940s.  He was in fact the son of the B&O Railroad foreman at the time when the steam engines were switching to diesel.

How did you get so interested in trains and working for the railroad in the 1900s?

In some ways, this novel is my version of tracing the genealogy of my family.  But instead of tracing lineage, I tracked down some of the old Cannon family stories and fictionalized them.  I never got the chance to meet my grandfather, the foreman, but writing this book helped me feel closer to him.

Besides, trains really are ‘in the Cannon blood,’ as Jimmy says in the book.  I’ve got uncles and cousins who also worked on the trains; the railroad is an integral part of my family history.

What was the most interesting, little-known fact you learned about the railroad while researching the novel?

I learned that if a mistake is made and the levels of water in the boiler are not correct, a steam engine can very easily blow up.

How do the writing styles used in some of your favorite novels inspire your own work?

My favorite novels have inspired me in two ways:  thematically and in terms of literary style.  Thematically, three books top my list of formative reads:  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, Sounder by William Armstrong, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.  They made me consider justice, time and love in radically new ways when I read them as a child, and all of these themes found their way into When the Whistle Blows. 

In terms of actual writing style, I like books that are beautifully written, but not self-consciously so.  I love it when writing is genuine, true to its voice, but still lovely. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a perfect example.

You have a contest going on for librarians and classrooms for When the Whistle Blows. Give us the scoop.

Yes!  On my website there is a signup for teachers and librarians to enter to win 30 advance copies of When the Whistle Blows for their library or classroom.  All they have to do is sign up to receive my monthly Children’s Book News Email.  A drawing will be held from the names on the list as of December 2009.  Here is the link for folks who might be interested http://www.francannonslayton.com/Contest.html (but please remember, this particular contest is only for teachers and librarians!)

Are you doing classroom visits as part of book discussions?

Yes!  I’m looking forward to visiting elementary, middle, and high schools all over the country in the coming year.  Teachers and librarians who might be interested in scheduling me for a visit can email me at Fran at francannonslayton dot com.  They can also visit the http://www.francannonslayton.com/Teachers_%26_Librarians.html” title=“Teachers and Librarians”>Teachers and Librarians page of my website, which has curriculum tie-ins and activities for classes that are reading When the Whistle Blows, as well as other information about my school visits. 

I’m also happy to mail a Penguin discussion guide for When the Whistle Blows to teachers, librarians and book groups for both adults and youth.  Just .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)with your address and I’ll get one in the mail to you!
What’s next for you?

I’m currently writing a book tentatively titled Ship’s Boy, which is a fantasy about a girl who wants to be a pirate.

If reader groups want to chat with you personally, can they contact you for a video or telephone chat?

Sure!  Book groups (for adults or children) can email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). I’ll send you a discussion guide and we’ll set something up.

Where can we find you online?

You can find out more about me and When the Whistle Blows at http://www.francannonslayton.com - the events page includes my book tour schedule, which is taking me all over VA, WV, MD, OH, IN, IL and CA this summer.  Please stop by and introduce yourself if you’re in the neighborhood! 

Or you can catch up with me in a little more detail at my blog or on my Facebook page!

When the Whistle Blows is also featured on Penguin’s website this month, and there’s also a nice article in the June issue of School Library Journal that has a great picture of me with steam and diesel engine locomotives.

Thanks for hosting me today!