BON KAY Bon Kay, has written her first book for children — “Mr. McTavish Goes to the Library” that is based on her Scottie dog, who has passed away but gave Kay many happy hours of memories that she called upon to write the book. EC Magazines gets a good time to talk and listen about her life, about what she does apart from writing and her quirks. Here’s how it goes:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer and what inspired you? When COVID hit and I had a lot of time on my hands, I had an idea I was thinking about after I had a very pleasant experience with an online funding group that found money for teachers all throughout the USA. Plus I had a lovable Scottish terrier that would have made a wonderful character for children so ready for a new canine figure to love and enjoy his experiences. I had Lassie and Rin Tin Tin and my children had Benji and Beethoven, so now I want to give them Mr. McTavish to follow and enjoy his stories as they are told by Mr. McTavish in his words, that children can understand and relate to, as they will see in Mr. McTavish Goes to the Library . How long does it take you to write a book? And what is your work schedule when you’re writing? When sitting down the first time, and having the experience to go by, it only took a few weeks to write the story and get some feedback from family and friends. The next couple books took a bit longer as the research took some time and development of characters were designed. Then work starts with the illustrator and time seems to slow to a crawl. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? All the Mr. McTavish books,
nice, but one daughter has been my other brain with help online and having a good eye for detail when proofing. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing a book? I think the most surprising thing I learned after writing my books is the true support I received from friends and strangers. They believe my creation could take off to many new heights and entertain children all over the world. One friend told me the stories have it all. Kindness, gratitude, trust, obedience, companionship and most of all love. Do you have any suggestions to help other writers to become a better writer? If so, what are they? I’m afraid I’m to novice at this to try and give advice. I do know that children gravitate to bold colors to grab their eyes, develop a lovable animal character they can relate to, have a good beginning that will grab their interest and give them a nice surprise in the end. I decided to keep the true meanings of my stories out of the titles to have that surprise at the end. What do you think makes a good story? Reading is fundamental but Mr. McTavish wants to help children to have that fundamental enjoyment all their lives. EC
besides being told by the dog, will be designed around children, whether giving to them or development of things that will give them help and/or enjoyment. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? I’ve used experiences I’ve had with my own dogs over the years and with other situations like a daughter working in a pediatric hospital for book two, Mr. McTavish Goes to the Hospital and places around my area, like the park I wrote about in the third book, Mr. McTavish Goes to the Community Park . When did you write your first book and how old were you? I’ve had a novel in my head for years but no experience to get it on paper. But after my online experience gave me such satisfaction, and having a cute character to develop, I jumped into the young children’s world geared from 3-10 year olds. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? When I’m not writing, there are many other things to keep be busy with web designs and book fairs. But now being retired, I’ve learned to take my time and enjoy the journey. What does your family think of your writing? Most of my family think it looks
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EC Magazines | London-L.A. Edition 2023
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