Flora Belle Buckman is 10 years old and hates romance. She prides herself on being a natural-born cynic, and while she wants to believe in superheroes, she just can’t make herself buy into the premise.
At least, that’s how she feels during the summer after 5th grade when she’s reading, “The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!”
With the whoosh of a vacuum cleaner, all that changes. Flora’s neighbor, Mrs. Tickham, while using her new Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X—on the lawn—sucks up an unassuming squirrel, and the incident magically gives him superpowers. From then on, the squirrel is known as (what else?) Ulysses.
“Holy bagumba!” shouts Flora, witnessing the scene from her bedroom window.
Holy bagumba, indeed.
“Flora & Ulysses” is but the latest award-winner by celebrity author Kate DiCamillo, whom we had the privilege of interviewing for our “Authors Between the Covers” radio show.
In the last two decades, she has written 11 New York Times best-selling titles and sold 18.5 million copies worldwide. Her books have been translated into 39 languages, and two have been turned into major motion-picture feature films: “Because of Winn-Dixie,” and “The Tale of Despereaux.”
In addition to being awarded the 2014 Newbery Medal, she has won the National Book Award (2001), the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2006), and the (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award (2007, 2011). DiCamillo is also the 2014-2015 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature—which means this celebrity author is making the rounds to meet kids across the country.
In this podcast interview you’ll learn:
- DiCamillo’s process for writing her best-sellers, and tips on how others who aspire to her level of achievement might get started.
- Why she is still stunned that any of her books have even made it into print.
- Why she worked for years at Disney and other theme parks in Florida, even though she passionately yearned to be a writer.
- And more!
Click the red button to download our podcast now. And read more about Kate DiCamillo, cover girl of the September 2014 Back to School issue of Be Inkandescent magazine.
