Camille
Matthews was born in Lexington, KY, an area considered by many the horse
capital of the world. Matthews is a licensed clinical social worker and author
of the Quincy the Horse Books for children ages K-4th. She notes
that most children have empathy for animals and identify with Quincy and his
adventures which involve every day challenges that children face such as loss
and change, a family move, confronting a bully and sibling rivalry. In 2008 she
had the idea for a series of children’s horse books inspired by real events in
the life of one of her horses.
"I
have fallen in love with this new series. The Quincy series will engage
and encourage a love of reading and bring children up to the next reading
level, bridging the gap between picture books and chapter books in an
intelligent way." –Biblio
Reads
Hello, Camille. This interview is part of a book tour
hosted by Walker Author Tours. It’s so nice to have a bit of help with a book release.
Please tell us about your children’s book, Quincy Moves to the Desert.
It is a story of self-discovery. Quincy and his best
friend, Beau, go across the US from New York to New Mexico on a big horse van.
Quincy has doubts about going on such a big trip but he is soon soaking up the
sights. He is amazed to learn that “Horses are everywhere.” His friend Beau
tells him about all the things horses do in different places and he imagines
himself doing these things. He also misses their owner who has gone ahead and
worries about whether she will really be there to meet them. It continues the
themes of the feelings associated with change and the excitement about learning
new things that are in each of Quincy’s adventures.
Where did you get your inspiration for this book?
The entire Quincy the Horse series was inspired by the real life experiences of one of my horses,
an American Quarter Horse named Quincy. He had many adventures when he first
came to live with us that parallel the everyday challenges that are faced by
children. He was a young horse who was learning new things and his personality
was as it is depicted in the Quincy books. I thought it would be a fun way to
explore the uncertainties and joys children go through when learning new things
and his real reactions inspired the decision to have him come out ok in the end
no matter what the problem he needed to solve. I purchased him to be a
companion to my older horse, Beaujolais and they turned out to be very good
friends. I focused on their relationship as a source of continuity in the books
of the series and to demonstrate to young readers the relationships animals are
actually capable of having with each other. While some question the literary
device of having them speak to each other, anyone who is around horses for long
discovers they are great communicators!
This reminds me of Black Beauty. The author wrote the book from a horse’s
viewpoint, also. What kind of research did you have to do for this novel?
I am an equestrian as is the illustrator, Michelle Black.
We spend our daily lives caring for and interacting with horses. It was
important to us to make the stories very authentic in portraying events that
horses really go through, what horses think and feel, how they behave and the
various daily routines and equipment that make up life in a horse barn. One
reviewer complained that having Quincy left to be fed by a neighbor prior to
his new owner coming to try him out in the first book was an unexplained
abandonment. Actually this happens to horses frequently when a new owner
becomes ill or moves. I knew that she had not had much contact with horses.
I am also a psychotherapist and I have knowledge of the
emotions that children experience when they are facing change. Acceptance of
their feelings along with continuity and support are crucial in helping them
grow through change so I wanted to make this a theme in the series through
Quincy’s relationships with his owner and his friend Beau. I was really excited
when one reviewer said that she thought the stories work well for the older
range of the children reading picture books because they have themes that are
thought provoking.
What does your family think about your writing?
My family is extremely supportive of my writing. My
daughter is grown up and happy that I have found something I enjoy at this
stage of life. My husband sometimes wishes I did not have to be gone so much to
promotional events. The horses wish I had more time to ride but that is always
a challenge in today’s busy world.
Now it’s time to tell us something about the real you
that we’ll never forget.
Those who know me will say that I tend to become single minded
when I am working on a project. A current project of great interest to me is
getting the family to eat organic food as much as possible. Over the last year
I have found organic options for our human members by joining in a community
supported farm and starting an organic garden of my own. I have discovered
organic dog food for my Great Pyrenees, Jack and organic horse hay and grain
from a local Amish farmer. What my family does not know yet is that I soon plan
to start raising chickens so we can have our own eggs!
Wow! It seems that we're
beginning to think more about living a healthier life now days. Being a
farmer’s daughter, we raised our own chickens and gathering eggs wasn’t my
favorite thing to do. Hahaha. Those
were the good ole days! Thanks so much for this interview, Camille.
14 comments:
I will be the first to comment. I love horses but no longer ride. My grandchildren have recently come to live with me for a few months and they love horses. They would love to read this and then go riding. I will read and I will watch! You do find the most interesting books for us to read. Thanks,Linda!
please enter me thanks
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
This looks like a great informative AND fun book!
janemaritz at yahoo dot com
Yes, please enter me, too!! Hope you are well!!
mrsdayseye at tiscali dot it
thank you!
Don't enter me! Just wanted to stop by and thank you for hosting Camille on her tour.
Wow! This sounds like a wonderful series. I think having the horses talk to each other is a great idea.
Wishing you the best,
Cheryl
ccmal(at)charter(dot)net
Hi Linda and Camille,
These look like wonderful books. I didn't grow up around horses myself. I did ride once when I was just a tot and my horse wouldn't go and I got left behind crying. But I love all animals and I to loved Black Beauty alot! I bought mostly animal books when I was a kid. Now I'd like to pass on the love of books and horses to my nephew. He's been through divorce and one move already and they will be moving to a new home in a couple months. He also has Adhd and thnkfully the medication worked for him. So he can focus now. I think he'd love your book.
It was wonderful reading about your life. I applaud you for going organic. I wish I could do the same. Fresh eggs don't appeal to me. I still prefer to buy them from the store. lol
Thanks, Christine
chirth7@yahoo.com
Thanks for all the comments. Christine, I think it is a great choice for your nephew.
Going organic has been an adventure in itself!
Camille
I enjoyed reading the interview. It was nice learning where the author got the idea for the series.
I posted the link for the blog post on both Twitter and Facebook.
smdrazic(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love that the Quincy series focuses on every-day challenges that kids face. I think my kids would love this one, especially my older one who is a horse-lover!!
Thanks for the giveaway!
darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
+1 for sharing on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/darlenes.booknook/posts/402876486425777
darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
Thanks Susanne and Darlene. Glad you enjoyed the interview.
Camille
Nice interview. The book sounds intriguing.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Congratulations, Mutti! You are the winner of this awesome children's book. I know you'll enjoy it very much.
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