Q. & A. about Candlewax, Blooming With Books interviews C. Bailey Sims
This post first appeared on Blooming with Books' Blog http://bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/candlewax-q-with-author-c-bailey-sims.html
I am grateful to Meagan for letting me re-post it here because she asked some really good questions about Candlewax. Be warned that there are minor spoilers here--nothing too egregious!
date of original post: 3.15.2012Candlewax Q & A with author C. Bailey SimsFirst of all "C", I'd like to thank you for agreeing to this interviewand I'm sure Candlewax's readers will appreciate the behind-the-sceneslook at this award-winning title.
Thank you for having me, Meagan!
1. Fire is both fascinatingly beautiful and at the same timefrightening. How did you come up with the idea of the continuallyburning trees of Candlewax?
Ahhh. I just love candlelight. When I began telling stories to my kidsto keep them at the dinner table it was not uncommon for me to lightcandles—even for every day meals. Candlewax trees were one of thefirst recurring elements in what became known as my Candlewax stories.There is something calm-ing and beautiful about candlelight thatappeals to me on a very basic level. It is interesting, too, thatthere is a real species of tree called the Chinese tallow tree thathas a sap that can be burned as fuel, so to me it was natural to makeCandlewax Wood a totally believable phenomenon.
2. You didn't really touch on this, but is Candlewax always lit upeven at night with a glow on the horizon?
Yes, the Wood does light up the night sky, much like we can see citylights illuminate the atmosphere above. When Catherine is runningaway from Crystallia, she glimpses the faint glow of Candlewax in thedistance.
3. Is Catherine actually the heir to three kingdoms?
Oooh. I'm impressed. No one has noticed that yet. Or if they have,they haven't said anything about it. Catherine is uniquely positionedfor her mission. She definitely has ties to three kingdoms of the fourkingdoms of Lackanay, and how much she makes of her claims in thefuture will depend on many un-foreseen (possibly to be revealed)factors. Readers of Candlewax might even spot a fourth tie to a landoutside of Lackanay. I won't say more because I don't want to give toomuch away.
4. Trodliks sound really icky looking, how did you come up withthem? Are they based on anything, even something you would find undera microscope?
I made trodliks as icky as I could possibly imagine them. I mean,white exoskeletons with yellow guts, red eyes, lots of little legs andnasty teeth and claws. Yuck!!!! I did sort of have evil shrimp inmind. I wanted them to also have a pre-historic, fossil-record feel tothem.
5. Where did Trodliks come from originally so that they were able toget to Devona in the first place, or is that an unknown mystery thatno one even knows?
I imagine they evolved from a more benign species. Something wentwrong to trigger a transformation, much like when we see locust swarmsdevelop from much more harmless grasshoppers or some species ofAfrican ants suddenly attack livestock and humans. Once trodliks getstarted, it is hard to stop them.
6. Will Desert of Devona ever be able to returned to what it once wasor are the Trodliks a permanent resident of the land?
Can you read my mind? I have plans for Devona but can't reveal them!
7. If there is not a Catherine, would the Ancient Onyxes work? Or musta Catherine control it?
Only Catherine could fulfill her particular mission. While others canwield the Ancient Onyxes with great power, the pendant was crafted forher.
8. How did you find out about Candlewax winning Connecticut's TassyWalden New Voices in Children's Literature Award, and how did youfeel? (Shocked, happy, excited?)
All of those. I answered the call from the Shoreline Arts Alliance onthe house phone in the kitchen. It was evening and I was thinking itwas one of the kids' friends or something. When they told meCandlewax had taken first prize in the Young Adult category, I wassimply overwhelmed with shock and joy. The first thing I wanted to dowas share the news with my sons and husband. Having the judges of theTassy Walden award validate my writing was incredibly helpful to me asan author. I'll never forget it.
9. Where did you find fairrier cats and Spelopokos?
For me, Spelopokos came first, then all the capabilities andcharacteristics of fairrier cats. Strange, I know, but then he is avery assertive character. He was always there—I just had to find him,like a sculptor chipping away at a block of marble. Fairrier cats arean amalgamation of my favorite things about big cats—made moreextreme. And yet, in spite of his enormous size, there are times whenPokos can be just like a housecat.
10. Do you have a favorite scene?
The Duray Principas. (Pronounced DUR-ay PRIN-see-PAHSS). It is a veryvisual scene for me. I can see every one of those arrows fly. Butthere are lots of other parts that I treasured writing.
11. Are Catherine or Cyril based on anyone, even loosely?
Anyone who has ever looked danger or defeat in the eye and notblinked. There are a lot of you out there, and some even in my ownfamily.
12. Is there a character that you relate to more than the others? If so, how?
Spelopokos. I soooo want to be Catherine so Pokos can be in my life!
13. As a writer, what gives you the greatest satisfaction?
It is a thrill for me to find an audience for my writing. Wheneverthere is a reader to share my world, it is a universe-expandingfeeling. Writing is very solitary. When the writing is done, and thesharing begins, it is nerve-wracking, complicated, sometimes tortuous,and frequently inspirational.
14. Is there a question you wish someone would ask you aboutCandlewax? If so, how would you answer?
Okay, here goes. Is "Wolfy" from Candlewax based a real dog? Yes, heis a Great Pyrenees and his name is Buddy. I am seriously consideringputting Buddy in all of my books. He is one of the great loves of mylife. Maybe you can tell that by the way I am strangling him in thepicture?
15. How many books do you plan on writing about Lackanay? Or will theyjust happen?
Ah ha. Good question, Meagan. I am working on the sequel, TABREK. Howmany books there will be, I just don't know because I like spendingtime in Lackanay.Again thanks for your time "C" and I wish you success with Candlewax.
Thanks again for having me on your blog!
I am grateful to Meagan for letting me re-post it here because she asked some really good questions about Candlewax. Be warned that there are minor spoilers here--nothing too egregious!
date of original post: 3.15.2012Candlewax Q & A with author C. Bailey SimsFirst of all "C", I'd like to thank you for agreeing to this interviewand I'm sure Candlewax's readers will appreciate the behind-the-sceneslook at this award-winning title.
Thank you for having me, Meagan!
1. Fire is both fascinatingly beautiful and at the same timefrightening. How did you come up with the idea of the continuallyburning trees of Candlewax?
Ahhh. I just love candlelight. When I began telling stories to my kidsto keep them at the dinner table it was not uncommon for me to lightcandles—even for every day meals. Candlewax trees were one of thefirst recurring elements in what became known as my Candlewax stories.There is something calm-ing and beautiful about candlelight thatappeals to me on a very basic level. It is interesting, too, thatthere is a real species of tree called the Chinese tallow tree thathas a sap that can be burned as fuel, so to me it was natural to makeCandlewax Wood a totally believable phenomenon.
2. You didn't really touch on this, but is Candlewax always lit upeven at night with a glow on the horizon?
Yes, the Wood does light up the night sky, much like we can see citylights illuminate the atmosphere above. When Catherine is runningaway from Crystallia, she glimpses the faint glow of Candlewax in thedistance.
3. Is Catherine actually the heir to three kingdoms?
Oooh. I'm impressed. No one has noticed that yet. Or if they have,they haven't said anything about it. Catherine is uniquely positionedfor her mission. She definitely has ties to three kingdoms of the fourkingdoms of Lackanay, and how much she makes of her claims in thefuture will depend on many un-foreseen (possibly to be revealed)factors. Readers of Candlewax might even spot a fourth tie to a landoutside of Lackanay. I won't say more because I don't want to give toomuch away.
4. Trodliks sound really icky looking, how did you come up withthem? Are they based on anything, even something you would find undera microscope?
I made trodliks as icky as I could possibly imagine them. I mean,white exoskeletons with yellow guts, red eyes, lots of little legs andnasty teeth and claws. Yuck!!!! I did sort of have evil shrimp inmind. I wanted them to also have a pre-historic, fossil-record feel tothem.
5. Where did Trodliks come from originally so that they were able toget to Devona in the first place, or is that an unknown mystery thatno one even knows?
I imagine they evolved from a more benign species. Something wentwrong to trigger a transformation, much like when we see locust swarmsdevelop from much more harmless grasshoppers or some species ofAfrican ants suddenly attack livestock and humans. Once trodliks getstarted, it is hard to stop them.
6. Will Desert of Devona ever be able to returned to what it once wasor are the Trodliks a permanent resident of the land?
Can you read my mind? I have plans for Devona but can't reveal them!
7. If there is not a Catherine, would the Ancient Onyxes work? Or musta Catherine control it?
Only Catherine could fulfill her particular mission. While others canwield the Ancient Onyxes with great power, the pendant was crafted forher.
8. How did you find out about Candlewax winning Connecticut's TassyWalden New Voices in Children's Literature Award, and how did youfeel? (Shocked, happy, excited?)
All of those. I answered the call from the Shoreline Arts Alliance onthe house phone in the kitchen. It was evening and I was thinking itwas one of the kids' friends or something. When they told meCandlewax had taken first prize in the Young Adult category, I wassimply overwhelmed with shock and joy. The first thing I wanted to dowas share the news with my sons and husband. Having the judges of theTassy Walden award validate my writing was incredibly helpful to me asan author. I'll never forget it.
9. Where did you find fairrier cats and Spelopokos?
For me, Spelopokos came first, then all the capabilities andcharacteristics of fairrier cats. Strange, I know, but then he is avery assertive character. He was always there—I just had to find him,like a sculptor chipping away at a block of marble. Fairrier cats arean amalgamation of my favorite things about big cats—made moreextreme. And yet, in spite of his enormous size, there are times whenPokos can be just like a housecat.
10. Do you have a favorite scene?
The Duray Principas. (Pronounced DUR-ay PRIN-see-PAHSS). It is a veryvisual scene for me. I can see every one of those arrows fly. Butthere are lots of other parts that I treasured writing.
11. Are Catherine or Cyril based on anyone, even loosely?
Anyone who has ever looked danger or defeat in the eye and notblinked. There are a lot of you out there, and some even in my ownfamily.
12. Is there a character that you relate to more than the others? If so, how?
Spelopokos. I soooo want to be Catherine so Pokos can be in my life!
13. As a writer, what gives you the greatest satisfaction?
It is a thrill for me to find an audience for my writing. Wheneverthere is a reader to share my world, it is a universe-expandingfeeling. Writing is very solitary. When the writing is done, and thesharing begins, it is nerve-wracking, complicated, sometimes tortuous,and frequently inspirational.
14. Is there a question you wish someone would ask you aboutCandlewax? If so, how would you answer?
Okay, here goes. Is "Wolfy" from Candlewax based a real dog? Yes, heis a Great Pyrenees and his name is Buddy. I am seriously consideringputting Buddy in all of my books. He is one of the great loves of mylife. Maybe you can tell that by the way I am strangling him in thepicture?
15. How many books do you plan on writing about Lackanay? Or will theyjust happen?
Ah ha. Good question, Meagan. I am working on the sequel, TABREK. Howmany books there will be, I just don't know because I like spendingtime in Lackanay.Again thanks for your time "C" and I wish you success with Candlewax.
Thanks again for having me on your blog!
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