SFC Featured Guest
Meet Author of Searching For A Starry Night: A Miniature Art Mystery, Christine Verstraete
Christine Verstraete thinks you’re never too old to play with dollhouses, so when she’s not writing, she’s usually working on something in miniature.
Christine’s stories have appeared in various magazines and online. Her short horror story, “The Witch Tree,” was a contest winner published by Echelon Press. She also wrote “In Miniature Style,” an e-book with miniatures’ photos, stories about collectors, and how-to projects.
See Christine’s miniatures and read some of her work at
http://cverstraete.com.
Christine, I know you were born and raised in Chicago, the third generation of your family to grow up in a house purchased by your Belgian-born grandfather in the early 1900s. That sounds fascinating to me. Can you tell our readers a little bit about growing up in such a treasured home? I know you now live in Wisconsin, but I was wondering if the family home is still in existence, and if any of your family still lives there?
Thanks, Gayle, I’m delighted to be here.
I grew up on the second floor of our family two-flat which sits right on one of the busy main streets on Chicago’s northwest side. I remember sitting on the living room radiator, looking out the window and watching the buses go by.
The funniest thing about the house is it had only two closets, one large and one much smaller. Of course, people didn’t have as many clothes way back then, either.
I loved the house as even as it was modernized from its 1900s origins, it retained many of its old-fashioned attributes. We had a skeleton key for the main door downstairs, (we didn’t need it as the house had an outer lobby), crystal doorknobs, and a push-button switch in the dining room that probably was installed when the house was first electrified. I can still see the rooms in my mind, though it’s been many years since I or anyone in my family has lived there. The house is still there; I drive by it occasionally when I’m in Chicago. One of my “to do” projects is to finish researching the house’s earliest origins.
When did you become a writer? What personality traits of yours do you feel makes you a good writer?
I knew in high school that I wanted to write. I was always a big reader, but decided that journalism was the best way to learn the actual writing part. As for personality . . . Okay, I admit it, I’m nosy. Ha! I can’t think of a better trait for newspapers or fiction since you need a curious mind for both.
Tell us a little bit about your soon-to-be released book, Searching For A Starry Night: A Miniature Art Mystery. How did this idea come to you?
I started writing some short stories about Sam, the protagonist in Starry Night, but she seemed to want more. I knew that I wanted to include my miniatures’ collection in a project somehow and the theft of a miniature painting seemed the perfect idea to expand on.
Can you tell us what other books you have authored and what they are about?I also wrote a nonfiction book about miniatures called, In Miniature Style, with how-to projects from various contributors and myself, profiles, and photos of different projects. It is on CD or can be downloaded online.
Links are at my website at
http://cverstraete.com.
I see that you wrote Fire and Magic, which has been included in the new Echelon Press's Anthology printed to benefit victims of the 2007 San Diego Wildfires. What a great idea! How did you find out about this project? Did you tailor Fire and Magic specifically for this anthology? Your Samantha and Mom characters were included in this story from Searching for a Starry Night. Would you say, then, that this is a sequel to Starry Night?
Thanks, Gayle, the anthology was a great idea that Echelon’s publisher Karen Syed had to help those affected by the wildfires. All authors, including myself, contributed our royalties, which will go to the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County. Author Jenny Turner made an incredible video about the book on YouTube.
You can see it linked at
http://myspace.com/cverstraete
As the theme was fire and is a bit more adult-oriented, I decided to have Sam and her mother in a more precarious situation and added a twist I’d used in another short story. No, this isn’t a sequel; it's just another look into an event in Sam’s life.
Why have you chosen to write about miniature artwork? Is this something that you became interested in as a result of your interest in building dollhouses and miniature rooms? Do you sell your dollhouses?Miniature art is a fascinating segment of the fine art world. Some artists do aim specifically for dollhouse collectors, but others just enjoy painting in a smaller size. There are actual miniature art societies and specific rules as to the size limitations. I thought others would find it as interesting as I did and maybe want to learn more. Plus, it naturally fit into the dollhouse theme I’d decided on. I also described some of my own miniature projects, making them part of a character’s collection.
As for selling them, well, it takes me so long to build something that I hate to part with it! I’m a pack rat, but I have been considering selling some room boxes to make more room in my real house (for more projects, of course!)
I was fortunate enough to obtain an actual miniature replica of (Van Gogh’s painting) Starry Night painted in oils by an amazing miniaturist. You can see the painting, my Van Gogh someone else made me, and some other fascinating miniatures at my blog,
http://candidcanine.blogspot.com.
What is your next writing project?
I hope to get a set of short you-solve-it mystery stories involving Sam published. I also am working on an adult mystery, along with finishing up some other short stories and nonfiction.
Is there a children's author out there who inspired you to write for children? If so, who was it and what did they write that stuck out in your mind as you pursued a writing career?
I read so many authors and in different genres, but if I had to pick a favorite childhood author, I’d have to pick Carolyn Keene, who wrote the Nancy Drew books. Those always stuck with me. I loved Little Women, too. Cried every time I read it. And I was one of those kids who read every horse book out there. But I also love reading scary books and have read an R.L. Stine here and there besides Stephen King and Dean Koontz, of course.
What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you in your writing career?
Besides getting published? Ha! So far, my publishing journey has been pretty standard. I imagine I’ll have some better stories once I start doing book signings. I’ve heard some interesting stories about that from other authors!
Christine, tell us about YOU, the PERSON! Do you have any hobbies besides the miniature rooms and building dollhouses? What kind of atmosphere do you write in? A quiet office? A laptop on the go? Ever write a story longhand? Any tips you can share with us for getting all your writing projects completed on time?
I love animals! If I wasn’t a writer, I thought of working with animals. I had horses, have always had a dog, and also have fish and birds. I still like to read as much as I can, too.
I write in a small office at home. It’s not a big space – it’s just big enough for a desk, tabletop on a large file cabinet, and two bookcases. Funny thing is I used to write longhand. My first “machine” was an old manual Underwood typewriter. You really had to bang hard on the keys. The trials of making a mistake, then having to retype everything! Computers made writing sooo much easier!
The only way I know to get something done on time is to have a deadline! Editors and newspapers work on schedule, whether you’re done or not. It’s good training.
Is there anything else you'd like our Stories for Children audience to know about you or your books?
Besides learning about dollhouses, Sam and her best friend, Lita, in Searching For A Starry Night are accompanied by a mischievous Dachshund named Petey. He tries to “nose around,” er, help them in their search, but well, sometimes things turn out much differently with his “assistance.” Since I love dogs, I thought Sam had to have a dog along. Many of the short stories I write also contain dogs.