Feb 18, 20215 min read

Author Interview Series (5): Meet Author Lyn Rose

Here is our fifth author interview in the series. Meet Author Lyn Rose! I connected with Lyn through Instagram and I've enjoyed chatting and connecting with her and sharing our author journeys!

Hi Lyn! Can you introduce yourself? Hello from sunny Townsville in north Queensland, Australia. I was born and raised here but have lived in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Victoria & in Singapore as well. I was a competitive swimmer when I was young and have always spent my days at the pool, beach, or wherever there was water. Except for my time in Singapore.

Oh, how nice! I also grew up in Brisbane. What a small world!

So what inspired and motivated you to write your first book and how long did it take from the initial idea to publishing? I have always loved children and planned to have six of my own. Most of my adult life was spent as a Pastor which meant I saw the best and the worst of people. My heart ached for the plight of so many young children and babies who were hurt at the hands of those who should protect them. This desire to help and encourage children is what led me to start writing for them. It took between one to two years from the idea to publishing my book.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered on your author and self-publishing journey? How did you overcome them? I made mistakes because I didn’t know the rules of how to write for certain age groups & published a children’s picture book for 8 to 10 year olds, only to find out that picture books are only meant to be for 4 to 7 year olds. I have since re-written my book to suit that age group. However, the hardest part by far is learning how to promote the book after it is written.

What are some of your proudest moments? One of my proudest moments was to wake up to see my book had been chosen for a Teacher’s Pick award on Amazon in America. It was totally unexpected and I had no idea how I managed it, at first. Another proud moment was to see how my daughter, father, mother, and sisters reacted to the achievement of publishing my first book. In fact, my family in general have all been very supportive and encouraging.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from self-publishing? First and foremost, the importance of having my books edited. I thought editing was only for picking up on grammatical errors, but that is only one part of it.

I think one valuable lesson I’ve learned is how important it is to support other authors who are self-publishing. I don’t know nearly as much about the process as many other more experienced authors but I can still help by letting others know some lessons I’ve learned along the way if they are at an earlier stage than me. Even just telling them how great their work is can encourage them to keep going when they feel like giving up.

Yes, the support is so important! I'm always learning from other authors too!

Have you had any negative experiences or disappointing moments throughout your publishing journey? How did you handle them? My first three star rating was hard to take. It really affected me and made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to be an author. It didn’t matter that I had all five star and a couple of four star ratings before that. I’m glad I was able to pick myself up on that because some time later I was given a two star rating from a person who only read the first few pages. It’s still hard to see it, but I know not everyone will like my writing, so I should expect a wide range of ratings.

Ok, what about the best thing someone has said about your book? Or something they said that made you really happy. When mums tell me that their child LOVES my book and they want to read it every night before bed. I also love it when adults tell me that they learnt some things they didn’t know before from reading my book.

That is the best feeling!

What is a good book you have read recently which you would recommend to others? I’ve read so many good books now! Can You Hear Me, Daddy? is one of them. Do Not Wish for a Pet Ostrich by Sarina Siebenaler is a fun read, and Dreamy Antarctica by Maya Sara Karthik is a great book with lots of facts included. Maya is a young girl but has a wonderful writing style already.

Oh, you are so kind to include my book in the list! And Maya's books are wonderful. She's such a talented young writer!

Ok, let's have a fun game. Can you finish the following statements: If I had never published my book(s)... I would not have made so many new author friends and I would have missed out on the joy of reading to children who are like little sponges wanting to soak every word in. If I could only read one book for the rest of my life, it would be... the Bible.

Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers or authors? Just start writing and be prepared to rewrite many times - that is normal. And get as much help and information from experienced authors before you start the publishing process.

What are you working on now? What’s your next book about? I’m working with my illustrator on my second book in the series, Hannah the Honeybee and the Surprising Adventure. It’s about judging others based on how they look and how they speak. Obviously, showing that we shouldn’t be quick to judge like that. (Against racism)

Can you tell us a bit more about your books?

Hannah the Honeybee Has a Dream is the first picture book in the series Hannah the Honeybee and Friends about the life and adventures of Hannah and her best friend, Collette. This first book is about ‘making a difference,’ showing readers that they can make a difference by being themselves. You don’t have to be the fastest runner, the best writer, or wear the most fashionable clothes to make a difference in your part of the world. It is more important to be yourself rather than trying to be like someone else. Hannah, pictured below, is my main character. She and her best friend, Colette, are worker bees who are busy from morning to night. They head out at first light to collect pollen and nectar. They help to build and protect the hive. Life couldn’t be better. So what could have happened for Hannah to be so downcast today? Why would she want to eat alone and head straight to bed? Collette certainly has no idea. Thankfully, Hannah dreams tonight and everything becomes clear to her. What a difference a day can make. My second book in this series is Hannah the Honeybee and the Surprising Adventure. I’m excited to introduce you to a new friend from a different part of the world in this book. Hannah and Collette will help show the rest of the hive the right way to treat those who look and sound different to us. Their new friend has quite a tale to tell and will teach a little of her language as well.

Like and follow me on my social media pages to keep up to date with my progress, so you will know when this new book will be available for purchase.

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Both books have some interesting facts about bees at the back of the book too. You will love to learn about these wonderful, hard-working creatures. Hannah has a ‘light bulb moment’ in her dream.