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Plus, I Love Mysteries
The Popcorn Burglar follows an aspiring chef with a passion for science who tries to solve the mystery of who broke into her father’s restaurant kitchen. How did the idea for Silvee Spoon first come to you?
So many kids are interested in cooking, I thought it might make a popular series. Plus, I love mysteries.
Silvee, Parker, and Trina each bring different talents to the investigation. How did you develop their personalities, and which character was the most enjoyable to write?
They were all fun to write. I wanted them each to have different interests, so I worked on deciding which characteristics would be appropriate for each one. I also wanted to add activities, so Silvee’s interest in cooking and science, Parker’s in puzzles, music, and drumming, and Trina’s in dance, art, and trivia lend themselves well to activities for the back of each book as well as Silvee’s website, silveespoon.com, where I offer free downloads of activity sheets and party ideas.
The book includes recipes, puzzles, and activities. What inspired you to create such an interactive experience?
I wanted a way to engage kids more in the books, beyond the mystery.
What adventures can readers expect from Silvee and her family in future books?
The factory-turned-apartment building will reveal more hidden secrets and Silvee will use her scientific knowledge and cooking skills to solve each mystery. The next book is all about cookies and surprising revelations about the family that lived there before it was changed into a factory. There may also be missing pets, a mysterious burglary, and, of course, lots of delicious recipes.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Silvee loves three things: cooking, science, and solving mysteries.
When she and her siblings, Parker and Trina, move into an apartment above their dad’s restaurant, The Fried Pickle, Silvee starts training as a junior chef and quickly discovers the science behind many of the recipes.
Then someone breaks into Chef Spoon’s locked kitchen and leaves behind a popcorn-filled disaster! The clues are strange, the suspects are few, and the triplets are determined to find out who the culprit could be.
First in the Silvee Spoon Junior Chef Mystery Series, The Popcorn Burglar is a tasty chapter-book mystery for ages 6-9 that features hands-on science, recipes, quirky characters, and their tag-a-long orange cat, Hashbrown.
The series also includes teacher-friendly S.T.E.A.M. connections and NGSS-aligned learning.
Open Your Heart
Color Me Skye follows a 12-year-old girl battling fear, grief, and a distant stepfather following the car accident that leaves her mother in a coma. Where did the idea for this story come from?
This story came partly from my own experience of losing my father, who served in the military when I was very young, and then dealing with the addition of a stepfather to our family. I would have loved to have had a book like this when I was growing up, to know that there were other kids like me experiencing the feelings I did. That’s my hope for this book, that it will reach kids who’ve lost a parent, or are dealing with a new step-parent, that they’ll see themselves in the story and learn that healing is possible and there are resources available to help them.
When creating Skye, did you have a plan for development and character traits, or did they grow organically as you were writing the story?
I wanted Skye to grow and change into someone who was more other-centered at the end than she was at the beginning. But some of the specifics, like her being unable to sit in the front seat after the accident, weren’t planned.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
People are seldom who you think they are, healing doesn’t always look like what you think it will, and it comes when you open your heart to new possibilities.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m working on a middle-grade fantasy in which the main characters are fairies who must go on a quest to save their forest and insect friends from destruction by humans. I have no idea when it might get published, but I’m enjoying the journey of writing it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Then last year her mom married a quiet, distant guy who Skye calls Dim Tim. He doesn’t seem to be interested in having a stepdaughter. And that’s okay with Skye; she doesn’t want a stepfather, either.
But now, a car accident has left her mom in a coma. Which means she and Dim Tim are going to have to figure out how to do all the stuff her mom did. To actually talk to each other. Worst of all, one question is tearing Skye up inside: What if her mom never wakes up?
Told in free verse, with color filled words and sketches, Color Me Skye follows the emotionally charged journey of Dim Tim and Skye as they navigate their new normal. Along the way, Skye discovers a best friend who is funny, feisty, fabulous, and the perfect antidote to Skye’s troubles. For ages 9-12.
