One of my favorite reads so far in 2016 is
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle
by Janet Fox, so it’s a great pleasure to catch
up with her today. Her original Creative Spaces
interview can be found here. Read on to find
out what’s new!

What have you been working on since Faithful?

Wow! It’s been a while, right? Since Faithful, I’ve had two more YA historicals published: Forgiven, and Sirens, both out from Penguin (2011 and 2012). And I finished my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts (2010).

But the big news is the release of my middle grade debut, The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle. It was released by Viking in March (2016). I’m very proud to say that it’s received four starred reviews and numerous other accolades. It’s a creepy mystery set in a castle in 1940 Scotland, so has both elements of World War 2 and fantasy. I loved writing it so much that I’m working on a sequel, with fingers crossed that Viking will want one. I’m also at work on two other middle grade novels, a YA contemporary, a YA sci-fi, and a picture book. No rest for the wicked.

Have your work habits/routines changed in the last six years?

We moved to Montana in 2010, and my husband retired and son entered college, so my life has become much more stable and my writing time much greater. No more shepherding the boy and adhering to others’ work routines. Now I spend much of my day working, if I’m not running errands.

And in office news, I still have an office in our cabin in the mountains nearby, where I wrote most of Charmed Children (no TV, and plenty of quiet). But I also have a wonderful office with long views in our house in town, where we spend the winter months. It’s a perfect balance.

Any newfound wisdom to share?

I’m going to quote my wonderful agent Erin Murphy – who was not my agent 6 years ago: “Always take the long view.” I had no idea I’d change agents. I had no idea I’d ever write a middle grade fantasy. I had no idea it would be this well received. I just kept working, with the long view of being a writer, the best writer I could be.

More about Janet Fox:

Janet Fox writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction for children of all ages. Her published works include the non-fiction middle grade book GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT (Free Spirit, 2006), and three YA historical romances: FAITHFUL (Speak/Penguin Group, 2010), FORGIVEN (Penguin, 2011), and SIRENS (Penguin, 2012). Janet’s debut middle grade novel THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE is an historical fantasy set in 1940 Scotland (Viking, 2016). Janet is a 2010 graduate of the MFA/Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she lives in Bozeman, Montana. She’s represented by Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. You can also find her at www.janetsfox.com