Launch Day Mystery Guest -- Revealed!

Today is my debut!

Yes indeed, yours truly -- Darby Christopher -- emerges from her cocoon tonight to greet the world from the pages of my new novel A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW.

In case you are interested in attending, here is the poster, one last time:
The time is 6:30 pm, the place is Kidsbooks in Edgemont Village (3040 Edgemont Blvd., North Van), and cupcakes will be enjoyed by all!

And to carry on the celebration even more, we have a feature interview today with a very special author.






Never one to make the same mistake twice, kc dyer has forsaken the bearded disguises of the past in favour of a butterfly today, if only to just stretch the whole cocoon analogy a leeeetttlle bit further.



And just who is the mysterious author behind those fluttery blue wings, anyway?



Let's have a look...

It's Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch! Prolific author, honouree of the order of Princess Olha and listserve mistress to the masses, she's authored eleven books. The latest, CALL ME ARAM just received a wonderful review in the Globe & Mail.

Darby Christopher: Welcome, Marsha! My story, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW, is all about how different people came to Canada. Where were you born?

Marsha Skrypuch: I was born in Brantford, Ontario.

DC: And where do you live now?

MS: Brantford, Ontario.

DC: Okay -- so it sounds like you've lived in the same place all your life. But what about your family? Do you remember any special stories that you heard when you were a kid?

MS: The first stories I heard about why my grandfather came to Canada were pretty much that -- stories. I remember being told that he was a peasant whose owner was going to sell him for a chicken and a pig.

There is a grain of truth in the story. His family was tied to the land and had to work six days a week for the landowner and the church. At age 16, he was going to be drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army and he didn't want that. Ukrainians were used as cannon fodder in the Austrian army in WWI. He escaped to Canada, where he ended up being interned as an Austrian.


DC: That's quite a story! Now in my book, I get to have several adventures in the past. If you had a chance to walk through a window into the past, where would you go?

MS: 1520 Constantinople (now Istanbul)

DC: Whoo, that's pretty specific. Anyone special you’d like to meet?

MS: Sulieman the Magnificent. He was an amazing man. Very much a forward thinker.

DC: Plus he had a great name. But I wonder just how talented he was...like maybe he couldn't ride a skateboard, for example. I'm actually pretty sure there was no such thing as skateboards in 16th century Constantinople. But what about you, Marsha? Can you ride a skateboard?

MS: Yes.

DC: REALLY????

MS: Yes.

DC: Okay -- that is _so_ cool. So, besides skateboarding and writing books, do you have a secret skill or talent you’d like to share?

MS: I make Ukrainian Easter eggs. Check them out HERE.

DC: Wow. Those are truly beautiful. Marsha, can you tell me a bit about your latest project?

MS: I just finished writing Stolen Child, a historical thriller that will be coming out with Scholastic in 2010.

DC: An historical thriller, eh? I can't wait to read it. Of course, reading always makes me hungry. And when Gramps throws a little spare change my way, I’m personally pretty fond of red licorice. What’s your favourite treat?

MS: Mint ice cream.

DC: Hey, I like that, too! Marsha, if I want to learn more about you or your books on-line, where can I go check you out?

MS: www.calla.com

DC: Great! I see I can connect to your blog from there, too. Awesome. Thanks so much for joining me today, Marsha!

And if you'd like to win an autographed copy of Marsha's book DAUGHTER OF WAR, leave your name in the comments and you could be a winner. The draw will take place tomorrow night, Friday the 13th -- let's make it your lucky day!

~kc