Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Michaela Lincoln. I am an Australian living in Canada. I am a high school teacher by training and I am a mother to 22 year old triplets, two boys and a girl. I am the author of Three Times the Fun. I have an online business in the health and wellness industry. I also have a blog with a feature called Mothers With Many where I feature different mothers as I believe mothers should be celebrated.
Q2. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
Of course you need to have a story line. People think that writing a children’s book is easy but it actually is a long process and takes time.The words have to flow and the placement of the illustrations and writing also has be to thoughtfully done to ensure a fluidity in the way the book reads and looks. And of course the language has to be child friendly.
Q3. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Three Times The Fun’ book?
Fortunately, there were no major challenges. I did write the book when my kids were four years old and then put it away as I did not get anywhere and really had very little time to pursue. Last year, I found a wonderful local publishing house who worked with a talented illustrator and we worked together to make sure that the characters in my book came to life and that each colour and drawing were exactly as I had imagined.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
That is abit of a tricky question for me seeing as I grew up in Australia and that is considered my first home and now I live in Canada my second home. So in Australia I love the beaches there and as a family growing up we would drive 24 hours , stay overnight and spend two weeks each summer at a beautiful area on the coast. I have great memories there. There is another special place for me in Australia to visit (apart from where my family and friends are) is Uluru.(Ayers Rock) It is located in central Australia in the Northern Territory. It is a massive sandstone, sacred to the indigenous Australians . Such a special and magical place. I took my kids there about 5 years ago and they loved it. In Canada, there are still many places that I would like to visit. I do really like P.E.I as It reminds me of Australia.
Q5. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Three Times The Fun’?
When I was pregnant, adults had a hard time wrapping their head around the concept of me carrying triplets so I knew that children would have an even harder time understanding. There were no books on this subject ; of what it means to be a triplet through the eyes of triplets, so I knew that this would be a great place to start as I have the knowledge and experience. The title was changed a couple of times until I came up with this. It is simple, catchy and the three obviously represents triplets and it really is three times the fun but also three times the work.
Q6. Please share your experience as a mother of triplets?
We went from two of us with a dog to five of us and a dog so that became our new normal.You do feel like an octopus as you do so much all the time but the key is that you have to be organised when you have three little ones and so we got ourselves on a routine . My mother came to stay for the first three months which was a huge help then we were fortunate to have a nanny to help until the kids were just under two and a half then it was all me. My kids were always on a routine and I kept to it 99% of the time as it just made life so much easier.The kids had a built in playgroup which was wonderful. Birthdays always meant three cakes that I made, but it has been a wonderful blessing watching them all grow up together and develop their own personalities , likes and dislikes. They are very close siblings.
Q7. What does success means to you?
Watching my kids turn into incredible adults I feel like we have been successful in raising them right. I have hopefully set a good example to my kids and showed them that you never quit or never give up when something is difficult. Always help others and treat others with respect. Success is not always measured in dollars and cents but in how we are as an individual.
Q8. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
It is my first book so it was a big learning experience for me. I know that this subject is not very common so I feel that it was fresh for the readers and hopefully educational as well. I hope to write more books in the future.
Q9. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I love Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourites.There are so many wonderful books I have read over the years. I also really loved The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. I love reading books where you are totally transported to another era , another time and you can see yourself there. I also do not like to finish good books so I have to read them slower J My father was a terrific writer and used to tell my kids stories and we made him write them all down and I hope to make that into a book one day. So I learnt a lot from him.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
Ha ha, secrets…. Not really for this book. The only one I can think of is that the names of the characters are my kids middle names and the favourite colours I use were their favourite colours but I kind of forced them upon them when they were little as we colour coded everything so we knew whose was whose.
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