Interview with Jacqueline Guest

My guest on today’s blog entry is Jacqueline Guest—at the time of this posting, Jacqueline has written 15 books for both kids and young adults. Jacqueline is a Metis writer who lives in a beautiful log cabin nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Many of Jacqueline's main characters come from different ethnic backgrounds including First Nations, Inuit or Metis.


Q. I see your book War Games, has just come out. What’s it about?

A. War Games is the story of Ryan Taber, a video-addicted teen who thinks fun times have arrived when his iron-fisted father is deployed to Afghanistan with the military. Ryan's life spirals out of control as his video-gaming takes possession of him, and when his father comes home, Ryan is forced to choose between his virtual world and the real one.

Q. You’ve written lots of sports books – like Rink Rivals, Triple Threat and Hat Trick. Is sports your favourite genre? And I see that Soccer Star, the story of a 13-year old Inuit girl, won a Canadian Children’s Book Center Our Choice Award.

A. I like sports, but history is truly a big draw for me -- Belle of Batoche and Secret Signs are examples of a title in the history genre. I also really like mystery! Some of my novels are mysteries, like Dream Racer, Racing Fear and Lightening Rider.

Q. Where do you get your ideas from?

A. Everywhere!

Q. What did you read growing up?

A. Alice in Wonderland and A Child’s Book of Bible Verse. They were the only books I had and we didn’t have a library in our school or our town.

Q. I first met you at Almadina Language Charter School when you were the writer-in-residence. What did you work on with your students?

A. How to write the perfect story-- one that will make any examiner will give you high marks.

Q. When a student tells you that he or she wants to be a writer when they grow up, do you have any special advice?

A. The best way to become a writer is to be a reader. There is no substitute for reading-- it’s a writer’s best training tool.


Thank you very much for this interview, Jacqueline, and all the best with your latest book!

For more information about Jacqueline and her books, please visit jacquelineguest.com