An Interview with Alison Bell

After years of journalistic endeavors and non-fiction works, Alison Bell has written her first piece of juvenile fiction. Zibby Payne and the Terrible, Wonderful Tomboy Experiment is totally, absolutely adorable. It is also the first in a series. The book follows Zibby's transition from elementary school to middle school, and it is a great bridge between easy chapter books and independent novels for young readers. I read Zibby #1 from cover to cover in one sitting, then interviewed Alison shortly thereafter.

Tell readers about your daughter, the inspiration for Zibby, and her continued involvement in the editing process.
My daughter, now almost 13, has always been a live wire. She walked early, read early, and had an all-around big personality. In second grade, she declared herself a tomboy. She shopped in the boys' department, only played with boys, and tried to talk me into getting an above-the-ears haircut. She was also an avid reader and had gone through most all the books for girls her age. So, I decided, well, maybe I can write a book for her. Thus five years ago, I sat down and wrote the first draft of a spunky, sassy tomboy. Originally my protagonist, Zibby Payne, was 8 or 9 years old, but my publisher wanted her older. So I had the luxury of actually writing a character who was 11 years old when my own daughter was 11. This was helpful because I was essentially living with a real-life version of my fictional character.

Zibby Payne & the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment was your first published novel. Was it also your first completed novel, or had you previously worked on other manuscripts or shopped other stories around?
Yes, it is my first completed novel. I don't know why it took me so long to complete a work of fiction. I had always wanted to be a fiction writer, and did write short stories in my teens and 20s. But works never got past the rough draft stage. I guess finally, I was mentally ready to stick with a piece of fiction and see it to completion.