Today we are chatting with Amy Timberlake, author of
Egg Marks The Spot!
Read on for more about Amy and her book!
Meet Amy Timberlake!
Amy Timberlake’s work has received a Newbery Honor, an Edgar, and a Golden Kite Award. One book was chosen to be a Book Sense Pick, another was reviewed in The New York Times Book Review. Her books have made several “best books of the year” lists, and she loves it whenever her books are chosen to be part of a state reading list. (Thank you!) Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre has adapted both One Came Home and The Dirty Cowboy for the stage. She’s received residency fellowships from Hedgebrook, and the Anderson Center.
Her most recent book, One Came Home, has been called “a True Grit for the middle school set” by Bookpage, “a valentine to sisterhood and a bird that no longer exists” by The Washington Post, and “a rare gem of a novel” by The Christian Science Monitor.
Click Here To Visit Amy’s Website!
Meet Egg Marks The Spot!
Buried in the heart of every animal is a secret treasure. For rock scientist Badger, it’s the Spider Eye Agate he found as a cub, stolen years ago by his crafty cousin, Fisher. For Badger’s roommate, Skunk, the treasure is Sundays with the New Yak Times Book Review. When an old acquaintance, Mr. G. Hedgehog, announces his plan to come for the Book Review as soon as it thumps on the doorstep, Skunk decides an adventure will solve Badger’s problems as well as his own. Surprisingly, Badger agrees. Together they set off on an agate-finding expedition at Badger’s favorite spot on Endless Lake.
But all is not as it seems at Campsite #5. Fisher appears unexpectedly. Then a chicken arrives who seems intent on staying. Something is up!
Indeed!
Secrets, betrayals, lies
. . . and a luminous, late-Jurassic prize.
Amazon * B & N * Indiebound
~ Author Chat ~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Having introduced the characters in the first book, Skunk and Badger, I wanted to take the characters out for a spin (so to speak). In Egg Marks the Spot, Skunk and Badger have a proper adventure that goes wrong in all the right ways, with twists, surprises, and a detour or two.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Badger — The story is told from his point of view, so he’s the character I enjoy the most. Poor Badger! Ha!
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
The novel — always!
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
The more you write, the better you get. Over the years, you do become a better writer. You almost can’t help it. YAY!
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
The fact that you can slip off the dust jacket and get this glorious, uninterrupted scene from Skunk and Badger’s life. Jon Klassen and Algonquin Young Readers are the best!
YABC: What was your favorite book in 2020?
Halldór Laxness, Independent People — it’s this huge, great Icelandic epic and it was exactly what I needed during 2020. I also really enjoyed a back-to-back reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments. And Isabella Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns is important history AND a real page-turner. I loved it. That’s four. I love books! I’m stopping myself there.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
The third Skunk and Badger story!
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
Badger (again!) because I have to follow his thought processes and his emotional journey so exactly.
YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?
Revising — especially near the end of the revising process, when the story is all in place and it’s time to work on the language.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Planning! It’s like telling the future — sometimes things come true.
Egg Marks The Spot
By: Amy Timberlake
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Publish Date: September 14th, 2021