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I love making new writing friends, and when I met Allie Slocum at an online writers’ conference this summer, I couldn’t believe how much we had in common. We both write middle grade, we both teach, and we both create out of love for our Creator.
I’ve so enjoyed getting to know Allie and her writing—her Character Club Series is a great way to engage middle-grade readers in building strong morals.
Here’s the blurb for Allie’s most recent book in the Character Club Series, Peter O’Tooley, Bugged and Bullied: A Journey toward Respect (Amazon Affiliate Link):
“‘Show some respect, you little insect!’
Peter may like bugs better than people but that doesn’t mean he wants to be called one. Bullied on the bus and in the neighborhood, Peter struggles to accept himself and everyone else too. Follow him on a journey toward respect that begins before Halloween, travels through Thanksgiving and right up to Christmas.”
In the interview below, Allie talks about how she got started writing, the power of great stories to share great messages, and what it means for her to write with God.
Read on to learn more about Allie and her writing!
What inspired you to begin your writing journey?
Allie: “The scene with Jeanie and her dad in Jeanie Blair, Author Extraordinaire actually happened between me and my dad when I was an adult. He told me I would never publish anything if I didn’t write and I realized it was time to sit down and JUST DO IT. Then as the fifth grade girls who attended my character club for the previous three years were headed off to middle school, I realized this book could be a gift to them to remember the lessons they learned with me. Having a deadline always inspires me to get to work.”
What inspired your most recent story?
Allie: “My most recent story was inspired by some boys at my school who were cruel and disrespectful to each other, their peers, and their teachers. I invited them to have lunch with me once a week and help me write a book on respect. Their insight was crucial in getting Peter’s reactions to things (especially his teachers) right.”
Why do stories matter?
Allie: “Great messages can be shared through great stories. The Character Club series’ stories matter because there are kids out there who maybe won’t listen to what an adult says but will respond to how a character in a book acts. I had a boy tell me that he had been sneaking down after bedtime to steal food from his parents’ kitchen. After reading Liar, Liar, Ethan McWyer, he confessed it to his parents and stopped lying to them. They were able to work out a better eating plan for him together. Story builds community. As we celebrate the greatest story ever told next month, think about how Christ’s birth has affected your story.”
What is a message you’re particularly passionate about sharing with your readers?
Allie: “The message of Character Club that I’m passionate to share stems from this quote by Chuck Colson:
‘The great criminologist James Q. Wilson says all his studies have led to the same conclusion: Crime begins when children are not given adequate moral training, when they do not develop internal restraints on impulsive behavior. I see our failure to achieve this in the eyes of the kids I visit in prison—the steely stares of 16-year old killers with no regard for human life. The barbarians in our midst are our own kids because we have failed to civilize them. The shock isn’t that kids kill kids; It’s that it doesn’t happen more often. As the scripture puts it, we’ve sown the wind, now we’re reaping the whirlwind.’
When I read that, it pushed me to keep writing more books after that first story on compassion.”
What have you learned about God, our Creator, through your personal creative process?
Allie: “I have really enjoyed what I call ‘writing with God.’ As I sit down to write, many times the characters do something I wasn’t intending for them to do. I feel like the Holy Spirit is writing with me and I enjoy that special communion with Him.”
When it comes to your writing, have you ever followed God into something that made you feel scared or uncomfortable? What was the outcome?
Allie: “When writing my first book on compassion, the Dinner Delivery chapter came out of my reluctance to take a meal to a less than desirable person in our lives. But obeying God’s call led us to comfort him and bless him and even celebrate a special milestone in his life. This time of year can be so busy but I encourage you to reach out to someone who may be lonely or less desirable and love on them.”
Why would your books make a good gift during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season?
Allie: “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I always feel the gift of a good book for any holiday is a good idea! Although Peter’s Thanksgiving is rough, I believe it gives the reader reminders of all they can truly be grateful for. And with Christmas right around the corner, The Character Club series all together is a great Christmas gift for kids ages 8 to 12 because each one is not only a book to read, it’s a journey to follow. One that may help or encourage the reader him/herself. The journal that accompanies the first book is a fun interactive gift for the aspiring author. The fourth book, Peter O’Tooley takes the reader through all the fall holidays culminating at Christmas break.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allie Slocum created and ran her own Character Club for seven years, which is the inspiration for this series. She currently resides in Colorado where she teaches gifted and talented elementary students and raises two teenagers with her husband.
You can follow along with Allie and the Character Club on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads, or connect with her through her website at CharacterClubOnline.com.
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