The Quick Six Interview with Kathy Hoopmann and Josie Montano

Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Kathy Hoopmann and Josie Montano!

It’s a pleasure to feature a ‘spectacular’ author duo on the blog, representing their upcoming new release that will surely be a hit with a wide audience; Kathy Hoopmann and Josie Montano with The Secret Science Society’s Spectacular Experiment! Wow!

About the Authors

Kathy has written over twenty books for children and adults, and is best known for her books on developmental and mental health. She has been shortlisted for many literary awards, including the CBCA Award for All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome and has four times been awarded a silver Nautilus Award (US), given to books that make a better world.

Josie’s dream was to be an author from age 9. Decades later, she’s now an international award-winning author of over 60 books. Josie also writes under the pseudonym of Santomauro on the topic of autism. She’s always writing down ideas and wants to write until she’s a really, really old lady in a nursing home full of other authors.

WHO
Who wrote, illustrated and published this book?

The book is written jointly by co-authors Kathy Hoopmann and Josie Montano, and is illustrated by Ann-Marie Finn. Published by Wombat Books.

WHAT
What is it called and what is it about?

The book is called
THE SECRET SCIENCE SOCIETY’S SPECTACULAR EXPERIMENT and is
about four students who are forced to represent their school to produce an experiment for a science fair.
Mona likes to moan, Kiki with anxiety, is a worry-wart, Bart with autism loves following rules, and Zane with ADHD HATES following rules. When they are together, it can only mean one thing: DISASTER!
During a catastrophic science experiment, the very diverse characters learn to work together and find that what some might call ‘weaknesses’ are actually strengths. This is a fun story about diversity and individuality.

WHEN
When is its release / launch date?

It will be released on August 10 when schools are celebrating all things science in Science Week. -We are having multiple launches with the dates to be confirmed.

WHERE
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

We met in 1999 at a writers’ festival and have been friends ever since. We have both written on the topic of Autism Spectrum Disorders, plus are published in other genres. Over a coffee one day we came up with the concept of the Secret Science Society’s Spectacular Experiment and had a blast creating a bunch of quirky, lovable rascals who get up to all sorts of mischief, whether they mean to or not.

WHY
Why is this book meaningful to you and why would its message resonate with readers?

With our combined understanding of mental and developmental diagnoses that have lots of letters (ASD, GAD, ADHD), we wanted to create a world where all children are included and accepted and valued for who they are. It is our hope that this aim will resonate with all readers, and especially with those with autism, anxiety and ADHD. All children will be able to see themselves through the characters on the page and also learn through their fun, exciting and unexpected experiences.

HOW
How have you promoted this book and how can we find it?

The book is due for release in August, so we are currently working with our publisher to produce an exciting and full marketing plan including school talks and presentations and interviews. In the mean time checkout
http://wombatbooks.com.au/index.php/the-secret-science-society-s-spectacular-experiment
for more details and teacher notes.

#thequicksixinterview #thesecretsciencesocietysspectacularexperiment #kathyhoopmann #josiemontano