The Quick Six Interview with Verity Croker

Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Verity Croker!

Verity Croker is a highly versatile, talented writer, and we are thrilled to learn more about her and her writing here today! Sharing more about her intriguing internationally-published young adult novel, give it up for Verity and ‘Jilda’s Ark’! 🙂

About the Author

Verity Croker writes across a range of genres. Her young adult novels, Jilda’s Ark and May Day Mine, are published by Harmony Ink Press, US, and her middle grade chapter books, Cyclone Christmas and Block City, by Sunshine Books, NZ.

She writes articles for magazines and newspapers, and her short stories are in competition anthologies and journals, and on ABC online. She is also a published poet.

Verity completed her MA in Creative Writing at UTAS in 2013, and worked in Hobart, teaching English to international students. She currently lives in Brisbane.

Find out more about Verity and her books at the following links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

WHO

Who wrote, illustrated and published this book?

Jilda’s Ark is written by me, Verity Croker, and published by Harmony Ink Press in the US. Kanaxa designed the evocative cover, and I was thrilled to be able to have a great deal of input into its creation.

WHAT

What is it about?

Jilda’s Ark is about sixteen-year-old Jilda, who remains on board unwell, while her mother and twin sister Rosa participate in a shore excursion. While most of the passengers are ashore, the ship is taken over by an unknown group, and it becomes overcrowded and uncomfortable as many new passengers become ill. The story is about the plight of climate refugees and their animals. It has an LGBTQI+ theme.

WHEN

When is its release / launch date?

Jilda’s Ark was released in December 2018, and was launched at the Hobart Book Shop in February 2019.

WHERE

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

When I first heard the name Jilda (original spelling Gilda), I really loved the sound of it, and was determined to write a book using that name for a main character. The inspiration for the story originally came when we were cruising in the Caribbean and were on a shore excursion that was late returning, and we wondered how it would feel if we were to return to find the ship had sailed off without us. After that, it was a case of what if and what then? The story poured out of me like I was watching a movie and just writing down what I could see in my head.

WHY

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

This book is meaningful for me because I am very concerned about global warming and the future of islanders whose homes are very much at risk of rising sea levels. I hope readers will become more aware of how individuals and their animals will be affected by climate change, and perhaps have more sympathy for displaced climate refugees.

HOW

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

I have promoted Jilda’s Ark though the usual social media sites: facebook, twitter, and Instagram, and I have a website.

I have had guest blog posts on the Harmony Ink Press site, CBCA Tasmania, SCBWI Australia East & NZ, Pass It On, My Fiction Nook, and Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. I have also been involved in SCBWI Bookstop, ASA New to View, YA Books Central, #LoveOzYA, QWC Milestones, and Books on the Rail.

You can find Jilda’s Ark through Book Depository, Harmony Ink Press, Amazon, Hobart Book Shop, and QBD bookshops. As I have a distributor, John Reed Books, you can ask at other bookshops, or request it from your local library.

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