Author Baptiste Paul Climbs On- PLUS GIVEAWAY!

Hello world!!

Welcome to my book blog, Blissfully Bookish. For this Q & A, please welcome Baptiste Paul, an author I truly respect because he writes deep, meaningful work that reflects his introspective soul. I got to chat with him about his newest book, CLIMB ON, illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara and published by North South. Check out his journey below…

BUT first- YAY! Baptiste is generously giving away a FREE signed copy of Climb On (US only). To be eligible to win, please enter the Rafflecopter contest by clicking HERE. Contest ends March 25, 2022.

Please describe the journey to publication for Climb On.

The simplest way to answer this question is to say that ideas are everywhere. When my family and I hiked Gros Piton in St. Lucia,  I was not a full time author at the time.  I was happily living in the moment. The idea to capture the experiences of that day came years later —seven to be exact.

Where did you draw the book’s inspiration?

The inspiration behind Climb On was based on a family hiking trip climbing the Pitons in St.Lucia. It was a few years ago and both of my children were really young at the time. Our goal that day was to hike the three plus hours to the summit. Unfortunately, my daughter and I did not make it to the summit.

She was pre-asthmatic at the time. The higher we climbed, the harder it was for her to breathe. She was frustrated that she couldn’t complete the hike.

Two years later, we tried hiking the Pitons again. This time, she pushed passed the pain of not being able to breathe and made it to the summit.

Please paste a short and compelling excerpt from your book.

Step.

Breathe.

Sweat.

Burn.

Are we there yet?

You sometimes co-author books such as I am Farmer and Peace with your wife, Miranda Paul. What is your process of collaboration?

Once we know what we are going to write about, we make a plan, and divide the work load. We set realistic deadlines for ourselves and work hard to achieve it. Sometimes, we work late into the night and even the wee hours of the morning.

Do you have other WIPs or projects in the pipeline you would like to mention?

I am always working on a new book. I wish I could share all the details but since they are under contract and have not been announced yet, I can’t say. Just stay tuned, I promise my future projects are going to move you physically and mentally.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to other writers struggling during the pandemic?

Be you — live purposefully! 

And a bonus question just for kicks! If you could be any food, what would you be and why?

Hmmm, that’s an interesting question. I would be decaying organic matter.  Almost every living thing on this planet requires the nutrition from decaying organic matter for survival.

BIO

Baptiste Paul is the award-winning author of The Field, To Carnival!, and I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon. His works have garnered many starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, and several titles have been translated into multiple languages. He loves writing stories inspired by his childhood in Saint Lucia, and featuring words from his native language, Creole. Baptiste is also a mentor for We Need Diverse Books and the co-author of several works with Miranda Paul, including their newest collaboration, Peace. He lives in Wisconsin with his family. More at baptistepaul.net.

LINKS

Website. www.baptistepaul.com

Twitter @baptistepaul

Facebook Authors page www.facebook.com/BaptistePaulAuthor/

Instagram @baptistepaul77

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