Interview with Gwyneth Jane Page

About the Author

Gwyneth Jane Page, who holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University, has called many countries home. She grew up in such places as Peru, the United States, England, the Caribbean, and now resides in Victoria, BC, Canada with her husband and four children. The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse series is based on their family trips with PJ, the cute stuffed animal who was found by Jane’s youngest daughter, Emily.

Connect with the author:
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The Interview

1. ​Why PJ Mouse and why books about travelling?
PJ Mouse is my daughter's stuffed animal that has gone everywhere with us. He is really cute and looks like he would have an adorable personality, so I chose to write about him. Travelling - because it is very educational and fun. It creates lasting memories and makes life so much more interesting than just working all the time. It also helps one to appreciate different people and places. Once you start, you will never want to stop.
 
2. What 5 things would you never want to live without?
My kids
Sunshine
Travel
Health
Coffee
 
3. What scares you the most?
The thought of anything bad happening to my kids.
 
4. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
An extrovert. I love meeting new people and trying new things. If there is a dinner or theme party happening, it is usually at my place. If you want to keep your party going, invite me, particularly if there is dancing. :)
 
5. What are some of your marketing strategies?
When you are self-published, marketing is a huge part of what you have to do. You can write the book, but if nobody ever hears about it then it is just going to sit there.
I started by visiting elementary schools, doing readings to the kids and then having Q and A time. It was lots of fun and the kids were very enthusiastic. I went to bookstores to see if they would carry the book and I sent it to libraries. I had to give away quite a few copies at first just to get the book into the hands of readers.
I also went into our local parades with a float. We made our own float and I even sewed a full size PJ Mouse costume from my own pattern. I do not normally sew. Again, it is lots of fun and parents can then see what the kids were talking about from the time at school.
I also sold the book at local markets. This gets you into the eye of the public. We have a cruise ship terminal, which has a market, so it also got the book into the hands of people from around the world. In the last year I have sold about 1500 books, which puts me onto the bestseller list in BC.
 
6. What is your next project?
My next book is on England 'The Travel Adventures of PJ Mouse - In a Small Corner of England'. It will be available in November. The next one is on New Zealand. The first draft of the manuscript is complete but Megan has not yet started the artwork for the book. I expect it will be published some time in the middle of 2016. The 5th book in the series will most likely be on Italy. I have just started writing the manuscript.