Interview: Ericka Johnson, Author of Boe Peep The Tale Revealed

Boe Peep: The Tale Revealed by Ericka Johnson
Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN-10: 149057316X
ISBN-13: 978-1490573168

Amazon Synopsis:
The real Little Boe Peep (with an E) definitely will find her sheep. She’ll grab her bow and take on the entire pack of wolves and anyone else who messes with them. Her family depends on them for their livelihood and it is up to Boe to protect her sheep, at any cost. After a pack of giant wolves have stolen Boe’s sheep in the middle of the night, she sets out to get them back. Little does Boe realize what she has gotten herself into as she flings herself head on into a pack of wolves that are being controlled by a fox king, named Snider. After Boe is captured, she talks the wolves into ridding themselves of the slimy fox. They devise a plan, but they soon realize the main man behind the controls is Doc, a mad scientist who is trying to come up with an invention that will enable him to eventually control all animals, and then…people. Boe finds herself far from home, and on an adventure that she had never dreamed of having; until now.

Welcome to Cover2CoverBlog, thank you for joining us. First could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, my name is Ericka Johnson. Thank you Stephanie for letting me be on this blog! I am a 16 year old girl from North Idaho. I live on a farm near the Canadian Border, and absolutely love it. I live near the mountains, and we even have a pond that is an awesome swimming hole. I enjoy a lot of outdoor activity, including sports.

What was your inspiration for Little Boe Peep?

Well, I and some family and friends were going on a vacation that required a lot of driving in a big bus. I have these two little sisters that were really getting bored.  So as a last resort they came over to where I was sitting and asked me if that I would please tell them a story.  I have to admit, I was getting pretty bored myself so I decided why not. I had always thought that the poem of Little Bo Peep, was really quite lame, and that there was so much more to her than just that short poem. So it was on this bus that I let my imagination take over. I wasn’t able to finish the story before the trip ended, but a little while later I decided to start writing it down.  And that was only the beginning.

Which came first – the story concept or the characters?

Probably the character’s; when I first was telling the story, I wanted Boe to be quite a bit different than in the poem. And as for the wolves, I wanted the wolves to be different, something that you would never expect to be in a little Boe Peep story. First I would imagine what the characters were, how they looked and what they did, then the story  would just sorta roll along. It was a lot of fun, yet I have to admit, at times it did seem like it was a lot of work and commitment. But I am sure that that’s how a lot of writers experience; I guess that that is just a part of the writing process :)

If you could be any fairy tale character, who would you be and why?

I would be an elf. One of those really small kind that can get in and out of anywhere. I think that it would be a lot of fun to be an elf; like in the story of the elves and the shoemaker, where all the elves come at night, and make shoes for the old shoemaker. Yet the shoe maker doesn’t know who it is that is helping him, because they are so sneaky.

What is your favorite part about the writing process? Do you have a special writing spot?

I think that my favorite part about the writing process would be the part where you trying to imagine how it’s all going to work for this certain spot or whatever. It’s where you get to let your imagination take over and it’s almost like watching a movie, if you just close your eyes, as your imagination takes you on a wild ride. The cool thing is, is that if something happens that you don’t like, or something that didn’t quite fit, you can always pause, and change it to whatever you want.  My favorite writing spot is probably on my bed, with a propped up pillow against the wall. That is where I have spent a lot of time typing and brainstorming.

Is there anything about you that would surprise your readers?

It may surprise some that I am 16 years old, and have soloed both a Cessna 172 and Cessna 1-50. I am currently working on trying to get my private pilot’s license on my 17^th Birthday. My dad and two of my older sisters are also pilots, so I guess you can see that flying just runs in our blood. I really love to fly. I also enjoy trail riding on ATV’s and my motorbike, and also love camping. I do a lot of hunting, and am hoping that I can win the moose hunt draw this year. Wish me luck!

Which is your favorite: Vampires, werewolves, faeries, or zombies?

I am going to have to say werewolves. There is just something mysterious about them that I like. I mean half human have wolf is pretty cool. Although I have to admit, I'm not sure that I would exactly want to meet up with one ;)

Review from Cover2CoverBlog coming soon!