It gives me great pleasure to introduce
Gigi Sedlmayer
The author of the "Talon" series.
The third in this series is:
TALON - Flight for Life
BIO:
Gigi Sedlmayer was born in
Germany, married an Australian/German in 1967, and after a while they moved to New Zealand. Gigi started a handcraft business. As a specialty, she made
colorful parrots which sold by the thousands. In 1988 they decided to adopt from Fiji, and
the year after they became the adoptive parents of Indian twin girls.
The family lived in New Zealand for 18 years, and then they decided to move to the Australian Gold Coast. Two years later Gigi was
diagnosed with cancer. After operations and radiation, she withdrew, thinking she would soon be dead. But her two little
girls gave her the courage and strength to keep going. And finding herself
still alive after two years, Gigi thought, 'Get
a grip on yourself and do something good with your life'
Gigi had always loved writing short
stories about animals. She
wrote about what she wanted to do and what she wanted to be. Since she couldn’t go to work anymore, having damage from the radiation and
lots of pain, her husband taught her how to use a computer. Writing many short
stories, Gigi entered them in competitions and often got very good reports back. This gave her the confidence to go on writing. One day the idea for the TALON
series came to her, and so in the next several years she brought the story and the
characters to life.
*You have a fascinating history Gigi. So interesting to read about.
Now for the fun stuff - answers to the questions I asked.
NOTE: Be ready folks, for a heartfelt message of courage, and triumph over terrible odds.
*What prompted you to write for children?
I love animals, particular horses, birds
and tigers, also all the Australian animals, Koala, Kangaroo, Parrots, and so
all my short stories I have written and have send in for the competition were
with animals and with children. And that gave me the impression the stories
were for children. Never thought they would be actually for adults as well. But
several reviewers have said in their review that the Talon series is actually
for all ages, from 9 to 99 years of age.
*When did you first begin to write for
children?
I started to write the animal stories after
I realised that I was still under the living, surviving the deadly disease,
because I wanted to do something good in my life.
*Why did you choose to write the Talon
series?
One of the short stories I wrote for the
competitions was about Matica and Talon. And then, after confering
with my husband, and telling him that I probably could do a novel out of that
story, maybe even a whole series, my husband agreed. We went through it, and
so the Talon series come to life.
I started to write the Talon series for
children aged 9 years to teenagers. But, as reviewers tell me, my
books are for all ages, from 9 to 99 years.
And that because:
Children suffer from all sorts of
afflictions, and through my books they can learn how to cope with everything, as
Matica did, the main character in my books. She had to learn it in her early
life. Children can and should find a “Condor,” as Matica did. Not literally a
condor, but every child or adult for that matter, that are battling with none
curable afflictions, should find something that lets them forget what is
happening to them. Finding a “Condor” would help them to overcome that.
Parents can read my books to younger
children so they can see that they are not alone, but that they can overcome
their affliction in a positive way, not in a negative way. I know there are lots of people and
children out there who are not accepted by their peers. Children are getting
bullied in school, driven to suicide. We know that first-hand as well. We have
adopted Indian twin-girls from Fiji. Mostly they were accepted, particularly in
our church. But when I went shopping with the girls, some people looked at us,
with the look on their faces that said: How can she do something like
that?
Since I went through the things Matica is
going through, Matica is actually me. (I am not handicapped but faced lots of
rejection in my life as well.) Matica and , we are one person, and we are
looking for acceptance.
I say:
Children with special needs, or with a disability, or are handicapped, don't
have an illness. So there is no cure and it's not contagious. They want what we
all want, to be accepted. But I think that my books are not only for
children. As I said, adults face some illnesses as well, so my book is for
adults as well as for children.
*Tell readers what your series is available
in.
*The first book: TALON, COME FLY WITH ME
*The second book: TALON, ON THE WING
*The third book: TALON, FLIGHT FOR LIFE
All 3 books are available in all
Internet outlets as paper books, for Kindle, and as eBooks.
All 3 are listed here on Amazon + a more detailed BIO.
*Are you in a critique group, and if so,
did their feedback prove helpful?
No, I am not in a critique group.
I have several reviews from different
reviewers and they do critique my book. That is very helpful for me.
What I want to tell the people out
there, and your readers, are in quotes from my books:
“Love and acceptance for each other,
without boundaries.”
“Self-pity is a useless emotion.”
“Self-pity can ruin one’s life.”
“Be you, yourself, be happy. Don’t let life
pass by you. Don’t look back, look into the bright future. The future is as
bright as the promise of God.”
“Smile – it’s the most beautiful attire.”
“I can do it.’ These four words are the
most power-filled words.”
Matica in the second book says:
“I see myself as a girl that likes to
overcome all obstacles, all problems and all difficulties however bad they may be,
because I found out in my young life that I can overcome them, if I set my mind
to it. I succeeded and so can you. Don’t stick your head in the sand, face your
difficulties, face your affliction. Look for a condor as I have done, I don’t
mean a real condor like me, but something you can identify yourself with, relate
to it, love to do, or like to be.”
*Are you planning to write more books in the
Talon series, and if so, what do you think the plot and characters must have to
GRAB a young people’s interest.
I am planning around 8 to 9 books, as my
imagination is flowing. Right now, since the first, the second and
the third are published, I am working on the fourth in the Talon series. It is
called: TALON, HUNTING THE HUNTER.
*Tell my readers something about yourself
that you have never shared before. Funny
or shocking, they lap it all up, mate.
The worst thing I had to face when writing
the Talon series, was facing myself. When I started to write the book, I never
thought of the things that might come out of it. I wanted to write an adventure story
for children and see what came out of that. Because, like Matica, I was
rejected in school, not because of the growth handicap she has. I had other
things. I had to face what Matica is facing, rejection, and learned, even from
writing the book, more and more to cope with myself, to overcome my own
rejection, and to realise that I have survived a deadly disease.
In a sense it changed my life as well. I
have more confidence now as I never had before. I never thought I could write a
story like that. But now? I can, and I will write more stories about Matica, and
Talon, and her adventures, her life.
Thank you Margot for letting me participate here, and for giving me the opportunity to express myself. Have a wonderful day. Gigi.
*Yours is an awesome personal story, mate. It will bring tears and inspire many readers. I so admire your guts, courage, and writing talent. I am proud to host you here - and your "Talon" series as well.
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* Books for Kids - Manuscript Critiques
http://www.margotfinke.com
* Virtual School Visits
http://virtualschoolvisits.blogspot.com/
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