FAQ for Kids
One thing I enjoy most is connecting with my readers by visiting schools and libraries, speaking at conferences, and receiving letters. Thanks to modern technology we can also meet in cyberspace!
My friends and I are wondering what your childhood was like and where you get your ideas.—Jason B.
Dear Friends,
My childhood was quite the happy one! Back then my imagination and keen sense of wonder kept me quite busy. It caused me to wander about, always exploring and making up stories about where I’d been and what I’d done. I especially liked following my big brother everywhere; often playing in the woods, swinging from hanging vines and catching salamanders under rocks in the creek. I also spent a great deal of time on my pink and white Schwinn bike. One day, while on the way home from the store on my bike, I noticed an injured chipmunk. I emptied the brown paper grocery bag holding two cans of tomatoes into the basket on my bike, then used bits of candy to urge the chipmunk into the bag. Once home, I set the bag on the kitchen counter then ran out to collect the cans from my bike basket. Can you guess what happened? Yes, indeed. You can well imagine my mother’s shriek when she opened the bag to get the cans of tomatoes! I HIGHLY recommend that you NEVER attempt to catch an injured chipmunk, or scare your mother with a surprise bag. But, then there was another time when I kept a toad in a bird cage…and the time I got on an elevator without my mother and got lost in a department store. A sense of wonder has always caused me to wander about. Now, it leads me to new stories; and my wild imagination helps me to write them. I do hope this helps you. If you need or want more information, please ask specific questions. I’ll be happy to try again.
Smilin at you from my laptop,
C. Coco De Young
I have one question — are you going to make a sequel?? Well i think you should! The whole idea was sooo clever!! I never thought that E.D. Kirby could be her own teacher! I read A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt for a historical fiction report thinking that since it was kind-of a short book (and it sounded interesting.) After I read it it was one of my favorite books!—Bailey
Dear Bailey,
Thank you for visiting my website. Your kind words have me smiling, and I hope you did well on your report. Will there be a sequel? Many young readers ask that same question. Here is the answer I give them…I’m still thinking about it…still cogitating. However, Mrs. DiLuso, the superstitious lady in A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, is a very important character in my next book. That book should be finished in the very near future. When it is the best I feel it can be then it will go to the editor. Keep sending out those good thoughts so that the editor has as much fun reading it as I have had writing it. Take good care of yourself, Bailey.
I’m smilin’ at you from my writing desk,
C. Coco De Young
Dear C. Coco De Young, I am in the sixth grade band at school. I play the trumpet. Will your characters ever play an instrument? Do you play any instrument?—Noah
Congratulations, Noah!
I have visited readers in schools all across the United States and have never been asked this question. Good for you. I have often thought of building a character that does play an instrument, but only if it is important to my story or helps to move my story forward in some way. As for me, I play in a bell choir and can also play the spoons quite well.
Happy tooting,
C. Coco De Young
Dear C. Coco DeYoung, My name is Abigail and I live in North Dakota. I have been reading your book for a book report and I really like it. My mom said that when an author writes historical fiction that the historical parts have to be true but the author changes the names of the characters. Why do you have to do that? Did you do that in A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt? How did you get Mr. Frappa’s name? I like him because he is like my grandpa. My grandpa is always teaching us stuff about when he was a little boy. I hope you write back soon. My book report is due next week and I would like to read your answer to the class. Thanks for writing such a good book. Did you write any others? I hope you keep writing. Thank you!—Abigail
Dear Abigail,
Your mother is absolutely correct! The historical facts in historical fiction cannot be changed, nor can the names of historical people such as Eleanor Roosevelt. However, the fictional characters, those I imagined and built into my story, must have a name and traits different from people I know. Otherwise, I could be in big trouble if someone thinks I’m writing about him or her, especially if it’s a character nobody likes! Though everybody seems to like Mr. Frappa, he is a complete figment of my imagination. I name my characters with great care. They are like children to me. How did Mr. Frappa get his name? My sister, Risa, and I were in a coffee shop trying to think of a name that sounded Italian. I was sipping my favorite cold coffee drink, a Mocha FRAPPAcino…voila! Your grandpa must be real special, cool and sweet. Good luck on your book report, and many thanks for your kind words. You can also see the board book I wrote at this website. Yes, I am currently finishing another novel and researching the third.
Smilin’ at you from my writing desk,
C. Coco De Young
Dear C. Coco de Young, thank you for the bookmarks you sent to my class. Do you sign them all or is it a stamp? i will get your book to read while I’m on vacation. Has anyone ever told you that you have a very long name? How did You get that name? Do you have a nickname? Bye.&mdashCamie
Dear Camie,
You are most welcome for the signed bookmarks, and yes, I personally sign each and every one. It’s my way of doing something special for my young readers. I hope you will enjoy A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt.
You are curious about my name? Are you ready for an even longer explanation? My parents named me after my father, Carmel Coco. As Carmine Coco, my teachers often called me “Miss Hot Chocolate.” For a short time in high school a cousin shortened my name to “Cam.” After marriage I became Carmine Coco De Young. I kept the Coco name because we are a family of storytellers, and that is where my writing began. However, once published, I didn’t want my full name to cover the entire jacket of the book so I shortened it to C. Coco De Young. I’m also often addressed as “My Love” by Mr. De Young, “Mom” by our children, “Mrs. D.” by their friends, and was dubbed by my dear hobo friends as “Connecticut Tootsie.” Just remember what Shakespeare wrote…”What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Congratulations, Camie! You are the first to ask about the length of my name and nicknames. Have a great summer and happy reading.
Smilin’ at you (real big) from my writing desk,
C. Coco De Young
In the book A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt why couldn’t Carmel Coco De Young keep his job? Was it because time were so hard that jobs goes bankrupt?? Why did y’all lose the house?
My Dear Friend Somewhere Out There,
It is 5:00 a.m. here in Connecticut, and I’ve already had a breakfast of champions this morning. So here goes…my father, who is “Charlie” in A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, is Carmel Coco. Growing up I was Carmine Coco. However, once married I became Carmine Coco De Young. Therefore, C. Coco De Young became my penname. My dad, or “Charlie,” was a little boy at the time of the Great Depression and had a shoeshine stand at the Yankee Shoe Repair, which was then owned by his dad, my grandfather. Times were very difficult, and because of a bank loan, the business was threatened and the doors almost closed. Also, the Coco family never lost their house. In the letter to Mrs. Roosevelt, my grandfather did not ask her to pay off his bank loan. Instead, he requested her help by asking for the gift of time…he knew it was his responsibility to pay the loan, he just needed more time to do that. It was through the help of Mrs. Roosevelt that the Coco family was able to carry on, keep the doors of the Yankee open, and live in their home. Our dear country is going through another tough time. We must all stick together and help each other. I hope this reply helped to answer your questions.
I’m smilin’ at you from my writing desk,
C. Coco De Young
Hello C.Coco De Young,This message comes from your friends at Westmont Elementary School in Johnstown, PA. We are reading about authors and we were wondering what a typical day is like for you. Can you tell us? Thanks! We hope to see you later in the year after we read your book.—Mrs. Bennett’s class
Dear Friends in Mrs. Bennett’s Class,
Yes, I will surely be in to visit you soon after you read A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt. Until then, you asked what a typical day is like for me. My answer may seem like the bare-boned turkey after Thanksgiving dinner…a skeleton! That is because each day is a new adventure for me and no two days are ever the same. Yet, here is a basic recipe to my day. I think best in the morning and prefer to write early in the day at my writing desk that overlooks the treetops. Sometimes, when the words get stuck, it helps to write with pen and paper while sitting in our solarium that looks out into the backyard. However, I always edit my work at my writing desk. On a good writing day, I tend to forget the time. When I am not writing then I am visiting a school, speaking or storytelling at an event, being “Mom” to my family or “Nonna” to my grandson, cooking, or filling in a Sudoku puzzle. Of course there is much more tucked between these lines…the things that make each new day an adventure. Have a great Thanksgiving. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Smilin’ at you from my writing desk,
C. Coco De Young