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Cousin Clash: Book Two in the Time-Tripper Series

by Jan Lister Caldwell; co-published with Menagerie Publishing

84 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0115; ISBN 1-55212-716-8; US$13.50, C$14.95, EUR11.50, £8.00

Bill's trouble-making cousin is sent to live with them and the sparks fly - so much so that Donnie runs away and Bill has to go after him - to 75 million years in the past!

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About the book      About the author      Sample excerpts      Catalogue info      Reviews     

About the Book GETTING THE MOST FROM JAN LISTER CALDWELL'S TIME-TRIPPER SERIES Book Two through Four Level: N An Adventure Series for Juveniles by Jan Lister Caldwell The last thing Bill wants is to spend time with his trouble-making cousin, then he finds out Donnie is being sent to live with them. That causes one problem after another. Then Bill decides to make friends and ends up telling him about the mysterious Mr. Cromwell and his time-machine and his own time-trip back to the age of dinosaurs (Time-Travel Runaway), but the truce doesn't last. Donnie gets Bill into major trouble at school and Bill is so angry, he starts a fight. That*s when Donnie decides to run away using the time capsule. As much as Bill would like to see him disappear, he can't let him do it. He tries to stop him and is also taken back in time 75 million years! Now they are alone in the land of the dinosaurs! Bill knows they have a better chance of survival if they stick together but Donnie's anger drives him into the jungle * alone! Bill must get his own food and water, cope with the world of dinosaurs and find Donnie. He knows his big city cousin could never last on his own in the jungle. Their only hope is for the inventor, Mr. Cromwell, to figure out what happened and send his time machine back for them if he can tell where and when to send it and if the boys are alive when it comes. Another Menagerie Adventure Story

About the Author Jan Lister Caldwell has published several works, including children's verse and short stories for younger children. This is the second in a series of adventure novels for the middle reader. She has also worked as a free-lance journalist. Born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, Jan grew up nearby in the little village of Upper Mills on the border across from the State of Maine, USA. The love of nature, especially animals, is a recurring theme in all her works. She has enjoyed writing since she was a child. She started her own publishing company in 1994 and has used it, Menagerie Publishing, to launch her own works. She is married and lives in the St. Stephen area near the historic St. Croix River. Son, Ian, is the fifth generation to live on the Caldwell family homestead since 1876. He is currently pursuing a career in the Canadian Navy. Contact Jan at j_listercaldwell@hotmail.com. She appreciates all reader feedback. The author suggests that you check out this site BOOKS XYZ

Reviews

In Time-Travel Runaway ten-year-old Bill discovers a time machine in a neighbor's closet and, without considering the consequences, sends himself to the age of dinosaurs. Eventually he manages to get back home, but then has to follow his cousin back to the same era in the second book, Cousin Clash. At least the second time, he's more experienced, but still, he must find his cousin, escape predatory dinosaurs, and then hope his neighbor will send the machine back for them.

The Time-Tripper Series is promising. Jan Lister Caldwell takes children into the world of dinosaurs in a fun and exciting way. The books are a bit slow until Bill arrives in the pre-historic age, but once there, the action doesn't stop. I found it a bit disconcerting when she began using the given names of Bill's parents in Cousin Clash, rather than "Mom" and "Dad," but the characters are well done and she uses the devise of parent names to show the alienation Bill is feeling. We give it three hearts.

Reviewed by: Judy Schuler
February, 2003.

Featured interview with Canadian Children's writer
JAN LISTER CALDWELL

Years ago, the only concept writers had of book publishing was that of sending a manuscript to one of many huge publishing houses, hoping, just hoping, that they would be smart enough to sign us on. That concept has been challenged, slowly changing the face of book publishing - and it didn't begin with us! It began with people like JAN LISTER CALDWELL, writer, editor and manager of Menagerie Publishing out of Little Ridge, NB (near the town of St. Stephen, New Bruswick,Canada). We are indebted to Jan for showing us that what we want to do can be done, as well as her ongoing help and support in our launching WONDERFUL WORLDS, becoming a valued friend and ally.

Author of THE TIME TRIPPER series including TIME-TRAVEL RUNAWAY and COUSIN CLASH, Jan writes with the sensitivity of one who has not forgotten what it is like to be a child, displaying rich descriptive flare and a true sense of adventure.

At the completion of this interview, it came to our attention that Ms. Caldwell's poem "Hoof and Mouth Disease" was entered in a contest for the International Society of Poets, and was a finalist! It will be included in an anthology due out this fall and will be included on a CD as one of 33 poems read by a professional reader. We think, after reading some of Jan's work at the end of our interview, that you'll agree with us that that she is deserving of any accoloades she has received - and more! But enough of our own thoughts! Let's talk with this Rising Star herself...

WW: Jan, writers of books for children either began doing so by writing specifically for children, or just writing whatever was on their heart - and just happening upon the children's (or young adult) market. How did you find yourself writing for children?

JLC: I wrote for my son, Ian. I had written since I was a child, first poetry and then prose, writing adventures, but as I got older (the ripe old age of a senior in High School) I felt I really couldn't make a living at it. I had thought of taking investigative journalism in college but realized I really didn't have the 'sand' to make that go. I am not an aggressive person by nature and wouldn't have the stomach to go after stories no matter who got hurt. I had met my husband by then and focus on just a good job and a family took over. I trained as a secretary and kept up my interests in science, science-fiction, and history. When my son came along several years later and he started liking the little stories I made up better than the books, I decided I had to take the chance. To me, it seemed a sadder thing to think back at the end of my life and wonder if I could have written something worth reading than it ever would to think that I did and failed miserably. I wrote for children because I consider them the most important people. When I think of all the books that influence me, that really made an impact on how I think, on how I feel, it was the books I read as a child, a time when you are them most impressionable. To be an influence like that seems to me like the most important thing I could do and I am always honored when a young person tells me they really enjoyed my stories and they meant something to them. I did write for adults, working as a feature writer for a daily paper and its two magazine inserts. The paper was province-wide and I wrote for it regularly, often having cover stories including my photography. I eventually had to give it up when caring for my grandmother-in-law kept me more and more housebound.

WW: Time-Travel Runaway is a great book, and I'm looking forward to reading your other works! When did you write your first novel? Was your talent for writing something recognized by others, as well, when you were a youngster? What sort of encouragement did you receive?

JLC: Thanks for the compliment. Time-Travel Runaway is one of four adventure novels so far. I wrote the first in 1991 just after we first moved to the family homestead some 10 miles from St. Stephen, a border town with Maine. I had been working on an idea that just didn't fly and then I started putting more of my son's character in it, trying to put him in a situation and watch, in my mind's eye, what would happen. I used the stress of a move. Though it wasn't very far, it was far enough that he was isolated from his friends unless we brought them out for a visit. As far as my writing talent (I feel awkward even using that word!), I always wrote little stories and drew and my family was always encouraging of anything I did. My four brothers and I always had the love and support of our parents. My grandmother often bragged of famous relatives, one a poet and one a prose writer who were quite famous, so the notion of becoming a writer was something that never seemed beyond me, though having the talent to achieve fame and actually making a living at it never worried me until much later. My parents and the rest of the family always made a big deal of the littlest of accomplishments. I never wanted for support.

WW: How did Menagerie Publishing get started?

JLC: My late brother Greg's widow kept at me to lend me the money to get a book published. I decided finally to go at it like a business, with the encouragment of a literary agent and friend, and I got one book out. I was naive, though, about costs and how to get distribution. I listened to people who meant well but didn't really know, and when the printer went out of business, I was left with orders I couldn't fill and no way (money) to get the books out. As it happened, that was in 1996, I was getting sick, a bad Thyroid that hadn't gotten diagnosed until it was really, really bad,and then problems related to that hit me - misdiagnosis for several diseases (that I didn't have) and nasty die-effects from meds I didn't need , so I put things on hold and had to deal with that. Three years later I began a recovery ( I was allergic to the meds) and a friend, Ruby Greenlaw, an exceptionally talented writer, found a on-demand publisher we could afford and who would do the marketing and selling. I am not so naive anymore, almost jaded. I have been offered so many opertunities, all that were taken away just as quickly as they were offered because people are like that. I was offered a humor column in a major paper then they decided to put that section on hold. I was offered a similar thing in a new magazine but they didn't get on their feet. I was offered to publish my books in seven languages by a publisher from Germany who was in the area and happened to meet a mutual friend. He broke up with his wife when he went back and I never heard from him again. A major Canadian magazine's editor called me after seeing an article I sent to her, asked it be reworked with interviews and for a resume of all my work with the paper with the idea that they needed a corresponant in this part of the country to cover stories for them. Before the ink dried on the work I copied for them, they took stock of work they had on hand and decided not to go with a new correspondant. I am telling you this because one thing people ask me is "Aren't you excited to have your work published?" or "Aren't you excited to have a major publisher ask to see your work?" Yawn. No. It is more 'like put your money where your mouth is' because I have seen and heard it all, publishers calling from New York telling me they love my work, can I redo something, and then they leave the company before the mail can arrive and the new editor won't touch one of their projects. New writers, don't get discouraged. Nothing worthwhile is easy and you must develop a thick skin and a deep belief in what you can do and what you want or you might as well throw away your pen right now. I know what I have is worthwhile. I got that with the first reactions of the kids and teachers when I tested them in schools so I have to keep going to be faithful to myself. There. My sermon is over. Nuff said.

WW: Although Menagerie Press is a small company, was it difficult getting it started and getting noticed? Was it difficult to overcome these barriers?

JLC: Menagerie couldn't be any smaller or it wouldn't exist. I always say I have four employes, Me, Myself, and I and my dog, Max, who keeps me from sitting at the computer too long. There is a lot to know when starting a business and I asked people and got books and government documents and as far as getting noticed, I am just using it for me and a friend right now, besides doing a bit of manuscript prep and editing when someone needs help. The main barrier is money and if anyone can figure out how to overcome that besides picking the right numbers in the lottery, let me know.

WW: How many books has Menagerie Publishing published, and do you have any projects, personal or otherwise, in the works? Any new talent on the horizon that you're paricularly excited about?

JLC: I have published eight books and a guide that were just in this area and being looked at across the country when the printer went out of business. They included my children's poetry collection, Pussywillows and Other Things, a collection of short stories for children, Animal Tails (I am combining these and publishing again IF I can afford it someday), my four books in the series, Time-Travel Runaway, Cousin Clash, The Young Lion and the Castle Curse, and Captain Blackheart's Gold, the Teacher's Guide for the series, and for Ruby, My Secret Corner (first edition), Poetry, and Tattaboo's Tales, children's verse. Right now I have four books co-published by Menagerie and Trafford (I do all the computer work for the books including layout), Time-Travel Runaway, Cousin Clash, My Secret Corner, (second and longer editon) and Secrets, a collection of short stories by Ruby. I also did the manuscript prep, editing, and ghost writing where needed, for Ruby's book with Vantage Press, named for the two stories in it - He was Me and Without a Prayer. She wanted my name as co-author but that presented a problem with the press so they left mine off. Ruby is very talented, just sits and comes up with so many stories and poetry. She has won a lot of awards for her work. You can read excerpts of her work and a bio when you log onto www.trafford.com and look up her books, mine, too, actually. Tattaboo's Tales is being printed in an on-demand way, too, through us, $5.00 US or $6.95 CDN pluse $2.50 shipping and handling (pardon the plug!) and anyone interested can contact her at : Ruby Greenlaw, 19 Queensway, St. Stephen, NB Canada E3L 1L1. There is so much talent out there, it is unbelievable. I have just seen a bit of what is in my area. I know from reading The W-3 Crew, there is a lot of talent your way, too! [Jan refers to THE W-3 CREW, a novel by Kansas City author, Lindsey Marks, currently under consideration by WONDERFUL WORLDS.]

WW: You've been asked this question before, but I think it bears worth repeating in this interview: With the advent of the Internet we see a boom in writers and books. Do you think all this choice is good for the profession, or does it have too many disadvantages?

JLC: I don't know if I am qualified to ask that, really, since the internet is still relatively new to me. Getting work out there can never be a disadvantage as far as I can see and perhaps it will get someone noticed that could never get their work beyond an editor's outside office. I think, where it is all new, we will have to wait and see on it all and then aske someone who is qualified and that won't be me!

WW: What are your thoughts about reading and writing among young people? Have you noticed, in Canada, a decline is reading and writing among the youth, as we have here in the U.S.?

JLC: Reading has always been a big part of our lives and thankfully, we instilled that in our son, who is an avid reader and outgrew children's books long before he was a child. I am afraid there is a decline; kids just want things to move and jump in front of them with controllers in their hands but there are a lot of people looking to change things. Eventually, we might see a change for the better but it has to be worked at from the grass roots, one kid at a time and as parents and mentors, that is work for us. Give them something good to read, something to spark their imaginations and make their minds work, and they'll read.

WW: What would you like to see happen in the future with your talent and with Menagerie Publishing? What would say is the mission statement of your life and your work?

JLC: Breaking even would be nice! I think marketing is shaping up with Trafford's efforts and my own.

--Wonderful Worlds, On-Line Interview, October, 2001.

Click here to read entire interview on-line INTERVIEW

In Time-Travel Runaway, Bill finds himself the target of a bully, Shaun. He meets Mr. Cromwell, a mysterious neighbor who has invented a time machine. After getting into trouble for fighting, Bill enters the time machine and winds up surrounded by dinosaurs. He encounters a newborn dinosaur, whom he names Cory and resolves to protect. Bill ends up outwitting a huge Albertosaurus and returning Cory safely to his herd. Back home, he discovers that his adventures have given him the confidence he needs to stand up to Shaun.

In Cousin Clash, Bill returns to the land of the dinosaurs, this time accompanied by his trouble-making cousin Donnie. The two are forced to cooperate in order to find food and outwit a variety of predators. When Donnie is trapped in a mud flat, Bill comes to his rescue; Donnie, in turn, tells Bill about his abusive father. Back in the present, the two boys begin a close friendship.

Exciting adventures and unusual plot twists will keep the reader immersed in both of these stories. Bill's underlying personal problems are solved in a satisfying way. Each book contains a glossary that provides information about the various dinosaur names mentioned in the text.

Highly recommended.
-- Margaret Bunel Edwards, Canadian Book Review Annual

Canadian author Jan Lister Caldwell's Time-Tripper Series, an adventure series for pre-teen readers, deserves to be on any child's must-read list.
--Marti Webster The Gazette, Medina, OH