Rachelle Delaney

We at rachelledelaney.com are continuously tickled by the weird search terms people use to find us. Every now and then, we feel the need to post them, although we suspect they’re really only amusing to us. However.

Weird search terms that brought people to rachelledelaney.com in 2011:

- “my bonnet petticoats”

- “bossy teacher” (okay, so this is apt)

- “my little ponies altered”

- “CBC radio 1 Jian Ghomeshi styrofoam” (Styrofoam?)

- “feminist fabulous” (yesss!)

- “flight burrito” (what on Earth?)

- “friends you will never forgive”

- “in praise of ironing neruda analysis”

- “delaney in fancy writing” (We have no idea what this means, but we LIKE it.)

That last post made me start thinking about all the pirates stuff I’ve been given over the past few years. Now, don’t get me wrong — I’m not complaining. I like pirate stuff. A lot. I just figured I’d make a list. Thus:

A non-exhaustive list of the piratey things Rachelle has received over the years:

- pirate jewelery
- pirate greeting cards
- pirate daytimer
- pirate flags
- pirate stickers
- pirate bookmarks
- pirate paperclips
- pirate puppets (regular and finger)
- pirate hats
- pirate t-shirt (it read “Sparrow is my co-pirate”)
- pirate breathmints (grog-flavoured)
- pirate magnets
- pirate rubber ducky

This is a good thing for authors to keep in mind when coming up with ideas for books. If you’re not willing to let dinosaurs or unicorns or stray Russian dogs take over your wardrobe or home decor, you might want to rethink your topic. Just a thought.

The other day, something remarkable happened. Four and a half years after I racked up some big ol’ student loans while doing my MFA, I paid those loans off. Completely. Or rather, my Masters thesis paid them off.

See, The Ship of Lost Souls was my masters thesis. And yes, I wrote a thesis on pirate children. Go on, point out what the F and the A in MFA could stand for. I’ve heard it all before. My lawyer friends are especially fond of telling me.

The point is, after selling the novel in Canada, then recently in the States, I was able to throw my earnings back at the loan and get it out of my life. And on the one hand, it’s a bit disappointing not to actually be able to spend your earnings on something fulfilling, like a pony. But on the other hand, I don’t think a lot of Masters students can say that their theses paid off their loans.

Thus. Score one more for the MFA.

On a just-barely-related note, as the author of a series about pirate children, I have received pretty well every pirate-related present under the sun, including grog-flavoured breathmints. But I do not yet have a Jack Sparrow pony (see above). Just saying.

Every so often, when I tell people that I’m a children’s author, they look at me reproachfully and ask how a person without children can possibly write for them.

Which begs the question, would you require teachers to have children of their own in order to teach? Of course not. Pediatricians in order to practice? Doubtful.

Personally, I believe (and many other children’s authors agree) that while being with kids obviously helps your writing, what’s most important is that you were once a kid, and you remember the experience in detail. You can still connect with the emotions, the triumphs, the traumas you went through. And most importantly, you can express them.

Also, let’s see… Theodore Geisel, Margaret Wise Brown, Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, Kate Dicamillo, Hans and Margaret Rey, Kit Pearson, Louisa May Alcott.

Brilliant and successful children’s authors. Who never had kids.

Just sayin’.

I think this pretty well says it all.