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Date: 1/26/2022
LONGMEADOW – If you have ever wanted to know how to become a published author, local author Christina Cooper, who writes under the pen name Christina Uss, offers a monthly Ask the Author program at the Richard Salter Storrs Library in Longmeadow.
“The program is something I offer one Saturday a month encouraging library patrons to come ask me anything they’d like to know about being a traditionally published author,” said Cooper.
Cooper is the author of five books, “The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle,” “The Colossus of Roads,” “Erik vs. Everything,” and two upcoming titles, “A Few Bicycles More” and “The Island Before No,” a picture book. She has worked with large publishers, such as Penguin Random House and HarperCollins.
“I’m living proof that with enough persistence and hard work, a regular human can get their book published by a major publishing house,” Cooper said. “I hope folks bring every question they’ve ever had standing in the way of them trying to fulfill their book-publishing dreams.”
Cooper said before she published her first book, she found the process “mysterious.” She had questions about literary agents, publishers, how to get paid and how much. Cooper answers these questions and more during her monthly talks.
“A lot of folks ask me whether there’s any difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing. The answer is yes,” Cooper said. “In traditional publishing, you put in hard work and get rewarded with money – hopefully, lots of it – and a team of people helping you through every step of editing, marketing and distributing your book. In self-publishing, you put in hard work, even more time, plus a bunch of money with no supporting team.”
The program at Storrs Library began in October 2021, but Cooper has offered talks about writing and publishing since 2017. She has spoken at Bay Path University, the East Longmeadow Library and schools across the country.
Cooper writes children’s books, specifically for ages 8 to 12 years old. Many of the books Cooper said she reads are for the same age group.
“The books that sparked my lifelong love of reading were the ones I read as a kid,” Cooper said, adding, “There’s a big part of me that is still 10 years old. I’m not sure I could write for older readers even if I tried – I’d keep wanting to throw in talking bicycles and unexpected adventures.”
Non-verbal bicycles are a large part of Cooper’s life. She rode across the country with some fellow college students in 1996. “That trip was so intense, it changed me forever, and imprinted the joy of bicycling deep in my heart,” Cooper said. Bicycles have become a source of inspiration for her books, as well as her life.
Aside from being an author, Cooper also works as a library assistant at the Storrs Library. “I’m lucky to be a part of the Storrs Library community – my library co-workers are kind, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their work, and our patrons light up my day with their questions and curiosity,” she said. “I get to talk about books to kids all day long.”
Cooper added, “It’s also such a confidence boost when a reader tells me they love one of the books I wrote, and they don’t know I wrote it. I’ll hold up the author photo to my face and ask if I look familiar.”
The next Ask the Author with Christina Uss is on Jan 29, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Storrs Library Discovery Room. For more information, visit https://www.longmeadowlibrary.org and click Programs & Events. To learn more about Uss, visit http://www.christinauss.com.