“The annual award of $5,000 goes to an author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults. Scott O'Dell established this award to encourage other writers--particularly new authors--to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has helped to shape their country and their world.” WorldWayYearsChildrenBookCountryYoungInterestFictionFocusReaderShapesAdultsIncreaseHistoricalYoung AdultBackgroundsAwardsHistorical FictionAnnualsDellPrevious Years Author:Scott O'Dell
“My fiction is almost always inspired by a character's need or desire to rise above him- or herself. No one is perfect and some of us have much adversity in our lives; it is those people who struggle to rise above their nature or background that I find the most interesting and heroic.” PeopleNeedsCharacterDesirePerfectInterestingFictionStruggleOur LivesAdversityInspiredBackgroundsHeroicRise AboveMost Interesting Author:Robert Crais
“You're in a very nice position as an actor when you're portraying a piece of history that actually happened and portraying characters that actually existed. There's so much more to draw on and your research as an actor becomes much easier than if it's some fiction that you're trying to create a world around and background and history.” IfsWorldTryingCharacterActorsFictionPiecesNiceHappenedPositionEasierDrawsResearchBackgroundsVery NicePortraying Author:Jamie Dornan
“There are plenty of characters of color in fantasy and science fiction. But when you ask the question, "How many of them on-screen have rich, thought-out backgrounds and family elements to draw on?," you quickly find out that the answer is not very many.” CharacterAsksAnswersFictionFantasyRichColorElementsDrawsScience FictionScreensBackgroundsPlenty Author:Stephen H. Segal
“In fiction, it's as if you enter a dream world that you created, but your characters have their own free will. They don't do what you want them to do - they get into trouble, do drugs, fight over petty things, and do outrageous things that you wouldn't want your children to do. In other words, you can only provide the background, the seeds - in my case the background of the Vietnamese refugee.” IfsWorldWantChildrenCharacterDreamFightingFictionCasesTroubleDrugOur ChildrenSeedsWhat You WantBackgroundsYour ChildrenFree WillRefugeePettyOutrageousVietnameseDream WorldVietnamese Refugees Author:Andrew Lam