Meet Steve....

No, no, not Steve from Blue's Clues, Steve Reifman-teacher, author and book lover!

Why am I featuring Steve? Is his latest children's book, Chase Against Time for preschoolers? Nope! My connection with Steve is a love of words. He is a quote guy and anyone who knows me well, knows I am a quote gal! My dream is to be quoted one day and not just on Twitter!

Here is my interview with Steve. I appreciate his time and am excited to share his ideas! Read this! You will be glad you did!
 

What is your favorite food? 

By far, pizza is my favorite food. I don’t eat it that often, but when I do, I love to get pepperoni on it.

How long have you been writing? Have you always loved writing?

I have been writing since I started my teaching career. In the beginning, I wrote only non-fiction books for teachers. It wasn’t until seven or eight years ago that I started writing my first fiction project, Chase Against Time. My love of writing grew tremendously when I started working on Chase Against Time.  

Tell us about the connection you have between being a reader and writer.
As a kid, I loved reading mysteries. The Encyclopedia Brown books were my favorite. As an adult, I try to write the type of mystery book that I would have liked as a child – fast-paced and full of action.

What inspired you to write Changing Kids' Lives One Quote at a Time?

For the last fifteen years or so, I have done a “Quote of the Day” discussion with my students a couple mornings per week. I found these conversations to be so valuable and so effective for developing character that I decided to gather my favorite quotes, write a series of talking points for each one, and turn it all into a book so parents and teachers everywhere could have this type of discussion with children.

 
Where is the coolest place you have ever visited?     
It’s either Lambeau Field in Wisconsin where the Green Bay Packers play football, Maui, or Japan. Maui is my favorite place on earth, and I hope I can visit again sometime soon.  

Is there one quote that you often revisit?

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”                                    -Aristotle

I love this quote because it is about developing lifelong habits, which I believe is one of the main aspects of my teaching. 

Chase Against Time is a mystery. Do you find yourself leaning more toward mysteries in your own reading?

Yes, I love reading adult mysteries. Agatha Christie and Dick Francis are two of my favorite mystery authors.   

If you could meet an author, living or not, who would it be and why? 

W. Edwards Deming. His books about quality have inspired me greatly and have had a tremendous influence on the way I teach and the way I live.

We love how Chase is real. Did you have a special inspiration for this?

The television show “24” inspired me to write Chase Against Time, so Chase is a kid’s version of Jack Bauer, the main character from “24.” There is also a lot of myself in Chase Manning.

What is in store for Chase?

I don’t want to give too much away, but Chase will have three more real-time, single-day adventures before the end of his fifth grade year. 

Words of advice for writers….young or young at heart?

Write because you love to write. When I started writing Chase Against Time, I did it for fun, and I did it to see if I could actually write a mystery book. I didn’t do it to try to get published or to make money. Even if nobody ever read the book, the whole experience still would have been worth it. I had an absolute blast writing the book. It took a great deal of time, but it was a labor of love.

Our media specialist reviewed Chase Against Time. Here is what she had to say....

Chase Against Time by Steve Reifman looks to be a great new addition to the middle grade mystery shelf. Chase is a regular kid who investigates the way that a regular kid would. No “special abilities” exist for this grade school sleuth. The story illustrates the way that mysteries get solved in the real world – by questioning suspects, putting together the pieces, and working out motives. One of the most effective devices that the author uses is assigning a time to each chapter. This adds a modern feel to a genre that dates back to the Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, and the Boxcar Children. Reifman proves that inappropriate language and situations are not necessary to entice readers. This series will satisfy those long for a book that can be read by third, fourth, and fifth graders alike.

Great for teachers and parents!

I read Changing Lives One Quote at a Time and have already recommended it to teachers and mommy/daddy friends. Mr. Reifman shares powerful quotes with ideas that are great for kids and adults, too. I opened a small meeting with one his ideas. For more on Steve and his work, please visit http://www.stevereifman.com/.