Melanie Farrar was born in Derby, England and moved to Canada with her family when she was six years old. Her creativity sparked from a very young age through arts and crafts, drawing, painting, and sewing.
Twelve-year old Melanie showed the stories she had written to the writer-in-residence at the local library, hoping it would start her career of being a children’s book author.
At nineteen, Melanie studied fashion and costume design in Toronto. This led to an exciting career that has spanned more than twenty years, throughout which she drafted patterns and costumes for theatre and dance.
Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes is Melanie’s first book.
Melanie continues to work on other character driven short stories, including further adventures of Charlene Stiletto.
Melanie loves the Canadian outdoors, vacationing in Jamaica, sharing laughter, and creating memories with her family. She lives in a picturesque story-book town with her Guinea pigs and her evil sidekick (and sole-mate), Nick.
Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes plot synopsis
Charlene Stiletto has decided to embark on an adventure in search of the perfect pair of shoes. Full of excitement and determination, she travels the globe to find the most fabulous, enviable, gorgeous pair she can imagine!
Along the way, and with the company of her faithful dog, Boots, she encounters Roman soldiers, hot air balloons, and some seriously delicious cheese. But can she find the most fabulous pair of shoes? Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes is a story about hope, perseverance, imagination, and dreams. Oh, and about shoes.
Up for Charlene’s I Spy Challenge? There are over one hundred objects to find within the book!
A donation will be made to the C. Arlene Innes Guthrie Award from the sale of each copy of Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes. The award is named in honour of Arlene, a beloved employee of the Stratford Festival’s wardrobe department for 26 seasons who lost her battle to cancer. Established by her friends and co-workers, the award is presented annually to a wardrobe member (or members) of the wardrobe department who is experiencing an illness.
Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes
Written and Illustrated by Melanie Farrar
Readers’ Favorite Five Stars
40 pages, premium colour, 11 x 8.5
Available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.
Why do you write in the genre that you do?
I like to think that I am synchronized with my 9-year-old self – meaning I don’t want to outgrow the world of make-believe. At what age do we get off the locomotive of make-believe?
I want to encourage it to never end. I desire the young readers that come across my book to believe in themselves, to dream of the possibilities, to embrace self-discovery, and to never stop their imagination from growing and exploring.
I also feel the need to write stories that I can illustrate. Accompanying the stories with illustrations is very important to me. I love illustrating the characters and their world and putting hints of humour into the illustrations. I am drawn to the tiny details, and I am obsessed with colour. Why limit imagination when you can let it explode?
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
I keep several notebooks, and none of them are full. Each notebook has different ideas, thoughts or random sentences. The notepaper has to have a certain texture, and the cover has to speak to me (Yes, I judge empty notebooks by their cover).
Along with the many notebooks, I use random bits of paper, the back of the hydro bill, napkins, or the Notes app on my cell phone, to jot down a bit of a sentence – an idea, something hilarious that I don’t want to forget about. My favourite notebook right now has a guinea pig on the cover. I like it so much I have three of them, two of them are half full, the third is waiting for its first idea to be born. I also have a plethora of sketch books for doodling characters.
Do you have a muse?
I’ve been influenced and inspired by many throughout my life. Marilyn Monroe, Beatrix Potter and Lewis Carroll are the first names that come to mind.
When I was young, I was mesmerized by Beatrix Potter’s drawings, and I loved the curious adventures of Alice. They spoke to me when I was blossoming creatively. My favourite musical artist is Kate Bush, who I find quite whimsical. I love her intelligent, mischievous lyrics, mixed with playful melodies. She is who I like to listen to when I’m working on my illustrations.
As a child I was obsessed with Barbie (I still am). In my tweens, I was made aware of Marilyn Monroe, Vivienne Westwood, Theirry Mugler, and many other influential creatives.
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
If I had the choice, I would run a library attached to a bookstore, or vice versa.
I love bookstores. The books are new, each page smelling newer than the last. I used to put my nose in the spine of brand new books (something I should not recommend) and take just a tiny, tiny, little sniff of the newness (Of course, I wouldn’t do this in the bookstore, that would be weird. I waited until I got home first). The “baby scent” of new books doesn’t last very long.
And, I’ve loved libraries since I was a child. In grade school, instead of being outside during recess, you would sometimes find me in the school library looking at books, realizing that the most loved books are worn, the pages thick and curling at the corners. Food stains, folded dog-ear pages and the hardcover protectors that crinkle when you hold the book are starting to tear, or the tape needs to be replaced.
The two books I borrowed most from the school library? One was how to make pop-up books (which started my passion of writing and making my own books at a very young age), and the other was a thick book on fashion history, which I recall was quite heavy to carry home, which started my journey of making my own clothes. The latter of which I now own and use it often in my line of work – building historical costumes for theatre.
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
Four people come to mind: A friend of mine, who is a retired school teacher. Her voice smiles when she speaks. Judi Dench, Jude Law, or Kate Winslet – lovely voices. Some children’s books can be in the form of an audiobook too.
This reminds me of a book I had as a child. There was a device you rested onto each page, in the designated spot, and a voice would read the page for you, almost like a mini record player. I also had a book that came with a separate 45 record. You played the record, on the record player, and turned the page when prompted. Amazing.
How many words or pages do you typically write in one writing session?
That depends on how much time I’ve got. If I’ve only got an evening, I’ll review a paragraph and rewrite it three times, and that will be it for the day. If I’ve allocated a full day, I’ll start rereading a story I’m working on from the very beginning, adding and changing bits here and there.
I need to be fully immersed into the character and their world before continuing. If I need a break on that story, I’ll work on a different one. I benefit from writing children’s stories, meaning they have a lower word count, because when I sit down to work, I have to reread everything from the beginning to continue where I have left off – and flagging areas I want to go back to along the way. It’s amazing how many times one paragraph can be rewritten.
What is your ideal writing space?
I have a designated space I call my art room or studio. I sit (or stand) directly in front of a window, and if I need to take a moment to be thoughtful, I can stare out at the garden. I’m also surrounded by art tools – colour charts are important as I imagine the world I am writing about. Aqua #86 for the lilypad. . .
I love writing when it’s raining with the window slightly cracked open. A cup of tea, hot or cold (or an empty cup) is always beside me, along with a glass of water and dissolvable hydralytes. Dark chocolates, either ginger covered or mint flavoured.
I tend to write in silence (ticking clock in the background) or have the window open for the birds voices to flow into the room. Sometimes I’ll write at the dining table so I can hear my guinea pigs dappling in the background.
If I feel like I need more snacks, it’s a bowl of cut up fruit and trail mix. If I’m working on illustrations, I play music. Kate Bush, or David Bowie, are my go-to. The blues, or soft jazz. Sometimes I’ll play through the decades – from the 1920’s and up. I borrow CD’s from the local library.
Sometimes, If I’ve stared at the computer screen for too long, I’ll take a quick walk down to the basement, throw in a load of laundry, and jump on the elliptical for two minutes. And I literally mean two minutes. This is enough to supply my brain with some oxygen so I can think better. Or it’s a ten minute speed walk around the block along with some really deep breathing.
What do you like to read? How often do you read?
I like to read suspenseful thrillers, horror, or science fiction, and quirky books with humour. I like to read fascinating factual stuff, or books about the cosmic universe as I’m always pondering the big picture and what else is out there.
I find black holes and the universe in general fascinating. When I can’t sleep I find myself thinking about floating around in space and who I might bump into, this of course causes me to bump into someone imaginary (lately, it’s been a small boy. . .) and a story starts to plant a seed.
When I’m browsing through a bookstore, I find myself looking at anything. There’s never a time when I don’t browse through the children’s section. I find children’s books humorous and delightful. They put a smile on my face.
I always have more books checked out of the library than I have time to read, and I have to renew the books the maximum amount of time. Or I’ll purchase four books at a book fair and stack them beside my bed, along with other books to read. I also love books about art or costume history.
One of the books I have read recently was Who Ate The First Oyster by Cody Cassidy. I have just read Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, and I am currently reading The Presence by John Saul. Next in queue is It Calls From the Sea, an anthology of vicious tales of horror from the sea, followed by Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore. And, I have a book on hold at the library which I need to collect, Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer.
My favourite author when I was a teen was John Saul. My first John Saul book was given to me by a friend on my 13th birthday, Comes The Blind Fury. This book started my interest in horror/thriller novels.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
Most public appearances I make (while promoting my book), I am dressed as the character from my book, Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes. I made the costume myself, since that is what I do as a day job – build costumes for theatre and dance.
I make regular public appearances at the Stratford Festival Theatre. I set myself up at either of the two gift shops where the paperback version of my book is carried, Charlene Stiletto and Her Search for a Fabulous Pair of Shoes.
I promote the book and inform theatre patrons about the fundraising component of my book. I also dress up as the character and make public appearances in random places for social media posts, at the grocery store shopping for ice cream, floating on a paddle board, at a shoe store, or at the tennis courts wearing roller skates. I recently attended a fall fair (dressed as Charlene) and ten lucky young readers were awarded a copy of my book.
I have plans to read my book at the local library in front of a young audience and reach out to local schools to do the same. I will be taking my Charlene Stiletto costume with me to a tropical destination in the fall. I’ll be dressing up in costume for photos or videos to be used on social media: Charlene Stiletto at the airport, or on the beach…
Who would you most want to read your book?
Children and their parents, shoe fanatics, librarians – reading the book to a room full of youngsters, or teachers – reading it to their class, and having the young students participate in activities that relate to the story. Charlene visits a lot of countries in the story which opens the door for geographical lessons and activities.
My book includes an ‘I Spy’ challenge of 100 objects to find within the book’s interior, which is an unexpected extra for those who like ‘I Spy’ challenges. I would love to inspire and encourage young readers to write their own stories and create characters.
Have you ever gone away to work on a piece of writing? If not, where would you go if you could?
I have worked on book related projects at the family cottage. It’s quiet. The air is fresh. The river water is revitalizing and crisp. The nature around me is inspiring. I like to do the river walk in the early mornings and pretend the fairies are hiding from me. If I did see a fairy, I wouldn’t be surprised, just wished I’d seen it sooner (my nine-year-old self speaking).
I have a tropical ‘vacation’ trip booked in the fall. However I will be traveling with my laptop.
If I was to go somewhere else for a lengthy amount of time to write, it would be England, or Scotland, and stay in an old cottage with lots of gardens to walk through. The cottage that comes to mind is the character Iris’ cottage in the movie The Holiday with Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz. That little cottage is so picturesque, it could be in a fairy tale. That would be an amazing place to write.
I’d cry the first day, (happy tears) and then write. However, I would miss my sweet and goofy Guinea pigs. Perhaps next time I sit down to write, I’ll pretend I’m there, in that quaint little cottage, with my Guinea pigs beside me, a hot cup of ginger tea and the rain beating down on the roof. I wonder if Kate Winslet would knock on the door and ask if I need a book narrator?
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