We’re thrilled to have here today Maya from Alinka Rutkowska’s children’s book, Maya & Filippo Make Friends in Auckland. She is coming to us all the way from the great state of New Zealand. It is a pleasure to have her with us today at Beyond the Books!
Thank you so for this interview, Maya. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?
Thank you for having me. It feels great to hop out of the book and jump into a blog for a change. I feel that my author, Alinka, did a pretty good job portraying me. I am by nature a very curious and ambitious girl. I think of myself as smarter than my brother, Filippo, nevertheless it is him who first came up with the idea of thinking positive thoughts in order to create a better reality. I’m surprised that I didn’t think of it myself earlier! I guess my little brother does have some pretty good ideas from time to time. To give my author justice, I must admit that I am quite happy with how she showed the way I managed to turn things around with my questions and my positive attitude.
What do you believe is your strongest trait?
I’m open-minded and always examine the facts before drawing conclusions. I think that really helps in living a satisfying book life.
Worst trait?
Hmm, I can’t think of any. OK. I might be a little too impulsive at times. When I get an idea in my head, I want to execute it immediately. I really need to work on being more patient.
If you could choose someone in the television or movie industry to play your part if your book was made into a movie, who would that be (and you can’t say yourself!)?
Dakota Fanning when she was 5 years old. She portrayed the 5-year-old Ally McBeal in the legendary TV series. I think she would do a great job portraying myself.
Do you have a love interest in the book?
Who? Me? Come on! I’m just a little girl. For now I’m in love with traveling and discovering the laws of the universe. My favorite means of travel is the cruise ship of course, and I would like to meet my husband on a cruise when I grow up. That would be very romantic. We can talk then.
At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?
I was pretty nervous when we met the complaining old ladies on the bus. Not only were they in our way, they were also picking at my brother. I think this was the lowest point in the story.
If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?
I would hate to be one of those grumpy old ladies. All they were doing was complaining and making other people miserable.
How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?
It was a splendid ending. I’m glad things turned out the way they did. It was worth going through all we went through to learn something as exciting as we did.
What words of wisdom would you give your author if she decided to write another book with you in it?
I’d just like to tell her that I love exploring the world and I would like her to take me to discover some other amazing places like Alaska or Hawaii.
Thank you for this interview. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
I believe so :) I usually make an appearance at www.mayafilippo.com when there’s a new story I’m in.
About Alinka Rutkowska:
Alinka Rutkowska is a “Reader’s Favorite” Five Star Picture Book Author. She writes the “Maya & Filippo” Book Series for Children – travel books for kids with a positive attitude. She takes inspiration from her own travels while cruising with her husband and daughter around the world. She is positive, appreciative and happy 95% of the time and during the miserable 5% she thinks to herself quickly: “things always work out for me” and they do.
Alinka’s doesn’t really have a “to do” list but she does have a “fun things to do” list. It usually consists of writing, reading, reading her writing, writing in her diary, blogging, reading other blogs, commenting, breathing deeply, meditating, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin, closing her eyes, breathing some more and thinking what a wonderful world she lives in.
Sometimes she takes a few minutes to pause and instead of doing something from her “fun things to do” list she just daydreams a little. She thinks of all the great things that she wants for her to happen and imagines how wonderful it will feel to be interviewed about them in the future. She’s already preparing the answers to those interview questions in her mind. She especially loves the part, in which she says that she achieved all these things because she spent a considerable amount of time visualizing them first.
Alinka loves to ski while listening to music at the same time, she enjoys an occasional glass (or bottle) of Barolo with dark chocolate, she loves cuddling with her husband and daughter. Alinka really likes tea, especially that last sip which is usually the tastiest.
You can visit Alinka’s website at www.mayafilippo.com, where she blogs daily for parents, travelers and authors.
About Maya & Filippo Make Friends in Auckland:
Embark on a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented, breathtaking adventure with Maya and Filippo as they travel around the globe on board the “Fun Princess” — a cruise ship full of surprises. Discover their fascinating ports of call, find out what the local customs and traditions are, join the kids in activities at sea, and explore the remarkable world they create through the power of their positive outlook.
This time Maya and Filippo discover Auckland and meet different kinds of people depending on…read the book to find out! Spoiler alert: the kids ride a big hop-on, hop-off explorer bus, where strange things happen. They stop at the famous Sky Tower, where they do something very exciting.
Beyond the Books 