Hello, and thank you for joining me today. I’m happy to be participating in a blog hop at the invitation of my friend Claire Rudolph Murphy. Claire is a faculty member in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at my alma mater, Hamline University. Her most recent work, MY COUNTRY ‘TIS OF THEE, has opened to excellent reviews.
You can visit Claire’s post HERE.
Next week two more Hamline University MFAC author friends will join the hop:
Hamline University MFAC Faculty member and author of recently rereleased DON'T SPLIT THE POLE, TALES OF DOWN-HOME FOLK WISDOM Eleanora Tate
AND
Hamline University MFAC Alumna and author of forthcoming POISONED APPLES, Poems for You, My Pretty, Christine Heppermann
I loved my time studying at Hamline, and am happy to remain connected to this rich community of author friends. Click here if you'd like to visit their site: HAMLINE UNIVERSITY MFAC
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On to the questions and answers:
What am I currently working on?
My picture book, THIS OLD BAND recently released with Sky Pony Press, so I’ve been getting the word out about that book. I’m hearing that it’s a fun read-aloud for parents and children and for students at story time. Parents and grandparents have told me that it’s a “read it again” story, and that makes me happy.
Up next for me is a picture book with Sky Pony Press called THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO GOBBLED A SKINK. It’s my take on the Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly folk story and will arrive next year. In my version the old lady is by water’s edge and, silly as she is, begins to gobble her fishing tackle.
In addition, I’m developing new picture books and working on more poetry and poem stories.
How does my work differ from others in my genre?
I don’t set out to write books that are different from others at the age levels and genres that I write. I do approach my writing with my unique reference points from life, and my work reflects that. Not every writer grew up in the Midwest and spent summer weekends fishing and that became a strong reference point for my first book, GONE FISHING. It’s a humorous contemporary father and son fishing adventure and sibling rivalry middle grade novel in verse that includes a section on poetry writing.
Who knew that when I took a summer trip from Iowa to Washington State with my grandparents when I was ten, it would plant the nugget that would grow into my second book, THIS OLD BAND. That book features a whimsical cowboy and cowgirl band playing and counting down from ten to one out on the range in the old west.
Of course there are other funny stories written in poetry, and other quirky concept books written to a familiar nursery rhyme, but in all honesty, I don’t know of any other books that explore these themes, settings, conflicts, etc., in the same way as I do in mine. I have a feeling that this is true for many writers and what gives us all the ability to stand out.
Why do I write what I write?
I write poetry because I love rhythm and rhyme. It’s one of the first forms of play and storytelling that I can remember and it’s how I learned to read.
I write stories because there is something deeply satisfying about orchestrating a problem solved.
I write humor because I love to laugh and make kids (and adults) giggle.
I write about families fishing, or cowboys playing together because they’re important.
I write for children because I remember well the joys and worries of being young and I hope that what I write will resonate with young readers.
What is my writing process?
Much of my work begins as a scribble on a piece of scratch paper, on the back of a take-out menu, or in my phone if I’m feeling very organized. Oftentimes it’s nothing more than two words that sound nice together, or a connection between two unlikely things that I find interesting.
From that point, the idea steeps and, depending on how taken I am with the idea, I may begin to work on something soon after having the idea, or it may brew for a while (sometimes months, or years). At some point I begin to analyze and decide if it’s worth pursuing. Sometimes I can tell right away that something will or won’t work as a story or poem, and other times I need to write through to the end before I understand whether or not it will work. If it’s a story idea that I really believe in, though, I try my best to shape it into something that might be of interest to an editor and, ultimately, children.
Thanks for stopping by!
6.17.14