An Interview with Dee Shulman and Polly Price

Yesterday I reviewed Polly Price's Totally Secret Diary: Reality TV Nightmare, the second Polly Price title. Today I have an interview for you that I did with the author of the book, Dee Shulman, and with Polly Price. I thought it was only fair to make sure that Polly herself got to say a few words. After all, she is the person whose story is being told.

TTLG: Dee, where did the idea for this series come from? 
Dee: You could say I have been both Polly and Arabella... As a kid, I used to find my own (adorable) mother acutely embarrassing whenever she laughed ... she was just too loud and way too enthusiastic for a mother! And then – weirdly - I turned into Arabella myself. My daughter used to hide on the floor of the car if she spotted one of her friends out of the window. I was guilty of dressing wrong, talking wrong, running in public ... my list of crimes was endless! 

So it was a great theme to play with – I just needed to tweak it a teeny bit – convert embarrassing to excruciating -  and Arabella was born!

TTLG: Dee, how did you get inside Polly's head to understand how she might feel or react? 

Dee: I think it would be more accurate to say that Polly got inside my head. Once her handwriting appeared on the page she really took over. 

TTLG: Polly, it is clear that having an actress for a mother can be very trying at times. What are the things that you like the least about your mother's work and lifestyle?
Polly: I have made a list and given them marks out of 10. 10 is the worst!

Mum’s work

·         A normal parent goes to work during the day which means she DOESN’T come and pick you up from school. Unfortunately an actress is often bored during the day. A bored actress is not something anybody wants turning up at school at 3.45. You can hear my mother approach  approximately 4 minutes before the classroom door gets flung open. The only plus side is that 4 minutes gives you just enough time to hide behind the boxes in the stationary cupboard. (10)

·         Unfortunately, Mum doesn’t have anyone she can dump an 11 year old daughter on.  Believe me – she would if she could. So if I’m not in school, wherever she goes I go. I CANNOT WAIT until I am legally allowed to leave home. (10)

·         Tragically the places my mum goes to work are FILLED with other actors. Need I say more?* (10)

Mum’s Lifestyle 
Actors along the lines of my mother are always getting STRANGE CRUSHES on things. My mother has had many...

·         She chants*  (very annoying) (8)     

·         She gets food fads. Life was garstly when she turned vegan  (We had slimy black mushroom stew nearly every day) (10) *

·         Vanilla was a PARTICULARLY dangerous crush. By the way - Vanilla is a human being (almost) not a kind of ice-cream (unfortunately) (10+) **

·         Men. Especially younger ones. Especially younger French ones. Especially one younger French one in particular. See the new book, Mum in Love, for further details
*See On Stage in America for further information
**See Reality TV Nightmare for further details

TTLG: Polly, there must be some things that you like about having an actress for a parent. Tell me about some of the good stuff.
Polly: Yes – SOMETIMES (occasionally) I get to meet the good  kind of actor... 
NB: These are rare. They talk to you as though you are a member of the human race. Very occasionally they are VERY nice. Naming no names  I do encounter some good kinds in my diaries.  W.G in On Stage in America  and C.D in Reality TV Nightmare.

If your mother goes on tour you do sometimes get to go to exciting places – like America. See On Stage in America for further details.
If your mother gets a crush on a younger French boyfriend – you may get to go to France. *See Mum in Love for further details

I can’t think of many other good points – but I will let you know.

TTLG: Polly and Dee, what is it like to work together? Do you argue about the stories and how the artwork is going to look?
Dee: Hmm Polly would you say we work well together?
Polly: Put it like this... I write a TOTALLY secret diary that NOBODY is supposed to be looking at and then Dee Shulman comes along and the next thing I know it’s on the shelves in Waterstones and my mother is taking out lawsuits.

TTLG: Polly, do you think Dee understands your problems.
Polly: NO. (see above)  

TTLG: Is it hard working with a grownup? 
Polly: YES. Not to be recommended at all. 

TTLG: Is there a project that you two really want to work on together in the future? Tell us about it...please!
Dee: Between you and me (Polly doesn’t know this yet) there is talk of a trip to Australia...to meet someone VERY important. 
Polly: No there is definitely not a project that we want to work on together.

TTLG: Thank you both so much for agreeing to being interviewed.

An Interview with Tim Warnes, Chalk, and Cheese

Not long ago I reviewed Chalk and Cheese, a book about a little English mouse who makes friends with a dog who lives in New York City. I loved the book, and was delighted when I heard that the author, Tim Warnes, has started an online comic strip featuring Chalk and Cheese. I decided that it would be interesting to find out how the online comic strip came into being, and Tim Warnes (and Chalk and Cheese) were gracious enough to agree to an interview.

TTLG: Tim, how did Chalk and Cheese come into your life?

©2011 

Tim: It all started back in art college in the early ‘90s. I’d been to  New York for a few days, and came back with lots of reportage drawings of the city which I used as the backgrounds for a series of illustrations based on dog phrases; for example ‘doggone’ and ‘doggy bag’. That’s when the first version of Chalk appeared. I developed the visuals further into the idea of an English rat visiting the dog in New York dog. The idea sat in a drawer for over 10 years until my editor at Simon & Schuster spotted it and asked me to develop it further. That’s when I hit upon the idea of basing the characters on me (Chalk) and my son, Noah (Cheese), who was aged about 5 at the time.

TTLG: Tim, I am a huge fan of your online comic strip. Tell me why you started it and what it is like to work using a blog format.

Tim: I started the comic strip for a number of reasons, the main one being because I needed to let it out! I desperately wanted to do the original picture book as a graphic novel for kids (I love the work of Posy Simmonds) but my editor wouldn’t let me take it that far. After Chalk and Cheese was published, I continued to jot down conversations with Noah, only now I’d sketch them being said by Chalk and Cheese. It’s just sort of grown from there.

I’ve always loved reading comic strips, and my mind seems to naturally write in that way. I also thought it’d be a fun way to promote the book, but was reluctant to commit to doing a regular strip. But seeing how people used the blog format encouraged me to take the plunge, making it possible to publish it with no financial cost to me. It’s a great creative outlet as it’s my chance to produce something exactly as I’d like to, without having to run it by designers and editors (I do show it to Noah and my wife, children’s illustrator Jane Chapman, though. Noah’s quite a comic book aficionado himself, so I really respect his thoughts).

TTLG: Cheese, you’re a country mouse in a foreign city. What’s that like for you?

Cheese: TOTALLY AWESOME! I like living in the countryside, but I like New York more. America’s a bit like England, cos you speak English except with Australian accents. But it’s different too cos everything’s so big. And you’ve got King Kong.

TTLG: Is there anything you miss about the countryside?

Cheese: No, not really.

Chalk: Nothing at all?!

Cheese: Well, the only thing that’s sort of different about the countryside is the walks, and I don’t really like them anyway. At least in New York I’ve got someone to carry me.

TTLG: Chalk, you’re best friends with Cheese, but you’re quite different. How’s that work?

Chalk: I try not to do anything Cheese doesn’t want to.

Cheese: Otherwise I might sulk. Wait a minute - sometimes we do do stuff I don’t want to, it’s just I don’t want to say... like I never really want to go for a walk, and I’m never too keen on not going to a toy shop.

TTLG: What’s the best thing you’ve done so far in New York, Cheese?

Cheese: I liked skating at Rocky Fella’s!

Chalk: No you didn’t - you hated it!

Cheese: Did I?... I can’t remember.... oh yeah! I like meeting cockroaches - Cutey Pops was my favourite. I wonder how that lil fella’s doing? I ‘spect he’s still in the subway. I’m not a big fan of the subway. It’s dark and it smells. Why d’you call it the sub anyway?  In England we call it the Underground. You speak funny in America.

TTLG: Is there anything you’d like to do in New York that you’ve not tried yet?

Cheese: Why are you asking me all these questions anyway? Is it an interrogation? Am I under arrest...?!

Chalk: I’d like to take Cheese to a museum or maybe...

Cheese: What I’d really, really love to see is Kong. Or a hillbilly. And I’d like to go to Gimbel’s. You know, the giant toy shop from Elf ?h

Chalk: Gimbel’s closed down years ago, Cheese.

Cheese: WHAT?! Well that sucks. Anyway, can we stop now? I’m bored.

TTLG: One last question. I see from your strip that you both enjoy books. What are you reading at the moment?

Chalk: The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960 and Understanding A.D.H.D.

Cheese: What was the question again...?

Thank you so much Tim, Chalk and Cheese. I would like to mention that Chalk and Cheese are being included in the Team Cul de Sac project to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson's research. Team Cul de Sac was formed as a project by Chris Sparks and cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of the awesome 'Cul de Sac' comic strip, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The idea was to have an open invitation to artists to submit their takes on Richard's characters in whatever way they wanted (unsurprisingly the majority took the opportunity to place the 'Cul de Sac' characters in their own comic universes!) The book is going to be released in June 2012.

The David Godine Blog Event Day Three - An interview with David Godine

For this third day in the David Godine blog event I have an interview with David Godine, the founder of this unique publishing house. 

David Godine and his son

Marya: How did you get into publishing in the first place?

David: We began, forty years ago, as printers in an abandoned cow barn on the last farm in Boston. So our background has always been, to some degree, in printing and graphic design. I think this is why we take so much care with how the books look and how they are printed, because that is embedded deep in our history. We really switched full time to publishing ca. 1975.

Marya: Your credo is to publish a few books of substance rather than large lists of books that are of varying value. Is this something that you consciously planned, or did it just naturally evolve?

David: I think I realized from early on that I was simply not capable, as an executive, of either leading or building a large organization, so the size of the list is as much s result of my own personality as a deliberate business decision. But it has certainly served us well: I think if we had grown into a much larger organization with greater ambitions, and by publishing more books every year, we would probably be extinct by now. In many senses, our size has saved us. It allows us to publish what we really like and do our crying in private and it also helps preserve a certain sense of "personality" in a business that has really seen the demise of the publisher as an individual or of a house with a distinctive and identifiable personality.

Marya: The publishing world today is so different from the one that existed forty years ago, which is when your company began. What do you think is the biggest change that has taken place?

David: I'd say two big changes; first the arrival , and recent perfection of "on demand publishing, which allows publishers to keep books in print while doing relatively small print runs and maintaining the same, or close to the same, production quality, The second is the number of titles published every year, which has grown from ca. 40,000 new titles when I began in 1970 to over 250,000 new titles in 2009. And this doesn't even include the books that were privately published and printed, which now exceeds those that are commercially issued. 

Marya: Many people think that e-books are going to replace print books. I think there are too many people out there who love the feel and smell of paper, and who like to hold a book in their hands. What are your thoughts?

David: My thoughts are that there is not gong to be single soul out there ten years from now who either owns, or will remember how to operate, a Kindle, but that we get very few phone calls with queries on how to operate the book. It's been around this long because it is a product that is perfectly suited to its use and to the user's needs. We get these scares every decade, and every decade the number of books published and the circumference of exposure continues to grow.

Marya: The books in your children’s book list are very eclectic and unique. What do you look for in a manuscript?

David: Something that says something originals, and hopefully that says it in an original, and literate, way. I look for a "voice,” something that is unique to the author and recognizable. I look for books that I want to reread, as opposed to just reading once. I always think the text is more important than the illustrations. The latter can sell up to 3000 copies, but the text is what carries the book, and stays with the reader.

Marya: Why are so many of the books in your children’s selection reprints of old books?

David: Well, think about it. Who buys these books? For the most part not children, but parents and grandparents. And they tend to buy, more often than not, books and authors who they remember fondly from their own childhood. And every list needs a certainly number of both authors and titles that are instantly recognizable to a buyer, that makes him or her feel comfortable with a list. Ours is certainly not the only edition of "The Secret Garden" on the market, but it is probably the best and certainly the only "full text" edition available. But we'd sell it even if it weren't. Because people recognize it, and probably have read it.

Marya: Which of all the children’s books that you have published is your favorite and why?

David: I have lots. That's like asking for your favorite children, but one of my all time favorites, still in print, is Dylan Thomas's "A Child's Christmas in Wales" illustrated by one of my favorite artists, Edward Ardizzone. I bought it for our very first children’s list, at Frankfurt. No one else wanted it as the Dent edition was so badly printed and it just looked anemic on the uncoated paper. We redid the calligraphy, reset the book, and printed it on a dull coated paper and it's still going strong three decades later.

Marya: Are you planning anything special for Godine’s 40^th birthday?

David: Yes, both a silkscreen poster (see the front cover of our Fall catalogue for the image, and that is me standing in front of our original type cases) as well as a forty year history of the firm with a fairly wide ranging selection of the more important and/ or interesting titles we have published.


Thank you so much David and congratulations on Godine's 40th anniversary.

Besty Red Hoodie Blog Event Day Three - An interview with Gail Carson Levine

For this third day in the Betsy Red Hoodie blog event I have an interview with Gail Carson Levine. 

Marya: The story of Little Red Riding Hood has been told dozens of times in dozens of different ways. Why did you decide to tell this story? 

Gail: I was looking for another story for Betsy the shepherd girl and Zimmo the shepherd wolf.  Their first book, Betsy Who Cried Wolf! was based on The Boy Who Cried Wolf, so I thought the second should also have folklore roots.  There’s tension in the original tale of Little Red Riding Hood, which is always a plus, and the story features three distinct characters, two separated by many years, and one by species.  And then I knew I’d bring in the sheep for a fourth contrast and for the mayhem they add to every moment.

 

Marya: Most of the versions of this story that I have read have been quite grim. In your tale, no one is eaten or is cut open with an ax. What made you decide to make this story an altogether happier tale? 

Gail: I knew Little Red Riding Hood when I was a child, and I was glad that the hunter pulled Little Red and her grandmother out of the wolf’s belly, but I wasn’t particularly troubled by their descent down his throat.  My parents never kept me from reading the story; they may even have read it to me themselves with an assurance that it was ‘just a story.’ Seems to me parents are more vigilant today, and I may have been especially hard to rattle.  Nowadays, told in all its gory detail, the story would succeed only as parody, so I took a softer approach, easier on the stomachs of all concerned!

Marya: One of the things that I liked in the book was the role the sheep play in it. They are wonderfully chatty and silly. Were they your creation?
Gail: In this book, yes, but not in Betsy Who Cried Wolf.  In that book, I didn’t expect the speech bubbles, but Scott Nash made them up, and I filled them in, a felicitous collaboration.  In Betsy Red Hoodie, I knew what to expect, so I wrote sheep speech from the get-go, and Scott obligingly made room for them.

Marya: This book is presented in a very unique way with full page illustrations, multiple panel spreads, and pages that look much like a cell in a comic book strip. How did this format come about?
Gail: All the credit goes to illustrator Scott Nash.  Going back to the first book again, I didn’t anticipate the look or expect either a contemporary setting or sheep and wolves who stand on two legs.  I was astonished!  But I loved the innovations.  Scott has outdone himself in Betsy Red Hoodie by dressing Zimmo so nattily and giving the sheep stout shoes, hats, backpacks, and in the case of one sheep, a guitar.

Marya: You clearly have a fondness for fairy tales. Where did this fondness come from?
Gail: As a child I adored fairy tales.  I loved the exoticism - the seven-league boots, the maidens and princes becoming toads, the fairies, the magic wands, the genies in old lamps (I could go on and on), the nonstop action, and, I think without realizing, the deep themes - love, danger, transformation, courage, and much more.  Today I’m still drawn to the magic and the deep themes.  I love to stretch the tales out, add detail, and tell myself a story.

Marya: You have written a book called Writing Magic for people who are interested in writing for young readers. Tell us a little about the book. Do you enjoy helping people explore the world of writing for children?
Gail: I love to think, write, talk, dream about writing. Writing Magic can be used by adults to write for children or by adults to write for adults, but its target audience is children who’ve been bitten by the writing bug.  I’ve been volunteering locally for about twelve years, teaching creative writing to kids ten and up.  After six years I decided to put what I’d learned in teaching into a book that is full of the exercises I’d developed.  Writing is both hard and marvelous, the best road to self-knowledge I know of.  I want to hold the reader’s hand and set off together down the uneven, bumpy, exhilarating writing road.

Thank you so much Gail for this wonderful interview. 

Elsie's Bird Blog Event Day Three - An interview with Jane Yolen

For the third and final part of this blog event I have an interview with Jane Yolen about her fabulous book Elsie's Bird.

Marya: Where did the idea for this story come from?

© Jason Stemple

Jane: I was in the doctor's office some time ago and reading the Smithsonian Magazine. There was an article about women going west, carrying with them canaries in cages. It struck a cord. But the book had about a five-year gestation period and was originally about a woman who meets a young farmer and marries him and goes west with him. My editor asked me to rethink it with a child at the center. And after the requisite kicking and screaming and holding my breath until I turned blue, I tried it - and the book

worked so much better, I immediately claimed it was my ideal. (No I didn't, the editor Patti Gauch was a genius at such small suggestions and I truly mourn her retirement.)

Marya: The story takes a sad turn when Elsie struggles with the isolation that she feels on the farm in Nebraska. How did you get inside her head and heart? How did you find out what it was like to be a child who moved from a city to a sod house on a prairie? 

Jane: Once the child was off to that new place, I became her. The voice I heard was my childhood voice in my head.

Marya: How do you think children who have never seen a prairie will identify with Elsie? 

Jane: I think they identify with the fear of new places, the loss of family and familiar things, the need to be brave when a pet is in danger. The prairie in the book stands for all the scary new things that really often have their own beauty once we are willing to surrender to them. It could just as easily be a new city, a new country, a new school. New things are scary. They seem unnatural. Children go into new situations all the time.

Marya: To me this story is very much about finding ones sense of home in a new place. How do you think adults can help children to adjust to a new place? 

Jane: First I think you have to let  child identify the fear of the new. Remind them of all the new things they have done before in their lives - getting born, moving house, a new school, visiting someone they've never met before, going to the doctor, taking a test. All those things are new - and can become something fabulous. Don't tell them they are silly or stupid to feel that way. Acknowledge their fears, and even your own fears. And then help them find the beauty, those things which make this new place  beautiful.

Marya: I enjoy reading stories about what it was like to move to the American frontier. Over the years, my copies of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books have traveled from place to place with me. Is this a part of history that you have a particular interest in? If so why?

Jane: I lived the first thirteen years of my life more or less in New York City and suddenly we moved to Connecticut. No preparation, thrown into the deep end of the pool. After college I went back to New York to work. Then my husband and I traveled around Europe and the Middle East for almost a year and moved to Massachusetts when we came back. One New York friend mused puzzingly, "How can you stand all that green?" Well, I am a born-again New Englander now. And a part time Caledonian, living in Scotland about four months a year. I love finding new beauty wherever I go. It's not Nebraska, not the prairie that calls me; it's finding the beautiful new.

Marya: Elsie's Bird is your 300th book. How does it feel to have reached this

extraordinary milestone in your career?

Jane: It sounds more extraordinary to other people than it sounds to me. You see, I remember writing all those books, one at a time. I love to write, love to watch stories and poetry leak out of my fingertips onto the keyboard. Nothing makes me happier. (Another kind of finding the new beauty, actually!) They are all dear old friends. Though I have to admit, I love quoting this from Isaac Asimov: "If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster.”

Thank you so much Jane. I am looking forward to seeing what you do next. Here's to many more books to enjoy in the future.

The Secret Lives of Princesses - An interview

After I got my review copy of The Secret Lives of Princesses, Derry Wilkens - the children's publicity manager at Sterling Books - told me that the book had an interesting story. I decided to find out a little more about the book and how it came to be published in the United States. Here is an interview that I had with Frances Gilbert, VP and Publisher for Sterling Children’s Books

1. How did Sterling end up publishing this book? What attracted you to this particular title?

I saw this book at the Hachette booth several years ago at the Bologna Book Fair. I was initially attracted by the beautiful and weird princess on the cover, then by the lush artwork in the book, and finally by the fact that the characters are all “alternative” princesses. The book is a work of art – and a refreshing new look at the world of princesses.

2. I understand the authors and illustrators are French and that the book had to be translated into English for this edition. Was it hard to do the translation?

The translation and editing process was intense! Interestingly, our manager of foreign rights at Sterling, Toula Ballas, translated the book. Toula is one of those fabulous Europeans who put us all to shame by being fluent in a dozen languages. And, of course, she is extremely well-read and knows a great deal about children’s books. It was such fun to work with my brilliant colleague Toula in an entirely new capacity. She provided a “straight” translation with copious detailed notes about the French idioms and word play. It wasn’t until we had the entire book translated that Toula and I realized we would have to heavily rewrite many passages, as the French references simply didn’t translate to English. It was more like working with poetry in translation than with prose, and certainly the most challenging and rewarding editing job I’ve ever done.

3. I imagine that many of the princesses mentioned in the book would have to be renamed for the English edition. How were these names chosen?

Almost all the princesses had to be renamed. The one I remember most was “Poisson D’Avril”, which means April Fish. Toula explained that the French version of April Fool’s Day – Poisson D’Avril – is when the French surreptitiously stick paper fish on people’s backs. I called a Parisian friend of mine who lives in New York and asked her what she did on April 1st, and she said, “Well, of course, I stick paper fish on people’s backs! Why?” I loved that she’d been doing this for years in the United States, entirely unaware that no one got the joke. We renamed this character “Princess Eelizabeth”, (we are not afraid of bad puns) and she became our underwater princess, sister of “Alba Core” and “Anne Chovy”.

Even more fun, there were many princesses that had us stumped, so we posted their images in our editorial department, along with write-ups of their characteristics, and invited the Sterling staff to come and add their ideas for names. Our department was swamped! Our contracts manager, Brooke Barona, named the princess who couldn’t stop talking “Babbling Brooke”, which makes a lot of sense if you’ve ever met Brooke. And Josh Mrvos from our trade sales department named the princess who loves to read “Princess Paige.” Not coincidentally, Josh’s baby daughter is named Paige, and he did guarantee it would bring in sales from the Mrvos clan. It was truly a company-wide effort, which was extremely exciting.  

4. The format for this book is very unique.  Why did this appeal to you?

It’s the kind of book you can dip in and out of for years, and you’ll always find something new. The large size and extent of the book make it feel even more like a mysterious tome brimming with secrets.

5.Young princess fans will be instantly attracted to this book.  Why do you think adult fans will embrace it as well?

My 40-year-old friends with kids in Park Slope are huge fans of this book! They read it with their daughters but the intricate word play and wry humor certainly appeals to adults. This is truly a multi-generational read.

Once Upon a Baby brother - Talking to the author and illustrator

I so enjoyed the book Once Upon a Baby Brother that I decided to post a Q and A with the author and the illustrator. 


Sarah Sullivan:


1. How did you get the idea for Once Upon a Baby Brother?

As often happens, the first few lines came into my head.  I heard the voice of a young girl telling her stories.  It soon became clear that she had certain issues with her younger brother Marvin.  Sadly, the entire story did not come so easily.  Once I had the beginning, it took a lot of plain, old-fashioned work to find my way to the end.

2. Once the idea came to you, what happened next? Did you jot it down right away? Let it simmer?

I took down those first few lines right away.  Then I jotted down various lines that might fit somewhere, not necessarily in the order in which I was writing them down.  I knew that Lizzie would make Marvin the villain in her stories.  And I always knew it would be a funny story  But, I had trouble with the dramatic structure, (a common problem for me), until Melanie Kroupa expressed interest in the manuscript.  With her expert and inspired guidance, the story started to develop the dramatic arc it needed.

3. What did you find the most challenging about writing this book? The most rewarding?

The most challenging part of writing this story . . . hmm.  There were two major challenges.  The first challenge was figuring out how to integrate the home story with the school story in the space of a 32-page picture book.  The second challenge was figuring out how to succinctly tell the story of turning Marvin into a comic book hero.  My editor and Tricia Tusa had A LOT to do with making that work!  Creating a picture book is truly a collaborative enterprise!

  

4. How did the illustrations come about?

People are often surprised to learn that writers do not select their own illustrators – ( at least, not usually).  Once Melanie and I finalized the text, she began looking for an illustrator.  As you might imagine, I was THRILLED when she mentioned Tricia Tusa's name and was DOING BACK FLIPS when Tricia agreed to illustrate the book.  As time passed and I had the opportunity to see sketches and then, proofs with color art, the joy and excitement continued to grow.

5. You have written two other picture books, Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother, and Root Beer and Banana. How does your writing process compare from book to book?

That's a good question.  The process has actually been quite different from one book to the next.  I wrote the first draft of Dear Baby long before I started writing Root Beer and Banana.  Dear Baby came about because my then 7-year-old son was talking about how well (or sometimes, not so well) two of his friends got along with their little sisters.  I wondered how my own son would get along with a younger brother or sister if he had one.  I also thought about the way my older brother used to complain about how much I used to bother him when I was little.  Add to that the fact that I had just finished reading Lee Smith's epistolary novel, Fair and Tender Ladies, which meant that I was thinking about ways to tell stories through letters.  All of these thoughts swirled around in my head and the first draft of  Dear Baby was the result.

Root Beer and Banana, on the other hand, came directly out of a picture book workshop led by George Ella Lyon.  She guided us through a writing exercise in which she directed us to focus on the details of a particularly vivid memory and then write a poem about it.  I remembered a summer spent with my grandparents in a small town on the Rappahannock River in Virginia.  I wrote a poem about going with my grandfather to buy a popsicle at a mom-and-pop grocery called Mister Mac's.   I put the poem away for a while, as George Ella suggested that we do.  Some time later, I was sitting up late reading one night when the voice of a young girl came into my head.  "My name's Miracle," the girl said,  "on account of the doctor said Mama couldn't have any more after my brothers, but I came anyway."  I have no idea why this young girl appeared out of thin air one night – but she did and I knew instinctively that she belonged in the world of my poem.  When I added Miracle to what I had already written, the story began to take shape immediately.

6. How did you know you wanted to become a writer? (Or: When did you begin to think of yourself as a writer?)

I guess I have a little bit in common with my main character in that, like Lizzie, I have always loved to tell stories.  The writing fever really took hold once I learned to read in first grade.  I started reading everything!  Books, magazines, comics in newspapers, cereal boxes, the courtesy light sign on the dashboard of my grandfather's Oldsmobile – everything!  And I started writing stories too.  My first story was about a dead bird I found lying in the grass in our yard.  I know that sounds a bit morbid, but the bird was so lovely.  It was a cardinal and it made me sad to see it lying there so still.  I had to write about it.  I suppose, then, like now, a lot of my motivation for writing came from a need to try and understand why things happen the way they do. 

Later on, my best friend, Nelle, and I had a secret club in a room in the basement of her house in Colorado.  We collected Sugar and Spike comic books and wrote comic books with our own characters.  Wait a minute --  This is starting to sound familiar . . .

I still have trouble calling myself a writer, even though I write every day.  But, I have come to understand that, no matter what I call myself, I will always write.  I will always tell stories.  It's a need.  I'm unhappy if I don't write.

7. What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever received?

Anne LaMott's advice in Bird by Bird is pretty hard to beat.  Give yourself permission to write terrible first drafts.  (Okay.  She didn't use the word terrible.)   

8. What advice do you have for young writers—especially those with little brothers ;-)?

There is no better training for a writer than to read.  Read all the time.  Read all different kinds of things.  And then follow your passion and, as one of my writing teachers, Jane Resh Thomas, advises her students, write what moves you.  Write about things that you care passionately about. 

9. When you aren’t writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?

Long walks, reading, canoeing, theater (both from the audience and backstage), and travel.

10. Do you have a muse like the main character in your book does?

Hmm.  A muse?  Not really, although my husband has suggested it's a little odd that I've written two books involving sibling rivalry.  I am inspired by the work of other writers.  My list of favorites is long and changes constantly.  Some of the people whose work I find particularly inspiring are Eudora Welty, Sharon Creech and Kate DiCamillo.  I love certain works like The Great Gatsby and the opening pages of My Antonía.  Lately, I've been completely knocked out by Colm Toibín and Column McCann.  And I go back to some of John Cheever's stories with regularity.  But, ask me tomorrow and I will probably give you a completely different list.


Tricia Tusa:

1. When did you begin to think of yourself as an artist?

I have never hadn't thought of myself as an artist and, yet, have never really thought of myself as an artist.  I just know that, from the beginning, I have always loved making things with my hands.  I love the feeling of going deep within myself in search of what it is I want to draw or paint or sculpt.  It requires a lot of courage because, quite often, there are no lights on down there.  I feel my way in the dark with no guidebook.  Very fun way to feel very alive.

2. What type of media do you like working with the most?

I really like to experiment with all kinds of media.  I first get a sense of the story and then try to match up a medium that seems to match up with what I feel the story needs.  But, I do love drawing with pencil or my pen and ink.  I like watercolor and, then, sometimes I hate it.  I often work with acrylic when doing paintings just for myself.  I like printmaking and egg tempera and oil, too.  I love making 3-d things out of clay and firing them in my little kiln.  I also indulge in Paper mache.

3. How did you break into the children's book illustrating profession?

I moved to New York City at age 21 and got out the phone book and called quite a few publishing companies.  I asked to speak to art directors.   I made appointments with them to show my very homemade portfolio of about 15 drawings and paintings.  I received very nice feedback, and, not so very nice from a few.  Holiday House offered me my first contract.  They are still such a lovely, warm and welcoming company and I am so grateful to them.

4. Did you collaborate with the author as you did the illustrations?

I never have collaborated with an author on a story.  And, quite often, have never corresponded even after the book is done.  Strange, but true.  I really want to find my own interpretation of the words through my own imagination.  I can be distracted easily by outside input.  It removes me from myself and I find it hard to get back.  For this reason I really appreciate how editors and art directors have an understanding of this as an important part of the process, and seem to know to keep out of the way, as well.  However, I will say that after ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER was complete, I got to know the author, Sarah Sullivan, via email.  That has been a lot of fun for me.

5. How long did it take to illustrate ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER?

  It took me about a month to complete the dummy.  The final art took about 3 or 4 months to do.

6. What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding?

The most challenging part of making books is really between your ears.  It requires much alone time so that you can hear and connect with your heart and mind.  So, therefore, you spend much time having conversations with yourself wondering if you are doing your absolute best.  Is it as good as it can be?  How can you take it further?  It can feel like torture, sometimes.  This is why I really try to integrate my days with some balance.  I go on long walks, swim laps, do yoga and think about other things.

The most rewarding part is DECIDING you have done the best you can ... and knowing that there are more books out there to make.

7. Are any of the characters or the setting modeled on real-life people and places?

Friends and loved ones often show up in my characters' faces.  I love my husband's face - so full of character and kindness.  He appears in many books, just as my beautiful daughter does at all her various ages.  The kitchens I draw are usually kitchens I have lived in.  And the nature is most likely what I look at from my windows.

8. Pablo Picasso once said, "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Do you agree?

I do think we all come into this world as artists, in one form or another.  I believe we enter this world wanting to find a way to express what is within.  It seems that when well-meaning adults get in the way and impose themselves, their ideas, expectations, judgments onto a child's process, it can hinder this natural process of self-discovery and self-expression.

9. Do you have a muse—baby brother or otherwise? 

My muse is my childhood memories, remembering every age I have ever been and how it felt.  Daydreaming allows for my muse to feel heard.  I am affected creatively by the love I feel for (and by) my husband and dear daughter.

10. What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I take long walks, take yoga classes, and swim.  I spend a lot of time in my studio doing art with my daughter.  I sew and I love to read.  I love to daydream. I watch the sky and trees.