An Author Interview with Sarah Hoppe

We’re thrilled to interview Sarah Hoppe this week. Her debut picture book, WHO WILL? WILL YOU?,comes out this July and we can’t wait to get our hands on a copy. Sarah’s love for animals and nature shines through in her work. In this book, Lottie finds a lost pup on the beach. She springs into action and decides she wants to help, but it’s not what you think. Ooooh, the mystery! Congratulations, Sarah. Everyone at On the Scene in ’19 wishes you great success. 

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What other jobs or careers have you worked in prior to becoming an author? I’ve always liked working with kids.  I’ve been a camp counselor, children’s activity coordinator, 3rdgrade teacher, special education paraprofessional, and Sunday school teacher. Now, I volunteer at my kids’ school, as book fair coordinator.  Even though I’m not working withkids as much, as a picture book author I’m working forkids.  That is truly an honor I take seriously.
I’ve also been a fry cook and a maid.  There is a whole book to be written on the weird stuff I’ve seen in hotel rooms. Maybe someday I’ll write it.

What do you hope your writing will do for those who read your work?
Evoke a response, whether it’s a smile, giggle, tear, or a “Wow, I didn’t know that.” And hopefully a desire to read it again.

Where do you get your story ideas?
A lot of funny stuff my kids say works its way into my stories.  Also, nature.  I love nature on its smallest scale. Things like snails, slugs, and bees fascinate me. In addition, I completed Tara Lazar’s Storystorm for the first time this year. Storystorm runs for the month of January and gives you prompts to create a story idea every day.  That way you have ideas you can work on all year! I got quite a few nuggets of awesome to work with this year.

What do you do in your free time?
Photography!  Those snails, slugs and bees I mentioned?  They’re some of my favorite subjects.  I have an Etsy shop dedicated to my photography. 
 
I also craft in my spare time.  It’s amazing what you can do with hot glue! My kids and I love to make little flower fairies, with furniture and homes for them made from shells and popsicle sticks.
 
As a family, we go on lots of hikes.  It’s a great way to reconnect with nature. We bird watch along the way, my kids’ bird ID skills are constantly improving.

Are you working on something new at the moment? 
Yes, always! I have several manuscripts in various stages roaming around my brain and laptop.  Spring is on its way where I live in southern MN. The birds have been quite active out my window and they’ve inspired a few stories I’m working on now.

What would you like readers to know about you?
​I love naps and the color green!  Green, to me, is synonymous with life. I have two old dogs who both want to sit in my lap while I type.  Only one of them is lap dog size.  Come visit me at sarahhoppe.com and check out my publisher and book at ​​BlueWhalePress.com.

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