We’re sending a big congratulations to Sarah Glenn Fortson on her debut picture book, THIS COWGIRL AIN’T KIDDIN’ ABOUT THE POTTY! Make sure to lasso yourself a copy when it bucks onto the scene this October. Sarah has an expansive imagination and brings humor to her readers while inspiring them to lose their diapers and climb on that white porcelain stallion for good. We’re so proud of you, Sarah!
 
Where were you when inspiration struck for your story?
I was watching a three-year-old run from the bathroom, yelling “I don’t have time for this! I’m busy.” And I thought, hmmm...
 
What do you hope your writing will do for those who read your work?
I hope COWGIRL A.K. inspires reluctant three-year-olds to take that final step and give up their “pull-up” diapers. Plus, I certainly hope my words make them laugh…bonus points for snorting while laughing!

When you begin writing a picture book, do you know what the ending will be?
Yes, I usually start with a first line and a last line.

Where do you get your story ideas?
Here’s a few:

• A cemetery in Boston
• A bathroom in the burbs
• A hanger in New Jersey
• But mostly they come from outer space when I’m walking in the woods.

 
What’s a story you wish you had written?
 BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY by Melissa Sweet and VINCENT COMES HOME by Jessica Bagley
 They are both perfect in every way. 
 
What do you want your readers to know about you?
 
I want my readers to know:
 
When I was a girl, I wanted three things:
            A horse
            An electric train
            And a job in a bakery!
 
What I got was…
            A beagle
            A pogo stick
            And a job selling hats!
 
But I made it work!

Please meet Kat Harrison, a true inspiration! Kat’s journey has been a tough one but her courageous nature and positive outlook on life translate to her pages. Taking from her own experiences, Kat wrote SURGERY ON SUNDAY to help children overcome their hospital fears. Please join us in congratulating Kat on her debut picture book which is releasing this Fall. We raise our giant coffee mugs to you and thank you for tackling a very important subject for our kids. Cheers!

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​What inspires you to write?
I know this question is about what inspires me to write, but it’s imperative that I emphasize how much writing inspires me to live. When I was 15, I had a bacterial infection in my ear that spread to places it shouldn’t. The IV antibiotics that I was administered completely wiped away my vestibular system and left behind a tongue-twisting disability called oscillopsia. I no longer can feel roller coasters, I wobble when I walk, and my vision bounces all of the time (the struggle to slice a bagel is very real, friends). 
 
Around the same time in my life, I was also diagnosed with chronic daily migraine and continue to struggle with chronic ear disease. Fourteen surgeries later, I am humbled that something positive can come from all of my darkness. I credit writing with saving my life. But I suppose my life is also what inspires me to write. SURGERY ON SUNDAY is a culmination of the two.

What do you hope your writing will do for those who read your work?
I hope that my writing does two main things. First and foremost, I hope that my writing makes the invisible feel seen. I hope it makes someone feel brave and heard. And second, I hope my writing is a small cog in the big wheel of cultivating empathy for life journeys that are less talked about, but are nevertheless very real. Everything else is just a bonus.

What’s your favorite thing about writing for kids?
Kids think deeper, make connections more readily, and feel emotions unabashedly. We don’t give them enough credit for what color they add to our gray, responsibility-fueled lens. Writing for young readers is a total honor. I hope I make a few of them proud.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything what would it be?
I would tell her that writing has the ability to transform you to your very core, you just have to work really hard at it. Writing is like breathing—at times it can feel like you’ll never catch up, and then others, it pours out of you like the sweetest exhale. Even when it feels like the hardest thing you’ve ever done, I hope you never stop putting words together. Words will one day bring you back to life and remind you that you’re worthy of brightness.

What do you do to edit your writing?
Confession—I self-edit far too much in the early drafts of my projects. I am addicted to the delete button. But when I finally have a good chunk of text, I spend a lot of time reading my work aloud. How does it sound in the morning? Or in the middle of the night? This has helped me greatly with the cadence of my writing, almost as if I was orchestrating a song. I believe that words should not only create a dimensional picture in the reader’s head, but should also sound good while they do the heavy lifting. 
 
I am also a huge fan of giving drafts days and weeks of rest before revisiting them. Words and ideas sound different when they’re rested (just like humans!).

What else would you like readers to know about you?
I like bad jokes, face-sized mugs of coffee, and wear a headband more often than not. My dog is way cooler than me and I am low-key obsessed with stickers and washi tape. My chronic migraine makes it tough to talk on the phone, but I pinky promise I’ll be the best pen pal you’ve ever had. Write me a letter and we can discuss what to turn into a taco—my favorite food group—next. (P.S. You can get in touch with me here: www.katwritesforyou.com.)

Please meet our very own adventurer, Laurie Smollett Kutscera. If you don’t find her sailing the high seas then she is probably writing and illustrating her next masterpiece. It’s only fitting her debut middle grade novel is titled, MISADVENTURES OF A MAGICIAN’S SON. Please join us in congratulating Laurie on her book which will be released in the Fall of this year. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!




What would you like readers to know about you?
I love a good adventure! So, it would probably be when my husband and I, (after deciding to host charters on our boat in Tortola and St. Johns,) embarked on a four-week cruise from New York City to the Virgin Islands through the Intracoastal Waterway. We made stops in Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Edisto, Hilton Head, and Amelia Island. The wildlife was astounding: dolphins, manatees, turtles, and even wild boars! Once we got to Fort Lauderdale, we loaded the yacht on a transport vessel the length of a football field. (It was like being in a very large dry bathtub! The only way we could see out was to climb up on top of the pilot house.) For several days, we sailed along Cuba’s coastline. It was lush and forbidden and absolutely breathtaking! We were actually close enough to land to get TV reception. Cuba had 2 choices back in 2000- the local news or the Beverly Hillbilly’s…in Spanish of course!

What other jobs or careers have you worked in prior to becoming an author?
Oh goodness…I was an administrative assistant for the March of Dimes. I hand-set type and printed ephemera on 19thcentury platen presses at the South Street Seaport Museum’s Bowne Shoppe, (until I got my hand stuck in a press…ouch!) After college, I became a freelance graphic designer with clients both in publishing and the entertainment industry. And for a while, I worked in NYC’s Toy Industry designing lots of crazy characters and plush animals.

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything what would it be?
This is such an intriguing question. As I get older—or should I say, as I become more chronologically empowered—I keep adding to the list. But, I think I would tell my younger writing-self, “Just keep at it! Get out of your own way and don’t listen to the negative voices in your head. Your life will be filled with so many marvelous experiences—so much larger than the little world you’re in now.”

Did you always want to be a writer?
Well, I really enjoyed writing short stories and poems as a child, and was encouraged by my teachers, but I never felt I had the right stuff! Writing papers was a struggle for me. Trying to organize my thoughts in a cohesive way was pure torture. I’d stare at my words, scribbled and crossed out and not be able to pull it all together. Added to that, I was not a great reader. The words jumped around the page and I would easily lose my focus (I could not get through Ethan Frome to save my life!)

To this day, I am grateful to my best friend in high school who was an avid reader. She turned me on to science fiction. A subject I found fascinating! (No offense to Ms. Wharton) I went from not reading at all—to reading Isaac Asimov and the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka!

So, NO! The thought of being a writer never entered my mind. Not until I got older and got a Mac—with Word. That’s when the world opened up for me. I began writing seriously in 2005 and haven’t looked back!

Where do you find your ideas?
I’m a visual person. Often, it’s a photograph or a painting that inspires me. As an author/illustrator, there are times I’ll work on a drawing and the story follows. Recently, I created a series of sketches of these large playful lizards, not knowing who or what would become of them. A few weeks later I was trying to come up with an idea for Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Challenge, and a story about a nervous reptile popped into my head. Having those visuals helped me hone in on Everett, my main character, and his awful plight.

This was also helpful while working on MISADVENTURES OF A MAGICIAN’S SON, I wallpapered my studio with sketches of every character in the book! Throughout the writing and editing process, I’d revert back to the drawings to help strengthen each character, add details and build on Alex’s world. I will also add that the text aided in strengthening the illustrations as well. It truly became a collaboration between text and art.

Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge, Vivian Kirkland’s #50 Precious Word Contest and Tara Lazar’s Story Storm Challenge have also been extremely helpful in stirring my creative juices: I have several finished picture book manuscripts and a plethora of ideas with the encouragement of these wonderful online forums.

I think the creative process continues to work its magic even when we don’t realize it. Whether you’re collecting shells on the beach, eating ice cream or taking a hike, you’re storing information that will make itself known when you’re ready.

Where were you when inspiration struck for your story?
I was sitting in a movie theatre with my husband watching the first 007 with Daniel Craig— Casino Royale. As the opening credits appeared, these large playing cards jumped on the screen. I was totally mesmerized—there was something very appealing about their graphic nature. I asked myself, what if they were real people? What kind of personalities would they have? What type of adventures might they have encountered? That’s where it all started. The next morning, I jumped out of bed and began writing about a cast of unusual characters that would find their way into Alexander Finn’s heart!

You can see more of Laurie’s work at http://www.lskillustration.com/

To learn more about MISADVENTURES OF A MAGICIAN’S SON, and view the exciting roster of beautifully written and illustrated picture books due for release in 2019, please visit BlueWhalePress.com.

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.

Rinda Beach, like Goldilocks, is always in pursuit of a story that’s “just right”. Her perfectionism drives her to craft stories with legs. And in her journey to becoming a published author, she learned that not all animals have legs, so to speak. What in the world are we talking about? Read on for an important lesson we can learn from our very own passionate teacher and author of NEIL ARMSTRONG’S WIND TUNNEL DREAM. A big congratulations on your debut from On the Scene in '19!


Where were you when inspiration struck for your story? 
I took a webinar class with Mira Reisberg in April of 2018. She said that putting two opposites together could create a great story. Two immediately came to mind, Neil building a wind tunnel and his mother not knowing the details. Mira said it was a great idea, and it stayed with me. It grew, and it grew until May when I decided I needed to research the story. By June I started writing NEIL ARMSTRONG’S WIND TUNNEL DREAM. The rest is history!

What other jobs or careers have you worked in prior to becoming an author?
I’ve been a teacher for most of my adult life, for 33 years. I subbed a year in Kindergarten through sixth-grade. Then I taught Title 1 reading for 4 years. I’ve always loved reading so Title 1 was a great fit. It gave me a chance to work with kids in grades K- 2 in small groups to help them develop their reading skills. I loved it, but I wanted more. I wanted to teach everything – math, science, social studies. 

A colleague wanted to swap jobs so I took her second-grade position, and she took my reading one. I stayed in second-grade for the next 25 years until I retired. Now I sub for fun, to stay connected to teachers and kids. It’s like being a teacher/grandmother. I’m there for a day. Then I give the kids back to their teacher. It’s lovely!

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to write?
I NEVER wanted to write. EVER! I used to cry my way through college papers trying to get each word write. Confession – I’m a recovering perfectionist. I still want things to be ‘just right!’ 
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I decided to become a writer in 2007 when I was handed a story, literally! I was chaperoning my son and his friends on a trip to our sister city, Lengerich, Germany. It was the second night of my stay. It was almost midnight, and my host had fallen asleep. A bird started flying through the house, at least I thought it was a bird. I gently woke my friend, I didn’t want to scare the bird! 
Would you believe we started arguing over what it was? Finally, Uschi pulled out a book. It was two inches thick. I thought she was going to hit the bird with it. NOT! Uschi turned to the word Fledermaus. The definition . . . BAT!!! The book was a German/English dictionary.

At that moment the bat hung upside down from the curtain rod. It was a no-fake, Jake moment. Uschi and I argued over what to do. She left me alone with the bat. It seemed like forever. I decided to hold a mop up to the bat, hoping that it would start flying again. I tried . . . but the bat climbed down onto the mop with three of its four legs. The other leg held onto the curtain rod, just in case. 
We stayed like that, FOREVER, till I heard Uschi come in the door. It broke the spell. The bat started flying again, and I hollered for Uschi to leave the door open. It worked! The bat flew out into the German night.

That bat gave me my first two stories, both unpublished. In the first I dragged in Herman the German because I didn’t have enough confidence in myself as a writer. In the second I told the almost true story of me, Uschi, and the bat. 

I took it to an SCBWI conference where I was told it was flat, and that as a debut writer I should let it sit in my computer until I had a body of work. Why? Because bats don’t have legs. Their stories stay on the shelves till Halloween’s over. Then they go back into storage. I listened . . . and kept writing.

Who is your favorite writer?
Oh my gosh, picking one is hard, but I can choose the three I most want to be like. First is J.K. Rowling. I love Harry Potter and the life lessons she plants in her stories, like love never dies or chocolate cures everything. TRUTH!

Next is Judith Viorst, I love how she writes about the things that are important to kids. I even named my son after Alexander in the TERRIBLE HORRIBLE NO GOOD VERY BAD DAY. 

Last is Nancy Poydar, who was also once a teacher too. Her stories about kids and schools rang true to my classroom experience. In FIRST DAY HOORAY she wrote about the fears that adults have about that first day of school. The teacher, she lost the name tags. The principal, he came to school in his PJ’s, and the bus driver missed a stop. I loved that my kids could see that adults fight fears too. 
My own fear that I shared each year was that a phone call would awaken me. It would say I’d forgotten the first day of school. Thank goodness that never happened!

Favorite food?
CHOCOLATE!!! Without a doubt! There’s nothing better than chocolate. It makes everything better, really! You probably don’t know that one of my titles is ‘Queen of Chocolate!’ I always had M&M’s and Hershey kisses in my classroom. If you brought in six homework pages, you got six M&M’s. If you returned all your homework that week, a Hershey kiss. I also did grade card treats, and let’s face it . . . nothing says loving like chocolate!

What would you like readers to know about you? 
Writing is easier now than talking. When I write, I plan out what I want to say. I edit it too. When you talk, it’s too easy to blurt something out, and you can never take it back. Or change it either. 
But something good has come from learning to be a writer. It has helped me learn to edit my speech. It taught me to think ahead and decide if something was better said. Or, left unsaid. Now I can actually follow through, and that’s an excellent thing!

AND NOW FOR ​NEIL ARMSTRONG’S WIND TUNNEL DREAM'S COVER REVEAL....