​
There’s a lot to celebrate today over at On the Scene in ’19. We’re taking a break from our Summer BBQs because HOT DOG!!! We’re so excited for the winner of our Springtime Surprise Book Giveaway. ​Rachel was our winner and she is loving her prize. Here’s a little message from Rachel herself. 
 

I've never won a giveaway like this before and I'm so thankful I did. My siblings enjoyed the children's books and I've enjoyed reading the slightly longer ones. Thank you so much for hosting this giveaway. If anyone isn't sure about entering, let me just say, “Go for it!”

Please join us in congratulating Susan Edwards Richmond on her debut picture book coming out in October 2019. BIRD COUNT ​​(pre-order now) is a counting book that takes children on an adventure through different habitats, while educating about the various birds that live there. When you read about Susan’s extensive background and love for nature, you can see why she is the perfect person to write this book. So, grab your binoculars and keep a look out for this one because it’s sure to fly off the shelves. 
 ​​


​What other jobs or careers have you worked in prior to becoming an author?
 
As a teen, I picked vegetables on a farm, taught swimming lessons at a city lakefront, worked in a bakery, babysat, and cleaned houses. Since then, my jobs have remained diverse but, looking back, I can see how they have all fed three passions—writing, education, and the natural world. 
 
Fresh out of college, I taught high school English and journalism at a boarding school in Switzerland. I was a passionate teacher for my senior students, but, as a dorm resident for kids just three or four years my junior, I doubt I impressed then director of residential life, Sharon Rigg (aka Sharon Creech)! She, however, was an early inspiration for me. Since then I’ve worked as a writer and editor in educational publishing, in environmental consulting, and for a super cool nonprofit called the JASON Foundation for Education, where I helped develop experiential science curricula for middle schoolers. Off and on, I’ve taught writing at universities, in adult ed programs, and in a correctional facility. Now, I balance the best job I could imagine—teaching at a nature-based preschool on a farm and wildlife sanctuary—with writing picture books about nature and science!     
 
Where do you find your ideas?

Everywhere I go! All my life, I’ve kept notebooks to capture thoughts, quotes, and striking images and conversations. But my greatest inspiration is nature. I’m an avid bird watcher and naturalist, and many of my poems and stories come from closely observing my environment—and the questions that arise from watching and listening.

I love to research my subjects and learn about the natural and human history of wild creatures and places. For example, my debut picture book, Bird Count, arose from my own participation in National Audubon Society’s annual bird census called the Christmas Bird Count.  My editor at Peachtree Publishing Company, Inc., Vicky Holifield, worked tirelessly with me to draw out my birding expertise to enhance the Citizen Science element of the story, while building an engaging adventure for children.  I’m so grateful for her support, and for pairing the text with Stephanie Fizer Coleman’s vibrant, charming, and accurate illustrations. A perfect blend!   
 
What do you hope your writing will do for those who read your work?

I want my writing to give my audience the experience of nature, to refresh their spirits and imaginations in a way only nature can, and to foster the idea of our community with the Earth.  I hope my picture books, in particular, will bring the joy and wonder of the outdoors to children who may have limited exposure to nature, and will inspire those who can to seek a closer relationship with all of our fellow beings, both human and nonhuman. 

How did you get started writing for kids?

Until my children were born, I wrote primarily nature-based poetry for adults. I had the good fortune to work as a science education writer and editor from home, while we raised our children, and this allowed me more time to reflect, and more opportunities to view the world through a child’s eyes. We read picture books as a family at every opportunity, and wise and lyrical stories, such as Barbara Cooney’s Miss Rumphius and Cynthia Rylant’s A Night in the Country, made a deep impression on me. A House by the Sea by Joanne Ryder, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, was another favorite, because of our family’s love of seaside adventure. I began to see how my favorite picture books shared many of the qualities of poetry—rhythm and repetition, strong imagery, and spare, beautiful language. I believed my background as a poet would serve me well with my new interest in children’s picture books. So when my girls were a few years old, I joined my local SCBWI critique group and dove in.  
 
What were favorite books when you were a kid?

As a young child, I enjoyed the playfulness of Dr. Seuss and books like Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire and Go Dog Goby P.D. Eastman. On one of my first visits to the library, I swept up all of the Beatrix Potter books on the shelf and read every single one! 
 
Later, it was the Marguerite Henry horse novels, Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series, and the original Boxcar Children books by Gertrude Chandler Warren that inspired me. When I was in fourth grade, my teacher introduced the class to A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, and that book has remained a touchstone for me to this day. Another novel, The Year of the Raccoon by Lee Kingman, affected me so strongly that I reread it annually for years, to re-experience those deep emotions. I tackled the Tolkien trilogy in elementary school because my closest friends were reading them—and found I loved the immersive experience of those worlds. And I will never forget the shock waves I experienced on my first reading of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, perhaps the seminal young adult novel. 
 
What would you like readers to know about you?

I was born in California, raised in upstate New York, and have been a Massachusetts resident for most of my adult life. I love to travel, to experience new cultures, and to try cuisines from around the world. In the Boston area, my husband Jim and I are always on the lookout for small, family-run restaurants that specialize in flavors from different countries. Our daughters, Elana and Sonia, are now in their twenties, and we like nothing better than to join them on their adventures in different parts of the country and the world, from San Diego and South Korea to more local family favorites like Acadia National Park and the northeast coast from Cape Cod all the way up through Canada.  I hope that all my young readers find dreams to guide them and experience the we

When in the laundry room, most people wonder about that lost sock. But, not Jennifer! She comes up with fantastic book ideas, like the one for her debut picture book, LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA. Jennifer has an eclectic background and vivid imagination which translates to her writing. Join us at On the Scene in ’19 in congratulating her on the release of her first book. Kudos from all of us!
 




Where were you when inspiration struck for your story:
I’d love to say somewhere exotic, like the Grecian coast, or someplace magical, such as an ancient castle draped in fog. Actually, the place was much more mundane. Inspiration for LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA struck in my…..
laundry room!
 
Several years ago, I brought my daughter to see a reptile show at our local library. It turned out to be really fascinating! Snakes have always given me the slithers—I mean, shivers, but during this presentation, I learned a ton. For instance, snakes are not slimy, but very smooth to the touch. And they smell with their tongue! 
 
Later that day, I jotted down some ideas for a picture book story revolving around snakes. I was reworking a particular sentence while folding the laundry when I thought, “This is it! This sentence here is the golden nugget!” And from there, I filed away my first premise and began working on LITTLE MEDUSA. 
 
How did you get started writing for kids?
I’ve always loved to write, whether it’s advertising copy, business proposals, articles, or letters to Santa. When I left my marketing career to start a family, I decided to take my love of the written word to a different level. I immersed myself in kidlit writing classes, read a lot of picture books and frankly, just wrote stories. Then I began building my resume by writing both fiction and non-fiction articles for kids. I started writing for Apple Seeds magazine (now defunct) and today, still write for Faces magazine (Cricket Media). When I decided to segue into picture book writing, I made sure to take specific classes on the craft, and I joined awesome communities like Julie Hedlund’s 12 x12, SCBWI and the Children’s Book Academy.

Did you always want to be a writer?
No, not always. In elementary school, I was determined to study wolves in the Artic. That later changed to studying dolphins (less mosquitoes, better weather!). By the time I got to college, I was smitten by television and film. And while my onscreen roles have been few, my storyboards have been many & I have written a commercial or two!
 
What would you like readers to know about you?

• I write a lot of articles about food for kids, especially international dishes. So I’ve become something of a foodie or “cuisine connoisseur.” I love trying new dishes, but you’ll never find me eating frog legs nor jelly fish again—bleck!
• I’ve been teaching little kids for nearly four years. One of my favorite things to do is have them walk down the hallways “ninja-style” (it’s amazing how quiet they become when turned into ninjas!)
• I love creating wildly difficult treasure hunts for my family. The end treasure is usually worth the puzzling! 
• I used to live in England, and in the summer afternoons, I ran around the grounds of an ancient castle. Best playground ever!
• And while I may write about snakes, I don’t want one for a pet. My chocolate lab is just right for our family and perhaps a cat or two in the future.

 
 Are you working on something new at the moment?
I recently completed an article about Nepalese cuisine (mmm, yak butter!). I’m also working on a companion piece to LITTLE MEDUSA that is very STEM-oriented, and I’m writing my first chapter book series. 
 
What is your favorite pizza topping--
You may think that this self-proclaimed foodie would either love a classic pizza topping, such as pepperoni, or something far out, like kimchi and seaweed. Neither is the case! My fave pizza is a pesto chicken pineapple, all the way!

This week we’re congratulating Stacey Corrigan on her picture book debut, THE PENCIL EATER, coming out August 6th. This book is the answer to the age-old teacher question...where have all the pencils gone? We’re celebrating with an interview with Stacey, learning all about what makes her tick. Her writing method sure does make us long for an old-fashioned pencil with eraser top. Check it out!
 
 

Where were you when inspiration struck for your story?
About five years ago, I was teaching second grade and a student asked for a pencil. I had spent the morning sharpening pencils and told a student to get one from the pencil jar, but all were gone. In frustration, I said, “Second graders are pencil eaters.” My students laughed so I jotted the idea down on a piece of paper. I wrote my first draft that weekend and chuckled the whole time I wrote it. The experience felt like therapy and I was hooked. 
            
That first draft was actually more like a character sketch--I didn’t know that at the time. It took me years to develop the idea into its current form.
 
Where do you find your ideas?
My ideas come from everywhere.  Lots of ideas have come from students. Second graders are cool. They are old enough to be interested in the world around them and young enough to make unfiltered comments. That gives me lots to work with. 

I also get ideas from my own family. My husband and our two sons are clever and witty and life with them is always an adventure. We are super interested in nature and you will often find us fishing on our pontoon, riding snowmobiles, or cruising through the forest in our Side-by-Side. Ideas always come during these excursions when I least expect them so I snap a picture or text myself my ideas and develop them the next morning. 
 
What does your writing schedule look like on a daily/weekly basis?
 During the school year, I wake up between 4:30 and 5:00 in the morning, I start my coffee maker, check social media until the coffee is finished, and then, write until my boys wake up at around 5:45. If I am tired or it has been a long week, I reset my alarm. I don’t sacrifice sleep to write but if I am able, I stick to that schedule. 

I also write a ton while I wait for the boys’ practices to end or for games to begin. 

During the summer, I am on a much more relaxed schedule. I still stick to mornings but get started when I wake up on my own. 
 
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? 
“Don’t submit yet!” Seriously, I submitted everything way too early. Writing is a process. It takes a long time to hone your skills. I am embarrassed by some of the stuff I put out early on. Some of the best writers I know still haven’t submitted their work because they feel it isn’t ready and their stuff is seriously good. 
 
When you begin writing a picture book, do you know what the ending will be?
Not really. I usually have an ending in mind but I don’t think I have ever kept the same ending I started with. When I write the first draft, I write a super predictable ending. Then, I play for a while. I try all sorts of endings out. I have killed characters off, brought them back to life, turned them into a villain, a superhero, etc... Somehow, through that process, a good ending presents itself. 

What would you like readers to know about you?
I am an alum and die-hard Michigan State fan. GO GREEN!