Author Interviews

Cover Reveal – The Lost Forest

By Heather Murphy Capps on December 14, 2023 / Articles, Cover Reveal

The Lost Forest

I have a special treat today … MUF gets the exclusive opportunity to reveal the gorgeous new cover for The Lost Forest (Millbrook Press, April 2, 2024) Check this out!

What’s even better about today’s cover reveal is that this is the latest work from MUF’s very own Jennifer Swanson, and is a JLG gold standard book.

About The Lost Forest:

Dive into the unexpected! Have you ever heard of an underwater forest? They are rare, but they exist. Ancient stumps stand tall in a secret location, hidden from view for more than 60,000 years.

Take a deep dive with scientists exploring a sunken cypress forest that had been undisturbed in the Gulf of Mexico since the last Ice Age. Page Plus links lead to videos of the scientists at work.

In addition to getting our MUF exclusive cover reveal, I got a chance to chat with my friend and colleague Jen abotu writing her newest amazing book.

Interview with Jen Swanson

HMC: Congratulations, Jennifer! And congratulations on your Junior Library Guild Selection! Your book sounds really cool. An underwater forest? What is that exactly?

JS: Yes, most people don’t think that forests can be found underwater, but of course, they can. Most underwater forests are kelp, which sort of looks like big, wavy, palm trees that look like seaweed.

But the forest that these scientists studied is an ancient cypress forest. Cypress trees are normally found above ground, not under the water. That’s why this is so special. There are still partially standing trees—some as tall as 6 feet—in the water. This ancient forest is believed to have been covered by silt and sand for almost 60,000 years.

HMC: So the description says that this was a secret underwater forest. Why is it secret?

This forest was revealed in 2018 after Hurricane Ivan went through the Gulf of Mexico. It was discovered by accident by fishermen who saw that this area had a lot of fish around it. The fish were feeding off of the creatures that were living in and around the forest.

The cypress forest is a treasure trove of information about the environment in the Gulf of Mexico. It needs to be preserved and studied. But the cypress trees are also very valuable, so the exact location was initially kept secret so that companies would not harvest the wood and make furniture out of it.

HMC: How did you become aware of this story?

One of the lead scientists on the only team chosen to do research on the site is a good friend of mine. Dr. Brian Helmuth was the expert on my Astronaut-Aquanaut book. We’ve stayed in touch since that book and I’ve visited his lab in Nahant, MA. Once he learned that his team was chosen to be the ones to do the research, he called me and asked me if I was interested in writing their story. WAS I? Absolutely! It was a truly wonderful experience.

HMC: What was the most exciting thing about writing this book?

JS: The scientists on this project made me a part of their actual team. I was invited to attend several of their planning meetings, and was even invited to go out on one of their research trips to the forest. Unfortunately, I was not able to do so, but I got tons of access to them, their data, and all of their photos and videos. They made me an honorary aquanaut, which to me, is a huge honor!

HMC: What do you have coming up next?

JS: I’m excited to see my first ever narrative nonfiction picture book biography come out next year. It’s called, Up Periscope: How Engineer Raye Montague Revolutionized Shipbuilding (Little Brown BFYR). The book is illustrated by the fabulous Veronica Jameson and follow the life of the U.S. Navy’s Hidden Figure, Raye Montague. The amazing Ms. Montague was the first person to figure to develop a computer program to design a ship. Before that, everyone had to make calculations by hand and it too months and months. This is the very inspiring story of how Raye faced many challenges to accomplish this amazing feat. The book releases November 2, 2024.

HMC: Where can everyone learn more about you and your other books about STEM?

JS: You can find information about me, my books, and tons of STEM resources including free teacher guides, videos for students, and learn about my podcast, Solve It! for Kids at my website: https://jenniferswansonbooks.com/

HMC: Thanks again, Jen and congratulations!

TO PREORDER THE LOST FOREST:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lost-forest-an-unexpected-discovery-beneath-the-waves-jennifer-swanson/20184903?ean=9781728493015

Interview with debut author Nancy Hudgins

By Julie K. Rubini on November 27, 2023 / Author Interviews

Nancy Hudgins always wanted to write for children, but her roles as attorney, business owner, mediator, and mom kept standing in the way. A number of years ago, Nancy decided to pursue her dream in earnest. Nancy began taking the advice that many writers offered her; write, research, join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, attend conferences and connect with fellow writers.

Nancy’s work paid off, as her first book, Ursula Nordstrom: Books Good Enough for Children, will be published by Cameron Kids books in fall, 2025.

Nancy’s journey is inspiring…check it out!

Please share a bit about your publication journey…

Five years ago, I wrote a picture book biography of Ursula Nordstrom and took it to an Andrea Brown Literary Agency retreat. Amy Novesky led one of my critique groups. We both became animated talking about Ursula. My manuscript was an early (likely, dreadful) draft, but even so, Amy was encouraging and invited me to send her a revision. I was new to picture books and couldn’t figure out a way into the story, so I set it aside, but I loosely stayed in touch with Amy. She was always supportive of my writing. Much like Ursula was with her writers.

Fast forward to Publishers Weekly’s announcement of Beth Kephart’s picture book on Ursula, Good Books for Bad Children. So much for all my research! When I saw Cameron Kids was beginning to publish middle grade books, I asked Amy if she would be interested in a middle-grade biography of Ursula. She said yes, so I learned how to write a nonfiction book proposal. I sent the proposal to Amy in April and in June I had a book deal and a wonderful agent, Rachel Orr.

Why did you choose Ursula Nordstrom as the subject of your first biography?

I read Leonard Marcus’s Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom when it came out and loved Ursula’s sense of humor. Years later, when I began trying to write books for children, I remembered it and re-read it. As a prospective writer, it was hard not to like Ursula. She was so supportive of her writers and artists and so deft in helping them produce their best work. Her letters open a door to the way in which the iconic books she edited were made. I was curious about those details, and I thought kids who liked to read books would be curious, too. And maybe kids who aren’t so in to books could be intrigued by their origin stories.

Why is her story significant to middle-grade readers?

I think it’s likely middle-grade readers have been exposed to at least one of the books Ursula edited—picture books such as Goodnight Moon, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Little Bear, Bedtime for Frances, Where the Wild Things Are, The Giving Tree, Stevie, In the Night Kitchen, and Where the Sidewalk Ends; middle-grade books like Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, Harriet the Spy and Freaky Friday. That may draw them to this biography. Then, they’ll discover one woman published ALL of them! She was extraordinary. I’m hoping they’ll admire Ursula, as I do, and also enjoy the stories behind the stories. They may discover some classics they hadn’t read before, too. I also write about the editing process, which may help them in editing their own writing.

What resources have you used for your research?

I visited one of Ursula’s boarding schools in New England and explored the village on Long Island where she lived as a little girl. I did research in person at university and public library archives. Many archives now have online finding aids, which is a great way into the details of their collections. I also looked at magazines, journals and newspapers online. And, of course, books.

What is relevant about Ursula’s role in the publishing world to the industry today?

I don’t think I’m the best person to speak to this. It’s all new to me. I can say that Ursula was willing to challenge the status quo. She took risks. She backed up her authors and illustrators. She organized a public stand against book banning.

What have you learned about the process of writing nonfiction that you would like to share with our readers?

There’s always more than one side to a story. Try to find as many viewpoints as possible. You can’t do too much research. I’m happiest when I find something that challenges the assumptions I have based on what I’ve previously read. It’s hard to curate someone’s life. I want to get it right.

And finally, based on your journey, what advice do you have for writers?

Find curious, discerning, thoughtful critique partners! They’ll make you think. Remember your audience. Sometimes I get carried away and write pages about something I’m interested in for some arcane reason. During revision, I realize I’ve written those pages for me, not for my readers! They get cut.

Interview with Nicole M. Hewitt

By Natalie Rompella on November 24, 2023 / Articles, Author Interviews

I met Nicole M. Hewitt years ago at a local children’s writers’ critique group. Being a writer, a middle-grade and young-adult book blogger, and a book buyer, I knew she would have some great insight for writers, teachers, parents, and librarians.

About Nicole: Her Role as a Writer

Hi Nicole! Tell us about yourself.

I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband, three kids (one of whom is away at college) and three dogs. I was actually a theater major when I went to school, but it’s been quite awhile since I’ve been on a stage. When my kids were younger, I was a homeschooling mom. I taught theater, language arts and writing at a large homeschool co-op, which I loved!

How fun for them! How did you start writing? What do you like to write?

I always wanted to write when I was younger, but I could never figure out how to write a whole book. I wrote lots of snippets and some chapters, but I didn’t really understand how to structure a story. But once I started blogging, my passion for writing was reignited, and I thought I’d give it another try. I joined NaNoWriMo (which is a challenge to write a 50,000 word book in the month of November) and wrote the required words, but once again, I couldn’t quite get to the words “The End.” But I kept at it. I wrote my first full novel between classes while I worked at the homeschool co-op and kept going from there!

You have a new book coming out. What is it about?

My debut is called THE SONG OF ORPHAN’S GARDEN, and it will be releasing in early 2025 (it takes a long time to publish a book!).

The book is a fantasy re-imagining of Oscar Wilde’s short story “The Selfish Giant” and it’s written in verse. We pitched it as FROZEN meets THE BFG, which I think fits the book really well. It’s about an orphaned Human girl and a banished Giant boy who both need the same magical garden in order to survive in their arctic world that’s getting colder every day!

It sounds really fun! Do you feel your other jobs helped you to revise this book?

I definitely think my experience with blogging helped me understand storytelling in a way that I hadn’t before. Reviewing books and thinking about them critically gives you a good sense of what works and what doesn’t. I was also working as a freelance editor for a while, and that absolutely helped me with my writing. I didn’t start working as a bookseller until after I’d written my current book, and I’m not sure it’s helped my writing (if anything, it takes up a lot of my writing time), but I love connecting people with books they’ll love, so it’s worth it.

About Her Blog: How It Helps Her as a Writer

You also write a blog feedyourfictionaddiction.com Tell us about it.

Feed Your Fiction Addiction is a mostly middle grade and YA blog where I talk about the many books I love! I also sometimes host giveaways and post general bookish discussions. I’ll admit that I’ve had less time to keep up with my blog lately, but I still generally post several times a month.

From reading so many books, are there any trends you’re finding right now?

Oooh! This is a good question. Middle grade horror has become all the rage lately. R.L. Stine has always known that kids like to be scared, but now more and more authors are jumping in with spooky reads.

I agree—kids love scary books! When you’re reading through a middle-grade novel, is there anything that writers do that you feel may be a turn-off to middle schoolers?

If a story is too didactic, this can be an issue. Kids know when they’re being talked down to. That doesn’t mean books can’t have important themes or that the author can’t have a distinct point-of-view in their writing, but you don’t want to hit kids over the head with the message in a way that feels preachy.

What are some of your favorite middle grade books from 2023?

I’ve read so many I loved! Here are a few middle grades:

BETWEEN MONSTERS AND MARVELS by Alysa Wishingrad

THE GOLDEN FROG GAMES (Witchlings #2) by Claribel A. Ortega

GOOD DIFFERENT by Meg Eden Kuyatt

And a few YA:

ONE GIRL IN ALL THE WORLD (In Every Generation #2) by Kendare Blake

ALWAYS ISN’T FOREVER by J.C. Cervantes

GIVE ME A SIGN by Anna Sortino

Any books you’re looking forward to their upcoming release?

My mentee through a program called Author Mentor Match is debuting with the book we worked on in 2024. Her name is Anne Rellihan and the book is called NOT THE WORST FRIEND IN THE WORLD. The book is truly fantastic, and kids are going to love it!

Another book I’ve already read and loved is THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS by Lindsay Currie. As a big fan of escape rooms, this book was perfect for me!

About Being a Book Buyer: Trends/Holes in the Market

You also work at Barnes & Noble. What do you do there?

I’m a senior bookseller. I work throughout the store, but tend to specialize in the kids’ department (which covers everything from board books on up to middle grade).

So you choose which books to purchase? Do you ever help people find books?

I can request books to be ordered for the store by doing what we call “shortlisting” them. All of the books that are shortlisted get reviewed by someone who does the actual ordering (usually I get the books I’ve shortlisted, but occasionally there are reasons that a book can’t be ordered into the store). I definitely help people find books. That’s one of my main responsibilities and my favorite part of the job. I love helping people find something that will be perfect for them (or for the child they’re buying for).

What types of books would you say are hot right now?

In picture books, funny always seems to sell. A personal favorite is THE KNIGHT SNACKER by Valerie Wicker.

Like I already mentioned, MG horror is big right now. I also get a lot of people looking for funny books for younger MG readers. For them, I often recommend THE AREA 51 FILES by Julie Buxbaum.

In YA, mysteries are where it’s at, especially if there’s a bit of romance thrown in. THE INHERITANCE GAMES series is huge, along with other series like A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER. Sad also sells well in YA, the sadder the better!!

As far as non-fiction for kids goes, National Geographic Kids books and the WHO WAS series really can’t be beat.

What titles do you often suggest to kids?

I already mentioned some, but here are a few more that I consistently recommend:

ALONE by Megan E. Freeman (for kids who like verse novels, survival story, or just an intriguing read)

SCRITCH SCRATCH by Lindsay Currie (for MG horror fans)

THE INCREDIBLY DEAD PETS OF REX DEXTER by Aaron Reynolds (for kids looking for a funny read)

JENNIFER CHAN IS NOT ALONE by Tae Keller (for kids who like contemporary with heart or kids who are looking for an excellent story about bullying)

The ARU SHAH series by Roshani Chokshi (for fantasy lovers)

I could honestly go on and on…

What types/subjects of books are kids requesting that you’re finding there’s not enough of?

We talk a lot about that gap between MG and YA, and I often see that at the store. For instance, there are some good MG romance books out there (I sent a girl home just today with THIS IS HOW I ROLL by Debbi Michiko Florence – I hope she loves it!), but I’d love to see more. A lot of younger readers end up in YA, where they might not quite be ready for all the themes and content.

About School Visits & Social Media

Are you doing school visits related to your book?

Yes, even though my book isn’t releasing until 2025, I’ve got school visits lined up for next year, mostly doing poetry workshops with kids.

How can we learn more about you?

You can find me on my blog at feedyourfictionaddiction.com and on my website at nicolemhewitt.com. I’m also on Instagram @NicoleFictionAddiction and on Twitter and Bluesky @NicoleMHewitt!

Great information and book lists. I’m excited to check out some of these titles!

Thanks so much for having me on the blog!

Author Interviews

Cover Reveal – The Lost Forest