Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Q&A with Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay

 

Sofie Wells

 

 

Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay are the authors of the new children's picture book The Tales of Charlie Wags: New York City, the first in a new series. They are sisters. 

 

Q: Why did you pick New York City as the starting point for your series?

 

A: We absolutely love this question because there’s no “real” answer! There are so many iconic cities in the world, and choosing the right one for each book has been a fun challenge.

 

But we never doubted debuting with New York City. Partly because we’re from Philadelphia and have visited NYC countless times. But the deeper reason comes from our grandmother, a proud Greek from Sparta (yes, just like the movie 300). She always used to say, “New York is New York.”

Ali Barclay

For so many people around the world, it’s the dream destination. We’re lucky enough to be able to drive there in under two hours, so we wanted to share this iconic place with others who might not get to experience it firsthand.

 

Q: What inspired you to create your character Charlie Wags?

 

A: The first version of the series– which Sofie had conceptualized many years ago– was actually based on Sofie and Ali’s childhood dog, Gizmo, and had the working title Go, Go, Gizmo! But when it came time to start writing, we realized we needed to explain how our traveling pup could zip around the world so quickly.

 

In the meantime, Sofie and her husband adopted a new dog—Charlie Wags. His nickname, “Wags,” comes from his ridiculously happy tail that shakes his whole back half when excited.

 

That wag was the perfect explanation for how he travels. His magical tail lets him zoom all over the world in an instant, which is pretty handy for our adventures!


Q: What do you think Sanna Sjöström’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: We could talk about Sanna all day, but we’ll try to keep it brief! We discovered Sanna’s work on Instagram and immediately knew she was who we wanted for our series. But she had over 100,000 followers, and we didn’t think she’d even notice our message.

 

To our surprise, she saw our message and loved the idea of the series, and after a few weeks of test spreads and back-and-forths, she jumped in with us!

 

We knew her art would be perfect—adorable characters, intricate details, beautiful scenery, and a whimsical touch that’s so uniquely her.

 

What we didn’t expect was how naturally we’d collaborate. Most of the time, Sanna knows exactly what we’re envisioning, even when we struggle to find the words. She’s become part of our daily lives, and reviewing her spreads has been one of the biggest highlights of the past year.

 

We adore her as a person, respect her deeply as a professional, and truly couldn’t have asked for a better partner in this series. The story would not be what it is without her, and we’ll be singing her praises at every opportunity!

 

Q: How did the two of you collaborate on the project? What was your writing process like?

 

A: So. Much. Texting. We were lucky to be writing these stories during a time when both of us had newborns, so sending random ideas and thoughts at 3 a.m. (and getting an immediate response back) became our norm.

 

We offer such different strengths to the project, and it’s one of the reasons we work so well together. Ali is the one who’ll sit and carefully craft a line for hours to get the cadence just right, while Sofie throws out random ideas or opinions that stick instantly.

 

And, of course, being sisters helps—we’re able to be honest with each other and know when something just doesn’t work.

 

We always make sure the story resonates with kids, so we check ourselves and each other before anything even goes to our wonderful editor, Jennifer Rees (yes, the Jennifer Rees who worked on The Hunger Games series!).


Q: What are you working on now? What’s next in the series?

 

A: Self-publishing is an exciting (and busy) journey! While The Tales of Charlie Wags officially launches in January 2025, we’re already working ahead on four books set to release in 2026.

 

Books 1-3 (New York City, London, and Paris) have been finished for months, and we’re currently working on European Christmas Adventure. All four books release throughout 2025.

 

Working on a series requires so much thought, planning, and execution. It’s a wild ride, but we’re loving every moment and can’t wait to share more Charlie Wags adventures soon!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was done in partnership with Sofie Wells and Ali Barclay. Enter this giveaway for a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Tales of Charlie Wags: New York City, personalized by Charlie Wags himself! One lucky winner will also receive Charlie Wags greeting cards, coloring pages, and a $100 gift card to Amazon.

1 comment:

  1. I love books that help kids see other places and preschool and younger elementary readers/listeners are sure to love following Wags around the world!

    ReplyDelete