A.A. Livingston is the author of the new children's picture book Grizelda the Green Hates Halloween. Her many other books include B. Bear and Lolly: Off to School. She lives near Portland, Oregon.
Q: What inspired you to write Grizelda the Green Hates Halloween, and how did you create your character Grizelda?
A: I was playing around with a witch character that was just hilariously awful. She was smelly, loud, cunning, and the grumpiest in the land.
Then I came up with the title Grizelda the Green Hates Halloween. Once I had that, I was curious to discover why she hated Halloween. I also thought it would be an interesting challenge to see what she could do magically to try to get rid of Halloween. From there, I developed the story and turned it into rhyming verses.
Q: What do you think Katya Longhi’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Katya did a marvelous job with the art. She really brought Grizelda, her little dragon, and the trick-or-treaters to life. Grizelda’s initial sulking and grouchy expressions contrast wonderfully with the open and eager faces of the trick-or-treating children.
I think the color scheme she chose helped to make the book spooky without it being scary, which is exactly what I hoped for.
Also, I simply adore the endpapers she created, which set the tone for Grizelda’s world. I know endpapers aren’t mentioned much, but I always like when artists go the extra step to make them interesting and engaging to look at.
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: Generally, I work out where a story is going before I start the actual writing. For picture books, I use a book map to figure out what’s going on every page. And since I love twists when I read a book, I like to build my own twists in my own books.
Once I start writing, sometimes I stick with the book map, but other times I’ll head off in unexpected directions.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: Hopefully kids will feel shocked at Grizelda’s behaviors, laugh at her reactions, squirm at the worms, and cheer on the kids in the story for their resourcefulness. I also hope Grizelda’s journey shows that people can surprise you, and that you can surprise yourself.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I always have multiple ideas brewing (witch pun intended!), and I’m currently waist-deep in writing a middle-grade novel. It’s about a girl navigating the ups, down, diagonals, and out-of-control spirals of middle school, and figuring out who you are in a weird (seriously weird) and wonderful world.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Books were a huge part of my childhood, and I hope that Grizelda the Green Hates Halloween inspires kids to read — whether it’s another picture book, a graphic novel, or even a cereal box. Please reach out to me at aalivingston.com and tell me what you’re reading!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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