Q&A with Mary Rand Hess and Randy Preston

 

Mary Rand Hess

 

Mary Rand Hess and Randy Preston are the authors of the new children's book series Mini-Musical Tales from Bird Mountain School. The books include Bravo for Backstage!, Chicken Predicament, and The Great Dance-On. The books include online access to songs and a script.

 

Q: What inspired you to collaborate on the Mini-Musical Tales series?

MRH: Randy and I had the honor of creating a musical at the Kennedy Center. I was the co-playwright and Randy the composer. We were so inspired by all the people we worked with behind the scenes—and we had such an amazing time living in that creative world—that we wanted to share that joy with others.

RP: Mary and I enjoy collaborating so much that we decided we needed to create a new project together. That's what made this a lot of fun! What's most exciting to me is that kids will have access to Mini-Musical Tales from Bird Mountain School in their classrooms in an easily consumable form. 

Randy Preston

 

Q: How do the two of you work together on the books and music? Can you describe your creative process?

MRH: At first, we simply had a blast brainstorming. No idea was off the table. Randy brought his trusty guitar (as usual), and we began the process of dreaming up storylines. Once we decided which book ideas we wanted to develop, we got busy creating the world of Mini-Musical Tales from Bird Mountain School. 

 

RP: Mary would write the first draft of the stories, and I would write the first draft of the lyrics to go with each story. The songs in a musical help drive a narrative along, and so working on these songs while Mary was working on a draft forced us to collaborate at that early stage in the process. 

 

MRH: We would then workshop and revise every draft of each story together. The same happened with the development of the back matter, full-length scripts, and the fully produced songs. Together, we had the final say on every word and every note...before we handed it over for review, and then the revision process would begin again. 

 

RP: We have worked well together for a long time. We trust each other to make judgement calls about ideas or concepts when the other might not be available, and because we trust each other, it makes the process more painless. Collaboration is easy when you believe in the other person's artistic abilities. 

 

MRH and RP: And we have had the great support of the Free Spirit team to encourage us every creative step of the way!

Q: What do you think Marilena Perilli’s illustrations add to the books?

RP:  Joy, fear, and disappointment are all easy to see on the faces of the characters, and that makes it easy for kids to be fully engaged in the emotion of the stories. Marilena’s use of colors and her playful style make the illustrations almost jump off the page. 

 

MRH: Marilena’s art has a nostalgic feel to it, while also being modern. For adults, it might bring you back to your own childhood (I know it did for me). For kids, it will feel current, vibrant, inviting, and cozy. Her illustrations make you want to explore Bird Mountain School and bring it to life in your own expressive way.  

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the books?

RP: The most important thing that children can do when encountering art is to fully engage with it, and in this instance, participate. Acting, pretending, and using the imagination are all key pillars for a child's social and emotional understanding and growth.

 

These books provide children with the opportunities to interact with the narrative in more than one way. They can read it, act it out, and sing about it. They are fully invested with their mental, verbal, and physical expressions. 

 

MRH: Whether it's Bravo for Backstage, Chicken Predicament, or The Great Dance-On, I hope young readers and performers will fall in love with musical theater and find the courage to express themselves inside nurturing environments, where expression and collaboration are encouraged. 

 

Whether readers and performers are disappointed like Oscar, or nervous like Nevaeh and Hanh, or trying to problem solve through teamwork like the kids in Dr. Preston's class, we hope kids will see themselves in our stories. 

 

Q: What are you working on now? Will there be more books in the series?

RP: Right now, I'm working on a YA novel, editing another children’s picture book, and finishing up a "hopefully going to Broadway" musical, while starting a global network of artists who will be devoting their art to forest and ecological restoration. 

 

MRH: Lately, I've been busy working on a historical YA novel in verse tentatively titled Watermelon Tears that is slated to release sometime in 2027, adding final touches to a picture book that will also release in 2027, and beginning a new and exciting project. I’m also trying to leave room for inspiration and the surprise of what's to come...

 

RP and MRH: Yes! We would love to create more books in the Mini-Musical Tales series, but we may try writing them as chapter books or novels next time to see where the stories take us.   

 
Q: Anything else we should know?

MRH: Each book in the series comes with a fully developed Mini-Musical Tales script and produced songs, which we hope everyone will love!

 

RP: Don't miss out on the songs and the scripts because we want you to enjoy every part of these cool, engaging stories. Check out the links in the back of the books!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Mary Rand Hess.