Q&A with Jennifer Pearson

  

 

 

Jennifer Pearson is the author of the new young adult novel Drop Dead Famous. She is also an educator, and she lives in England.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Drop Dead Famous and how did you create your character Stevie?

A: The original spark for the book came from watching the intensity of modern celebrity culture, especially around huge global stars like Taylor Swift, and thinking, what if? What if something unthinkable happened at the height of that kind of fame – in the middle of the noise, the adoration, the obsession, the pressure?

 

I was fascinated by how enormous and emotional those fandoms are, and how strange it is that someone can be loved by millions and still be deeply vulnerable and alone.

For Stevie’s character, I wanted to show her as someone who had grown up in the shadow of her famous sister. She’s more guarded and doesn’t want to give parts of herself away like her sister did.

 

But to balance her more reserved nature, I wanted to give her a dry sense of humor to make her likeable. I knew she would need to be tenacious – she is the driving force of the investigation after all.

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the novel says, “Sharp, witty prose balances suspense with humor, as Stevie and Colby’s banter provides levity amid the deadly stakes.” What do you think of that description, and what did you see as the right balance between suspense and humor?

A: I am thrilled with that quote from Publishers Weekly and I’m delighted they see it as a strength of the novel! It was something I thought a lot about when I was writing, because while the book deals with some heavy issues, I wanted it to be a fun read for teens.

I think the balance between suspense and humor works best when the humor doesn’t undercut the danger, but instead makes the characters feel more real.

 

The suspense comes from the mystery and the sense of risk surrounding what’s happening, while the humor (which mainly comes through dialogue and Stevie’s and Colby’s observations) gives the reader brief moments of levity.

 

I suppose the right balance is that the suspense drives the plot forward, but the humor shapes how we experience it.

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

A: My working title was actually Homecoming. I think this title worked in some ways–Blair Baker is killed during the opening act of her homecoming tour, and it hints that the home is an important part of the story, but I don’t think it was quite strong enough for the YA audience. It doesn’t mention murder or death, words which are frequently found in YA thrillers as they serve as good genre touchstones.

 

This was something I realized midway through my first draft so I spent some time thinking of alternatives. I think Drop Dead Famous is quite punchy and it gives a good idea of what the story is about in just three words.

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

A: Before I started writing, I had completed a very comprehensive chapter-by-chapter plan of what had to happen and when. I didn’t stick to it religiously, but I knew exactly where the story was heading.

 

There were some alternative endings that I considered during the planning stage, and a few different culprits but once I made the decision about what was going to happen, that didn’t really change once I started writing.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I have just finished the first round of edits for the sequel to Drop Dead Famous! I’m still working on a title, but this story follows Stevie during her first term at Wexford University where she is majoring in criminal justice. It explores sororities and hazing and cold cases and there is, of course, another murder.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: That while I am the one who gets to be interviewed and it is my name on the front cover, there is a huge team of people behind me who have made it all possible. I am hugely indebted to everyone at Simon and Schuster, in particular my wonderful editors, Sarah Barley in the US and Ali Dougal in the UK, and I also owe so much to my agent Sam Copeland.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Jeanine DeHoney

  

 

 

 

Jeanine DeHoney is the author of the new children's picture book This Sunday My Daddy Came to Church. She is also an educator, and she lives in Pennsylvania.

 

Q: What inspired you to write This Sunday My Daddy Came to Church?

 

A: Growing up, I used to go to my maternal grandmother’s church in Brooklyn with my mother and sister. We’d usually leave to go to her apartment on a Friday evening or early Saturday. On Sunday we all got dressed in our Sunday best and walked the few blocks from my grandmother’s apartment to her neighborhood church.

 

My father, a jazz musician who played the saxophone, though, very rarely attended church with us. Instead, when we came back home, he’d have a delicious meal he prepared waiting for us, and jazz music playing in the background.

 

I was very close to my father, his mini shadow who was always underfoot. I never wanted anyone to judge him because he didn’t attend church services with us. I knew from seeing him pray and wear his rosary and also how he helped others, that he definitely was a man of faith but worshiped in his own way.

 

One day while thinking about my father, my heart full and warm, with memories, I felt led to write about that aspect of my childhood with him.

 

Q: What do you think Robert Paul Jr.’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Robert Paul Jr.’s illustrations truly brought this story to life. He is an exceptional, award-winning illustrator and I was so honored he took on this project. He conveyed each of the characters emotions exactly as I had hoped for. He captured the playful and the serious tone of this book and most of all showed the loving and accepting bond between a family.

 

I can only describe my feelings after seeing the finished illustrations upon receiving my advance copies as taking my breath away. They were breathtaking.  

 

Q: How did you create your character Omar, and how would you describe the dynamic between him and his parents?

 

A: It was so easy to create the character Omar because he is so much like me when I was his age and how I was with my parents, just a different gender.

 

Omar and I as a little girl are kindred spirits. I just had to close my eyes and envision being in my home with my parents; the love, the laughter, the music, the food, and how both my mother and my grandmother encouraged me to always have faith as small as a mustard seed. 

 

Omar had very good dynamics with his parents. He shared the experience of going to church with his mother and truly enjoyed going. He was also able to communicate his honest feelings to both of his parents when he felt sad about his father not attending services with them.

 

Though a young boy, as their son, they didn’t disregard his feelings or dodge his questions. Even when children don’t get the answer they may want or even deserve, they need to feel heard and seen. And thanks to Omar’s close loving bond with his parents, he was heard and seen.

 

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

 

A: I hope that kids take away from This Sunday My Daddy Came to Church the heart of this story, which is familial love, acceptance of others in their beliefs, and the importance of holding on to faith.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am always working on several writing project. I have picture book ideas I am working on, and also an adult novel and a middle grade novel. I also continue to write and submit to literary and mainstream magazines and lately I have been entering literary contests as often as I can.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I love collecting quotations and putting one or two on sticky notes around my computer desk. My favorite one is a quotation from the great novelist Toni Morrison: “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

 

That’s what I’m trying to do, like so many other awe-inspiring authors, write that book I want to read that hasn’t been written yet, hoping it lands in the hands and hearts of readers who need my words the most.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Matt Harry

  

Photo by Juliane Crump

 

 

 

Matt Harry is the author of the new novel Ash Land. His other books include You Are a Filmmaker. He lives in Los Angeles.

 

Q: How did the pandemic inspire you to write Ash Land?

 

A: Ash Land started with a simple question. It was March 2020, about two weeks into the Covid-19 pandemic. The world was on lockdown, people were wearing masks everywhere, and the streets of Los Angeles were empty for the first time since I had moved there in 1998. I asked myself: How could this be worse? 

 

That question was immediately followed by another: What if we could never go outside again?

 

Nature is my church. Even during the height of the pandemic, I had to get out of the house at least once a day. The thought of being trapped inside forever was one of the most horrifying scenarios I could ever imagine. And what is keeping everyone inside – a swarm of self-replicating, flesh-eating microbots called the Ash – made the setting even scarier. 

 

I knew I had a world on my hands, but I needed to shape it into a story. Over the next three months, I considered writing a romance, an action story, and a political thriller before finally settling on a good old-fashioned mystery. The conceit of being unable to go outside immediately made my detective’s investigation much more difficult – and much more interesting to write about. 

 

Limitations are a gift for storytellers. Knowing that my protagonist would need to use remote-operated drones to collect evidence, wear a hazmat suit to leave his apartment, and contend with lawless scavengers called Scrappers immediately gave me a lot of ideas for scenes.  

 

Q: How did you create your character Kai Braddock?

 

A: Since the world had a lot of blanks for me to fill in, I felt that my protagonist should be easier to envision. And so I chose to make him pretty similar to me. He’s middle-aged, has two boys, references a lot of pop culture, and enjoys mojitos. He hates bullies and selfish billionaires. 

 

Unlike me, Kai is a divorced former cop. The divorce part was surprisingly emotional for me to write. Envisioning what it would be like to live apart from my wife and kids was a tough headspace to get into every day, but it made me so appreciative to come home to my family every day. 

 

Kai is also much more comfortable than I am at calling out people. He quit being a cop when an entitled rich boy got away with assault. After that, Kai vowed that the criminals he caught would be punished, dystopia be damned. Couple that with the knowledge that he might die at any second, and you’ve got a main character who doesn’t mind sharing his opinions. It’s an incredibly refreshing way to write someone. 

 

Q: Would you consider the novel both science fiction and mystery?

 

A: Ash Land is definitely a sci-fi mystery mash-up, but I hope that it will appeal to fans of both! The science fiction aspect is pretty light – it’s set only two years in the future, and the world looks a lot like ours. (Minus the Ash, of course.) 

 

The mystery part is more robust, but every aspect of it is informed by the sci-fi setting. There are scenes that involve tracking people through high-res satellite imagery, interrogations in which someone tries to crack open another’s hazmat suit, and suspects who have all gone slightly crazy from being stuck inside for two years. 

 

As with any genre mash-up, I hope these two story types enhance the novel.

 

Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: Authors often describe themselves as plotters (outlining obsessively) or pantsers (writing by the seat of their you-know-whats).

 

I would call myself a plotting pantser. I like to have a rough outline of the story mapped out, but with enough room to add details and discover ideas as I write. So I had a general notion of the ending, but I didn’t know the actual culprit until I got there. Once I realized who was responsible, I went back to set up logistics and throw suspicion on the other characters. Ultimately, I hope I landed on that thin tightrope between surprising and inevitable.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have a few projects in process at the moment. One is a supernatural detective novel that I’m about to submit to publishers. Another is a first draft of a sci-fi action comedy which needs beta readers. And a third project is a sci-fi YA novel that is about two-thirds complete. So after writing my first mystery and my first sci-fi novel with Ash Land, I’m all in on both genres for the immediate future!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Ash Land is a love letter to my adopted hometown of Los Angeles. I’ve now lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else.

 

For those who have never been to LA, I tried to create a “greatest hits” journey through the city’s landmarks. The story takes readers from the Santa Monica Pier to the Hollywood Bowl to Angel’s Flight to Griffith Observatory. There’s even a stop at the Channel Islands and Santa Barbara. The best part is, you can visit all these places without a hazmat suit.

 

Ash Land has a dark setting, but I ultimately hope that readers will be reminded of humanity’s inventiveness and resilience in the face of catastrophe.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

May 4

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 4, 1939: Amos Oz born.

Q&A with Louise Borden

  

 

 

Louise Borden is the author of the new children's picture book Thank You, School. Her many other books include Full Speed Ahead!.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Thank You, School?

 

A: Hello again Deborah...it’s lovely to have another conversation with you! I looked back and found these words from my 2022 interview with you: “I’m also working on a fictional picture book with a school setting. 

 

This is a familiar world to me that I enjoy returning to after writing a

nonfiction text like Full Speed Ahead.”

 

As a visiting author, I’ve spoken in hundreds of schools over the decades of my writing life. Of all my books, eight have contemporary school settings. And in several nonfiction and historical fiction books, I mention school in the text.

 

Students and teachers are a rich part of my life. I learn from the questions and optimism and energy of students, and teachers are my heroes. Some are close friends and mentors.

 

I first began writing drafts of Thank You, School in 2018. I decided to use the same structure I’d used in an earlier picture book, Off to First Grade (illustrated by Joan Rankin, McElderry Books), in which each page or double spread is narrated by one or more students. The working title at that time was Thank You. 

 

Later, when Holiday House acquired the manuscript, the title evolved into The Thank You School and later, Thank You, School. The original text was longer, for a 40-page book, but under the wise guidance of my editor, Grace Maccarone, we cut words and small sections.

 

Grace edited my very first picture book Caps, Hats, Socks, and Mittens (illustrated by Lillian Hoban, Scholastic, 1989), which is still being printed (!) and available in Scholastic’s Teacher Store.

 

Grace also edited six more of my earliest books. So it’s a wonderful reunion and joy, all these years later, to work with her on Thank You, School.

 

Q: What do you think Paige Keiser’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Paige’s art is just amazing! She sees into the heart of each character she portrays…whether a child or an adult. As an artist, her understanding and knowing evoke humor, joy, truth, and energy in every scene or double spread.

 

When Grace first showed me some of Paige’s art, we both agreed THIS was the perfect illustrator for Thank You, School.

 

From loose sketches (which I saw two years ago) to final art, school and children and teachers and love and a perfect palette shone from Paige Keiser’s pages. 

 

Q: The School Library Journal review of the book says, “This paean to school will warm the heart of anyone who has ever worked in a school setting and is the perfect gift for Teacher Appreciation Day.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: paean | ˈpēən | noun a song of praise or triumph: a paean of praise for the great poets.

 

Well, perhaps our book IS a paean! I do like to think of it as a song--my thank you song, and the thank you song of the thousands of kids I’ve met across America. I’m serving as the voice for others, the students in every school. Every day is a day to say or sing Thank You, yes?

 

In the original manuscript, I typed in

 

                      By Louise Borden

     

                              and

 

                 students across America

 

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

 

A: In all of my books, I hope young readers can see themselves in parts of the story and in the illustrations.

 

For Thank You, School, I hope kids will say, Yes, that’s the way it is in MY school. That’s MY bus driver. Or That’s MY music teacher.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: At my desk, I have pages for another picture book, and beside me right now I have a longer manuscript set during WWII  -  a text that keeps evolving in structure  - and I hope my recent revision will find just the right editor for middle grade readers.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: On February 13, a few weeks before this newest book was published, I drove to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to see my dear friend and mentor, Irene Hasenberg Butter, a Holocaust survivor who has been honored by many awards for her efforts on behalf of humanity and education. Irene, at age 95, was the first teacher to hold Thank You, School.

 

On March 3, the actual day Thank You, School was published, I dropped off a shiny copy at two local schools as a gift for their dedicated and amazing librarians.

 

Then I drove an hour east of Cincinnati to another school to celebrate Read Across America with second graders and fourth graders. We had a big cake lettered with the title of the new book and cheered Paige Keiser’s wonderful illustrations.

 

On the way home after this long and exciting day, I took Thank You, School to a third grade teacher’s house and left it on her front porch – a teacher whom I’d not yet met but who has taught for more than 30 years. In December of 2024, she was “disciplined” by her school district for having four “questionable” books in her classroom library of 100 books.

 

I stand up for any teacher who has driven in the dark to school and home in the dark for that many years. I trust such a teacher.

 

Years ago, I wrote a picture book The A+ Custodian, which is still in print. The staff members of every school remain my heroes.

  

People across our country worry about the state of our schools. They opine that kids can’t read, that social media has ruined a generation.

 

But I’m an optimist, and I’m inspired as I walk through the front doors of a school and down long hallways, and move among children, and meet dedicated teachers--teachers who are standing in their classrooms every day, leading their kids to literate lives.

 

From March 19, 2026:

 

 

 

From March 20, 2026, at a book festival:

 

 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Louise Borden.

Q&A with Katie Evans

  

 

 

 

Katie Evans is the author of the new children's picture book Broccoli Is Trying to Kill Me. She also has written the Aunt Claire's Pet Care series. She is a former newspaper and magazine editor, and she lives in Phoenix, Arizona. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Broccoli Is Trying to Kill Me?

 

A: Exactly what you would expect! One night, my son didn't want to eat his vegetables and my husband said, "Eat your broccoli. It won't kill you." That was the day that book was born. I think the reason it has seen popularity is that getting kids to eat their vegetables is a universal experience for families. 

 

Q: What do you think Savannah Allen’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: I truly think it was Savannah's incredible talent that made the book what it is. Her illustrations are incredible. I'm still amazed by the way she managed to make all of those vegetables look so menacing.

 

Q: The School Library Journal review of the book says, “This enthralling story will captivate and open readers’ minds to trying new vegetables.” What do you think of that description?  

 

A: I wouldn't have believed this before the book was released, but I think that is happening! I've gotten a lot of messages from readers that their kids are eating broccoli now and never did before.

 

My favorite response though, was from a retirement home. A gentleman who refused to eat vegetables was given the book by the staff and they contacted me to tell me how much fun they had reading it together, but he's still resisting broccoli! 

 

Q: Do you like broccoli?

 

A: I love it! My husband is an incredible cook and he makes delicious broccoli.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on a number of things. I'm between agents so I'm focused on refining my work to submit, but I have a picture book, middle grade sci-fi, and young adult mystery that I'm working on as my schedule allows.

 

Q: Anything else we should know? 

 

A: I love to hear from readers, so please reach out to me via social media! (@kevans628 and @broccoliistryingtokillme on Instagram.)

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Claire Powell

  

 

 

 

Claire Powell is the author and illustrator of the new children's chapter book Marty Moose: First Class Mischief. Her other books include the forthcoming Marty Moose: The Great Stamp-ede. She lives in England.

 

Q: Did you work on the text of Marty Moose first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?

 

A: I write the words first, which are edited and copyedited before being passed to an art director. They lay the text out to make sure it all fits and brief me on the illustrations, and we usually get together to talk about it.

 

It’s incredibly helpful to have someone else brief me on the pictures – if it was left to me, I’d draw everything! The drawings are all done by hand using ink and some of the scenes take a long time… days, in some cases (especially in book two!).

 

Q: The Booklist review of the book says, “The splendidly eccentric story is populated with memorable characters and delightful descriptions, and Marty’s slew of emphatic exclamations beg to be shouted aloud. . .  A wonderfully wacky tale of courage and camaraderie that really delivers.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better description! It uses all the words I’d hoped would be used to describe this book. I love using onomatopoeia words as they add energy to the story, so I’m pleased the review mentions how fun they are. Several parents have told me their children made their own exclamations up after reading the book, which is so cool!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: Firstly, I hope they have FUN reading the Marty series. I hope it makes them laugh and feel good.

 

Beyond that, I hope young readers will learn from Marty that mistakes happen, that things don’t always go to plan and that’s okay, it’s part of life!

 

I also hope they learn that being brave doesn’t always mean doing something big, it can be something small, something in your everyday – like speaking up when you feel afraid to or challenging yourself to try something new.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Readers might like to know that I only started illustrating books aged 37. I’d always drawn as a child, it was my favourite thing to do, but I was encouraged to study design at university and that led me down a career path that didn’t require much drawing, in fact, none!

 

It wasn’t until my mid-30s that I realised how much I missed it; when I finally picked up a pencil again it’d been 15 years since I’d drawn anything. It took a lot of practice and dedication to get to where I am today. Now I’ve been illustrating books for a little over a decade and my drawing has improved almost unrecognisably.

 

So, to any young readers out there who want to know how to get better at drawing, the answer is simply…. Practice!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb