Gabbie Benda is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade graphic novel Serendipity. She is also an educator.
Q: What inspired you to create Serendipity?
When I was a kid, I really struggled with perfectionism. I was really used to being seen as “smart.” I didn’t really need to study for tests, but I always had good grades.
However, as time went on, courses got harder and I never really learned how to apply myself to something I wasn’t naturally good at. My spark for learning was gone, and I fell into this all-or-nothing mentality.
When I started writing Serendipity, I really wanted to create something that spoke to that experience. I wish I had internalized the lesson Serendipity aims to share at an earlier age--that there’s more to life than how others grade you.
Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?
A: I worked on both at the same time, actually! I started by writing a story outline, and then worked on the drawings and text by writing all the speech bubbles by hand. Then later I created a script with all the final, more edited text.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “humorous story that will help tweens gain self-awareness and set healthy boundaries.” What do you think of that description?
A: I love it! It’s nice to know that someone other than me thinks I’m humorous, haha!
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I always feel like I struggle the most with the ending. The hardest scene was probably when Basil and Serendipity are on stage. I feel like I rewrote that about 100 times!
It was hard to find a balance between Serendipity really doing something that Basil would understand as apologetic, while still letting Basil keep her spotlight moment. I’m really happy with what I ended up with, though!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Everything! I’m always working on something fun, whether it’s keeping up with my sketchbook practice or making more risograph prints! I’m possibly working on some new stories now too, hopefully things I’ll be able to share more about soon.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Never stop drawing! That’s pretty much it, thanks so much for chatting with me!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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