What originally made you want to become an author ?

My mom read to me a lot, and my dad, who isn’t a reader, read me comics. There wasn’t some big epiphany that people wrote and drew these. In fact, I was certain, with the confidence a 4-year-old has, that not only could I do this as a job but I would. At least half of my ambitions came through and I now write books.

In your opinion, what makes a great story?

Solid writing and/or illustrating craft makes great stories. For me, this often means unforgettable characters, a compelling plot, and subject matter that causes me to think even after I’ve put the book down. My favourite writers and illustrators are undoubtedly born with talent, vision, and good instincts, but they work hard to hone and improve their techniques.

Describe a typical work day in your life as an author. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I tend to write late into the night and early hours of the morning. It’s when the house is quiet and I’m not getting disrupted by anyone other than my dogs. I don’t write daily, but I binge write and spend 6 to 12 hours working at a time. I don’t recommend this as a process, although it works for me. If you try it, make sure you keep water on hand and remember to hydrate. I also find taking walks, cooking or baking, or driving helps me to work out stories and character voice. Non-writing activities can unstick writing, so while it looks like you’re not working, you are.

I should also admit, because I work late, I sleep in most days. I’m a 2 in the morning person, not a 9 in the morning person.

What messages or themes do you hope readers take away from your book? 

I believe readers take away what they need from a book at the time they read it. This means the same book can deliver more than one takeaway, especially if read at a different times in one’s life. To me, this also respects what the reader brings to a story and that they are active participants in a book. It’s like the observer effect in scientific experiments.  

Broadly, I hope readers enjoy spending time in the pages of my books. That is its own reward and encourages someone to read another book.

What advice do you have for kids who are interested in writing? 

There is lots of great advice out there: finish the story despite imperfections, editing and revision work magic, or allow room to make mistakes and correcting those mistakes teaches you more than not making them.

Three concrete tips follow:

  • Among the things I learned from co-writing with Eric Walters, use a calendar to map out your timeline. As Eric pointed out, you can’t have eight Saturdays in a month. 
  • Make cheat sheets on characters that list their stats. This includes items such physical attributes like eye colour or height, and also personality traits, likes and dislikes, strengths, ways of speaking, habits, or foibles. To sound professional, I call them character outlines. This helps you keep focus on who the character is and stay in character but also from minor faux pas, like starting the story with a character with green eyes and halfway through realizing they have blue eyes for the last forty pages. 
  • Last, ensure that what is in your head makes it onto the page. Professional writers forget this all the time. A thing that is obvious to you as a writer because a story is floating around in your head for so long and you’re so immersed in it must be conveyed to the reader. If it’s not on the page, it isn’t in your book, and the reader won’t know what you’re talking about. The short version of this: they’re reading your books, not your mind.