Brianne Farley Answers Questions About Worms, Sandwiches, and Art for STEM

 by Sue Heavenrich

The first time I read Worm Makes a Sandwich, I laughed out loud – because, seriously, how can a worm even make a sandwich? Author/illustrator, Brianne Farley points this out:

Worms don’t have hands!

They cannot make sandwiches!

And yet. Worm is SO earnest. He so much wants to make a sandwich. He just needs one thing…

And then he’s all ready… nope. He needs one more thing… or three.

Some of the things he needs (garbage, dirt) are not for your sandwich. But that tomato is. All worm needs is for you to slice that tomato. And maybe do just a couple more things.

Other than that, he’s got this covered. He is definitely making you a sandwich!

The second time I read Worm Makes a Sandwich, I slowed down. I didn’t want to get indigestion! 

Spending more time on the page allowed me to savor the words and enjoy the mouthfeel of reading them aloud. Spending more time on the page gave me the chance to dive into the illustrations. And that’s when I knew I just had to talk to Brianne! I caught up to her last month just before lunchtime. She and Hank (her dog) were hanging out in her creative space in her home. I am so grateful that Brianne was open to answering a few questions about sandwiches and making art.

Me: I love that Worm Makes a Sandwich is all about the process of composting! Do you have a science background?

Brianne (pronounced BREE-in): I thought about going into medical illustration and have a strong interest in biology. I even took ecology classes in college. I ended up with a degree in English and art, and then went on to get my MFA in illustration. But my science brain is curious. I like knowing how things work, and I like doing research. That’s a good thing, because every book takes me in a new research direction. And that’s because illustrations tell half the story, so I need to know all that stuff!

Me: I love that you are telling the story of composting through the point-of-view of an expert composter: a worm. What made you decide to write from the POV of the worm? And how did you land on their voice? 

photo by Michael Poehlman

Brianne: At one point in my life I lived in a small house with a small yard and a small garden. I had gotten a tumbler composter, but the winters were cold and the tumbler froze solid. I wondered how I could compost through frigid weather. I decided to try my hand at vermicomposting, so I ordered a worm bin and a thousand wiggly worms. It was fun and super-engaging. I found that I loved talking about my worms and also about composting.

When I decided to write about compost, I took videos of my compost so I could get a closer look at the critters helping to decompose my kitchen scraps. I also took photos of tomatoes growing in my garden, so I could capture the various stages over the season.

The process of composting provides the structure for my story, but I didn’t want it to be straight nonfiction. I got thinking about how I could make it narrative and landed on the concept of making a sandwich. Worms journey (from making compost to growing the tomato for the sandwich) is like any creative journey we have. We start with a Great Idea! And then we realize all the work that has to happen for that idea to take shape. And we face that moment when, like Worm, we ask: How can I even do this? 

Me: Yes, there is a great spread where Worm faces his “dark night of the soul.” He sees himself as a failure and says, “Maybe I can’t make a sandwich. Maybe I should try again when I’m bigger.”

Brianne: When I visit schools, I hear and see how early on in the process kids get frustrated in making art. They can see what the final product should look like, but it’s not coming out the way they envisioned it. Or it’s not happening fast enough. I try to let them know that frustration is a part of what we (artists) all go through – it’s part of the creative process.

Me:  One of the things I remember teaching my students in science class was how to glean information from various sources in their book: text, illustrations, captions, charts and graphs. So I love how you integrate science information in your illustrations. My favorite was the page with the list of foods that worm prefers: apple cores, mushy grapes… a great list on its own. But YOU add to that list by labeling additional items in the illustration: grass clippings, dry leaves, etc. You do this on a couple other spreads, too. 

Brianne: The gorgeous thing about picture books is that the text and illustrations combine to work as a whole. With this story, I started with way too much information and spent a lot of time cutting text. I wanted it to be easy and fun to read aloud. But I also love picture books with detailed illustrations you can come back to again and again, so I snuck a lot of that information back into the art for kids to discover on second and third readings. I had to keep telling myself that I didn’t have to write everything there is to know about compost – just enough to get readers interested. I also want kids to see where their food comes from.

Me: I love back matter in picture books! In yours, you explain what compost is, how to do it, and why people should compost.

Brianne: Yes, I really wanted to address some misconceptions about compost. The biggest misconception is that compost smells. It doesn’t! Another thing I wanted to make sure kids come away with is the understanding that we don’t have to send all that wonderful organic matter to the landfill. The bacteria in landfills create gases that contribute to global warming – we shouldn’t feed them. Also, if you make compost, you could grow a delicious tomato. Or you could give your compost to a neighbor who will share their yummy tomatoes with you.

Me: Thank you Brianne. This has been absolutely delightful, and all this talking about sandwiches has made me hungry! 

Brianne: Me, too. I’m having a bagel with cream cheese and cucumbers and shredded carrots on top.

Me: How funny! Mine is hummus with sliced cucumbers!

Note: No worms were harmed in the making of our sandwiches. You can find out more about Brianne and her wonderful books and art at her website, www.briannefarley.com

Everything I’ve Learned So Far About Independent Publishing by Todd Burleson

Coming Soon!

I should begin with a confession: I am no expert on independent publishing. I’m very much a beginner. My earlier publishing experience was with a major publisher, and that book was nonfiction. It wasn’t the book I most wanted to write—in fact, I would have loved for it to have been the story I’m working on now. But when a publisher approaches you and asks you to write a book, and you are a struggling teacher, you say yes. It turned out to be a tremendous experience. I earned a little income from it—not much—but what I gained was an inside look at the publishing process. It was an opportunity I’ll always be grateful for.

This time is different. When I chose to publish independently, the reasons went deeper. I wanted control. I didn’t want someone I would never meet deciding on my cover. I didn’t want someone else to have the final say over my story. And after working on this book for more than thirteen years, I wanted it to move into the world at a pace that felt right to me.

“Independent publishing feels like managing a project as much as writing a book.”

What I didn’t fully anticipate was how much independent publishing feels like managing a project as much as writing a book. I knew it would be hard work—anything worth doing usually is—but I wasn’t prepared for the cost.

I learned quickly that in publishing, you get what you pay for. Early on, I decided my priority was to work with a professional editor. Through Reedsy, a platform that connects writers with editors, designers, and illustrators, I found someone with national recognition and a strong track record. She was expensive, but I knew this was where I wanted to invest.

To help cover the cost, I launched a Kickstarter campaign. Asking for help does not come easily to me. But Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform—if you don’t meet your goal, you don’t receive a dime. That reality pushed me to research every aspect of how to run a successful campaign. I studied other authors’ projects, learned how to structure levels and rewards, and spent hours figuring out shipping, pricing, and what kinds of extras would make sense. At times it felt overwhelming, like nonsense piled on top of the actual work of writing a book.

There were moments I doubted myself, moments I wondered if anyone would care enough to pledge. It was stressful to put my vision out in public and risk failure. But slowly, support came in.

“In the end, more than $4,000 was pledged by people who believed in the story. That support feels like success already, even before a single reader has turned a page.”

Now I am anxiously waiting for the return of my developmental edit—the kind that digs into the big picture, the characters, and the heart of the story. I feel nervous, excited, and overwhelmed all at once. And part of me wonders how I will balance this next stage with my life as a school librarian heading into a new year. Independent publishing doesn’t happen in isolation—it presses into every part of your time and energy.

If another writer asked me what I’ve learned so far, I would say this: independent publishing is not for the faint of heart. Writers want to write, but this path asks for much more—fundraising, websites, community-building, marketing, design, layout, typesetting, printing, platforms, and even decisions about audiobooks. The list feels endless. But none of it is wasted.

Reedsy has hundreds of free resources. They are also an incredible place where you can be connected with some of the leading editors, designers, and artists to help make your book come to fruition.

My best advice is to find a community. For me, Reedsy has been a lifeline. I stumbled onto it by accident—a friend who isn’t even a writer mentioned it to me. That makes me think there may be many other writers out there who simply don’t know it exists.

Reedsy isn’t just a place to connect with professional editors, designers, and illustrators. They also offer a wide array of free resources for writers, self-publishers, and independent authors. A few highlights I’ve found especially helpful:

• Reedsy Studio Book Editor – a free online tool where you can write, organize, format, and export your manuscript for print or ebook platforms. It even lets you collaborate with others in real time.

• Free Learning Courses – over fifty 10-day email courses on everything from plotting a novel to marketing, distribution, editing, and design. These bite-sized lessons are practical and easy to fit into daily life.

• Articles, Guides, and Webinars – their blog is constantly updated with industry trends and advice, and there’s also a library of webinars with expert talks on publishing and craft.

• Weekly Writing Prompts & Contests – if you’re looking for accountability or a spark of inspiration, they provide prompts and even cash-prize contests with the chance of publication.

• Community Support – forums, newsletters, and ways to connect with other writers who are also figuring out the indie path.

All of this is free once you create an account. It’s one of those rare places online where the depth and quality of resources genuinely surprised me.

“Independent publishing has democratized the industry. It’s simply another way to get your story into the hands of readers.”

I also believe the old stigma around independent publishing has faded. Many indie authors have found great success, some even moving into traditional publishing. More importantly, independent publishing has democratized the industry. It’s simply another way to get your story into the hands of readers. And isn’t that what all of us are really after?

My main characters: Jamie and Ken.

This book is written for readers ages ten to fourteen, but I hope it speaks to anyone. With only three more years left to work with students in that age group, I want them to have this story in their hands. It’s not just a story I believe in, it’s an invitation to see our nation’s history and reflect on it in light of today.

That’s why I chose this path. And while I am still learning, I can already say: it has been worth it.

And this is only the beginning. As I move through the next stages—final edits, layout, printing, and beyond—I’ll continue to share what I learn. I hope that by documenting the process, I can encourage and equip other writers who may be considering the same path.

If you would like to take a look behind the scenes of my book, I've built a comprehensive website that will delight anyone who is interested in history, storytelling, photography, and aviation. I still love exploring it! HERE is the link.

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If you’ve walked the independent publishing path yourself, what’s one lesson you wish you had known at the beginning?

"Back to Cool (School)" Picture Books & Ideas to Create a Positive Classroom Climate - by Kathy Halsey

  

Back to school? How about back to cool? Let’s make the re-entry to school fun and memorable with new books and interactive activities. These ideas promote thoughtful ways to create a positive, inclusive, and engaging environment for all. I hope you find some intersectionality between your books and their usefulness in back to school units, or you get ideas for new projects that fit the back to school theme!

 Books for Everybody to Pair & Share

As a former teacher and librarian, I remember scrolling over student lists, making diacritical marks in order to pronounce everyone's name correctly and noting who had nicknames or wanted to be called something different. Students of all ages  know the feeling  of people stumbling over their names.

Book:  The Power of Your Name

Author, Jyoti Gopal knows this feeling herself, and has a wonderful lyrical picture book hot off the presses August 26, that helps start a great conversation about names and how aspirational they can be. (Illustrator Olivia Sua's cut paper illustrations create vibrant worlds.)

 Classroom Activities/Ideas

Share Jyoti’s words from her interview with John Schu  Have you ever wondered where your name came from? Maybe you asked your grown-ups or maybe you took your name for granted and didn’t even think about it. In The Power of Your Name, we learn that names have stories, that each name is a feast of sounds, a gift, filled with promise, that it holds your family's heritage, hopes and dreams. Through the ABCs, this book celebrates the beauty of names and the fact that every name—including yours—is special. Whether your name is long, short, easy to pronounce, or often misheard like mine frequently is, this book will make you think about the story your name tells.

• Students can create a poster with markers or in Canva sharing what their name means along with the correct pronunciation. Students can then swap their posters with someone else . 

• Together each pair introduces the other to the rest of the class. Finally, add the posters to the classroom bulletin board where all can see them and practice pronunciation.

Book: A Season for Fishin’: A Fish Fry Tradition

Author Pamela Courtney has cooked up a book that centers family, learning a new skill, and contributing to the family tradition - cane fishing - as she catches her first bream. The prize? Her feeling of pride being part of her community and her own red fish fry apron. I’ve shared her debut book on the GROG before, but in this context the back matter with pronunciations from varied parishes in Louisiana fits the topic of identity and the importance of pronunciation. As Pam’s tante Lula says, “Folks been crisscrossin’, speakin’, and livin’ like the otherin’ for forever”. The spice of the vernacular of Louisiana is fascinating and fun to say aloud. (Illustrator Toni D. Chambers serves up delicious views of Ol Cane River country.)

Classroom Activities/Ideas

 After reading this engaging, lyrical book about the culture of Natchitoches, Louisiana, give students the option to choose one of the following options:

• Share a family tradition orally, in writing or as a “how-to” demonstration (if it’s a recipe or game).    

• Create a short slide show that shares unique family background and traditions,  or share a travelogue of family members who live in or outside the US including pronunciation for terms specific to the region. 

PreK -Second Grade

Books pairs are fun to share and these two winners have great activities built into them. For K-2 students, matching and grouping are core skills for classification, a key scientific process. These action-packed picture books highlight skills in observation and comparing and contrasting characteristics, core skills for both math and science. Both books include themes of classroom climate, SEL, and diversity. 

Book: We Match

Author: Chris Barton knows intuitively that kids notice when things match. Think about school spirit days when kids delight in matching outfits. Take that idea to the dog park where Button, a gray terrier, announces the commentary as dogs play ball and chase squirrels. Button observes that some like wet food, others prefer kibble; some wear sweaters; others destroy them. Button discovers more subtle ways the dogs match that also encourages readers to find for connections with their classmates. (Illustrator Sharon Glick creates the most "fetching" dogs.)

Book: Batter Up for the First Day of School

Author Bethany Hegudus, a bonafide baseball fan, creates a tried-and-true back to school picture book that hooks readers with baseball lingo, punny fun, and shares the schedule of a typical school day for young students The Twins, Hank and Erin, begin the day with some nerves, but excitement builds, and at the end of the day, the twins announce that, “Today was a home run!”(Illustrator Nomar Perez creates ballpark joy with his images.)

Classroom Activities/Ideas

Lucky for us, Bethany and Chris have hit a home run with their ready-made activities  students will enjoy.

Look at these adorable “We Match” playing cards from illustrator Nomar Perez! Students can create their own cards and compare their connections with other students.

Here’s an example of Chris and Sharon’s match session.

Bethany has a baseball card activity as a way the new classroom team can announce and share this year’s roster. Celebrate your MVPs here. 

Check out Bethany's MVP and his vital stats as an example to model! 

Readers, what books, book matches and activities do you recommend for a great back-to-cool? Let us know in the comments!

Heather Preusser "Beats Out" Revisions -- a Guest Post

Welcome back from your summer adventures!                                     

Today, GROG is thrilled to host guest blogger Heather Preusser for a second post about using Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet as a tool to enhance the drama of her writing -- this time for her chapter book series, Hedgehog Whodunit. Take it away, Heather!

😎

Using Blake Snyder’s “Beat Sheet” as a Revision Tool

by Heather Preusser

Writers often beat themselves up when a manuscript isn’t working (at least I know I do), but have you ever “beat out” a manuscript when you’re stuck?

Back in 2017, I wrote a GROG guest blog post where I applied Blake Synder’s “Beat Sheet” from SAVE THE CAT to one of my favorite picture books, SNAPPSY THE ALLIGATOR (DID NOT ASK TO BE IN THIS BOOK), by Julie Falatko and Tim Miller. I wanted to see if I could take a screenwriting tool, the “BS2,” and apply it to picture-book writing. Turns out I could! 

Now I’m back to explain how I used the “BS2” while revising the first book in my chapter book series HEDGEHOG WHODUNIT, which came out in October 2024 from Andrews McMeel Kids. 

I often create multiple iterations of the “BS2” as I progress through the writing process. Sometimes I use it as a brainstorming tool when I’m stuck drafting, and sometimes I use it as a reverse outline when I’m working through revisions. For the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on the latter and how, after receiving The Editorial Letter, I went back to my last version of the “BS2” to try and figure out how I was going to hammer out a solution (not that any hammers were involved). 

1. Opening Image: In this before-the-adventure-begins snapshot, we read about Hitch hanging around his Hedgehog Hut. He is just about to take his mid-evening nap. This represents the struggle and tone of the story: Hitch is a reluctant sleuth; all he wants to do is be left alone to snooze.

2. Set-Up: This expands on the “before” snapshot. It introduces the reader to Hitch, the hardboiled hedgehog detective who claims to run the joint—the City Zoo—as well as his sidekick Vinnie, a rat and his informer.

Hitch always naps while Vinnie always snacks or rattles on about food. Hitch is observant and quick-witted but slow-moving; he keeps Vinnie on the straight and narrow. Vinnie, on the other hand, moves quickly; he has a predilection for puns, and he helps Hitch get things done. Their personalities complement one another, and they work together to solve crimes. 

3. Theme Stated: Snyder describes the theme as what the story is about; it’s the message or truth. Here’s my truth: I didn’t set out to write a chapter book with a message. In fact, I wasn’t sure I could identify the message even after the book was acquired! I set out to create a rollicking romp of a read. And that’s the thing about chapter books. They’re meant to engage emergent readers, to compel them to turn the page again and again and again. Not once did the acquiring editor ask me about the story’s takeaway, which I found refreshing, especially since I was coming from writing picture books where takeaways are often paramount. So I didn’t worry about theme. This doesn’t mean readers can’t extract a theme (one takeaway could be that there’s a time to follow the rules, and a time not to follow the rules); it just wasn’t central.   

4. Catalyst: This is the moment when the main character’s life changes. Vinnie informs Hitch someone has altered the sign in the panda pen from “Please don’t feed the panda” to “Please free the panda.” Not only is the giant bear missing, but it’s also creating chaos around the zoo. 

5. Debate: This is a brief moment of doubt when the main character—and thus the reader—questions whether or not Hitch will take on the case. 

6. Break into Two: At the end of Chapter One, Hitch agrees to help find the perpetrator and locate the missing bamboo-loving bear. He makes a choice to leave act one, the “thesis” world where he’s in charge, and step into act two, the upside-down world where Vinnie becomes his de facto zoo tour guide. After getting a whiff of fish, Vinnie follows the scent to the penguins’ pen, and Hitch follows Vinnie.

7. B Story: Although it’s not a traditional love story, Vinnie’s love of food is the B Story. Ultimately, his fondness for food leads Hitch to the last clue that allows them to crack the case.  

8. Fun and Games: We see the penguins chillin’, enjoying the vast amounts of sardines, as well as the hippos, who have a predilection for selfies, and the lions, who appear to be just lying around. After visiting the suspects, Hitch and Vinnie arrange a stakeout. From their high vantage point, Hitch spots two lemurs carrying a bucket of red paint. They’ve caught the culprits red-handed, but the lemurs make a clean sneak!

9. Midpoint: Hitch leaves his post and follows Vinnie through the Woodland Garden and around the Snack Shack, where they encounter a slippery situation—literally. Vinnie and Hitch both slip in pigeon poop. This is a false defeat, a “down” beat. 

10. Bad Guys Close In: It would appear things can’t get any worse than falling in pigeon poop, but then Bad Guys Close In in the form of a squadron of pooping pigeons. The pigeons chase the detective duo, and one even poops on Hitch’s head! Exhausted, Hitch rests on the ground in false defeat. He thinks he sees stars, but—thanks to his lazy ways—it turns out he’s uncovered another clue: fresh, red paint drops, which lead them around the Snack Shack and into Lemur Lounge. 

11. All Is Lost: Initially, Hitch and Vinnie came across the missing giant panda at a disco party at Lemur Lounge, but—with no foolproof evidence—they simply let the panda go. After reading The Editorial Letter, I realized this beat was too easy, too convenient. There was no confrontation, so of course I needed to expand and adjust the scene. It’s the crux of the story, the moment when the main character realizes they’ve lost everything they’ve gained (all those clues that had Hitch thinking he was close to solving the case and taking a nap!), or everything they’ve gained now has no meaning. So I moved things around in act two and inserted more tension. I added a panda in a lemur costume at an A Capel-LEMURS concert as well as a game of hide and seek. This had me laughing out loud while I wrote it at my local coffee shop, and I chuckled again when I saw Gal Weizman’s hilarious illustrations of a ridiculously adorable giant panda trying to hide behind a bush (almost), under a table (kind of), and behind a flamingo (sort of). Since the panda is so bad at hiding, this beat is a false victory, an “up” beat that contrasts with the midpoint.  

12. Dark Night of the Soul: During this beat, the main character hits rock bottom and wallows in hopelessness. Initially, Hitch did wallow. In anything. After some rejiggering, I made him wallow in stink—literally—after engaging in a stink fight with the lemurs. Then someone in the zoo turns the lights down low, puts on a slow song, and it seems like Hitch will rock himself right to sleep. But Vinnie misconstrues Hitch’s dozing for dancing, which results in the prime suspects pointing and laughing at the detective’s dancing skills (or lack thereof).

13. Break into Three: In chapter seven, it turns out Hitch and Vinnie have their culprits right where they want them. The lemurs are red-handed. Literally. They’re hands are covered in red paint! The lemurs plead not guilty, but when Vinnie and the troop leader trade secret family recipes, Hitch starts to put all the clues together. After all, this is the world of synthesis. He notices the index card for “Grandma Gansu’s Famous Soup Dumplings” and realizes the only secret to this secret recipe is it’s not the lemurs’. Hitch suspects they’re in cahoots with the footloose and fancy-free panda. 

14. Finale: Hitch reads the culprits their rights and brings them to the big house. Vinnie tells a half-truth, explaining how he and Hitch saw the lemurs in the act. Hitch also points out the lemur has been avoiding eye contact during the entire investigation, further proof she’s guilty. When Vinnie attempts to write this on his notepad, the lemur fixes his spelling mistake and lets it slip that she is, in fact, guilty. 

15. Final Image: Hitch hangs around his Hedgehog Hut again with his feet up when Vinnie barges through the door out of breath, announcing the wooden cheetah on the zoo’s carousel has disappeared. This image echoes the opening image and hints at the animal antics in book two. 

So the next time you feel like beating yourself up about a manuscript you can’t seem to get right, try channeling your inner Blake Snyder and “beating it out” instead. Perhaps it will help you re-envision your writing and ultimately hit the nail on the head (not that any nails are involved). 

More about Heather Preusser

Growing up in Maine, Heather Preusser read all the Nancy Drew mysteries. Every. Single. One. Now she writes her own mysteries featuring a hardboiled hedgehog detective and his tireless rodent sidekick solving animal antics at City Zoo. 

HEDGEHOG WHODUNIT, the first book in her chapter book series, released in October 2024 from Andrews McMeel. The second book, THE CAROUSEL CAPER, came out in July 2025, and the third book, THE PROTECTIVE ORDER OF PEANUTS (P.O.O.P.) will be available in 2026. She is also the author of the picture book A SYMPHONY OF COWBELLS (Sleeping Bear Press, 2017). When she’s not writing or teaching, Heather plays with her five-year-old, a budding boxitect. She and her family live in Colorado. To learn more, please visit her website (www.heatherpreusser.com) and Instagram.

Big thanks to Heather! GROGgers, if you try the Beat Sheets approach to your work, let us know how it goes in the comments. And a big welcome back as a new school year begins. 

Interview & Give-away! Carol Baldwin tells the Whole Truth

by Sue Heavenrich

Welcome Back from your Summer Explorations!

This week GROG has invited Carol Baldwin to share her experiences writing a historical novel. Plus we have a book give-away. So read on...

Carol has published articles for children and nonfiction books for adults. This spring her debut YA novel hit bookstore shelves. Half-Truths (Monarch Educational Services,  April 2025) is a historical novel that takes readers back to 1950. The main character is 15-year old Kate Dinsmore, who lives (and works) on her family’s tobacco farm in rural North Carolina. But Kate has dreams of a future far beyond the tobacco fields. She wants to become a journalist, and the editor for the local paper encourages her to follow her dream.

Kate decides that to get to college where she can study journalism, she’ll need the financial support of her wealthy grandparents. So, she crafts a plan to live with them in Charlotte, only to discover that there’s more to high society than going to school and getting good grades. She’s expected to attend lessons in the social graces so she can become a debutante. Meanwhile, and despite their racial differences, she forms a tentative friendship with Lillian, her grandmother’s teenage maid. When Kate discovers an old family photo while exploring her grandmother's attic, she unearths a secret that will not only threaten her friendship with Lillian and her status with her new society friends, but will cause her to question whether she has what it takes to be a true journalist.

This is a perfect book for kids who love stories but say they don’t love history. It’s a story that will get kids thinking (and perhaps talking) about racial discrimination, segregation, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), racial violence, injustice, and societal norms. And, even though Carol started working on this story 18 years ago, it’s a great springboard for discussion about what’s happening in our country at this time. So, I was happy that Carol accepted my invitation to chat on the GROG about her writing…

Me: What inspired this story?

Carol: I give a lot of credit to Joyce Moyer Hostetter for encouraging me to discover a story in my own backyard. [Joyce writes middle grade historical fiction] I live in Charlotte, but I didn’t grow up in the South and I wondered what life was like back before the Civil Rights movement. I started digging for stories, asking questions like: Where were the old plantations and graveyards? Who were the debutante girls of 1950? I wanted to know about the history that is under our streets. Meanwhile, I had this idea in the back of my head that I wanted to write about a girl who moves from a farm to Charlotte and into a higher social class. 

Me: I imagine you did a lot of research to lay the groundwork for this story. 

Carol: One of the reasons it took me 18 years to write this book is that I enjoy meeting people and talking to them. When I started, there was so much I didn’t know so I took myself on a self-guided African American Heritage tour.* I interviewed as many folks as I could, including former debutantes, Korean War veterans, and people who picked tobacco as kids, and many more—about 100 altogether!

*go to http://landmarkscommission.org/local-history/driving-and-walking-tours/ 

then click on "African-American Heritage Tour."

I remember visiting a community center that had been a former Rosenwald school, and looking at photos on the wall. Seeing the people in the photos triggered an idea that the girls could have been related. In my conversation with Vermelle Diamond Ely, we talked about how she knew light-skinned Black girls who had passed. I considered including that as part of Lillian’s story, but ultimately decided against it. 

I was excited to discover that the Blue Willow china that is featured in my book, was a popular pattern at the time. There’s a story painted on the china, and I was able to incorporate that story into my own story. I happen to love stories within stories, and there are several in Half-Truths.

Me: How did you manage to keep focused on your story over all those years?

Carol: I definitely went off track a couple times. At one point I had Lillian’s brother dying from a racially motivated incident. Then I realized that had nothing to do with the heart of my story. I spent two years writing the book from both girls’ points of view per an editor’s suggestion. Although it definitely helped me see my story through Lillian’s eyes, I went back to the original idea of writing it from Kate’s POV. 

As for the research, I wanted to make my story authentic. But that tendency to over-research became part of the problem, and in the end, there were stories that didn’t make it into my book. One thing I did to keep me focused on the kernel of my story was to remind myself that Half-Truths is about the relationship between the two girls, Kate and Lillian. If I were to give writerly advice, it would be this: Research wide, but keep in mind the focus of your story so that readers can say, ‘this book is about ___.’ In my case, the book is about a White girl and a Black girl who discover they are second cousins while coming to grips with who they are as young women in the 1950s.

Me: What’s next for you?

Carol: I’m working on another historical novel set in the late 1800s. It’s the story of Kate’s paternal grandfather who is a glassblower’s apprentice. I’ve already done some research on glassblowing – including a hands-on experience in a workshop in Charlotte. As much as I relish diving into the research, I’ll try to be mindful to stay focused on the story!

You can catch a glimpse of Carol’s new project at her blogpost here (which is where I grabbed this photo!)

Thank you so much, Carol. And now, for everyone who’s managed to stick with us this far, go find a story in your backyard. It might be history … or it might be (like so many of mine) about something in your garden! 

You can find out more about Carol, her books, and workshops on her website, carolbalwinbooks.com

enter the GIVE-AWAY! 

Carol is giving away an autographed copy of Half-Truths to one lucky person. You need to live in the US to be eligible. Simply leave a comment before August 26th to be entered! Make sure you include your name somewhere in the comment if you want to be entered in the drawing. We’re doing the drawing old-school, in a manner that Kate and Lillian would be familiar with: putting names in a hat and drawing a winner. Winner will be announced in the first September post, with instructions on how to claim your book!