Borrow From Nonfiction to Enhance your Fiction

 by Sue Heavenrich

If you’re a nonfiction writer, then you’ve read plenty of articles suggesting that you use fiction techniques to spiff up your writing. But have you ever heard anyone suggest that fiction writers borrow from nonfiction to enrich their novels?

Picture book authors do this frequently, especially when their story includes elements that connect with curriculum topics like nature, gardening, science, space exploration. But for novels – excepting historical fiction – I haven’t heard many folks saying, "hey, try this approach used in nonfiction."

There are a few cases where I have seen novelists and picture book writers use nonfiction techniques to great effect. Most of them include…

Notes

Sure, lots of novels have author’s notes, but the ones I fall in love with tend to read like back matter in children’s nonfiction books. Take The Inquisitor’s Tale, by Adam Gidwitz. He begins, “My interest in the Middle Ages is entirely my wife’s fault…” and then goes on for 14 pages dissecting what is true in his novel and how much is made up. He also talks about the Bayeux Tapestry which, he says, isn’t a tapestry at all but rather, an embroidery of a 230-foot long graphic novel (or the Middle Ages equivalent thereof).

In his author’s notes for Heroes, Alan Gratz tells more about Pearl Harbor, where he got his inspiration, and explains a few things in the book that are outside of the historical timeline. He also talks about Asian Americans in comics and the legacy of Pearl Harbor.

In her notes to Boy Bites Bug, Rebecca Petruck provides a guide to eating bugs and includes a couple recipes. Author notes and recipes aren’t so unusual, so I really love it when fiction authors …

Map Out the World

Fantasy and fiction authors put a great deal of energy and imagination into world building. So I love it when they include a map on the end pages or first pages of their books. Whether it’s Avalon or Redwall, or the map drawn by The Last Mapmaker, seeing their world on paper makes it more real. Visual maps allow us to orient in space: which direction are the mountains? Where be there dragons?

Historical fiction feels richer when accompanied by a map. Alan Gratz includes a map of Pearl Harbor in Heroes, and Laurie Halse Anderson includes a great map of Boston in her novel, Rebellion 1776. Maps are a lot like illustrations, so they feel like a natural part of any story. That’s why I appreciate it when they include a…

Bibliography

This is where we find the gold – the truth behind the fiction. Gidwitz includes nine pages of annotated bibliography. Laurie Halse Anderson includes detailed “Notes on Sources” at the end of her book and Carol Baldwin – who I interviewed back in August – includes both endnotes and resources (a selected bibliography) in her historical fiction, Half-Truths. While I love end notes and chapter notes, I fall head over heels when I see a piece of fiction incorporating…

Footnotes, Appendices, and More

There is something about a footnote that just imbues a piece of writing with authority.  Even if – no, especially if – it is a work of fantasy. Take Jonathan Stroud’s first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Amulet of Samarkand. 

This is a tale of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion. Stroud wastes no time, introducing footnotes as a feature beginning on the second page of the story. Most of them are asides – comments by the narrator such as when talking about architecture and noting that those folks in Pisa clearly hadn’t paid attention to his engineering expertise when they built that tower.

My favorite use of footnotes is in Cindy Derby’s picture book, How to Walk an Ant. On one page she warns not to stab an ant, and in the footnote refers the reader to “How to Conduct a Funeral” in appendix 1. Swoon! Not only does she have footnotes, but she includes an appendix and a glossary! 

Baldwin doesn’t have any footnotes, but she does include photos and a family tree at the end of her book. Other authors, both fantasy and historical fiction, have included pronunciation guides and timelines. 

Next time you create a story, what will you borrow from the nonfiction writing toolbox?

Becky Scharnhorst and Best Buds: A Cool Summer Read by Kathy Halsey

As we move forward into summer, the GROGers are going on a summer break until mid-August. We hope you take time to rest, refresh, and find new leafy friends like author Becky Scharnhorst did in her book BEST BUDS. Keep growing with new reads.

Best Buds Book Review

In our last post before summer break, I’m excited to share Becky Scharnhorst and illustrator Jiarui Jiang’s upbeat, delightful book about moving, making friends, and growing new ones.

Lucky me,I discovered this book when Becky and I worked together to enhance her school visit presentations for the 2025-2026 school year. (Yes, it’s summer, but as a former school librarian, I used part of my summer breaks investigating authors for the upcoming year.) School librarians, this would be the perfect book and author for a fall or spring visit! 

Friendship stories are “evergreen” topics in children's literature. So how do you take this time-honored trope and make it new? Author Becky Scharnhorst and illustrator Jiarui Jiang’s combined skills create a story that cultivates a different POV when examining friendship.

While Spencer’s mom is worried about him making friends when they move, Spencer’s happily making friends with an array of plants: Fred's an excellent listener, Dottie’s a bit wild, and Eugene’s a jokester. Spencer has chosen excellent friends for all the right reasons. He takes his friends to lunch, storytime, and the playground, adding new friends along the way.

Can you find a friend in a box? What if your friend is another species? What if your family doesn’t understand? BEST BUDS answers all these questions and lays ground for rich conversations about friends that teachers, librarians, and family will enjoy reading and discussing with young readers. Spencer may be  “late bloomer,” as his mom says, but Spencer’s open-minded attitude reveals friends come in all shapes and sizes! Whimsical art, and plethora of plants with personality make this a great read-aloud. This picture book encourages readers to find their own plant companions and see nature as a loving entity that needs care, like best buds do! The last few spreads at the end make for a sweet, surprising ending! (Still time to preorder this book!)

Craft Chat with Becky Scharnhorst

Kathy: I’ve read your first three books: My School Stinks (2021), This Field Trip Stinks (2022), and How to Get Your Octopus to School (2023).  How do you see Best Buds  similar to your other books?  How is it different? 

Becky Scharnhorst: I love books that make me laugh, so I always try to incorporate at least a little humor into my writing. I think that is one way in which all of my books are similar. However, I would say the humor in Best Buds is more subtle than the humor in my other books. Also, all three of my first books feature a character who is feeling a bit nervous and unsure about something. In my first two books, Stuart is nervous about going to school with wild animals and then he’s nervous about taking a field trip IN THE WILD! In my third book, the octopus is anxious about going to school. In contrast, the main character in Best Buds is quite confident. Even when the adults in Spencer’s life question him, he remains true to himself and his choice of friends. That’s one of the things I love most about him!

Kathy: This is a book about plants and friends. How did you begin putting these two concepts together?  What were your inspirations in sparks?  Do you have any favorite plants?

Becky Scharnhorst: About a year before the pandemic, my family and I moved across the country. Making friends can be difficult in the best circumstances, but trying to connect after a move and during a pandemic was nearly impossible! A couple years later, I realized I still didn’t have a strong community around me. It was about this time that I decided to buy a gorgeous Aloe Vera plant I spotted in a local store. I did this despite my dismal record for keeping green things alive. To my amazement, Dottie thrived! And so did our friendship. My family thought it was ridiculous how much I talked to her, but I didn’t have any other friends to talk to, and it felt odd NOT talking to this beautiful, living, growing thing sitting right next to me. Soon, my whole house was filled with plants and taking care of them brought me so much joy! I eventually found human friends in my new town as well, but my plants kept me company in the meantime. So this story is very much inspired by my own move and my new best buds. Dottie, in particular, holds a special place in my heart, and while I don’t ever say this around the others, she is my favorite. 

Becky w/her Best Bud "Dottie #1

Kathy: I love how you explore the POV of friendship through adult and children’s lenses. Parents sometimes want their children’s friends to be “a certain way“. You brought this out in a subtle way. Was this comparison of adults vs. children’s views always in the story?  

Becky Scharnhorst: I’m so glad you picked up on that because this was something that was there from the beginning, and it was something I felt passionate about including. I wanted Spencer to be confident in who he was and in his choice of friends regardless of what the adults around him were saying. It’s clear from page one that his mom is worried about Spencer’s ability to make friends. But he’s not worried at all! It’s easy! And he’s not concerned about his ability to make more friends either. Spencer knows what he is looking for in a friend and he gently challenges anyone who questions his choices. He knows more about friendship than the adults give him credit for, which I think happens a lot. Often, adults think we know what’s best for the children in our lives, but kids have much to teach us if we are willing to listen. That was one of the things I wanted to explore in this story. 

Kathy: The ending was a twist for me. Did you envision this ending early on or did it change over time?

Becky Scharnhorst: Oh my goodness. I wrote so many different endings! I had an ending where Spencer doesn’t make any human friends, he just sticks with his plants and is perfectly happy. I had another ending where it looks like he and Daisy are going to become friends, but instead they both end up hugging Eugene (the tree). I had an ending where Daisy and Spencer bond over their mutual love of plants, not plants and insects. And I had many variations of this ending. So. Many. Endings. But I landed on this one because I wanted to show that Spencer wasn’t against having a human friend. On the contrary, Spencer is open to all kinds of friendships and he recognizes the value of each unique friend. He even refers to Daisy’s caterpillar as “your friend” because he knows right away that’s what Raymond is to Daisy. The reason Spencer and Daisy are a perfect match is because they both know love and friendship can bloom in unexpected places.

Kathy: Tell us about the way Jiarui Jiang’s illustrations add to and expand the story. Did you have any input on that?  It's such a beautiful book – words and pictures together! 

Becky Scharnhorst: I don't think I can overstate how much depth and beauty Jiarui's illustrations brought to this story. One of my favorite examples of this is how we see Spencer's room change throughout the book. Right after the move, Spencer's room is empty and lifeless. But as the story progresses, and Spencer makes more and more friends, we see how full and colorful his life is becoming. I don't know if this was Jiarui's vision or Lauren’s (the Art Director), but it was absolute genius! Originally, I imagined Spencer and Fred sharing a drink outside after they met. However, placing them inside gives the reader a chance to revisit his room and see the dramatic growth (both literal and figurative) that is happening in Spencer's life. 

Another small detail I love is how many straws there are in the glasses of water his mom brings in at the end. In the beginning, she is questioning whether he might want a friend who could talk. But by the end, she has come to see the value of all his friendships. That one small detail shows how Spencer is changing the world around him and influencing others in a positive way. And that’s just one of the many ways Jiariu’s detailed illustrations bring richness and depth to this story. I am so grateful to have partnered with her on this book because I feel like she really understood the story right from the beginning and she brought so much more to it. I only added art notes where they were necessary for clarity. 

Kathy: What are you working on next? 

Becky Scharnhorst:I have three upcoming picture book projects in the works, but unfortunately, I can’t share any specific details yet. I will say that one is a rhyming manuscript (my first, and perhaps only, one) and the other two include some fun nonfiction elements even though they are both fiction picture books. I hope I can share more news soon! If you’d like to stay informed, you can follow me on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter. Thank you so much for having me on the GROG blog, Kathy! I appreciate your support and kind words about BEST BUDS!

Get your new friends here!

Still time to PREORDER your own BEST BUD! Check out these stickers!!!!

Anyone who preorders Best Buds through Bound to Happen Books in Stevens Point will receive two sticker sheets with plants from the book. Please include a note at checkout if you'd like your book signed and personalized. Here's the link! 

https://www.boundtohappenbooks.com/item/uhkEB3h562vFH3VtdGNtEA

"Dottie #2 . . .look how she GREW!

BIO

Becky grew up in Northeast Wisconsin and spent most of her childhood playing in lakes and reading books. Shortly after graduating from Luther College, Becky spent a year working as a children’s bookseller at Barnes & Noble and soon discovered she enjoyed reading picture books more than anything else. Much, much more! Now Becky spends her days writing children’s books and working at her local library. She is the author of My School Stinks (2021), This Field Trip Stinks (2022), How to Get Your Octopus to School (2023), and Best Buds (2025). When she’s not reading or writing, Becky can be found hiking through the woods or baking something sweet. She currently lives in central Wisconsin with her husband and two children.

SOCIALS

Instagram: @beckyscharn (https://www.instagram.com/beckyscharn/)

Bluesky: @beckyscharn (https://bsky.app/profile/beckyscharn.bsky.social)

See you mid-August. Hang out with your best buds for now!

Lydia Lukidis Finds Poetry in Space. ~Christy Mihaly

Welcome back to all, and best wishes for a creative and fulfilling 2025. 

Today GROG is thrilled to welcome author Lydia Lukidis to tell us about her new book, UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth's Atmosphere, illustrated by Katie Rewse and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone imprint.

Lydia has written more than 50 trade and educational books for children, including DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone. 2023), which you can read more about in this GROG post.

Lydia's new book explores Earth's atmosphere -- how about that for a picture book topic! Curious about where this idea came from? I asked!

GROG: What inspired you to write this book? Did you think about it when writing your earlier book about Mae Jemison? 

Lydia: It started in 2019 when I began writing DEEP, DEEP DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that book would turn out to be very special. It taught me that I can write about STEM topics using lyrical language. This was a turning point for me as a writer.

DEEP, DEEP DOWN won numerous awards (my first time!!) like the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner for the Canada and North America Division and the Silver Birch Express Honor (Forest of Reading). My agent Miranda Paul suggested I write a book UP, UP HIGH that journeys up high into our universe. I knew it was a winner.

P.S.: I had written DANCING THROUGH SPACE, my book about Mae Jemison, ten years prior so they weren’t connected. But now I clearly see I love writing about the deep sea and space!

GROG: What is your favorite line from Up, Up High?

Lydia: It's here:

The text is:

Up,
up
high
you go.

Soon the entire window
begins to glow
as an aurora
dances across the horizon.

Waves of blue,
yellow,
and green
merge together like magic,
shimmering
and shifting
in a sea of color.

GROG: Nice! And which illustration do you love the most?

Lydia: Also this one--Katie did such a terrific job illustrating the aurora lights!

GROG: It really is lovely. Okay, how about your research process? Your note thanks an expert, Dr. Zhang – did you conduct many interviews?

Lydia: This is what I’m learning with nonfiction; that primary resources and interviews with experts are sometimes essential and lend more credibility and accuracy to the work. My research starts with a few trips to the library where I consult books, periodicals, and magazines. Then I scour the web for reputable sites. From there, I’m usually able to write the first drafts. BUT- there are often holes or inaccuracies in the text. For UP, UP HIGH, I consulted three different experts:

1. Dr. Zhang who works for the NOAA. He’s a whiz who was able to answer all my weather/atmosphere questions. 

2. NASA astronaut Linda Godwin, who spent time aboard the International Space Station. How amazing is that? 

3. Alan Eustace, a computer analyst who, gasp, SPACE JUMPED! Yes, you heard that right. I'm sure you've heard of skydivers. They jump from planes at about 10,000 feet up. But Eustace took a jump in space, from 26 miles up (137,280 feet). He free fell for more than 14 minutes and traveled faster than the speed of sound. Can you imagine??

GROG: All three of these people sound like amazing sources of information and insight.

Now, tell me about the “poetry” in your title. Do you consider the whole book a single poem or did you write discrete poems about different topics or themes within the book?

Lydia: The reason I chose poetry and lyrical language for DEEP, DEEP DOWN is because the Mariana Trench itself is a poem (I watched hours of footage). The same applies to our atmosphere, it’s mysterious and poetic all at once. It’s something we take for granted yet gives us life. This book honors that. I see each spread as having its own little poem that attempts to encapsulate the magic of the element it describes.

GROG: Why do you like to combine nonfiction with poetry?

Lydia: First off, it should be said that poetry is my first love, I’ve been crafting poems since I was six years old. So, if that language works, I’ll use it! But that’s not always the case, it varies from project to project. Sometimes, the content calls for a funny tone, or a more serious one. I play around with structure and tone until it feels right.

Poems penned by young Lydia

GROG: What are your thoughts about how to write nonfiction to engage young readers?

Lydia: Children are naturally curious. If you structure a nonfiction book in an engaging way and pick a topic with kid appeal, many children will likely gravitate to it. As an author, you need to think like a child. What would a child find interesting? That way, you can find your way ‘in’ to the book. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen. I have many WIPs that end up in the garbage.

GROG: I love the way the graphics in Up, Up High note the altitude above Earth for various features. How did you formulate the format for the book, with the fact boxes and altitude notations?

Lydia: Thanks! That format was perfected in DEEP, DEEP DOWN. I wanted to be as accurate as possible and really give context to all these atmospheric elements. The information on the internet is not the most accurate so consulting with the NOAA was essential.

GROG: Would you call Up, Up High trade or educational? Or both?

Lydia: It’s definitely trade as it’s published by Capstone Editions. I had been struggling for years to make the leap from work-for-hire to trade and it wasn’t easy. The good thing is, Capstone is also very much an educational publishing company and many of their clients are schools and libraries. So it flows into both worlds.

GROG: Generally, what do you take inspiration from? Where do you look for ideas?

Lydia: I don’t need to actively look for ideas, they literally come to me every day. My issue is that I need to practice the art of discernment, this is critical. Most of the ideas are just that, ideas, and they don’t necessarily translate into a strong book with a narrative arc. When an idea has potential, I’ll start my research and develop it to make sure it has what it takes.

GROG: I'm wondering how Up, Up High is related to Deep, Deep, Down? Did you have a contract for a series? And can you share what you are planning to write next? 

Lydia Lukidis

Lydia: UP, UP HIGH is definitely a companion book to DEEP, DEEP DOWN. They follow the same structure and tone, but explore our beautiful world in opposite directions. The second book wasn’t “in the bag” with Capstone right off the bat, but my agent Miranda Paul submitted it to their editor first, as an exclusive. They said yes! It was meant to be. Will there be more books in this series? Maybe! One never knows. 

I love writing nonfiction STEM. But I also like writing funny! I have a new early graphic novel series coming out in July, "Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog," which is a nod to Garfield, slapstick humor, and Seinfeld. All things I love!

I also wrote two novels in verse on very tough topics. I’m hoping they will get picked up! One is on sub and the other is with my agent.

Lastly, I’m working on three different STEM books. One of them is flowing well and the other two, not so much! Sometimes it takes time.

GROG: That's a lot! Good luck with all of the above. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Lydia: I wanted to tell all aspiring writers: DON’T GIVE UP! Keep writing, it takes time. It took me many years to find my footing, and I had to go through three different agents until I found my dream agent. And still, it’s hard. I get rejections all the time. But I don’t give up, and neither should you.

More about Lydia Lukidis 

Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024) and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and Cybils Award nominee. A science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. 

Social Media Links: 

Website & preorder UP, UP HIGH: http://www.lydialukidis.com/

Blog: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaLukidis

FB: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaLukidis/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lydialukidis.bsky.social