Announcing Our February Guest Guru - Mary Boone!
To start off the new year with a bang, we are happy to feature one of our top Non-Fiction Authors, Mary Boone. She will be giving Ratings and Feedback to four lucky Rate Your Story Members this month. All you need to do is request her from Judy, our Inbox Coordinator and RYS Judge, and if there are available spots and your manuscript seems like a good fit, you will receive this benefit.
Here's her recent Storystorm post which is quite inspiring! https://taralazar.com/2025/01/16/storystorm-2025-day-16/
Q: What did you love about being a child?
A: I grew up on a farm that belonged to my grandparents and uncle. I loved to follow my Uncle Bob as he did chores and rounded up cattle. He patiently taught me the names of plants and animals. He took me on hikes and told me stories. I asked him hundreds of questions and he answered them or pointed me toward the answers. He helped me love learning.
Q: What brought you to children’s books?
A. When I was a kid, books took me places and introduced me to people that broadened my world. I always dreamed about one day creating books that did those same things for a new generation of readers.
Q: What do you love about non-fiction children’s books?
A: I love all sorts of books, but there’s something about finding odd or interesting stories and developing stories around them that bring me great joy. I love writing the types of stories that make kids run home to their families to say: You’re not going to believe what I learned today!
Q: Share a little bit about your most recently-published book. How long was its path to publication? What did you learn from this experience? What is your favorite thing about this book?
A: School of Fish is my new informational fiction picture book. As a Midwesterner transplanted in the Pacific Northwest, my knowledge of salmon was minimal. So, when I first happened upon migrating salmon, I had so many questions. I started my research by volunteering as a citizen scientist with a conservation organization. I helped with salmon counts and even with a DNA testing program. This same organization was one of many that works with schools. Classrooms get salmon eggs, care of newly hatched alevin, and then release the fry into streams. I loved everything I learned about these programs and decided to write a book about them. I tried to write straight nonfiction, which is my sweet spot. But this story felt like it needed a fictional narrator. My favorite thing has been hearing from educators all over the country, telling me that – even though there are no salmon in their region – the book has inspired them and their students to do more hands-on learning and to care for the environment.
Q: Share a little bit about another book you wrote and how you drew upon your interests or experience to research / write it.
A: My new picture book, Pedal Pusher, releases in February. It’s the story of Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, the first woman to ride a bike around the world. I love strong-willed women and bicycling, so I loved everything about this story. Plus Annie’s story is about so much more than cycling. She helped change the way people thought about the things women were capable of.
Q: What does a story need to make it a favorite for you?
A: As I research, I write WOW facts on Post-It notes. Those are the things that really stand out – that I can’t wait to tell people I learned. Those are the same facts I know need to be included in a story. Enough WOW facts and I become more confident this isn’t just a story idea – it has the potential to be a real story.
Q: Share a story that you love and why.
A: A favorite recent picture book is How to Pee Your Pants the Right Way by Rachel Michelle Wilson. It’s funny but it’s also something so many people can relate to – an embarrassing moment when you learned who your true friends were.
Q: What is a common issue you see in the manuscripts you critique?
A: A lot of the nonfiction manuscripts I see read too much like a textbook. That’s fine for the educational market, but I wish writers would play around more with voice or humor or adding lyrical language to their stories. It’s OK to have fun with nonfiction – readers will appreciate it.
Q: Please share a Submission Tip with our Members.
A: Don’t take any criticism personally. Judges are critiquing your manuscript – not you. Also, give your title as much thought as you do your manuscript. I always imagine an agent or editor has an inbox filled with submissions. I want to give mine a title that makes them want to read it before all the rest.
Q: Please share a Revision Tip for our Members.
A: Gather lots of feedback – from many people. Some of the comments from these reviewers might be outliers. But if multiple people have pointed out the same bumpy spots in your manuscript, it’s probably time to work on them. Revision typically isn’t just about spelling and punctuation. It may involve major surgery – cutting, adding, moving bits about. Be open to those possibilities.
Q: Name subjects you would like to read about.
A: This is a long list: families, traditions, STEM, nature, careers and dogs – I love dogs!
Q: Name subjects you would not like to read about.
A: This is a much shorter list. I’m not big on fairies or poetry.
Q: Share something you wish we had asked you about, but didn’t! And answer the question.
A: The craziest thing I’ve written? A Microsoft executive hired me to write the eulogy for his mother’s funeral – while she was still alive and quite healthy. It was weird but also sweet. His English wasn’t great and he truly loved his mother and wanted to make sure he honored her. He even had me interview her.
Q: Share a fun fact about YOU!
A: I was once a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. My newspaper sent me to auditions and I was actually chosen. I hit bankrupt four times. Not sure, but that may be a record.
Mary Boone has ridden an elephant, jumped out of an airplane, hung out backstage with a boy band, and baked dozens of cricket cookies – all in the interest of research for her books and magazine articles. She’s written more than 65 nonfiction books for young readers, ranging from inventor biographers to how-to craft guides. Her most recent book is BUGS FOR BREAKFAST: How Eating Insects Could Help Save the Planet (Chicago Review Press, 2021). She has two picture books scheduled for release in 2024. An active member of SCBWI, Mary lives in Tacoma, Wash., where she leads critique groups and writing workshops. She is represented by Stacey Kondla of The Rights Factory. You can find Mary on Instagram and Twitter at @boonewrites. Visit Mary’s website to learn about her critique services: www.boonewrites.com
