Targeted Speedpass with PB Author Lynne Marie
What brought you to children’s books? How long have you been writing?
Like many others, a love of reading brought me to kid-lit. However, I did dawdle and take the long and winding road (coincidentally also my High School Junior Prom theme song). I recall viewing my first Scholastic Book Clubs flyer and how it was love at first sight! So many shiny new books to read, with characters to meet and worlds to explore. I knew then I knew I wanted to be an Author and have a book in the flyer. Finally I have three books that have been featured in the Scholastic Book Club. However, I did not become an author until floating around my life and being:
1. A Cashier/Hostess at Roy Rogers
2. A Salesperson at Music Market
3. A Catering Waitress at The Watermill Inn (and later Hostess, Personnel Manager and Assistant Catering Manager).
4. A waitress at Renzo’s Pizzeria.
5. A Legal Secretary (and then a Paralegal).
6. A part-time Wedding Consultant for James Cress Florists.
7. A Discovery Toys Consultant and Tupperware Manager.
8. A magazine article writer and columnist.
9. A book reviewer.
10. A published Author.
11. A Travel Agent with Pixie Vacations (9 Years and Counting).
I realize all this makes me appear 900 years old, however, I always had one full-time job and one or two part-time jobs. I really loved music and fashion and travel, so as a result, I enjoyed making enough money to support that. However, I began studying the art of writing for children in 1997 and returned to college to learn the basics. I spent many years studying the craft and attending workshops and conferences and finally became published in 2011 after just a few years of actually submitting seriously.
Has your publication journey direction changed at all from the onset?
Just a few years after I had my first child, I went back to work as a Legal Secretary and got my first home computer. At that time, I wrote four romantic comedy novels and a musical screenplay. While I mostly did it just for fun, I was invested in practicing to be a writer. However, when my computer crashed, I was devastated. It was then I decided to switch to picture books (which I also loved reading) so that I can print them out as a back-up. For those who remember the dawn of computers, hard-drives and those disc back-ups often failed. So yes, I switched from adult novels to children’s books. When I made the switch, I felt more serious about my choice, so I went back to school. I took courses such as Children’s Literature, Writing for Children, Fantasy Folklore and Fairy Tales, Mythology, the Holocaust in Children’s Literature, English Literature, Short Story, and more!
Please tell us about the first book you published.
My first book published was HEDGEHOG GOES TO KINDERGARTEN, originally entitled SCHOOL BUS BUDDIES, in 2011. I had written the original version of this story years before, inspired by my son. But when my daughter was young, I noticed that the Scholastic Book Club Flyer did not have a school bus book (and I thought they needed one LOL). So I submitted it, and some time later, I got a call from Jenne Abramowitz of Scholastic. HEDGEHOG went on to have a sequel, HEDGEHOG’S 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL. But my editor shifted positions within the company, and they couldn’t get the same illustrator, so it got tricky after that. But I love my illustrator from 100th DAY -- Lorna Hussey -- and she went on to illustrate my third book (with another publisher, Beaming Books) so it was a blessing, even though the series stopped.
What genres of books will you be open to rating for Rate Your Story?
Although I do have an extensive background in MG/YA -- I was a paid reviewer, and also reviewed for literary journals like Kliatt and Riverbank Review, I would rather not read and rate those, or synopses, and also Chapter Books. Although I read at least one upper kidlit book a month, I’m just not as well read in those areas as I am with picture books and non-fiction picture books.
List five things you look for in a successful story.
1. Structure
2. Pacing
3. Likable, flawed character
4. Compelling Problem
5. Satisfying Resolution
Name five subjects you love to read about.
1. Amazing Animals
2. Biographies
3. Culture
4. Folklore, Legends, Myths and Fairytales
5. Food origins
Name five subjects you don’t want to read about.
There’s basically nothing I wouldn’t enjoy reading about if it is well-executed. For example, I don’t like movies where a dog or animal dies (I just can’t get over them), but yet I loved the books STAY: A GIRL A DOG AND A BUCKET LIST, HEY BOY, THE END OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL, IDA ALWAYS, THE ROUGH PATCH and MAYBE TOMORROW. They offer perspective and coping skills.
1. Any book where a human is physically hurting an animal or person.
2. Any book where the main character isn’t likable or I can't connect with on some level.
3. I’m not the hugest fan of Slice of Life books as I love chewing on plot, but I do very much appreciate any that are well done.
4. Any retelling that feels exactly like the original and doesn’t have a fresh and new shine to it.
5. Anything that’s redundant and doesn’t move forward and/or is poorly written.
Bonus: Bad Rhyme.
What author has inspired you most on your journey?
This is a hard question because there are so many books and authors I love and have been inspired by. However, when I was in the third grade, my mother let me miss school to go to the library for a Friends of the Library event at the Smithtown Library with Phyllis Whitney. She had written MYSTERY OF THE GREEN CAT which I had gotten through the Scholastic Book Club. I also had her mystery novels which my mother had bought for me as I was an advanced reader. I showed up with a stack of books I could hardly carry and she so graciously signed them all. I still remember that SPINDRIFT was my favorite. When I saw her sitting behind a table signing books, in my heart I knew I wanted to do that someday. When I read all her books I could get my hands on, I started with Agatha Christie and read 52 of her 80-plus books. But strangely, I have never written a mystery!
What do you feel is an important preliminary step before actually writing a story?
For me, it’s story mapping or writing out your story in summarized lines. Here's an example with four attempts to solve the story problem (it's usually three). But there is a fourth attempt -- the successful one. So if you think of the attempts with the failures and pair up the fourth successful attempt with the satisfying resolution, you can substitute a deep dark moment in place of the fourth attempt.
Or, having the story complete in your head. For example, MOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE SCARES was an idea from Story Storm (2015 I believe), and I didn’t start writing it out until I had figured it out in my head. Of course, I had the basic structure to follow but I wanted the path to be different. So instead of allowing Moldilocks to be an intruder, I made her an answer to the Scare’s prayers (nightmares) and them, her destiny. I also flipped gender roles by having Mama Scare work in the lab (a nod to Monster Mash) and have Papa Scare be the homemaker. I overlaid little monster-y details onto the story from beginning to end and I knew I was ready to pursue the idea. Of course, I knew it had at least three hooks: Monsters, halloween tie-in and also fractured fairy tale PLUS the adoption slant. That’s another preliminary step - making certain that the story has 3 or 4 strong hooks, if possible. Sometimes 2 is fine, if they are super strong.
Please share a writing Tip for our Members.
As the owner and administrator of both Rate Your Story and The Picture Book Mechanic and an Editor at Dancing Flamingo Press, I see a lot of stories. Thinking on that, a tip I want to share is to be open to the process, as well as feedback. Ideas are like seeds of stories and they are not fully-formed. They have to grow and bloom. So don’t get so stuck on your original “idea” that you prevent your story from achieving its full growth and potential. Many of the stories that get published are exactly as they started out. It’s a journey!
Share a fun fact or two about YOU!
One favorite fun fact is that in the 1980s I had a boyfriend who was a promoter in the Music Industry. As he booked Duran Duran’s first date in the US, I got to hang out with them many times and even went on vacation with them once. Of course, I got to meet many other amazing bands, as well, but Duran Duran was my favorite.
My first trip out of the US (not including Canada LOL) was when I was 18 and went to Italy. After that, I went to the UK with my music industry boyfriend and the travel bug official bit. So far, I’ve been to Bahamas (countless times), Belgium (2x), Belize (2x), Canada (many times), Cuba, Denmark (2x), Estonia, Finland, France, Grand Cayman (several times), Great Britain/England (three times), the Greek Islands (Iona, Poros, Santorini), Haiti (several times), Hawaii (The Big Island, Oahu & Maui), Holland (2x), Honduras, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Italy, Jamaica (3x), Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Yucatan), Monaco, Nova Scotia (and Cape Breton), Puerto Rico (2x), Russia, Scotland (2x) and Islands (Mull, Iona, Orkneys), Spain, St. Bart's, St. Maarten (2x), Sweden and MORE! In October I’ll be going to Romania and Bulgaria. So it’s no wonder why I became a Travel Agent!
Share Your Books
HEDGEHOG GOES TO KINDERGARTEN (January 1, 2011)
HEDGEHOG’S 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL (January 1, 2017)
LET’S EAT! MEALTIME AROUND THE WORLD (November 5, 2019)
On Kindle:
MOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE SCARES (August 6, 2019)
On Kindle:
THE STAR IN THE CHRISTMAS PLAY (October 16, 2018)
On Kindle:
Website and Social Media Links
Twitter: @Literally_Lynne
Facebook: Lynne Marie | Facebook
BIO:
Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - art by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – art by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- art by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- art by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling 2019 and Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World -- art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019), American Pie (Dancing Flamingo Press, 2022) and another forthcoming. She’s also the Owner and Administrator of RateYourStory.org and also a Travel Agent! When she’s not searching for story ideas all over the globe, she lives on a lake in South Florida with her family, a Schipperke named Anakin and several resident water birds. Visit her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com. Lynne Marie is represented by the fabulous Marisa Cleveland of www.theseymouragency.com
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