3 Question Interview - LYNNE MARIE

I'm so happy to highlight my friend, Lynne Marie! She is a prolific author and also a shining light and mentor in the kidlit community. Her wonderful new book, THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE ROCKET PROJECT, illustrated by Wendy Fedan, is a clever mix of many ideas. Lynne Marie shares about her inspiration, and discusses stories . . . creativity . . . and connection. Welcome, Lynne Marie!

STORIES – Discuss the inspiration for your ideas and stories, and share the process about your latest projects.

In many ways, ideas are like butterflies, flitting around here, there, and everywhere. To capture them, a writer only needs to see their beauty and write them down. I think the harder part is to figure out which ones they will be able to take and make fly. Some will, some won’t. It’s all part of the process. However, it’s a hope that writers will choose and spend time on the ideas that are most viable.

I do feel that over the years, I have gotten better at identifying more viable ideas. These might be described as a combination of that which you love and are knowledgeable and/or passionate about AND that which has hooks and will sell.

In my latest publication, The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project, I was inspired by so many things I love (Fairy tales, Pigs, Wolves, Building, Creativity, and Rockets), and two that I thought would sell (STEM [Science Technology Engineering and Math] and SEL [Social Emotional Learning]). As you can see - a combination of those things exactly! The plot was inspired, in part, by my love for the tale of The Three Little Pigs, a nod to my brother shooting off a rocket in the living room when we were kids, and my daughter Kayla’s rocket science project.

CREATIVITY -- How do you showcase your creative side through writing/illustrating and other pursuits?

I feel like, for the most part, my creativity lies in finding a seed for an idea and bringing it to life. So writing (and sometimes drawing) and also Mentoring and Critiquing allow me to showcase that talent. For example, I am always happy to share my words and ideas with Mentees which has led to a very successful critiquing and mentoring service. I love the challenge of helping fix stories that don’t fly! Kind of like an airplane mechanic :)

CONNECTION -- How do you connect to your young readers through your writing/illustrating, and how do you stay connected to the KidLit community?

I connect with my readers by sharing my love of the magic of childhood and trying to help them navigate the mishaps. I connect with the public through my rating and feedback service (www.rateyourstory.org), my critique and mentoring service (www.thepicturebookmechanic.com), my column in Children’s Book Insider (www.writeforkids.org), as a Judge for Cybils (www.cybils.com), and also through my participation in many KidLit events.

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 and Scholastic 2019) and Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World -- art by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project -- art by Wendy Fedan (Mac and Cheese Press 2022), American Pie (Dancing Flamingo Press 2022), There Was a Blue Whale Who Tangled with Plastic (Dancing Flamingo Press 2023) and more, forthcoming. She’s also the Owner and Administrator of RateYourStory.org and www.ThePictureBookMechanic.com, an Editor/Columnist at Children's Book Insider, a Cybils Round 1 Picture Book and Board Book Judge since 2016 and a Travel Agent. She currently 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 Marisa Cleveland of www.theseymouragency.com