Leslie Patricelli is an author/illustrator with more than 4 million books in print. The following is her interview with Cracking the Cover for her debut middle-grade novel, The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds Under Frogs.
Why do you write/illustrate? Why specifically for young people?
I can’t not write and illustrate! I tried to do other things for work and somehow I’d always end up illustrating or writing. It turned out that I was better at writing and drawing than any job I was trying to do. For example, I worked as a nanny, but soon, I began working for the family drawing illustrations for the product catalog for their business instead. I got a job selling climbing gear in a retail store, and soon I was off the floor writing and illustrating ads for the company!
I also realized through my work experience, that I liked to both write AND illustrate — not just one or the other. For a while, I worked as a direct mail copywriter. I loved copywriting, but I wished I could draw at work, too. Later, I got a job at Microsoft creating and animating characters. I loved drawing and animating, but realized I missed writing. Creating children’s books is a perfect job for someone who likes to both write and illustrate.
Wanting to write for kids came naturally to me. I’d always loved picture books and had them in my bookshelf all through high school. I also have always had an affinity toward kids. Not only that, but I’m one of those people who’d rather act like a kid than a responsible adult. When I worked at Microsoft, my office mate, Kevan Atteberry, was an illustrator, and he was working toward writing children’s books (he is now the author of I Love You More than the Smell of Swamp Gas, among other funny children’s books). Kevan made the vague notion that I’d had of writing and illustrating children’s books seem more concrete, so he helped me start along that path.
I was trying to break into children’s books before I had a baby of my own, but as it turned out, it wasn’t until I had a baby that I started picking children’s book topics that were more relevant to kids than adults. When my son, Beck, was a toddler, he was constantly putting things in his mouth, or not putting the food I’d just made him into his mouth. I found myself saying Yummy and Yucky a lot. So that’s how my first published book, Yummy Yucky was born and my career was finally launched. Beck is eighteen now!
Best Buds Under Frogs is your first middle-grade novel. Why did you decide to write for “older” readers?
I had a story to tell! I had it in my mind a long time ago that I’d like to write a book about my own fourth grade experience. For me, fourth grade was the year that I moved to a new school. Because everything was new (and I threw up on the playground on the first day at my new school, and met my life-long best friend), I remembered fourth grade more vividly than other years of school. As I looked back, I always thought of fourth grade as my favorite year of school. Fourth grade is a fascinating transition year for kids, because they still have fun playing and imagining, but are starting to grow up and have more freedom at the same time.
Where did the idea for Best Buds Under Frogs come from?
Best Buds Under Frogs came from my own experience. When I first wrote it, it was a series of many of the stories that I remembered from moving to a new house on a lake, and starting at a new school. I dug deep into my memories and was faithful to my own journey. But, when I began to work with my editor, she encouraged me to create more of an overall plot. At this point, I started breaking from reality to create a better story, which got the creative juices flowing! Lily is based on myself, and Darby is based on my best friend, Dianne. Ultimately, I decided to create a story about how the two best friends met. Because a story needs conflict, I decided to add Jill as Darby’s old best friend who had moved away. Jill is based on another one of my best friends from grade school, Michelle. Michelle always had all sorts of not-so-good ideas! She was a perfect inspiration for Jill.
Lily’s voice is very distinct. How did her character develop?
Lily’s voice emerged naturally as soon as I began writing. I have a self-deprecating sense of humor like Lily. I suppose her voice is my voice! I was also extremely shy as a kid, so I know what that feels like. I decided to focus on Lily’s shyness, because it is the root of many of her actions, like her hesitancy to stand up for what she thinks is right. In the end, Lily does a much better job of standing up for herself and her beliefs than I ever did. I just wanted to blend in and not cause waves. My editor told me, “This is your chance to do things right!” So, Lily got to make better decisions than I might have in real life.
Why do you think Best Buds Under Frogs will resonate with readers?
I hope kids can relate to my characters and the situations they are going through. Not only did I draw from my own fourth grade experience in writing Best Buds Under Frogs, but, because it took me so long to write it, I got to watch all three of my kids pass through fourth grade during the process! I witnessed first-hand their friend situations and their school environment, so hopefully it will ring true to my readers!
Take me through your creative process.
My creative process always starts with an idea, which usually comes out of nowhere when I’m spacing out, most likely in the shower, on a walk by myself, doing the dishes, or doing some other mindless activity. Once an idea comes to me, if I like it, I start to think thinking about it until it starts to gel. Sometimes I will carry an idea around for quite a while before I put it to paper, or I might make a quick note on my phone or in a sketchpad and come back to it later.
When I find the time, I get out my sketch book and start writing and drawing my idea on paper. Actually, scribbling is a better description; my sketchbooks are full of scribbled out words and bad drawings! If I keep at it, eventually my idea will solidify and then I can decide whether it’s an idea that I want to pursue. I have to be fond of my idea, because I know that if I follow through with it to publication, I will spend a long time with it!
Once I’ve got something solid in my sketchbook, I will transfer it to my computer, by typing out text, and scanning in drawings. I begin working digitally at that point, where it’s easy to experiment. After I start working on my book with my publisher, my creative process has to open up to accept feedback from my editor and art director. That’s often difficult. Imagine sending your co-workers a freshly baked pie, that you think is perfect, and having them tell you that the crust could be flakier, and the filling refined to taste better, and you’d better try again! It’s hard to take feedback, and get to work improving everything. Sometimes I may have to set it aside for a while to decide if I like the ideas they are suggesting, or if I like my original ideas better, or if there is something new to try. It’s a collaboration.
What’s harder to create — picture or middle grade?
Creating this middle grade book was much harder for me than putting together a board book. I had never written a novel before, and after doing draft after draft, I realized that I didn’t really know how to create a plot! I found lots of books on writing and attempted to teach myself. Once I got an idea of how to map a plot, I was able to make myself an outline for my story. Having structure helped guide me in my writing and self-editing. To help give me even more structure, I decided that my manuscript couldn’t be more than 30,000 words. I edited and edited until I reached my 30,000 word goal. That helped me tighten everything up. I’m looking forward to jumping into my next middle grade novel (another Rizzlerunk Club book), to see if the process goes much quicker this time. I learned a lot writing my first novel!
Creating the art for picture books and board books is more difficult than creating the illustrations for my middle grade novel, though. On the middle grade book, I scan sketches and finish them on the computer, on my picture books, I go one step further and paint the final art. Painting takes a long time and is a daunting job. For example, I usually do two board books at once, which adds up to about 52 individual paintings, and I am most often on a tight deadline.
What are you working on now?
I am just finishing up the art for two new board books, called Big Kid Bed and Tooth. I grew up with a dentist dad and hygienist mom (just like Lily in Best Buds Under Frogs), so Tooth is an especially fun topic for me! After I send away the final art for my two board books, I will start composing the next Rizzlerunk Club book!
Is there a book from your own youth that still resonates with you today?
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was my favorite book around that age. I loved reading it to my kids, too. It’s hilarious. I love how Judy Bloom includes so many memorable and shocking moments, like when Fudge knocks his teeth out, or eats his brother’s pet turtle. Judy Blume isn’t too sentimental toward kids; she tells it like it is. Amazingly, she can write for any age equally effectively. I’ve enjoyed the books she writes for all different age levels.
P.S. Thank you for writing Potty. It was a big help for my daughter!
I’m glad it helped! When I first wrote Potty, all the baby was doing was deciding where to go potty. My editor, encouraged me to add more emotion, so I tried to get inside a toddler’s head and imagine the thought process. I think that the emotion is what kids can relate to the most. And saying “tinkle, tinkle toot” is pretty fun, too!