Katzenberger: Fear & Friendship in IT WILL BE OK
We loved Lisa Katzenberger’s first picture book National Regular Average Ordinary Day, so when we heard she had a new picture book out this month from Sourcebooks Kids we were excited to interview her.
It Will Be OK, a story of empathy, kindness and friendship, is about an anxious, overwhelmed giraffe and his loyal zebra friend, whose patience and presence help him face his greatest fear head-on.
WU: How did this book begin?
I love telling the story of It Will Be Ok’s beginning. It began with a photoshopped image of a giraffe in a tree that was posted on Twitter with a challenge to caption the photo. I was hooked!
WU: What made you want to tell this story at this time?
The theme of the story—that we can be afraid of things that appear very small to others but feel very big to us—seems obvious to me now. But I don’t think I knew what I was trying to say until many, many revisions into the writing. I had some feedback in critiques that the story didn’t make sense, what would make a giraffe afraid of a little spider? And why does he have to say he is worried? But I fought against that, trying to hold true to what I wanted to express. I realize now what I was trying to do was show kids that it’s OK to have fears that others might find irrational and that identifying and naming those emotions is an important part of working through them.
WU: What was your journey to your first publication?
I wanted to be a writer since I was in grade school. I loved, loved, loved books from a young age and had a wild imagination. I remember my first introduction to creative writing in third grade. I wrote page after page about a haunted house—the story just poured out of me! Then I took creative writing electives and classes in junior high, high school, and college. I even took classes at night after I graduated college and began a career in technical writing. My first publication was a short story titled Mustard in 2003.
WU: You have tried different types of writing. What made you fall in love with writing picture books?
Photo Credit: Kathy Crane Photography
After having a few short stories published, I started writing novels, which I found super difficult. But once I had my kids and took them to storytimes at the library, the picture book format just hooked me. I found it fascinating (and an interesting challenge!) to tell a full story in a mere 500 words. Watching how my kids engaged with a book and were captivated by the illustrations, combined with the sweetness of snuggling up to read together, my heart melted as I read picture book after picture book. As my kids got older, I wrote a chapter book. I keep wondering if I will venture into middle grade as that’s what they are reading now! My kids are my biggest inspiration.
WU: How do picture book ideas usually come to you?
Oh, I get ideas in lots of different ways! I love to travel with my family (pre-pandemic) and I use that to gather inspiration for story settings. I also like to take walks and let my mind wander and see what pops in. And of course, the silly things my kids say has led to more than one idea.
WU: Picture books are a visual as well as a written medium. What are ways you’ve acknowledged that visual composition in writing this book?
With this book, I thought more about the pagination process. I wanted a certain amount of text to be on the last page—just two sentences— so I asked for some changes. I was a little worried about seeming picky, but I wrote out an explanation about my reasoning (that was probably too long) and the final result of that last spread is just perfect!
WU: What advice would you give others interested in writing picture books?
First, read a lot of picture books. Get them by the armfuls from the library. And be sure to read picture books that have been published in the past 2-3 years, so you see what the market is doing now. Join organizations like SCBWI to learn your craft and understand the inner workings of the publishing industry.
Illustrations by Jaclyn Sinquett.
WU: How are you promoting the book in the pandemic world we now live in?
I am sharing about my book on social media (mostly my twitter and Instagram accounts) and doing a lot of virtual events. I did a storytime with. I also do and participated in World Read Aloud Day!
Up next, Katzenberger is working on a chapter book series and more picture book manuscripts, including her first foray into NonFiction.
Learn more about It Will Be OK and Katzenberger’s other books through the links below. Click here to watch a virtual storytime available on Barbara’s Bookstores’ YouTube channel. Katzenberger is also available for virtual school visits
Find out more at www.lisakatzenberger.com
