Happy Thursday Critters! Today on Critter Lit we have an interview with Melanie Ellsworth whose debut picture book, CLARINET AND TRUMPET, illustrated by John Herzog, comes out March 2021 with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Originally slated to come out this week, the release date has been changed to next year. So please make sure to preorder a copy and support Melanie’s debut book!
I love a punny book and this one is full of them! It also features a music-making shaker built into the book for an interactive component. You can join the orchestra too! How fun is that?!
So without further ado, please welcome Melanie Ellsworth to Critter Lit!
Where do you live?
In mid-coast Maine in an old house with an old barn attached.
When did you know you wanted to write picture books?
I’ve always loved picture books at every age and stage of my life. During my teen years, I toted a bag of favorite picture books with me to every babysitting gig, and later I shared them while teaching ESOL and doing literacy coaching. Just for fun, while traveling through Kenya in my twenties, I wrote (and a friend illustrated) a picture book inspired by our time spent in the Kakamega Rainforest. When my daughter was born years later, I got inspired to finally follow that dream of writing picture books, and I wrote after work and during my daughter’s naps.
Tell us about your road to publication, what did that involve for you?
When I first started seriously writing in 2012, I joined SCBWI and quickly found a wonderful local critique group. For a time, I was actually in three critique groups! That got to be a bit much, so now I’m part of two groups. I attended the New England SCBWI conference and found a community of writers there as well, and I followed several writers on-line. There are so many brilliant blogs out there about the industry and the craft of writing. In February 2017, I was fortunate enough to get a three-month mentorship with picture book author Beth Ferry through the “Writing with the Stars” contest, and that experience gave me confidence to keep querying agents and editors. Then in September 2017, at the “Agents Editors Writers” conference in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, an editor from HMH expressed enthusiasm for my picture book Clarinet & Trumpet when it was read anonymously during the slush-pile panel. I sent the book to that editor after the conference, got a revision request, revised and re-sent it, and got a contract in June 2018! From there, I signed with my agent, and sold a second picture book to HMH. Those books are coming out in August 2020 and February 2021, and we have several more books on submission now.
What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?
For me, I think the most effective thing to do is just to keep writing. When I’m not working on something new, I don’t feel as energized. Ideas come to me at any time of day, often in the form of silly titles involving puns. Some of them work better than others when I try to turn them into picture books!
Tell us about your debut book:
My debut book, Clarinet & Trumpet, illustrated by John Herzog, is somewhat autobiographical. I played the clarinet in bands and orchestras for many years and noticed a friendly rivalry between the woodwinds and brass. My book is about a friendship between Clarinet and Trumpet that falls flat when they divide into factions but reignites when they realize that every instrument and every section must come together to make the music amazing. I had a blast putting lots of musical puns into this book. I hope readers enjoy the friendship story while also learning about the different instruments and sections in an orchestra. John Herzog really made the characters come alive with his vibrant illustrations!
And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?:
It’s a tie between Stand By Me and Back to the Future. (As a Mainer, I have to lean towards Stand By Me since it’s based on a story written by Stephen King!)
Huge thank you to Melanie for stopping by Critter Lit today! We are so excited for your debut! Congrats!
Melanie Ellsworth dreams and writes in lovely mid-coast Maine, where her family (especially the dog), provides daily inspiration for her picture books. Her debut book, Clarinet & Trumpet, illustrated by John Herzog, comes out with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in March 2021, followed by Hip, Hip…Beret!, illustrated by Morena Forza.
WANT TO KNOW MORE about Melanie or her books, visit her online at www.MelanieEllsworth.com or follow her on social media:
Twitter (@melanieells)
Instagram (@melaniebellsworth)
BUY THIS BOOK To order a copy of Melanie’s new picture book, CLARINET AND TRUMPET, illustrated by John Herzog, click here.
WIN A COPY! Want to win a copy of CLARINET AND TRUMPET?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, September 3rd! US addresses only please.