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Interview with Author Norene Paulson

Authors, InterviewsLindsay Ward6 Comments

Happy Thursday Critters! Today we have an interview with author Norene Paulson, who debuted her first book, BENNY’S TRUE COLORS, illustrated by Anne Passchier, during the pandemic, quickly followed up by her second, WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR?, illustrated by Camila Carrossine, which just released this past March! So exciting! I’m thrilled to have Norene with us today to talk about her road to publication, books, and process.

So without further ado, please welcome Norene Paulson!

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Where do you live?

I live almost in the center of Iowa on a country acreage just north of Lynnville, a small town about 45 miles east of Des Moines.  

When did you know you wanted to write picture books?

I fell in love with picture books while reading Berenstain Bears books and Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter books to my young sons. I loved the merging of the words and pictures and the cadence of the sparse text as the words tumbled off my tongue.  I was the one who most often wanted to “read it again”. I’ve always loved to write and I’ve always loved to read, so at some point, it just clicked and I thought…I want to do THIS.

Tell us about your road to publication, what did that involve for you?

My road to publication was long and bumpy with a lot of detours. When I knew I wanted to write for children I signed up for a couple ICL courses where I received the encouragement I needed to believe maybe I really could do this, and because of those courses, I did. I sold nonfiction articles to multiple children’s magazines. However, once I started teaching full-time my writing lapsed. I lost contact with my magazine editors. When I decided to take start writing again, I thought back to those Berenstain Bear and Little Critter books and my original dream of writing picture books, so I joined SCBWI, found some critique partners, started submitting, and acquired piles and piles of rejections, but I didn’t quit. I took an early retirement from teaching in 2017 and that’s when things took off…literally three decades after I decided I wanted to write picture books. In Feb. 2018, I landed an agent through #PBPitch and in less than 6 weeks, my debut story, BENNY’S TRUE COLORS, sold to Imprint/Macmillan. 

Can you share a bit about your process?

Sure, it’s a bit hit ‘n miss. I’m a big-time procrastinator so an idea will spin around in my head for quite a while until I have mentally fleshed out a rough beginning, middle, and end. Then it’s time for the first draft which takes as long as it takes. Some are drafted quickly. Others not so much. Once the first draft is done (huge sigh of relief) the fun begins…revising. After feedback from various critique groups, I revise, rewrite, revise, and rewrite for as long as it takes to shape the idea into a polished story. 

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

New ideas usually globber me over the head. Something I see, read, or hear sparks an idea. I never know when it will happen so have to be prepared to jot it down when it does or it’s gone. I envy people who are creative enough to elicit ideas “on demand”. Needless to say, I’m not a good candidate for any story idea-generating challenges.

Anything you can’t live without while you write?

My laptop. When I started writing I wrote all my drafts in long-hand but can’t even imagine doing that now. I also enjoy tea…hot or iced depending on the season.

Any authors and/or illustrators who inspire you?

The kidlit world is filled with so many amazingly talented authors and illustrators I couldn’t list them all. However, my critique partners are the writers who keep me writing. Reading their early drafts and witnessing the process of how they develop those into amazing picture books is what keeps me inspired and motivated. It’s a privilege to be a small part of that process, and their spot-on feedback keeps me moving forward with my own writing.

Dream project to work on?

I’d love to do a sequel to WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? maybe even a series. I’ve developed quite a fondness for Bea, the main character, and would love to see where other adventures take her and her BBF Shaleah.

Tell us about your debut book.

My debut picture book, BENNY’S TRUE COLORS, released in Nov. 2020 and is the story of Benny, a bat, who knows inside he’s really a butterfly. This book highlights friendship, inclusion, empowerment, and living authentically. In simplest term--don’t judge someone by their outward appearance.

My second book, WHAT SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? released March 23 and it, too, is a story of empowerment, friendship, and inclusion. Bea, a girl with alopecia, has to figure out a way to participate in her school’s Silly Hair Day when she doesn’t have any hair. 

Interior art from WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? by Norene Paulson, illustrated by Camila Carrossine

Interior art from WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? by Norene Paulson, illustrated by Camila Carrossine

Interior art from WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? by Norene Paulson, illustrated by Camila Carrossine

Interior art from WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? by Norene Paulson, illustrated by Camila Carrossine

What’s up next for you?

I’m back out on submission with several newer manuscripts. Very excited about several in-person events I have scheduled this summer. Since both books published during the pandemic, I missed out on traditional book promoting opportunities, so really looking forward to being out among people (masked, of course).

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

Ha! Seems like the only 1980s movies I watched were kids’ movies. Ghostbusters is probably the one I watched the most simply because my boys loved everything Ghostbusters My personal favorite movie is a 1999 movie, The Sixth Sense. I was literally dumbfounded by the ending. I didn’t catch any of the foreshadowing. 

Thanks so much for featuring me on Critter Lit. It’s been fun!


Huge thank you to Norene for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on your back to back releases! We can’t wait to see what you write next!


NORENE PAULSON loves words. As a former language arts teacher, she was fortunate to share that love with middle school students in a rural Iowa school district for almost twenty years. Now, as a picture book author, she writes stories that celebrate friendship, acceptance, and inclusion. She is the author of BENNY’S TRUE COLORS (Macmillan/Imprint, November 2020) and WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR? (Albert Whitman, March 2021). Norene lives on an acreage with her husband and rescue pup, Ellie, and when she isn’t reading or writing, you will find her playing—you guessed it! —word games.

Visit Norene online at: www.norenepaulson.com

Or follow her on social media:

Instagram - nrpaulson

Twitter - NorenePaulson

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy Norene’s books click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a copy of WHAT’S SILLY HAIR DAY WITH NO HAIR?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, June 24th! US addresses only please.

Interview with Debut Author Monique Fields

Authors, Debut Interviews, InterviewsLindsay Ward1 Comment

Happy Thursday Critters! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season with family and friends. I’m very excited to share today’s interview with debut author Monique Fields!

In addition to writing picture books, Monique is an incredibly accomplished journalist, with essays appearing in Ebony magazine, NPR’s All Things Considered, and TheRoot.com. Her debut picture book, HONEYSMOKE: A STORY OF FINDING YOUR COLOR, illustrated by Yesenia Moises, will release on January 8, 2019. Monique’s debut is a wonderful book that encourages children to find and create their own identity in the world.

So without further ado, please welcome Monique Fields!

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Where do you live?

I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the University of Alabama. 

When did you know you wanted to write picture books?

I was a journalist for about 20 years, and I always have enjoyed writing. After I had my girls and read a trillion picture books over and over again at bedtime, I started to think I could write one, too.

Tell us about your road to publication, what did that involve for you?

Oh, I don’t know if this blog post is long enough. It’s been a long, winding road. I wrote a manuscript, but I didn’t really know how to write a children’s book. There was a learning curve as I figured out page turns and the other mechanics of writing for children. As a journalist, I didn’t know much about critique groups. I had to find one. When I couldn’t find one in my hometown, I started a digital group. After I polished off a few manuscripts with the help critiques from writers, agents, and editors at SCBWI events, I still had to find an agent. Thank goodness Kevin O’Connor took a chance on me. That’s the short version. Whew!

Can you share a bit about your process?

I mine my life and the lives of others for ideas. I can see a potential picture book in almost anything I witness during the course of the day. When something strikes me as interesting, I write it down in my electronic notebook. 

When it comes to writing, I get the beginning and the ending on the page first. That’s a throwback to my journalism days. The hardest part is in the middle.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

Read. When I read, I am inspired. 

Anything you can’t live without while you write?

Chocolate and Twizzlers.

Any authors and/or illustrators who inspire you?

There are two author/illustrators whose work I truly adore: Yuyi Morales and Vashti Harrison. Both bring such dreamy intricacies to their work. Oh, how I wish I could draw and tell a beautiful story. 

Dream project to work on?

I’d love to work with Tracee Ellis Ross and Serena Williams on pretty much anything. 

Tell us about your debut book.

HONEYSMOKE is about a little girl who discovers her very own color. Simone, the main character, looks around her world to find her place in it. Her skin color is not like any of her friends at school or her parents. So, what is her color? She chooses one of her own, and creates a new word: Honeysmoke. It wrote the book so that all children can create their own identity. 

What inspired you to write your debut book?

The manuscript that became HONEYSMOKE started as a question from my three-year-old daughter: Who am I? She didn’t ask her question in such succinct terms, but that’s exactly what she wanted to know. I was surprised and a little disappointed when I couldn’t provide a satisfying answer. 

What is Honeysmoke?

Honeysmoke is my childhood nickname, and it is the color of my skin. When I was growing up, I decided that my mother, a light-skinned black woman, was the honey and that my father, a dark-skinned black man, was the smoke. I was the same as my parents but also different. 

How did your nickname become a children’s picture book?

As I considered how I could help my biracial daughter understand the complexities of race, I turned to my childhood nickname. She was the same as her father and me but also different. She had inherited qualities from us, and she would soon discover that she had some of her very own, that she was more than what she looked like on the outside. The little girl who inspired HONEYSMOKE is now a teenager, and she continues to discover her world and her place in it.

What’s up next for you?

Well, I hope to be a nonfiction picture book author soon. That’s all I can say about it for now. 

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

The answer to this question is going to date me. Purple Rain is my favorite 80s movie.


Huge thank you to Monique for stopping by Critter Lit today! We can’t wait to see HONEYSMOKE out in the world!


Monique Fields is an award-winning journalist. Her essays about race and identity have appeared on air, in print, and online, including NPR’s All Things Considered, Ebony magazine, and TheRoot.com. She is the founder and editor of Honeysmoke.com, a site for parents raising multiracial children. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Monique and her work visit her website: www.MoniqueFields.com or follow her on Twitter @honeysmokeblog

TO ORDER Monique’s debut book, ring up your local bookstore, or click here.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Want a chance to win a copy of HONESMOKE?! Comment on this post or share it on Twitter. One lucky winner will be selected Thursday, January 3rd! US addresses only please.

What's up on deck? Tune in next week for a Critter Lit Craft Post to kick off the new year!