by Jennifer Buchet and Little Medusa
A few Novembers ago, I was inspired to write a picture book story about snakes. Snakes are—
Little Medusa: Beautiful! Amazing! And very cuddly.
Actually, I was about to say that snakes rattle lots of people. They’re squeamish because…well…
The hissing. The slithering. The fork-tongues.
LM: Awww, how cute!
Not to everyone! But that’s the thing, Li’l Medusa. After attending a reptile show with my daughter at our local library, I…
LM: Best. Show. Ever!
…I wanted people to know that snakes are really fascinating. Did you know that snakes smell with their tongues?
LM: Of course! Snake are sssssuper sssmellers!
I drafted a story about pet snakes, but it needed more sparkle and less fang. Around the same time, I discovered PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) was reformatting to Storystorm, and that come January, there’d be a whole new set of inspirational writing tips and tricks. Definitely something to look forward to because the holidays were knocking impatiently at the door. Instead of drafting stories, I was juggling magazine deadlines and planning the annual holiday party menu.
LM: Yummy! Did you serve buggy burritos?
Not quite (this party is rather swanky). I desperately wanted to vamp up the menu. Yes, tempura shrimp is delish, but having it at every special occasion “because it’s a tradition!” was constricting my appetite. With editors to please and taste buds to appease, I turned to mundane housework to alleviate the stress. Whilst sorting socks and sweaters, a real live mini-Medusa skipped into the laundry room.
LM: She didn’t turn you to stone, did she?
No, but she did scare me! This mini-Medusa was actually my daughter with a headful of tangled, knotted, serpentine-looking hair.
LM: Mama said I’d get used to traditional Gorgon hair but I don’t like Addie on my head.
Well in that moment, several events converged at once and I knew I had a tale about a Gorgon girl challenged by eons of family tradition.
LM: Oh, that’s me!! Just like you didn’t want shrimp, I didn’t want snakes in my hair!
Exactly. But I wasn’t sure how to morph this meatball of an idea into a grand bolognaise sauce. How would I make one of the most villainous figures in Greek mythology kid-friendly? I turned to Storystorm for tips on humorous writing and how to find the funny.
LM: My great-times-eight Granny Medusa is not funny. She was scary and mean. I don’t want to turn things to stone with a stare.
Nor do you like having Addie slither through your hair.
LM: Nope! Stony stares and slithering hair are not my kind of tradition. They’re more like pythonic problems!
Every day, I read the guest post and partook in the Storystorm exercise; you never know what new idea might happen, from a jazzy sentence or title, to a brand new story idea! By the end of January, not only did I have a bunch of new ideas, I also knew exactly where I was taking Little Medusa’s tale. I’m not sure where I’d be without Storystorm!
LM: Not having Storystorm? Now that’s a pythonic problem for you!
Absolutely! And the rest they say is hissss-story! Thanks to this wonderful, supportive and wise kidlit community, LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA is now on shelves, and in the hands and hearts of littles.
LM: Can we play Snakes ‘n Ladders now?
Sure!
LM: Hissy kissies, everyone!
P.S. The menu did include Tempura Shrimp—with Blood Orange Sauce!
Some days Jennifer Buchet rocks her own tangled Gorgon ‘do, but hopefully you won’t find a snake sliding through her hair! She’s an award-winning author, pre-kindergarten educator and self-proclaimed foodie. Her kidlit career officially started in 2011, writing for Cricket Media. Today, she’s a feature contributor for Faces magazine while also creating new picture books, chapter books and yummy recipes.
Her debut picture book, LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork Publishing, May 2021) illustrated by Cassie Chancy, is on shelves now.
You can swap tales & recipes with Jennifer at buchetbooks.wixsite.com/mysite or on Twitter @Yangmommy.
You can easily support authors by leaving book reviews, asking libraries to carry their books and of course, purchasing their stories.
39 comments
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June 10, 2021 at 1:11 pm
Fern Glazer
What a fun story about your fun story! Ssss-pectacular.
June 11, 2021 at 4:08 pm
yangmommy
Glad you enjoyed it all, Fern! (And I love your name!)
June 10, 2021 at 1:13 pm
rindabeach
Great interview! I love reading the story behind the story. Thanks for sharing Little Medusa’s and yours!
June 11, 2021 at 4:08 pm
yangmommy
Thanks so much, Rinda; you’ve been a great support on our journey!
June 10, 2021 at 1:20 pm
Jilanne Hoffmann
My son (at the age of 17) is a 6’4″ Medusa. Perhaps I should give him this book and brush? Fun and funny interview!
June 11, 2021 at 4:09 pm
yangmommy
Hahahaha! Will you give him a tiny serpent, too? 🙂
June 10, 2021 at 1:28 pm
goodtimegreatstory
Love it! Congrats on this great story. We have had pet snakes for many years. My sons would agree that they are nice and cuddly. 😆 And, honestly, they do make great pets. Nice to leave for a family vacation and know that the snake will be fine…unlike the many goldfish we’ve lost over the years!
June 11, 2021 at 4:10 pm
yangmommy
Awww, the goldfish, LOL! Maybe your snake should vakay with you one time? 🙂
June 10, 2021 at 2:00 pm
readmybook2002
Talk about a bad hair day. Thank you Tara for Storystorm. Thank You Jennifer for making a great story.
June 11, 2021 at 4:11 pm
yangmommy
Glad you enjoyed!
June 10, 2021 at 2:26 pm
Teresa Rodrigues
Congrats, Jennifer! This sounds like a fun story. 🙂
June 11, 2021 at 4:11 pm
yangmommy
Thank you Teresa!
June 10, 2021 at 2:49 pm
kathydoherty1
This post made me smile! Such a darling cover.
June 11, 2021 at 4:11 pm
yangmommy
Awww, so nice to hear! 🙂
June 10, 2021 at 2:50 pm
chardixon47
Congratulations Jennifer! Love this fun, backstory interview. I’m looking forward to reading your book!
June 11, 2021 at 4:12 pm
yangmommy
Little Medusa & I hope you enjoy the read!
June 10, 2021 at 3:26 pm
audiencedog
I’ve always loved Perseus’ story but now we have Medusa’s side of things (sorta)! Can’t wait to read this one.
June 11, 2021 at 4:12 pm
yangmommy
Everyone has their own side to story, even Little Medusa’s snake! Hope you enjoy!
June 10, 2021 at 3:55 pm
aliciaminor
Yikes! Snakes! But let’s celebrate snakes and Jen for this picture book. I can imagine the funny illustrations. Congrats Jen. More books to come.
June 11, 2021 at 4:14 pm
yangmommy
Addie is definitely a snake you’ll grow to love! 🙂
June 10, 2021 at 4:10 pm
Bethanny Parker
Sounds interesting.
June 11, 2021 at 4:14 pm
yangmommy
Thanks!!
June 10, 2021 at 5:31 pm
Claire A. B. Freeland
So fun! Thanks for this great piece. And best wishes on LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA.
June 11, 2021 at 4:15 pm
yangmommy
Thank you so much, Claire! We all love a snuggle cuddle with a good read!
June 11, 2021 at 12:38 pm
viviankirkfield
Hurray for finding peace with the hair you were born with! It took me 70+ years, but I finally did. 😉
Love the book, Jenny…and thanks for a great interview, Tara!
June 11, 2021 at 4:16 pm
yangmommy
I’m still finding peace with mine 😉 Thanks for stopping by!!
June 11, 2021 at 5:33 pm
annette schottenfeld
So much fun! Fabulous interview Jen (and Little Medusa)! 🙂
June 14, 2021 at 9:28 pm
yangmommy
So glad you enjoyed chatting with us!! 🙂
June 12, 2021 at 8:11 am
chaunceyelephant
Perfect book for my middle granddaughter – can’t wait to share it with her!
June 14, 2021 at 9:29 pm
yangmommy
Fantastic! Sure hope she enjoys it 🙂
June 12, 2021 at 12:22 pm
authorlaurablog
Great interview! You know I had to muster my courage to read it. 🤦🏼♀️
June 14, 2021 at 9:29 pm
yangmommy
Hahaha! If I can walk into a room w/ an 8ft albino python, you can read this 🙂 So glad you stopped by!
June 15, 2021 at 5:09 pm
authorlaurablog
You are so much braver than I am!
June 12, 2021 at 8:10 pm
seschipper
Excellent interview!!! Can’t wait to read this tale!!! 🙂
June 14, 2021 at 9:30 pm
yangmommy
Thanks so much!!
June 14, 2021 at 3:02 pm
Abby Wooldridge
Love this post! Awesome voice and wonderful puns! Congratulations on your debut! Can’t wait to read it! 🙂
June 14, 2021 at 9:31 pm
yangmommy
Thank you so much Abby, esp the compliment re voice 🙂
June 16, 2021 at 9:13 am
Nancy Ferguson
Ah, you have ignited my language this morning. What a terrific post on how to wrangle ideas into a story! Thank you!!!
June 18, 2021 at 4:20 pm
yangmommy
Aww, that’s so cool! Glad I could help you wrangle up some words 🙂