by Melissa Trempe

Thank you, Tara, for hosting me today to share the cover and backstory of my debut picture book LADYBUG LAUNCH: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY OF CHINITAS IN SPACE. It’s a story about a little chica from Chile who dreams of becoming a scientist and a chinita (ladybug) who dreams of flying to the stars. Their dreams seem out of reach, but when they refuse to give up, anything is possible. The story is based on true events and inspired by my coauthor’s high school experience. Back in 1999, Natalia Ojeda, along with her all-girls science class, convinced NASA to send their ladybug experiment to space.

Co-author Natalia Ojeda and her daughters.

When the Universe Sends You an Idea, LISTEN! 

It was 2020, and I was turning 40. When the world is shut down, how can one properly celebrate a momentous birthday? By taking a writing retreat to The Highlight’s Foundation, of course! So, there I was in cabin 15 researching insects for a humorous picture book manuscript, when something caught my eye.

Ladybugs had been to space! 

Thanks to my years of participating in Tara Lazar’s Storystorm, I knew to take note! This was a picture book waiting to happen, but I had to tuck the idea away because I was busy with another project. The universe did not appreciate that decision. In the weeks that followed, I found ladybug after ladybug in my house. Then one landed on my hand! The universe was telling me to get moving, and I was finally ready to listen.

I’m so glad I snapped this picture of that pivotal moment!

So, I got to work, and drafted a humorous story about a ladybug engineer trying to build a rocket for space. I’m a sucker for backmatter, so I started digging around the internet to learn about the real space-traveling ladybugs.

I eventually discovered that the scientist behind the experiment was an all-girls class from a modest school in Santiago, Chile…You could have knocked me out of my seat with a gentle breeze! I was shocked. And the more I read, the more inspired I became.

Timing is Everything 

An article celebrating the 20th anniversary of the launch had just been published in Chile one month before I had gotten the ladybug idea. What timing! Thanks to Google translate, I read quotes from the students (now grown women) who worked on the project. They all shared one common theme: this experience changed their lives.

Attending a university was not common in Chile, and many of the girls were from modest backgrounds. College and prestigious careers felt out of reach. Yet if they could work with NASA in high school, what else was possible?

Out of this small group of students, many of them became first generation college graduates with careers in medicine, law, psychology, engineering, science, and education.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

I scrapped my fictional ladybug manuscript and started rewriting. Now my story was about a very real class of determined Chilean girls!

Finding My Coauthor & Agent

For days on end, I scoured Facebook for the names and faces of the women in the 20th anniversary article. Fate and a bit of ladybug luck led me to find Dr. Natalia Ojeda. She was excited to tell their story and share with the world that little people can do big things, even when the odds are against them!

Melissa and Natalia meet on Zoom.

Natalia ready to help her patients in Chile.

Thanks to San Diego’s SCBWI Mayfest, I had a critique with Karen Grencik from Red Fox Literary. Luckily, I also got a 10-minute Zoom with Karen. Instead of discussing the manuscript she’d critiqued, I told her about Natalia, her amazing classmates, and ladybugs in space. Without even seeing the manuscript, Karen said, “I can sell that story. Send it to me!”

Sometimes a Story Just Isn’t Ready . . . But NEVER GIVE UP! 

There was one problem. I had only been working on the manuscript for five months. It was a baby and needed work. Karen thought it was ready to go and off it flew into editors’ inboxes. For eight months, rejections trickled in. For eight months, I kept revising. I sent revisions to Natalia, and we had my poor critique partners read the story again and again and again.

Month after month, I felt the story getting stronger. In January of 2022, I had that tingly feeling that THIS was the story, and THIS was the way it needed to be told.

Our agent was ready to start round two of submissions and we gave her the new version of LADYBUG LAUNCH. Off it flew into editors’ inboxes. Within 24 hours we had interest, and within seven days we had two offers! I was in the waiting room of an appointment when Simon & Schuster’s offer came in. I ran outside, video calling Natalia and crying!

As our manuscript continued to transform, I found dozens of ladybug pupae attached to the tree outside my kitchen transforming into adult ladybugs!

ARE YOU READY FOR A COVER REVEAL?

Illustrator Manuela Montoya created the beautiful art to help tell this inspirational story!

HERE WE GO . . .

Available for PREORDER! (Book birthday—April 16, 2024.)

Isn’t the cover lovely? Please add LADYBUG LAUNCH to your must-read list, and I hope it inspires a little person in your life to follow their dreams!

Lastly, a BIG THANK YOU TO TARA for having me today! She’s the queen of kid lit comedy and an example for us all to follow. Thank you for featuring LADYBUG LAUNCH today!

Blog readers, Melissa is giving away a picture book or chapter book critique of the first 1,000 words (fiction or nonfiction, prose or verse—no art please.)

To enter leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected in December!

Good luck!

Melissa Trempe has swum with sharks and hiked a volcano, but her greatest adventure is writing. She taught fifth and sixth grade for fourteen years, before taking a leap of faith to be a full-time author and mom extraordinaire.  If you’re in need of a critique or author visit for your school, she would love to do both!  Visit her website for more information at MelissaTrempe.com. Connect with her on Instagram @melissatrempe.author.

 

Natalia Ojeda grew up in a simple home in the southernmost country of the world: Chile. Her family had few resources, yet her faith, determination, and experience in the ladybug project helped her to overcome the odds and achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. As a mother of four girls, she wants to share her story of strength and hope with children around the world. 

Manuela Montoya was born in Medellín, Columbia. She studied graphic design and advertising in her hometown and art direction in Barcelona, Spain, where she now lives. She loves working with gouache, colored pencils, ink, and digital media. Learn more at ManuMontoya.com. 

Images provided by Melissa Trempe, Natalia Ojeda, Manuela Montoya, and Margaret K. McElderry of S&S.