by Heidi EY Stemple

My new book begins, The night before play rehearsals began, Janie couldn’t sleep.

It is now just days before my new book comes out, and like Janie, I can’t sleep. Not because I am nervous. Like Janie before the play, I can’t sleep because I am excited! I know. I know. I am not supposed to pick a favorite book. This one is, in fact, my 42nd published book. But, the subject of this book does mean it is just a little more special than the others. But, don’t tell them. I don’t want their feelings hurt! Little Janie grew up to be Jane Yolen—my mom, author of close to 450 books, mostly for children, including the Caldecott winning OWL MOON and the NYT best-selling HOW DO DINOSAURS series. It’s her origin story. It’s about her first big success as a writer. And it’s as true as anyone could write a story about someone who tells stories for a living. So, while I filled in some fuzzy details to make a book, it all hangs on the armature of the stories she has been telling me for years.

While it is clear now that my mom was always going to become a writer, there are many things that happened in her past that helped make that eventuality a reality. Firstly, her parents allowed her free access to all the books in the house. She read widely, even stuff she was too young to understand. She always credits this literary freedom as the beginning of her love of stories—especially fairy tales, adventure stories, anything Arthurian, and Alice In Wonderland. This free access to books also, she says, broadened her vocabulary and made her reach for new and interesting words and language at a very young age.

Another aspect of her early childhood as a writer that was important to add into the story was her teacher, Mrs. Jiler. “She was one of the very best teachers I ever had. She was wonderful. I don’t even think she knew how wonderful she was.” When I asked what made her the best, my mom didn’t hesitate. “She listened to the children. She encouraged us to be smarter and better. I think that how I teach writing now has a lot to do with how Mrs. Jiler ran her classroom. Everyone had a chance to do their very best—to do something great.”

And, wow, did she do something great.

What’s it feel like, trying to honor the woman who is considered America’s Hans Christian Andersen (“Hans Jewish Andersen,” she corrects) with a picture book about her? Daunting. But, it helps that she likes it. In fact, I first read the manuscript to her when she was recovering from surgery. I hadn’t told her I was working on it, so it was a complete surprise. After a page or two, she smiled and said “I’m little Janie!” When I finished, we talked about the details that I had fleshed out from pure imagination. She told me about Mrs. Jiler and more about her neighborhood. She confirmed things and recited all the names of her classmates, some of whom made it into the book. I removed the stuff I made up and added in real facts.

I presented the manuscript to editor Yolanda Scott at Charlesbridge. She seemed to like the idea when I handed it to her (yes—a physical manuscript!) but, recently I asked her what she really thought. I’m not sure I was prepared for her answer!  “I thought—oh no—a family anecdote. What are the chances it’s a picture book?” Thankfully, Yo didn’t stop there.  “My second thought once I read it: Wow—a family anecdote that makes for a great picture book story about becoming a writer! Written by one accomplished writer in tribute of her accomplished writer-mom! The marketing campaign wrote itself for this one.” This is exactly why I chose Yo as my one and only submission.

On to the revision… The hardest part of writing this book was the revision. My mom has been making me revise my work since I was in elementary school. I am, to be sure, an experienced revisor (revisionist?). I consider it my superpower and lecture on the process. But, in this book, I got stuck. I tried. I worked with Yolanda’s astute notes. I struggled. I made changes. I kicked the wall. I cried. I talked to my friends and critique partners. Then, I did the smart thing—I talked to my mom. I said, “I can’t do it. I don’t think Yo likes the book. I think she is sorry she bought it. She wants an entirely different book.” And my mom said—wise woman that she is—“talk to Yo.”

I emailed Yo and said “I don’t think you like this book. I think you wish you didn’t buy this book.” She called me within 10 minutes. Yo is wise, too. She said to me, “Heidi, this is revision. It’s supposed to be hard. But, this is a book about someone you love, so it’s even harder. I love this book and readers will love this book. You’ll get it.” I love surrounding myself with smart women. After that, I did get it.

When Madelyn Goodnight agreed to illustrate the book, I sent her pictures of my mom and of New York City in the 1940s. I even found a picture of the building my mom lived in. We counted the windows. Yo said of choosing Madelyn as the artist, “Maddie’s art is stunning and we loved her work in Traci Sorell’s Powwow Day. She’s lovely to work with, and I had a feeling she’d bring the historical backdrop of Manhattan in the 1940s to life in way that would engage today’s readers. Maddie is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, and as a publisher I’m committed to bringing Native voices to market, not only for books with Native content. I’m so pleased with the visual look of the book and can’t imagine another art style doing it justice.” See—smart women.

And now it’s a book!

Did I mention I’m excited?

How does my mom feel about this book? It comes out on her birthday, February 11, and we are celebrating with two birthday party book launches—first on pub day at The Silver Unicorn Bookstore (Acton, MA) and then at High Five Books (Florence, MA). I hope she feels honored.

My favorite “Jane-ism” (which is what her students call nuggets of wisdom she spits out without even thinking) is this:

“The storyteller in me asks: what if?  And when I try to answer that, a story begins.”

So, what if I wrote a book about my mom as a child…

It’s where her story began and the book begins.

Love you JY!!

~xoxoHeidi

 

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Heidi didn’t want to be a writer when she grew up. In fact, after she graduated from college, she became a probation officer in Florida. It wasn’t until she was 28 years old that she gave in and joined the family business, publishing her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has published more than thirty-five books and numerous short stories and poems, mostly for children.

Heidi lives and writes on a big old farm in Massachusetts that she shares with a dozen deer, a family of bears, three coyotes, two bobcats, a gray fox, a red fox, tons of birds, and some very fat groundhogs. Once a year she calls and counts owls for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Find her online at HeidiEYStemple.com and on Instagram @heidieys.