SCBWI-MI Spring Conference Presenter Carrie Pearson

 

Apgar, Yooper winter, so many socials, and U of M preschool: Carrie A. Pearson

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author and  former RA Carrie Pearson. Carrie is also part of the cast of distinguished faculty at the SCBWI-MI spring conference.  To read Carrie's 2023 interview, click HERE.

Donckers Princess Launch 4/29/23

What were some of the formative books you read growing up that shaped your curious and insightful young mind?

Age 10 w/service badge

Thankfully, reading came easily and early to me. I devoured typical fiction such as "Misty of Chincoteague" and the "Little House on the Prairie" series, along with less conventional choices like "The Andromeda Strain," anything by Edgar Allan Poe, and every available Reader's Digest Condensed Book (which I had to sneak because they were "for adults”). But it was good old Encyclopedia Britannica that thrilled me. The truth boggled my mind then, and it still does.

You wrote about Doctor Apgar. Before the APGAR Score, it was common practice for maternity room doctors to put aside newborns who couldn’t breathe or make the transition to life outside the womb. Horrifying. What specifically did Doctor Apgar discover?

Apgar in action

Dr. Apgar’s primary goal was to ensure that newborns received medical attention. Up to the 1930s and into the ’40s, maternal mortality rates during childbirth were high. Mothers’ care was prioritized over that of newborns who were struggling. 

Dr. Apgar was the right person at the right time to change this perspective; she had a solid understanding of airway management due to her training and experience as an anesthesiologist. 

She embodied resilience in the face of significant gender discrimination. She was intellectually brilliant and skilled in practical applications. The test she developed shifted care towards both babies and mothers. It transformed a subjective inquiry (“How is the baby doing?”) into a numerical value, allowing for comparison. 

It also engaged a natural competitive spirit, as physicians were eager to avoid poor APGAR scores associated with their deliveries! It has been said that every baby born is seen through the eyes of Dr. Apgar.

Carrie in Marquette

Living as you do in the Upper Peninsula; you’ve experienced your share of weather. Can you share some weather-related stories when traveling for school visits? Or any other harrowing tale of Yooper winter survival?

I have never been asked this before, Charlie! I recall a pre-dawn winter car trip to a bookstore in Gaylord, 3.5 hours south of Marquette, during which I had to continuously scrape ice from the inside of the windshield throughout the Upper Peninsula because my defroster couldn’t keep up with the sub-zero temperatures outside. "Harrowing" is a good word to describe the experience, but “dumb lucky” fits too.

You’ve got a new book coming out this fall. Please share some details.

Watch Them Grow: The Fascinating Science of Animal Beginnings is a surprise for many reasons. First, we submitted the manuscript about animal gestation as a picture book (32 pages/about 600 words including back matter). However, Lerner/Millbrook wanted it as a middle-grade novel. Gulp. I’d never written a MG nonfiction. 

zipline

But working with associate publisher Carol Hinz at Lerner/Millbrook was on my author bucket list. So, we accepted the offer, and I dug back into the research, tapped into my natural science background, and expanded the text. 

A big assist came from the publisher, who contracted a science educator to review a draft for alignment to middle-grade science benchmarks. Then I could edit, knowing I was in the right ballpark. 

The second surprise is that I thought the book would launch in 2026, but now it is expected to be released in September of this year. This is possible because it primarily consists of photographs, rather than illustrations, with visuals created by a talented graphic artist. I’m excited to share more very soon.

Please talk about Children’s Book Connections.

I started my consulting company, Children’s Book Connections, about five years ago to help people prepare for and find their agent partners. Having been in the trenches doing this for myself three times and watching so many friends go through it, I knew it was a pain point. 

Backcountry 2023

I learned that I love helping people in this space and will prioritize that over slogging through my deadlines, edits, and even story generation.  So, sadly, in the interest of my career, I’ve had to pare back the time I spend on Children’s Book Connections. 

But I look forward to spilling the tea about many agent-related topics at the SCBWI-MI Spring Conference on May 17th!   

You’ve used Deb Gonzales for a study guide for at least one of your books. What’s the process for creating a study guide?

In my experience working with Deb Gonzales, I reached out to her six months prior to the launch date to secure a spot on her schedule. She’s been able to squeeze in the guide, but I’m not sure if that is possible now that her business, PinLit has taken off! 

When I receive an ARC (advanced reader copy) as a pdf from the publisher, I share it with her along with my bio. After she works her magic, she provides me with a draft to review. After that round, I share it with the publishing team for their input. Usually, they have one or two minor comments. Deb then gives me the final guide as a pdf. 

I use the final guide for various purposes, including linking to my website as a free download, as a follow-up to school and library visits, as a promotional tool, and as a resource for social media posts. It’s well worth the investment.

school visit

You have social media platforms on FaceBook, Pinterest, Instagram and Bluesky? Any others? How do you keep them current? Are some social media platforms better for achieving your goals?

Over the years, I’ve felt that social media platforms for my book business were a good thing, and for the most part, I’ve enjoyed being there. They offered connections I didn’t feel I could make otherwise or at my stage in my career. 

I’ve selected specific platforms for their ease of use and because I liked their format (e.g., early Twitter for its limited character posting and connections to the publishing and education worlds, and early Instagram for its visual emphasis). 

My followers are aware that I’ve recently undergone a reckoning regarding my presence and support of Meta platforms, but I've decided to stay for now. Non-Meta Bluesky feels new, safe, and quite like early Twitter. I hope it stays that way. 

Pinterest is so different in all the best ways because it's not a snapshot in time, like social media; it’s a longer-term investment with lasting dividends. I retained PinLit, and over six months, they’ve created a home base for my authored books and resources, which will continue to grow. Take a peek!

Houghton Library 1/25

You graduated from U of M, and then worked in their preschool. As a young teacher, what did your students teach you?

Such a great question. Reflecting the multicultural student body at the University of Michigan, one of my classes, which included eight 4- and 5-year-olds, had six children who primarily spoke languages other than English. I learned that the language of play transcends any barriers. 

I also discovered that books read aloud in any language serve as a magnet. They can calm, excite, build community, and engage. I’ve never forgotten the power of books from that experience and continually try to harness it in the books I write.

You  won a mentorship with Newbery Award winner Lynne Rae Perkins. What was that experience like?

This mentorship was a pivotal moment. I had concluded that my dream of publishing would likely remain just that because, after four years of learning, writing, and submitting, I hadn’t placed a manuscript. 

However, I had already signed up for an SCBWI-MI conference and submitted a manuscript for the mentorship during two moments of FOMO. No one was more surprised than I when my name was announced as the recipient of the mentorship. 

Receiving this mentorship meant that someone thought my manuscript had promise, and that someone was a Newbery Award winner! Working with Lynne Rae Perkins certainly elevated my craft and, perhaps most importantly, gave me the confidence to keep going. I am deeply grateful to SCBWI-MI and to my mentor.

Carrie’s follow-up question: Did you ever sell the manuscript you used for the mentorship submission? Carrie’s answer: Not yet!

What’s next for Carrie?

We have a nonfiction picture book on submission, so we're keeping our fingers crossed on that. My next project is out there somewhere, but so far it is just ahead of me! I’m noodling a longer-form fiction idea, which would be way outside my comfort zone. Part of me says that’s precisely the reason to do it. 

I’m building an art and design aspect into my life because I love it, and now that I’m squarely in the sixth decade of my life, why not?

Carrie and redwood

 

Please share any social media platforms:

Bluesky @cpearson.author
Instagram @carrieapearson.author
Pinterest (not really social but awesome) @carrieapearson
Facebook @carrieapearson

 

 

 

 

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