Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!
Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.
Congratulations to Laura Stewart on the release of Clucky's Week
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
The idea of Clucky’s Week has been incubating for many years and eventually needed to hatch. We have been raising “backyard” chickens since 2009, and both my family and I can attest to the hilarities that chicken raising, and care can bring. We have wrangled chickens, searched for hidden egg stashes, climbed trees in the night to extract dumb leghorns from branches, placing them safely back in the coop, and a day I’ll never forget, when we dared our potential son-in-law to chase a rooster down before he was initiated into our family’s flock. (Now my favorite <and only> son-in-law and my daughter are raising secret backyard chickens at an undisclosed location in mid-Michigan! Shhh…bock, bock).
My oldest son and his wife have taken raising poultry to a whole new level. They care for over 50 chickens and also sell eggs and hybrid baby chicks for profit.
What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?
Clucky’s Week on the surface is a simple concept book. Days of the week, incubation of an egg, some prepositional cues. However, a slightly deeper look shows the tenacity (or in Clucky’s case, the pluckiness) it takes to think of new ideas and persevere until you have success. Much like the world of writers. So what if publisher “A” doesn’t accept a particular story? Keep thinking of new ideas for queries and new publishers to send it to. Publishers, like our farm-fresh eggs, come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. And that’s no yolk!
What inspires you to write?
Depends. I have been writing while raising my family since 1997. That was the year I first submitted a story. We’re talking manila envelopes stacked in a row, stamped and addressed to different publishers with a pre-stamped return envelope included. I guess one word sums it up. Anticipation. I love to anticipate the possibility that one of my many stories would be brought to fruition through lively illustrations, and also the hope that one day I would physically hold each story in my hands while reading to children. Encouraging smiles and joy is such a satisfying thought. My forty or more children’s stories are in a variety of genres, all waiting for the right time and publisher. Anticipate!
What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?
Clucky’s Week book launch will be at Krep’s Apple Barn in LaSalle, Mi on Nov. 8, 2025 @ 1 p.m. A fabulous farm and consignment gift store, that includes a loft with tables, chairs and fresh DONUTS! Feel welcome to join us in the relaxed autumn atmosphere that will surround my family fun and interactive presentation of Clucky’s Week, while you sip your delicious, crisp apple cider. Marketing is underway through social media, and hand delivered flyers are being delivered to libraries and other appropriate locations. Books are available for pre-sale through all of your favorite book retailers.
What's next for you?
My next publication is titled Orchestra for Oliver: Even the Shortest Lives Matter. (Pauline Media, 2026) This is a sanctity of life story based on our family’s heavenly saint, Oliver.
More about the book . . .
Someone has taken Clucky's egg! Determined to hide her next one, she gets clever and uses her egg smarts to find the perfect spot. But when her daily efforts are foiled by the farmer and his family, she must come up with a new plan each day.
Will Clucky outsmart her farm friends? Follow this momma hen in Clucky's Week, a playful, interactive story about one persistent poultry.
Publisher: Lawley Publishing
More about the author . . .
Laura lives by a river in rural Michigan with her family, a sweet (if slightly confused) golden retriever, and a flock of chickens. Her backyard birds often inspire her stories, including Puddle Jumper and Building the Bridge School (August 2024). Learn more at https://laurastewartstories.com/.
