On skiing, tree-ography, Leslie calling, and a slush pile: Writer and SCBWI-MI Regional Advisor, Carrie Pearson
Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet current (but soon-to-be former) Regional Advisor and non-fiction picture book writer Carrie Pearson.
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| Carrie on a bridge, 2018 |
Marquette
is beautiful, but what is it about the Upper Peninsula that makes you the
enthusiastic Yooper you are?
Valid question! I didn’t grow up in the Upper Peninsula, but the first time I
visited it with then boyfriend, now husband Wally (who did grow up in the UP),
I told him I felt like I belonged there. The natural beauty and
granite-outcropping ruggedness appeals to me. The vast and deep Lake Superior
creates such change – from weather patterns to ecosystems – that nothing feels
static, which I appreciate. My home town, Hillsdale, is flat farmland. There is
beauty there, too, but the sightlines (and smells, hello fertilizer!) are very
different. I wouldn’t trade my downstate childhood (warm inland lakes,
owning/riding horses, summer fireflies, long country roads). But, for many
reasons, I appreciate my life in Marquette.
You love
skiing. Self-defense against the long winters, or something else that appeals
to you about moving through snow on wooden planks?
I do love
skiing. I used to Nordic ski race using the skate technique on groomed trails,
but now I primarily backcountry ski using wider, floatier skis in the woods.
Someday, I’ll have to figure out a manuscript centered in this setting. It’s
magical; the only sounds are made by nature, and the shush shush shushing skis,
which is wonderfully meditative. The light and shadow patterns across the snow
are captivating. My favorite time to ski is when the day is fading into the evening,
and the woods seem to glow. Want to come up and try it?
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| Carrie and KAST 2023 |
On your
website, one of your former jobs included babysitting your “too-much younger”
sisters “whom [you] now adore” (emphasis mine). Am I reading too much into this, or is there a
story to be told about power struggles and sibling age differentials?
Good catch,
Charlie. My parents divorced when I was seven. My mom remarried when I was 10.
She and my stepfather had two daughters when I was 14 and 15 ½ years old. Of
course, I loved my tiny sisters, but I was a built-in babysitter at a time when
I wanted to be less family-centered (aka carouse with friends). My sisters and
I are parents now, and that shared experience – and some maturity – has brought
us very close.
A Warm
Winter Tail was
your first authored picture book. In
the book, your POV characters are actually the animal children questioning
their mama on how human children do the various things that animals do. What
was your inspiration on writing this book, and on writing it this way?
The
inspiration came from worry about how animals survive through the frigid U.P.
winters. Seriously. I couldn’t sleep because of that worry when I first moved
to Marquette. It took 16 years for me to decide to write children’s books,
research how animals survive in the cold, get the idea to switch the POV, and
write it well enough to sell the manuscript. I sleep better at night now.
A Cool
Summer's Tail is a companion book. Had you always
considered the possibility of a sequel?
No, but when
A Warm Winter Tail did okay, the publisher thought it would work to
create a companion. It was somewhat more manageable because I’d already sorted
out the structure and rhythm but harder because they wanted me to use the same
animals wherever possible for a direct comparison. Plus, the little bit of
rhyming I included in both books broke my brain. I don’t know how rhymers do
it.
Those
first two books seemed a natural fit for you: animals in nature adapting to the
changing seasons. But Stretch to the Sun: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest
Tree on Earth was a stretch for you, detailing the growth of a huge,
ancient tree on the far side of the country. What caused you to pick this topic
and write this story?
My mom, who
knows I love all things nature-y, asked if I knew what was happening in the
tops of redwood trees. The ecosystem in the canopy is varied from that on the
ground, and people were finally getting into the tallest trees on earth to
research it. I was hooked quickly and then it was a matter of immersing,
learning, and trying to find the story. I received a grant from SCBWI to travel
to Redwood National Park and tour the forest with a park ranger. That
experience changed everything about the manuscript because I could finally tap
into the sensory world I’d explored.
Your
recent picture book, Real Princesses Change the World, just had its book
birthday. Another stretch for you, from nature to biography. What was the
initial seed of this book?
Actually, I
say that Stretch To The Sun: From A Tiny Seed To The Tallest Tree On Earth
is a “tree-ography” – a biography of a special tree. So, in considering this
project, I told myself I’d already explored the genre; I just needed to do the
same thing for 11 humans who are public figures. What could go wrong? It
required the same skillset of researching, synthesizing, determining themes,
and focusing each word toward them. Side note: We submitted it as a MG proposal,
but Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan wanted it as a picture book. I could see
their vision, and we said yes.
Did you
get to meet any of the Real Princesses?
I did not meet any of the princesses. However, I’ve had some fun email and social media interactions with a couple of them and/or with their staff. It’s been a bit surreal and nerve-wracking sometimes, but I try to remember one of my early bosses who said that everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time.
I
remember talking with you years ago, when you mentioned your interest in writing
about Dr. Virginia Apgar. I mean, many years ago. What winding,
circuitous path did you follow to finally find this book on the shelf? (August
7, 2023)
Yes, this
one was a journey story. It took me a while to get my arms around the complex
STEM research and find the best way into Dr. Apgar’s story. Eventually, we
submitted when biographies were being bought by many publishers. This was good
because it meant there was interest on the sales side but bad because many
already had a bio or two on their lists. After it sold, things moved along
nicely. Then the pandemic hit, and everything related to the editorial process
halted for almost 18 months. However, Nancy Carpenter, the fantastic
illustrator, toiled on, and as the pandemic lifted, everything came together.
The result is a book I am thrilled to share.
You’ve
been co-Regional Advisor for as long as most SCBWI-MI members can remember. But
there was a time when Carrie Clevidence Pearson was just a pre-published writer
from Marquette. How did you find SCBWI?
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| Leaving for AZ, 2005 |
In early 2005, I had
the magnificent idea to homeschool our three daughters for the month of March
somewhere warm. (March can be a tough month in Marquette.) Thankfully, Wally
could see the world through my full-time stay-at-home-mom-of-3-crazed eyes. He
helped us drive a camper to Flagstaff, AZ. He returned to Marquette to work,
and I drove the camper and daughters to a campground along Oak Creek in Sedona.
I mapped out and took us on educational adventures during the day. After I
washed our four plates and four forks at night and swept the dust from the tiny
house on wheels, I wrote about our adventures in story form. The next morning,
I’d read what I wrote to my captive audience. They loved the stories (honestly,
they had no choice), and I loved writing and sharing them.
By the time we
returned, I had decided to learn how to write and publish children’s books and
found SCBWI through the World Wide Web. I joined SCBWI on June 1, 2005, and
attended my first conference on June 11. *
Backing up a
bit, my college degree was in early elementary education, and I taught at the
University of Michigan-affiliated preschool. Books were an integral part of my
training and teaching. I’d been a decent writer throughout school and later, I
wrote business plans and marketing materials when I transitioned to the
business world. Books play a huge role in our family culture. All that
considered, the decision to learn how to write children’s books felt like a
natural evolution.
Far away
from the hustle and noise of below-the-bridge Michigan, how did you get tempted
into leadership roles?
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| Carrie and Leslie MMW |
Even though
I love living in Marquette, connecting to my people has always been challenging.
Thankfully, early on, I met author Boni Ashburn who lives in Houghton, even
farther north than I, and illustrator Diana Magnuson in Marquette. I knew I
wasn’t alone, but I wanted even more connection. I knew that volunteering would
bring that. I helped create flyers for several SCBWI-MI conferences, giving me
an inside look at the planning and people behind these opportunities.
Evidently,
Leslie Helakoski, the co-RA at the time, was watching. She interviewed me for a
piece on book marketing (I had authored my first book by then), and we hit it
off. I remember lots of laughing during
that interview.
When a co-R.A.
stepped down suddenly, you took up the reins. Was it a big, abrupt decision for
you? What were the last steps to “Yes”?
In 2013, when Leslie
called – because that’s what Leslie does...she still calls when she has
something to discuss – to see if I’d consider the large co-RA role, I remember
thinking, “If I say yes, it will be a turning point in my life. If I pass, I’ll
never know how amazing it could have been.” And it was amazing!
How, in
all the years of piloting one of the most active and populous SCBWI regions in
the country, were you able to live a life and pursue your own writing?
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| Carrie and Jodi 4/1/23 |
It’s ALL
about the team. I believe effective leaders create a path for a talented team
to shine. Sometimes that means more active mentoring, but often it is just lighting
the path and stepping out of the way. As
co-RAs and now dear friends, Leslie and Jodi offered strengths I’ve learned
from and leaned on. They were closer to the action and never made me feel like
a lightweight for not being able to visit venues or meet up. They took a
heavier load when I needed to be physically or emotionally elsewhere, as did
members of Ad-Comm in earlier days and the Leadership Team now. See, it’s all about the team!
What are
some of your proudest achievements as SCBWI-MI R.A.?
I love that
our community is growing into understanding how to be a creative safe space for
all of us. I love that we offer several consistent scholarships and
opportunities to lend a hand when people need it. I appreciate our positive and
supportive culture and that we are actively trying to improve as creators and
colleagues. When I see all the pieces of our giant book-creating puzzle fitting
together, I’m proud to have been part of building it.
So, what
are your plans, now that you’ll soon have more free time?
This
question made me chuckle; I get busier as I grow older. Maybe now that I am
60+, I understand I’d better get crackin’. Regardless of the motivation, I will
research and write more nonfiction books for children (stay tuned for an announcement)
and share them with readers. I will try to write a fiction manuscript that my
discerning agent feels is ready to submit. I will paint (a new passion), hang
out with friends and family, volunteer on the Steering Committee of SCBWI’s
Impact & Legacy Fund, co-chair with Jodi the SCBWI Marvelous Midwest
Conference in 2024, and ski. 😊
Please
share any social media contacts:
Website:
carriepearsonbooks.com
Instagram: carrieapearson.author
Facebook: Carrie A. Pearson
Twitter: carrieapearson
Pinterest: carrieapearson
*My first
conference was “How High The Moon” in East Lansing on June 11, 2005. I attended
presentations by our own Shutta Crum and Nancy Shaw, editor Michelle Frey, and
agent Tracey Adams who was a year into opening Adams Literary Agency. I
remember asking the question, “What is a slush pile?” The co-RAs in 2005 were Ann Finkelstein and
Paula Payton.
