Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!
Where we celebrate new books by Michigan's children's book authors and illustrators
Congratulations to Maryann Lawrence on the release of her book, Season of the Great Bird!
Today we celebrate a book birthday anniversary! It's been one year since the release of Season of the Great Bird in 2019. Today we catch up with Maryann Lawrence to hear about how this book came to be.
Today we’re celebrating the one-year anniversary of the release your children’s book, Season of the Great Bird! Can you tell us a little bit about what inspired this story?
Thank you Lauren, and thanks for featuring my book. Where does inspiration come from? Oh boy! Good question. If I recall correctly, this one came out of a fall walk when the colors were changing and I had the image of this bird leaving its colors behind. Most of my ideas kind of grow organically and subconsciously that way. It's almost like starting with an emotion and letting the narrative flow from it.
Thank you Lauren, and thanks for featuring my book. Where does inspiration come from? Oh boy! Good question. If I recall correctly, this one came out of a fall walk when the colors were changing and I had the image of this bird leaving its colors behind. Most of my ideas kind of grow organically and subconsciously that way. It's almost like starting with an emotion and letting the narrative flow from it.
What was it like to collaborate with your son to create the illustrations?
Truthfully, we didn't intend a collaboration at all. The watercolors were a gift from Andrew for Christmas in 2018. The six images were the parts of the story that most captivated his imagination.
When I saw his interpretation of the book, I knew I couldn't just enjoy them for myself. I needed to gift it back to Andrew in published form. That meant I had to publish the book myself. There was a time sensitivity about it because finding a publisher might take years. I also knew it would be unlikely that a publisher would accept the book as it was written, and with Andrew's paintings just the way they were. I wanted to preserve that raw symbiosis between words and images, between mother and son. It's truly representative of our relationship. Here I come up with this story and then Andrew comes in and takes it over the top.
Truthfully, we didn't intend a collaboration at all. The watercolors were a gift from Andrew for Christmas in 2018. The six images were the parts of the story that most captivated his imagination.
When I saw his interpretation of the book, I knew I couldn't just enjoy them for myself. I needed to gift it back to Andrew in published form. That meant I had to publish the book myself. There was a time sensitivity about it because finding a publisher might take years. I also knew it would be unlikely that a publisher would accept the book as it was written, and with Andrew's paintings just the way they were. I wanted to preserve that raw symbiosis between words and images, between mother and son. It's truly representative of our relationship. Here I come up with this story and then Andrew comes in and takes it over the top.
Reflecting on the creation process of Season of the Great Bird a year later, is there anything you would go back and change? Anything you’re particularly proud of?
I am not a marketer all. I know that an author is required to toot their own horn, set up readings, and that kind of thing, but I just am not that person. Maybe if I had a big publisher behind me, or maybe if I didn't work full time, but my free time is pretty limited so spending it pushing my own book is time away from my next creative project.
The little bit of “marketing” I did was with the end goal of telling people about Andrew's work in print, so if there is anything I am most proud of it's that my work inspired him to create these really beautiful works of art.
The little bit of “marketing” I did was with the end goal of telling people about Andrew's work in print, so if there is anything I am most proud of it's that my work inspired him to create these really beautiful works of art.
In addition to Season of the Great Bird, your first picture book (congratulations!), you’ve also written essays, poetry, and short stories. How would you say your previous writing experiences compare to the process of writing for a children’s book?
Thanks, it really was a departure. The trickiness of a children's story is to write simultaneously for a child and the adult who is reading to them. That was the genius of Warner Brothers cartoons, right? As a kid, it's all falling anvils and sassy rabbits, but as an adult there is a real darkness about this rabbit who is always being hunted, and a coyote that is always being outsmarted by a bird -- of all things. There's revenge and desire, and sarcasm and abuse. A chicken getting pummeled is kind of funny to a kid, and the sarcasm and blatant sexism goes over their head, but if you watch those cartoons as an adult, it's pretty appalling but also oddly entertaining.
So writing a children's book, you want to entertain the child – through the narrative, or through illustrations, or through poetic writing – but also to captivate the adult who is reading to them. I can't think of how many books that I read once to my kids and then put away forever because it was nauseating to read. I would hate to be that writer.
Thanks, it really was a departure. The trickiness of a children's story is to write simultaneously for a child and the adult who is reading to them. That was the genius of Warner Brothers cartoons, right? As a kid, it's all falling anvils and sassy rabbits, but as an adult there is a real darkness about this rabbit who is always being hunted, and a coyote that is always being outsmarted by a bird -- of all things. There's revenge and desire, and sarcasm and abuse. A chicken getting pummeled is kind of funny to a kid, and the sarcasm and blatant sexism goes over their head, but if you watch those cartoons as an adult, it's pretty appalling but also oddly entertaining.
So writing a children's book, you want to entertain the child – through the narrative, or through illustrations, or through poetic writing – but also to captivate the adult who is reading to them. I can't think of how many books that I read once to my kids and then put away forever because it was nauseating to read. I would hate to be that writer.
Who are some authors that inspire you?
There are some phenomenal modern authors, but so much of my writing is inspired by the books I read to my kids when they were young, and even the ones that I had as a kid. The ones that you can't pass on because there are so many rips and stains like Richard Scarry and Tomie dePaola and Shel Silverstein. I think we read Harry and the Lady Next Door at least 20 times and pretty much all of Roald Dahl's books. Silliness was a popular genre in our house.
If I look at my own writing, however, I would say Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo), Margaret Hodges (Saint George and the Dragon) and Marjorie Flack (The Story About Ping). That's actually the first time I have considered this question. They are all women! More than their gender, however, is their ear for beautiful writing. I really aspire to that. For me, that is writing's highest calling.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that the illustrators are very inspiring to me, even as a writer, maybe especially as a writer – Roberto Innocenti and Arthur Rackham have been two of my favorites since my own childhood. I appreciate the dark realism that both of these illustrators capture. They are the reason I started collecting children's books in the first place. I think I was the only teenager in my high school that had a library of children's picture books!
There are some phenomenal modern authors, but so much of my writing is inspired by the books I read to my kids when they were young, and even the ones that I had as a kid. The ones that you can't pass on because there are so many rips and stains like Richard Scarry and Tomie dePaola and Shel Silverstein. I think we read Harry and the Lady Next Door at least 20 times and pretty much all of Roald Dahl's books. Silliness was a popular genre in our house.
If I look at my own writing, however, I would say Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo), Margaret Hodges (Saint George and the Dragon) and Marjorie Flack (The Story About Ping). That's actually the first time I have considered this question. They are all women! More than their gender, however, is their ear for beautiful writing. I really aspire to that. For me, that is writing's highest calling.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that the illustrators are very inspiring to me, even as a writer, maybe especially as a writer – Roberto Innocenti and Arthur Rackham have been two of my favorites since my own childhood. I appreciate the dark realism that both of these illustrators capture. They are the reason I started collecting children's books in the first place. I think I was the only teenager in my high school that had a library of children's picture books!
What do you hope your readers take away from Season of the Great Bird?
You know, this story turned out much heavier than I anticipated. I mean, if you read my summary of the book, it's about "hope and redemption,” and certainly the narrative reflects that. But I never really set out to teach anything or to have a message because I really hate preachy children's books. At the same time, I think stories should reflect our inner, emotional life, and often times our lives are heavy. So I hope the story really speaks to a child's inner soul life.
When my mother read it, she applied a religious bent to it, because that is her inner life. But in truth, the narrative for Season of the Great Bird is really just a device I am using to honor nature with words that match its power and poetic beauty. The Great Bird himself is really just a metaphor for all the wisdom of nature. So I hope that the readers will put down the book and turn to nature for answers. That's what I hope they take away. Andrew got it, and that's what his illustrations reflect. But if a reader takes away something else, that's okay, too.
You know, this story turned out much heavier than I anticipated. I mean, if you read my summary of the book, it's about "hope and redemption,” and certainly the narrative reflects that. But I never really set out to teach anything or to have a message because I really hate preachy children's books. At the same time, I think stories should reflect our inner, emotional life, and often times our lives are heavy. So I hope the story really speaks to a child's inner soul life.
When my mother read it, she applied a religious bent to it, because that is her inner life. But in truth, the narrative for Season of the Great Bird is really just a device I am using to honor nature with words that match its power and poetic beauty. The Great Bird himself is really just a metaphor for all the wisdom of nature. So I hope that the readers will put down the book and turn to nature for answers. That's what I hope they take away. Andrew got it, and that's what his illustrations reflect. But if a reader takes away something else, that's okay, too.
What have you got going on right now? Any new ideas in the works? Where can our readers go to learn more about you and your work?
Oh my, so many ideas. I have titles and outlines. I once proposed the title “The Benevolent Elephant” and now my family has been dogging me to write it, but I haven't gotten past some really bad beginnings. I never get writer's block, though, only writer's remorse. That means I have about a dozen unedited first chapters of various children's and short stories. And, of course, it's National Novel Writing Month – that time of year when I start off with a bang and peter out the first week. Focus is my great downfall; I am really all over the place. I just really need to focus on one project and follow through.
I did manage to update my website at MaryannLawrence.net. That was my October project. In time, maybe I'll create my own publishing company and get my work in print. For now, however, I just wanted to put some of the older works behind me to free me up to work on new projects, which is really what this is all about anyway. Seeing my work in print, or in a store for sale, is exciting, but only momentarily. The writing is where the fun is.
If you're interested in updates, I have been rolling out new stories regularly. My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/MaryannLawrence.net.
Oh my, so many ideas. I have titles and outlines. I once proposed the title “The Benevolent Elephant” and now my family has been dogging me to write it, but I haven't gotten past some really bad beginnings. I never get writer's block, though, only writer's remorse. That means I have about a dozen unedited first chapters of various children's and short stories. And, of course, it's National Novel Writing Month – that time of year when I start off with a bang and peter out the first week. Focus is my great downfall; I am really all over the place. I just really need to focus on one project and follow through.
I did manage to update my website at MaryannLawrence.net. That was my October project. In time, maybe I'll create my own publishing company and get my work in print. For now, however, I just wanted to put some of the older works behind me to free me up to work on new projects, which is really what this is all about anyway. Seeing my work in print, or in a store for sale, is exciting, but only momentarily. The writing is where the fun is.
If you're interested in updates, I have been rolling out new stories regularly. My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/MaryannLawrence.net.
Synopsis:
Season of the Great Bird tells the story of the butterfly Pathena, the Terrible War, and the fall of the Great Pine. Each of these played a part in the coming of a new age and the end of the Season of Beauty. It is a story of fear and doubt, of jealousy and blame, but also a story of hope and redemption. Purchase online at MaryannLawrence.net.
Bio:
Maryann Lawrence is a Michigan native, and writes from her home in South Lyon. Links to her stories, essays, and poetry can be found on her website at MaryannLawrence.net.
Season of the Great Bird tells the story of the butterfly Pathena, the Terrible War, and the fall of the Great Pine. Each of these played a part in the coming of a new age and the end of the Season of Beauty. It is a story of fear and doubt, of jealousy and blame, but also a story of hope and redemption. Purchase online at MaryannLawrence.net.
Bio:
Maryann Lawrence is a Michigan native, and writes from her home in South Lyon. Links to her stories, essays, and poetry can be found on her website at MaryannLawrence.net.
