Stories for Children Magazine

She taught for 22 years before deciding to follow her dream of writing for children (what she calls, "the best mid-life crisis ever!"). She's been writing since 1999, with her work appearing in pet magazines, children's and parenting magazines, and the book market.

Terry moved to the high desert of California more than 20 years ago. She lives in a big blue house with a terrific husband, one goldfish, and two crazy cats. Her house has also been home to various animals through the years, such as dogs, cats, frogs, lizards, a guinea pig, and fish. Her son, one of her greatest joys, is now grown and is a marine scientist. 

Terry experiences the joys of being a writer in many ways. She loves meeting children and adults through book signings, school visits, and workshops. She directed the Writer's Club at Faller Elementary School in Ridgecrest, CA and is an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, serving on the Ventura/Santa Barbara regional board.

Terry has been many things in her life—a mom, wife, daughter, friend, animal-lover, backpacker, teacher, writer, windsurfer, Taekwondo black belt, nature-lover, honor student, and artist. You could say she loves life and grabs all she can from it! 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, Terry? Your web site says you've lived all over the country. What was your favorite state to live in and why?

No doubt that as a child, my favorite state was Washington. It offered everything an outdoor kid like me could have wanted. I’d walk home from school through a thick wooded area where I could stop and watch birds or other critters that caught my eye. Past the woods was a pasture where I’d stop to feed “Captain LaPage” (a horse) my leftover apple or carrots from lunch. My best friend lived on the other side of a hill behind my house, so to get there I walked a beautiful path through the woods, where I pretended lived Tarzan, pirates, or other characters. My brother and I picked wild blackberries in the summer, with the promise of fresh berry pie for all of our labor. We’d take vacations to the coast and weekend trips to the Cascades. Living there really did give me the foundation I have for the love of the outdoors.

When did it hit you that you wanted to be a children's author? Did any one thing or event inspire you to take this path in life? Please explain.

When I was 42 years old, something went off in me like a light switch. I felt an insatiable drive to write stories for kids. Then one day, I happened to be watching Oprah (not something I did often) and an author was promoting her book, In Your Wildest Dreams. It was all about how to make your dreams come true. I bought a copy, read it, and decided that was it; if I was ever going to follow that dream, I’d have to commit to it 100 percent. Since the enrollment in my class at a private school had been steadily declining due to the city population dropping, I decided that the universe was giving me signs. At the end of the school year, I quit teaching and focused on writing 100 percent.

I was so excited to review your newest book, Blackberry Banquet, just released by Sylvan Dell Publishing this fall. It's one of my favorite new books! How did you get the idea to write this book?

My family vacations near Hood River, Oregon every summer. One day, when I was approaching my favorite blackberry bush to pick berries (I had a hankering for berry pie), I stepped on a twig. It snapped and a flurry of animals scattered from the bush. I chuckled and thought, “Huh! I guess I’m not the only one who likes this berry bush.” Then I started thinking that it would make a cute children’s story; except rather than me, I’d use a big bear to startle the animals. I began writing the story immediately, but it took about two years for it to come to “fruition” (sorry, pun intended!).

I heard you "launched" a black bear stuffed toy at your Blackberry Banquet book signing. How did that go?

It was fun! I got the idea from an illustrator friend, Dan Hanna, who launched an actual book at his first book launch. I was afraid to use a book though, because I wouldn’t want to put somebody’s eye out. I had planned to buy a stuffed bear to use, but then I found out that Sylvan Dell was going to sell a plush black bear to accompany the story. (They do this for all of their books—you should check out their animal collection—they’re fabulous!) Naturally, I wanted to use their bear of choice. He’s cute, very soft, and looks like the one in my book. I “launched” the bear into the crowd, like a bride throwing a bouquet. After seeing its success, I asked my husband, a high school engineering design and woodshop teacher, if he could build me a launching device for future launches and he happily agreed to do it. So watch out!

You've written a ton of children's books. Which one is your personal favorite and why?

This is a tough question, because they each hold special meaning to me. It’s kind of like asking a parent which one of their children is their favorite. I can say though, that as far as picture books go, Blackberry Banquet is right up there at the top. It’s a fun rhyming story with lots of action, it’s great for kids to read along with me, and the artwork is adorable. And it reminds me of berry picking with my son when he was little. I must admit that most of my books have a little piece of my personal history in them. I wrote Two Tales of Hawaii after doing a hike with my family across the lava fields of Kilauea. Tae Kwon Do! features two kids in Taekwondo class, something my son and I did together. My son and husband even helped create some of the jokes in my joke books. Hmm . . . I guess writing is a bit of a family affair for me!

Who is your favorite character from one of your own books? What inspired you to create them?

I love all of my characters in Blackberry Banquet because they’re light, fun, and exhibit the feelings I have when I’m in the wilderness (happy, happy, happy!). However, I think the character I most identify with is the one I’m currently working on in my adventure novel. The main character is a teenage girl named Jessie who is strong, independent, and comfortable in the wilderness, but who has to overcome some emotional and physical hardships to succeed.

If you could be any character in any book, who would you be and why?

I’d have to say Little Bear from the Old Bear books, published in the UK. I mean, just look at him. He wears crimson red, overly baggy pants—think MC Hammer. I mean, I have to love anyone who can get away with that kind of fashion sense. And if you saw my hips, you’d understand even more why I envy him! Also, he was the hero in Old Bear. It’s a charming tale of stuffed animal friends who realize that one of their own is missing. Old Bear had been “retired” to the attic, so the friends attempt to rescue him and have a series of mishaps. Little Bear ultimately comes up with the winning idea and rescues his dear friend, Old Bear.

You've won many book awards over the years. Can you tell us about some of them, and which one was the most thrilling for you?

Well, I don’t know about many, but I will say that I appreciate all recognition of my work. Writing is such a solitary profession and any time someone expresses appreciation for my efforts, I’m thrilled! Whether it comes in the form of a child giving me a hug, a compliment from a parent or educator, or recognition from a large organization, I’m deeply grateful. I really can’t pick a favorite, but I do remember when my easy reader, Tae Kwon Do! was named on the Bank Street College Best Children’s Books 2007 list, I was elated. Some of my writing colleagues whom I have admired through the years have books that had made it on past lists, so when I found out that Tae Kwon Do! was listed, I felt like I had finally made it in this business.

What's the next project you are working on?

I’m actually working on multiple projects, but the main one is the novel that I mentioned earlier. It’s my first attempt at a novel. It’s a young adult adventure story about a teenage girl whose family is facing emotional difficulties. As a favor to her dad, she goes on a teen backpacking trip with an adventure organization while he is in the field teaching a college summer school class. Unfortunately, the hikers end up deep in the backcountry with their guide injured, so it is up to the girl and two other teens to hike out to safety. Let’s just say I don’t make it easy for them! I’m also working on a picture book about dinosaurs (I LOVE dinosaurs) and a non-fiction easy reader series about marine life.

What was the funniest thing that's ever happened to you in your writing career?

I don’t know if this is funny (“dumb” is the word that comes to mind), but I think every writer could learn from it. Once, when I received a picture book manuscript back from an editor, I put it into my shredder. When I got to page four, I realized that in very light pencil, the editor had made comments on the manuscript. ACK! I removed all of the narrow strips from the shredder and for two hours sifted through them, until I was able to tape back together the complete manuscript. Lesson learned: Always check your manuscript, even if it’s a rejection.

Okay, this one is a funny sort of writing-related story. One day I decided to go to my local coffee house and do some writing. I threw on some clothes and headed out. I hung out there for a couple of hours, even meeting my husband for coffee on his lunch break. When I got home, I walked past a mirror and noticed something. Hanging out of the back of my pants was a strip of leopard print faux-fur. Apparently, in my rush to get dressed, I had grabbed a pair of pants that had been lying on my bed, where apparently, one of my cats’ toys had also been laying. I grabbed the pants along with the toy and threw them on, not realizing that I had a cat toy hanging out the back of my pants! I supposed that if anyone would have said anything, I could have just said that I was writing a story about a cat and was getting into my character.

What advice do you have for new writers just starting out to help them get published?

Join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and attend as many of their events as you can. Period.

If you could do any job in the world for just 24 hours, what would your dream job be and why?

When I was a teacher, my dream job was writing books for children, so I guess I should be careful what I wish for here! I don’t mean to be indecisive, but there are two jobs I’ve always thought would be equally fascinating—a marine scientist and a paleontologist. I’d love to study humpback whales. Going out on the ocean in a Zodiac to observe whale behavior would be so cool! I mean, why do humpbacks breach? And all that tail and flipper slapping? And the singing? Wow! And as I’ve said, I love dinosaurs. Excavating a dig would be hard, tedious work but so rewarding. Every little bone has the potential to unlock a mystery of the past. I have so much respect for the scientists who do this. It can take years of work to discover the unknown—just look at how long it took paleontologists to link dinosaurs to birds. To learn about the past through scientific detective work would definitely be an awesome job.

If you could visit and then write a children's story about any country in the world, what country would it be and why?

I love to travel so my mind is flooding with possibilities! If I had to narrow it down to just one, I’d probably say Costa Rica because I’d love to write about the cloud forest. Years ago, I saw a presentation by a Montessori teacher based on her visit to the Monte Verde cloud forest. Ever since then I’ve wanted to travel there. It’s such a diverse environment that I think it would be fascinating to observe, and I know it would be inspiring. Of course, trekking the Himalayas to search for the snow leopard or swimming with the non-stinging jellyfish in Palau also come close to that big dream adventure!

Is there anything else you'd like our SFC audience to know about you?

I’ve said so much already (are you asleep yet?), but I would like to add that one of the fun aspects of being a children’s writer is getting to visit schools and share what I’ve learned about writing with kids. I love getting kids excited about writing and reading! For anyone interested, they can learn more about this at my website, www.terrypiercebooks.com. For aspiring writers, I also have a blog where I try to give tips for new writers and, I hope, some insight into the children’s publishing business. That address is www.terrypierce.blogspot.com.

And for teachers, parents and students interested in science, I’m proud to say that I’ve recently joined the WhaleTimes, Inc. Board of Directors. Our goal is to become the number one source for marine science information for kids, teachers, and parents. Their website is www.whaletimes.org