What better way to learn more about the behind-the- scenes activities at Stories for Children Magazine than by featuring SFC’s own founder and Editor-in-Chief, VS Grenier? Read this exciting interview and learn how this dynamic woman juggles the responsibilities of running a leading children’s magazine, her own writing career, family, and how she developed her award-winning story, “SugarPaw and the Babysitter,” into her first picture book, released by Halo Publishing, July 1, 2009.
Q: Congratulations on your exciting publishing announcement of your first children’s book, Babysitting SugarPaw, released July 1, 2009. The book started out as a short story and won 15th place for Fiction in the P&E Readers Poll. What prompted you to submit further to a publisher?
VS: After I wrote “SugarPaw and the Babysitter,” I could see the various illustrations of this little bear creating mayhem for his babysitter. Therefore, I set to work on the picture book version of this story entitled Babysitting SugarPaw. I knew this could be a really fun story for babysitters to read when tucking in all those little pranksters to bed at night while Mommy and Daddy are out.
Q: Did you need to expand the story further for a picture book submission? If yes, what did you add? If no, did you always envision this particular story as a picture book?
VS: I actually ended up cutting the story, with a lot of red ink and sleepless nights, down to the bare bones. In other words, into a picture book outline. Writing a picture book is very different than writing a short story, so it took some reworking. After seeing the guts of the story on the page, I knew “Babysitting SugarPaw” was ready to be written as a picture book.
I had always hoped to take “SugarPaw and the Babysitter” and turn it into a picture book. After all, a picture inspired the story to begin with.
Q: Were you a babysitter at one time? If yes, did you incorporate any of your experiences into your story?
VS: I only babysat once for a family outside my own family. Man! Was that a total mistake for both parties. I was never cut out for babysitting, being an only child until the age of 15. LOL. Of course, I wouldn’t say I was much better once my sister was around either. It takes a certain type of girl to be a babysitter and I wasn’t it. I was more a tomboy growing up.
However, Babysitting SugarPaw does reflect a lot about how I was when babysat by others. Now that I’m a mom, I can relate to Bonnie Whiskers, too.
Q: When researching publishers, did you seek out at least three possibilities or did you focus solely on one publishing house?
VS: Actually, I’m a freelance editor for Halo Publishing so, no, I didn’t look into other publishers for Babysitting SugarPaw. However, writers should have a list of at least three publishers in mind for any book they are getting ready to submit.
But don’t think I didn’t have to go through the same process as any other writer submitting to Halo Publishing. My submission had to be reviewed by many editors before I got my acceptance. After that, it had to go through the editing process and believe it of not, the editor cut more out of my story and tightened it up a bit. The only difference for me was I knew most of the illustrators personally and was able to work closer with the illustrator, too.
Q: Please share the collaboration process between you and the illustrator, Kevin Scott Collier. Was Collier assigned to you and were you able to choose from a pool of illustrators who work with Halo Publishing?
VS: Halo Publishing has a pool of illustrators you can choose from and, for me, it was an easy choice since Kevin and I have worked together at Stories for Children Magazine for some time now. Kevin is the illustrator of Stanley Bookman, the SFC Mascot, and has been an SFC contributing illustrator since the beginning of Stories for Children Magazine.
The other reason why I chose Kevin is because he did the short story illustration of SugarPaw when he first debuted in “SugarPaw and the Babysitter,” published at Storybox Library and then in the November 2008 issue of Stories for Children Magazine.
Q: From your experience, what has been the greatest obstacle you needed to overcome to achieve publication?
VS: Sitting down and finishing my book. No, really! I’m so busy with running Stories for Children Publishing and its many divisions: Stories for Children Magazine, SFC Newsletter for Writers, and the SFC Blog Families Matter, that finding time to sit down . . . write . . . research publishers . . . and so on just isn’t on my mind. But I’m glad I took the time to get Babysitting SugarPaw in the shape it needed to become a published book. Now to make the time for my other manuscripts . . . .
Q: Please share what current works-in-progress you have in the fire.
VS: Oh, there are so many. Well, besides Stories for Children Magazine, which is always a work-in-process, I have four other picture book manuscripts I’ve been working on for about a year now. I also have the first four chapters of a fantasy YA novel and an outline of another book that is more of a mystery/crime novel for teens based on true events from my high school years.
Lastly, I am currently in the process of putting together the second Best of Stories for Children anthology.
Q: Speaking of the Best of Stories for Children anthology . . . please share with our readers what the anthology consists of and does SFC Magazine plan on releasing an annual anthology?
VS: The Best of Stories for Children is actually an annual anthology of the top stories, articles, poems, and crafts & activities from Stories for Children Magazine. The titles are picked by our readers, but not through a survey or by voting. We have a system in place that allows us to see what titles each month our readers enjoy the best by how long they visit certain pages and how often those pages are visited by our readers. We use these numbers to figure out which stories, articles, poems, crafts, and activities will be placed in the Best of Stories for Children Magazine anthology at the end of the year. Of course, the authors and illustrators have to agree for their works to be a part of anthology.
Q: For those interested, where can the Best of Stories for Children anthology be purchased? In addition, when can we expect the second anthology to be released?
VS: Readers can purchase the Best of Stories for Children Magazine Volume 1 on Amazon.com, the SFCM Bookstore, CreateSpace, or through special order at a local bookstore by using the ISBN 978-1442172074.
The second volume will be available at the same locations later this year. We’re looking for a release date in the fall of 2009. Readers may stay posted by visiting Stories for Children Magazine and reading the “What’s New” section.
Q: You are the master of multi-tasking: award-winning writer, critique services, founder and Editor-in-Chief of SFC Magazine and SFC Newsletter for Writers, a freelance editor at Halo Publishing, and mother of two. How do you balance all the aspects of your life?
VS: LOL. You know . . . I have no idea! I just get up in the morning and starting checking things off my “To Do” list. I am lucky I have an older son (age 13) who helps around the house and plays with his little sister (age 4). My daughter is also good about coloring or reading next to me when I’m writing and working on Stories for Children stuff. My husband is also helpful as well. He works later in the day so he’s around in the afternoon to help with the kids, too. In addition, I have a wonderful SFC team, in which all members volunteer their time behind the scenes. Without them helping with all the daily responsibilities at SFC, I don’t think I would be able to do what I do.
Thank you, Donna, for having me as the August Featured Guest here at Stories for Children Magazine. It’s been a real switch from being behind the scenes working on the formatting and layout of the issue itself. I hope the readers have learned a bit more about what we do here and my love of the World of Ink.
To learn more about VS Grenier’s writing career visit: http://www.vsgrenier.com