Coming in the Fall of 2009 - Alphabet Magic

Merrily Kutner is the author of several noted books. Z is for Zombie was an IRA/CBC choice in 2000. Down on the Farm won the Please Touch Museum Picture Book of the Year Award in 2005. It was also on the Texas Library Association's 2 x 2 Book List in 2005. Zombie Night Cafe received the 2007 Moonbeam Children's Book Award for best picture book of the year in the holiday category.

What kind of books do you write?

 I write picture books…some in rhyme…some kinda silly.  I mostly write fiction but I’ve written 2 alphabet books (so technically they’re non fiction concept books). But, the content of the books is fictional--so you could say they’re fictional alphabet books (a new genre?).

Where do you get your ideas?

Well, ideas are everywhere…my first and second books were inspired by my kids.  I got the idea for my third book when I was out walking my dog. I recently got an idea from reading an article from a magazine while I waited in a doctor’s office. Ideas just pop in if you’re receptive to what’s going on around you. I’ve gotten a few ideas from T.V. (especially the news) and overhearing kids on the playground or at a Brownie meeting.

Do you have a favorite book?

My current favorite is Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor (that little girl is me!). But my favorite while growing up was Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss.

What is your most rewarding experience as an author of children’s books?

I love when the kids hug me at a school visit and beg me to write another book just like the one I read them. One time I got a fan email from a parent telling me her kids begged her to take them to the library (a first) and they wouldn’t leave until they had books on the monsters they had read about in my book. Inspiring reading…that’s what’s been so rewarding for me…so kids will use their imaginations.

What did you do before writing for children?

I was a dental hygienist (not where I really belonged—enough said).

Why did you decide to write children’s books?

I feel writing for kids chose me…it was like an epiphany. One day, in the library, I was looking for a book about monsters in rhyme (my son’s favorites). He was a reluctant reader so I spent a lot of time choosing books so he’d read. I kept looking through all the books and said to myself, “Hey, I could do better than this!” (At the time I was half serious and half kidding). But, since there wasn’t a book on monsters in rhyme I decided to write one for him.

What are you working on now?

I’m revising a manuscript that my agent is going to submit to the publisher who recently bought my next book.

How hard was it to become a published author?

It took me ten (count ‘em) years to get published. My book underwent three different “incarnations” as I call them.  I’m very proud that I didn’t quit…I just knew I had something special to share with the kids. When my first book was named a Children’s Choice Book (on the same list as Harry Potter) I had all the validation I needed to keep going.

If you could teach children one lesson about writing, what would it be?

Don’t balk at revisions…think of each revision as the next step in the story’s evolution toward becoming the “best story it can be.”

What kinds of books do you read?

Sci-fi…love it…Stephen King books, picture books (gotta checkout the competition) and a lot of books on writing (honing my craft).