Jennifer Mary G

1) Your books are so fun and engaging with a variety of adorable animal characters. How did the idea come about for your latest book, Make More S’mores? What generally comes first when you are writing, the story idea or the characters?

That is such a lovely compliment – thank you! For Make More S’mores I began with an idea for a counting and mathematics book featuring a perfectly proportioned s’more built from ONE toasted marshmallow plus TWO crispy graham crackers plus THREE sweet chocolate rectangles. That led me to choose a raccoon as my main character since their nimble fingers could easily assemble the snack and they become active at twilight, when s’mores are often enjoyed.

Sometimes my initial inspiration is a funny character or punny title, and other stories begin with an idea, concept or theme that I want to explore more deeply through humor, rhyme or a heart-tugging hook.

2) How did you feel when you saw Ariel Landy’s illustrations for Make More S’Mores? Did you collaborate with each other at all?

I was utterly charmed from the moment I had my first sneak peek at Ariel’s adorable characters. She gave truly delightful personalities to the hungry bears, and the sly, snacking squirrels add such pizazz to the story! We did not collaborate, although our editor was masterfully managing the text revision and sketch development process simultaneously. I’d love to create another book with Ariel someday!

3) I have to ask…did you celebrate with s’mores when this book came out? What are some favorite moments from meeting your readers after a new book launches?

I celebrated with a heaping helping of delicious s’mores ice cream! The book launched in March, which happened to be a bit too cold here in New England for an outdoor fire pit comfort zone.

I love to ask kids at book events if they’ve eaten s’mores or if they have favorite s’mores ingredients. Some are quite creative in adding fruit, peanut butter, or other fun layers. The perfectly toasted marshmallow is my favorite part though – no charred puffs for me! 

4) I read in another interview that your birthday is on Halloween–my favorite holiday! How do you typically celebrate? Do you go all out with decorations? What’s a favorite childhood memory of your birthday?

Aw – Happy Halloween! A holiday birthday can be a tricky thing, but it is nice to have a birthday on a fun day filled with sweet treats and fall decorations. As a child I liked that my mom always sewed a costume for me, and I was allowed to stay up late for trick-or-treating. These days I spend Halloween handing out lots and lots of candy to neighborhood kids, and wait to celebrate my birthday in early November!

5) For writers in the querying trenches, what advice can you offer? How did you find your agent? Did you reach out with a general query, pitch at a conference, or something else? 

Hang in there querying writers! Network and support one another through the highs and lows of that crazy process. Polish your query until it sparkles, so that it catches the eye of someone who may be skimming their inbox quickly. Be succinct and use clear, rich language. Finally, swap pitches and queries among members of your critique group! They can be a wonderful resource for crafting language that highlights the essence of your story.

I used Querytracker back in the day, roughly 8-9 years ago, and that worked for me. However, I definitely know people who have found success through conference pitches, writing contests, referrals, and events on X/formerly known as Twitter.  

6) What does a typical writing day look like for you? What does your office/writing space look like? 

I don’t have a typical writing day, but I always check email first. I vary my writing routine by working on several projects at a time, whether revising something of my own, working on a critique for a friend, or jotting notes about a book that I read and liked. I have a tiny desk near a sunny window and a big bookcase of picturebooks where I do most of my best thinking! My hat is off to those who can write in coffee shops or libraries – I get too distracted!