A Day at the Lake invites the reader
to jump right into the colorful sights and playful sounds that accompany
long summer days at the lake. To celebrate its release earlier this week, we’re
kicking off its very own blog tour right here! We had the opportunity
to ask the pair of wordsmiths—and friends—who wrote the book to give us this
exclusive first look at the story behind its magic.
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| Stephanie Wallingford |
1. What
inspired you to begin writing books for children? How are children's books special?
Stephanie
Wallingford: I’ve been writing my whole life. I’ve always liked
poetry and combined with a love and deep appreciation of art and illustration,
picture books are a perfect match. Besides, what’s more special than sharing a
book with a child?
Dawn
Rynders: I have loved writing since I was old enough to string together
words that I copied out of my mom’s magazines. Once I came around to
studying good children’s literature in college, I found myself thinking, “I
wish I had written that…” Then one day, Steph challenged me to try our
hand at writing a book and we found the words and rhythm of A Day at
the Lake.
2. The
book is definitely filled with playful rhymes and sounds—it's almost musical. How did you develop
this ear for language?
SW:
Once we had established the rhythm of the writing, it served as a great
framework for writing. We did start to think and talk that way for a while—kind
of annoying to the people around us for sure, but…lots of laughs.
DR:
I love the process of discovering the right word for a phrase. It’s like
a puzzle just waiting to be put into place…
3. How do
you collaborate as writers? What is your process like?
SW: It works best
when we can write together in person. We play off of each other’s ideas,
improving or altering them slightly as we try them out, and we go down
completely different paths together that we wouldn’t alone…. It truly is a
collaborative effort...
DR:
It’s a great excuse to spend time together and… great to have someone to bounce
ideas back and forth with.
4. You
both live within walking distance of Minnesota lakes. Did the backdrop of the
“Land of 10,000 Lakes” influence the book?
SW:
With references to loons, it is hard to deny a Minnesota backdrop to our book,
but I also drew on my own childhood spent at lakes in Kansas and the bay area
of Southern Maryland. I definitely spend a lot more time at the lake now
that I have access to so many.
DR:
I have such great memories of spending time at lakes with my cousins and
grandmother. It was what we did on holidays and hot summer evenings.
I remember that my uncles would put fish on the littlest kids’ lines
while they weren’t paying attention so that we all had a good fishing day!
[Now]I love to watch my kids enjoy the same things that I did when I was
growing up.
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| Dawn Rynders |
5. A Day at the Lake is the perfect reminder that long summer days lie ahead. What projects are on the horizon for you both?
SW: We are currently working on manuscripts for two new books: A
Day in the Snow, and A Day at the Orchard. This winter’s
plentiful snowfall has provided lots of inspiration!
DR:
Working on these projects is a good excuse to [get] together and develop our
word skills—like an intellectual workout with a good friend and a good cup of
coffee! Also, we’re really looking forward to the next couple months of
getting out there and sharing A Day at the Lake.
Sounds like a very fun collaboration!
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