What a treat we have today! Not one, not two, but THREE creatives are here to chat all about their recent collaboration. Authors Lynne Marie and Brenda Reeves Sturgis along with illustrator, Nico Ecenarro join The Backstory today with BROOMMATES: A BREWING BOUNDARY BATTLE (The Little Press). Keep reading to learn how this story came to be and for your chance to win one of two giveaways being offered by the authors.
AH: Welcome to The Backstory and thank you for joining us and sharing the inspiration behind BROOMMATES: A BREWING BOUNDARY BATTLE.
First off, please tell us a little bit about the story.
Amazon: There's room for improvement when witchy sisters Mathilda and Malin share a broom, and a room! One's bright and airy, the other dark and scary! Each sister knows exactly how they should decorate. Unfortunately, their disagreement ends in disaster and a broken broom. Will they ever find a way to meet in the middle?
Kids will enjoy the silly antics that unfold in this rhyming witchy sibling rivalry, by award-winning authors Lynne Marie and Brenda Reeves Sturgis.
Fresh and modern cartoon-styled illustrations will appeal to young fans of Nickelodeon's The Loud House.
AH: This book is so fun. I read it to my class today and immediately they were choosing sides of which sibling they related to the most. The rhyme made for a playful read aloud and the illustrations were captivating to the students.
AH: What’s the story behind the story? What was your inspiration? Where did the idea come from?
Lynne Marie: The idea and original prose story was one I came up with after the word BroomMates just popped into my head (I’m often rhyming and/or playing with words in my head). The first word was actually TombMates, and I knew I had to write both of these stories. BroomMates is based upon my experiences sharing a room with my siblings, and Tombmates touches upon that too, as well as the Curse of the Mummy. .
AH: I absolutely love the results of your wordplay and your idea for TombMates has me on the edge of my seat wanting more.
AH: How did you approach going from this seed of an idea to what is now BROOMMATES? Was it something undeniable you had to write immediately or did you need to sit with this idea and let it grow for a while before it found its way to the page?
Lynne Marie: I played around with the idea in my head until I had all the story beats, and then I started writing it from beginning to end. After that, I did some revisions to smooth the language and plot. I also paginate on the document, so I make sure I have active scenes and strong page turns. But when I decided I wanted it to be in rhyme and called in my partner-in-rhyme, Brenda, and then we went back to the story beats to create the rhymed version.
AH: What did the co authoring process look like for the two of you?
Brenda: Lynne Marie and I have known each other for over 20-years. We met at my first SCBWI conference. Our careers have been parallel and we have both been published individually. Lynne approached me about partnering on this manuscript several years ago. It was Lynne’s idea and concept but she asked my thoughts about turning it into rhyme. Rhyme is my love and passion so I jumped on this opportunity to flip the script and turn this story from prose to rhyme. It was great fun and we found that we work very well together.
AH: That is wonderful that the two of you have had each other throughout your kidlit journeys. And even more wonderful that you were able to collaborate to make BroomMates.
Did BROOMMATES undergo any major changes/revisions from the original version? If so, what led you to make these changes?
Brenda: The original version was in prose and we rewrote it into rhyme. We have a process now where we work in Google docs together and separately, and we talk on the phone to discuss changes and ideas.
Lynne Marie: For BroomMates, we didn’t have many changes. But for Tombmates, because that story is a bit more complicated, we had to make the decision to streamline it somewhat to fit the rhyme flow better. So each project is different. And we have other great projects we have worked on together!
AH: Do either of you have any upcoming projects or news you would like to share with us?
Brenda: Lynne and I have just completed a second requested manuscript titled TombMates about two mummy brothers that are required to share a sarcophagus. We are hoping that this manuscript will be acquired. Again, it was great fun to write together.
Lynne Marie: I am over the moon about the possibility of also bringing TombMates to life and working with Brenda again! As Brenda mentioned, we are long-time friends and it has been our dream to have books together! But for me, solo, please keep an eye out for Henny Penny’s Weather Worries from Mac and Cheese Press, coming soon! Go to www.literallylynnemarie.com and sign up for my mailing list for updates.
AH: I have my fingers crossed that TombMates will find the perfect home soon. It sounds like a great follow up to BroomMates and I am dying to know more about the Curse of the Mummy.
Lynn, congratulations on Henny Penny! I look forward to getting my hands on it.
AH: Learning about the backstory behind these stories is something I love. And every once in a while I get the chance to get even more insight into the creation of the book when I am able to welcome the illustrator to the blog as well. Lucky for us, today is one of those days and Nico is here to give us the scoop into his illustration process for BroomMates.
To get started can you tell us what made you want to work on this book?
NE: In our household, we are Halloween crazy, so when my agent asked about interest in a witch book called BroomMates I was wide-eyed and slowly nodded yes. For official purposes, I was spellbound reading the manuscript. There was an energy in the text. It wasn’t gentle and quiet, it was fun, it had strong rhymes, and it was about siblings fighting! Anyone with siblings knows as kids, most times you're battling each other.
AH: You are right! This book is full of easily accessible connections that will immediately engage the reader.
What inspired your illustrations for BROOMATES?
NE: I work to create in the middle of a Venn diagram of animation and picture books. All of my drawings are heavily inspired by cartoons I grew up on. Shape and design are important to me; with character designs, props/objects, and page layouts. I try to have movement on the page with character gestures. Cartoons like Dexter’s Lab or Samurai Jack, but also illustrations from Peter Brown (Mr. Tiger Goes Wild) or any book Leo Espinosa works on.
AH: I love these inspirations and I can see their influence in your work. I am also a fan of the smaller details you included that could possibly be overlooked on a first read.
What is your favorite spread in the book and why?
NE: My favorite spread is when the girls are on their broom heading to the city. It’s where you first see this subtle disagreement start. Their broom is twisted, and they’re a little annoyed at each other. It was a fun spread to draw.
AH: What a great spread! I love the motion lines as well as their expressions. Those faces say everything! And Dead Goth & Beyond?! Amazing!
AH: Did you find any challenges when illustrating this book?
NE: I use a limited palette with most of my work and it was a challenge to draw their bedroom full of so many different objects or decor within the constraints of those colors.
AH: Well you did a fabulous job within those constraints!
Do you have any upcoming projects or news you would like to share with us?
NE: I can’t say too much about it right now, but I’m currently working directly with an author on a story about a hopeful chicken! I’m working on final art for it now.
AH: I look forward to when you can share more with us and I am hopeful there will be even more opportunities for us to see you work in the future.
Where can people connect more with you?
Lynne Marie:
Website: LiterallyLynneMarie.com
Facebook: Lynne Marie (Words.and.Pictures.by.Lynne.Marie)
Twitter/X: @Literally_Lynne
Instagram: literally.lynne.marie
Brenda: www.brendareevessturgis.com
Nico - website: NicoEcenarro.com or IG: @nicoecenarro or contact my agent Dan Cramer at Page Turner Literary Agency
AH: Friends be sure to stop by all of these creatives' websites to learn more about them and their work. While you are at it connect with them on social media to ensure you are in the know about their latest publishing news.
Also, please consider supporting BROOMMATES in any way you can.
This could include:
- ordering from your favorite indie
- marking as want to read on Goodreads
-leaving a review
- making a library request
Lynne, Brenda, and Nico, thank you so much for sharing all about BROOMMATES. I loved learning how this book came to be and getting to chat with all of you.
GIVEAWAY!
Today's post comes with not one, but two giveaways!
Brenda is offering a free critique to the winner for a rhyming manuscript up to 1000 words.
Lynne Marie offering a Mentor Session to one winner.
Ways to enter:
1. Retweet my tweet about this blog post. Additional entry for tagging friends!
or
2. Leave a comment on this post.
or
3. Post about this interview on social media and tell me in the comments that you did.
Each method earns an extra entry!
ABOUT LYNNE MARIE
Heather C. Morris is the grateful author of multiple books for kids – fiction, nonfiction, picture books, and middle grade – including Trunk Goes Thunk! (Gnome Road Publishing, 2024), and a ghost story in the Haunted States of America Anthology (Godwin Books/Macmillan, 2024). She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Middle Grade Hub, and the 12×12 picture book challenge. When Heather’s not reading, typing, or doodling, you’ll find her hiking the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains with her husband, their three kids, and their rescued border collie. She is represented by Kristen Terrette at Martin Literary Management.
ABOUT BRENDA REEVES STURGIS
Brenda Reeves Sturgis is the award-winning author of the picture books 10 Turkeys in the Road, The Lake Where Loon Lives, and Touchdown! This is her fifth book. She is a member of SCBWI and currently lives in Maine on a lovely little lake.
ABOUT NICO ECENARRO
Nico Ecenarro is a picture book illustrator that enjoys drawing stories with kids being their curious selves; from quiet moments to the world-saving kind, but almost always to makereaders laugh. He uses limited palettes focusing on designs and gestures of characters. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife and two boys.
ABOUT ANDREW HACKET
Andrew Hacket is a writer, second-grade teacher, and father of three. He is also the author of Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea, Curlilocks and the Three Hares, and Hope and the Sea. Andrew recognizes that being a kid is hard and he writes to create ways for kids to see themselves in stories and characters, to accept and overcome their insecurities, or to escape for just a little while through the power of their imaginations.
Can't wait to check it out!
So fun! Congrats to all of you and continued success.
I loved this. I'm looking forward to reading this book. So fun. I love the illustrations. Posted on Twitter.
That must have been really fun working together! Thank you for sharing about your book! It looks adorable!
I loved reading this book! It's delightful!