The Backstory: Trunk Goes Thunk! A Woodland Tale of Opposites

Today The Backstory welcomes Heather C. Morris to chat about her wonderful upcoming picture book, TRUNK GOES THUNK! A WOODLAND TALE OF OPPOSITES (Gnome Road Publishing). And while we have to wait until October 8 for the official release, we don't have to wait to learn all about the inspiration behind it. So let's not waste any more time and hop right into our interview!

AH: Welcome to The Backstory and thank you for joining us and sharing the inspiration behind TRUNK GOES THUNK!

First off, please tell us a little bit about your story.

HM: Trunk Goes Thunk! A Woodland Tale of Opposites is a lyrical, nonfiction look at the ways woodland animals repurpose fallen trees as log bridges…with an added layer of unique opposites. 

From the publisher: This lyrical nonfiction story uses word opposites such as small and large, dark and light, high and low, and fast and slow to introduce young readers to the natural recycling of fallen timber into log bridges. From bears, porcupines and raccoons to eagles, mice and deer, a host of forest animals repurpose a fallen tree, connecting two sides of a stream together throughout the seasons. 

AH: I am a fan of all nature-themed books and I love the additional element of opposites you included! It adds an educational element which further extends the many ways this book could be used in the classroom.

Also, Chantelle and Burgen Thorne did a remarkable job with the illustrations. They are dynamic and inviting. It is going to be impossible for both kids and adults to keep their hands of this book.

AH: What’s the story behind the story? What was your inspiration? Where did the idea come from?

HM: One of my family’s favorite museums is the Cook Museum of Natural History in North Alabama. It’s packed with biology, geology, and astronomy - a great place to wander around and wonder. 

One of the rooms in the museum is modeled after a temperate forest and displays the flora and fauna that can be found in that biome. As I wandered through the forest exhibit, a video playing on a loop captured my attention. The footage was from a wildlife camera set up to capture one angle – a fallen tree trunk spanning a large creek. I was captivated by the variety of animals who used this “bridge” throughout the year. I kept thinking about the idea of a fallen tree as a log bridge for months after that visit. I found the original video (on YouTube as “The Log” – link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhYT2iQO_r4) and watched it over and over.

As I watched, I couldn’t help but notice all the opposites in the video – light/dark, cold/warm, wet/dry, over/under, heavy/light. I have multiple degrees in the biological sciences, and I worked in laboratories for years before pursuing a full-time career of writing for kids. I could easily see the fundamental STEM connection of helping young children spot opposites that would eventually progress toward comparisons and measurements (for example – learning HOT and COLD, then learning how and where and why to accurately measure the temperatures).

I couldn’t stop thinking about the fallen tree, the animals, the opposites. I began jotting ideas in the little notebook that I carry around with me everywhere. After chewing on these ideas for a month or two, I felt ready to write a rough draft.

AH: This is a museum I need to check out some day! I appreciate how you let your mind wander to all of the possibilities this inspiration held for a picture book. I can see those STEM beginnings within this book and the curiosity this book could pique for little learners.

How did you approach going from this seed of an idea to what is now TRUNK GOES THUNK!? 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?

HM: This manuscript was different from many others I’d written. Usually, I have an idea and sit down to write a rough draft almost immediately (unless I’m driving a carpool or watching one of my kids’ sporting events :)). But this time, I kept replaying that video over and over for weeks - thinking about all the animals that used the log, remembering the changing seasons and the way the creek itself changed (sometimes it was a raging flood as the snows melted, other times it flowed languidly and slowly), trying to think of what the story might be. 

When I started making a list of the opposites in the video - basic ones like light and dark, hot and cold, over and under - I thought I might be onto something. Still, I let all my ideas percolate a little longer. And I sat down and wrote a draft…then I proceeded to change almost everything about that rough draft! Ha!

AH: Isn't that the way it goes sometimes? But we have to start somewhere and that inspiration and first draft certainly led you to something wonderful!

Did TRUNK GOES THUNK undergo any major changes/revisions from the original version? If so, what led you to make these changes?

HM: YES! I tend to save a new draft of every manuscript whenever I make a change, so I end up with tons of versions in a folder dedicated to that one story. Looking back at my first draft, it was called “The Log” and focused mostly on the tree itself - how it fell, how it landed, how it made a bridge for forest animals. 

A few of the opposite pairs that ended up in the final version are already there, including the lines “HOT summer sunning and COLD winter wandering,” which might be one of my favorite spreads in the final book (see below - I LOVE otters and my illustrators, Chantelle and Burgen Thorne, captured these otters perfectly!). But the beginning and ending are completely different, and it’s mostly facts…not much that would capture a reader’s imagination or heart.

My critique partners take all the credit for my edits! I found my critique group in 2020 through Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge and we’ve been together ever since. However, before they see anything, I’ve already done multiple rounds of edits and revisions myself. I’ve never sent them a rough draft. By the time they saw this story, I had changed the title to “A Tree Fell,” and reworked the beginning, ending, and middle many times. But they challenged me to find the theme (i.e. “the heart”) of the story, change tenses, get to the tree falling more quickly, and more…including the third version of the title, and the one that I settled on, Trunk Goes Thunk!  So grateful for their amazing feedback!!

AH: I don't know if any of us would ever make it in the publishing world without our critique partners. They are so important and push us to find the best version of our stories, even if we thought we already had it.

I also love looking back to first drafts and seeing what gems made the final cut.

Are there any books/authors that you feel influenced your work on?

HM: Kate Messner’s Over and Under the Pond, Allison Farrell’s The Hike, and Katy Duffield’s Crossings are picture books that definitely influenced me, showing me that layering in doses of lyricism and heart can make nonfiction re-readable and very compelling for kids (and adults). 

AH: Where do you tend to find your inspiration or your sparks for ideas?

HM: All kinds of things – mostly my own children or being outside. But I also draw on my own memories of being a kid – what were the things I feared or loved when I was seven? Ten? Thirteen? Sometimes a photo or video will spark an idea, like for Trunk Goes Thunk! I love hearing other people’s stories! Sometimes one of my friends says a sentence or phrase in passing that sparks an idea. 😊

I also tend to go on random “deep dives” into research. One of the things I loved most about science was the research…and I still do! Sometimes, I’ll hear about a topic and not be able to rest till I’ve read and researched as much as I can. Who knows if I’ll ever use the information or write anything about it, but I just have to know! 

For example, I was watching the movie Young Woman and the Sea on Disney+ recently (great movie by the way!), and at the beginning, the main character’s mother tells her about a horrible steamboat fire that killed hundreds of people, and the mother explains the tragedy by saying, “They couldn’t swim,” which propels the rest of the main character’s journey to become the first woman to swim the English channel. I was fascinated. Did that steamboat accident actually happen? I wondered, or had they made it up as a good way to propel the plot. Oh no, it did happen. The fire and sinking of the General Slocum steamboat on the East River in New York City in 1904 was the worst maritime disaster in the U.S. until the Titanic sank.

Apologies for the tangent…but all kinds of stories fascinate me!

AH: Your passion for research is clear to see and what a wonderful way to happen upon inspiration and ideas they may be lesser known and in need of a story.

Do you have any upcoming projects or news you would like to share with us?

HM: Yes! This year I sold another picture book manuscript, but that project isn’t announced quite yet, so I can’t give too many details, but it has lots of the same themes of nature and wonder. Very excited about this one! 

Also, I recently signed with my agent, Kristen Terrette at Martin Literary Management, and we’ve started submitting more of my picture books. Still putting the finishing touches on those, and once that’s done, I look forward to revising my middle grade novel about the unlikely friendship between a boy and a rescue dog. 

AH: Such wonderful things to look forward to from you. We can't wait to hear more about the unannounced deal when the time is right and best of luck with your submissions!

Where can people connect more with you?

I’d love to have you drop by my website at https://heathercmorris.com! I’m also on Twitter/X at @morrwriting or on Instagram at @morr_writing.

AH: Friends be sure to stop by Heather's website where you can learn more about her, her books, and author visit opportunities. While you are at it connect with her on social media to ensure you are in the know about her latest publishing news.

Also, please consider supporting Heather and TRUNK GOES THUNK! 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

Heather, thank you so much for sharing all about TRUNK GOES THUNK! I loved learning how this book came to be!

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GIVEAWAY!

Heather is generously offering one winner a signed copy of TRUNK GOES THUNK!

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!

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ABOUT HEATHER MORRIS

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.

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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.