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Rebecca :
When my chickadees were young, walking in the park was ever a great delight. To see the world afresh through my childrens' eyes. The idea of a prayerful life appeals to me, thus my delight with your Good Night God. Tell me how such an idea goes from experience to print?
Holly :
The idea for Good Night God actually came from an outside source. A
representative from another publisher was at a book show, positioned next to my publisher's booth. She mentioned to my publisher how much she loved Where Does God Live?, and suggested that I write a book like Good Night Moon only about God. My publisher passed this idea on to me. I had never actually read Good Night Moon, but I wrote down the idea, put it in my “future projects” file and didn't think much about it for a year.
After I'd written and submitted my second manuscript - My Spiritual Alphabet Book - I pulled out the file filled with my stack of scribbled ideas. Good Night God kind of jumped out at me. My brother had just had his first little boy, and I knew I wanted to create a special story for him. This title seemed perfect for a story that would appeal to a two or three-year-old, which is how old Aidan would be when the book came out. (From the time a manuscript is accepted to the time a picture book is released usually takes 18-24 months!)
When I began work on the story, I tried to put myself in Aidan's world. I imagined what pieces of the environment would “speak” to Aidan, and how God fit into the picture. I loved the idea of a child saying good night to all the things he or she loved.
I also knew I wanted to put a kitten in this book. I am a “dog” person, with two of my own, and there are dogs featured in my first two books. In fact, I gave Kim Howard a picture of my Sheltie Lizzie to use for reference in her illustrations for My Spiritual Alphabet Book. However, my brother has a cat and I knew she'd be important to Aidan. I wanted to be sure Aidan would see his kitty in the story!
I also made sure I did my “prayer work” before I ever sat down at my computer. I feel like God truly guides me through these manuscripts when I take the time to ask for the guidance. I always try to keep in mind that these books are about God. I just try to get out of the way and let God's message flow.
Rebecca :
How did you & Illustrator Kim Howard get together? Do you “see” in your mind's eye, your poems already illuminated with Kim's art even as you write?
Holly :
When I sold my first manuscript, my publisher said they wanted to have Kim
Howard illustrate the story. They sent me several books she'd illustrated, and I was thrilled with her work. As an advertising copywriter/creative director, I was very used to working with artists and photographers on a day-to-day basis, and having input and control over the process. Imagine my surprise when I was told that I couldn't even talk to Kim during the sketching stages! I truly had to “give the project to God” and trust the process, even though it went against my hard-wiring! I didn't see any of the images for Where Does God Live? until the artwork was completed. Kim's work totally surpassed my expectations. She used an illustrative style she hadn't used before, and I loved the flow of it.
With My Spiritual Alphabet Book and Good Night God, Kim and I now share ideas. I let her know what I saw in my mind's eye as I wrote, and then I move out of the way. She always makes it better than I ever could have imagined. There are times she will call and say that a certain phrase is presenting a visual challenge. We discuss it, and sometimes I can come up with a visual solution. Other times, I will change the words to help the story along. It's a great collaboration.
Kim is currently working on our fourth book, Bless Your Heart, which takes place by the ocean. She recently e-mailed me asking if I had a favorite sea bird, so she could put it in one of the illustrations for me. I love the fact that she involves me as much as she does. I totally believe God brought us together and feel so blessed.
Rebecca :
Tell my readers about your other books.
Holly :
Where Does God Live? was my first manuscript, which I wrote to celebrate
the birth of my first niece, Katie. I was so moved by her birth, I wanted to give her a special gift. I wanted to give her a “shortcut to the basics” about God which had taken me 30 years to figure out. I spent a year working on the non-denominational story, and truly believe that God whispered, and I was lucky enough to have the pen in my hand. I wish I could take credit for the story, but it came from God. It's a story about a little girl named Hope who wants to know where God lives. She asks her family and animal friends, but it is her wise grandmother who provides the answers to Hope's questions. To this day, I still get teary-eyed when I read what Grandma Rose has to say.
It took me nine years of rejection letters before a friend sent my story to HJKramer. Once the manuscript was accepted, it was another two and a half years before the book came out. In all that time, I always knew the book was meant to be “out there.” It didn't feel like MY story, it was God's story. So I never gave up looking for a publisher.
My Spiritual Alphabet Book is a rhyming book of ABCs with a non-denominational, spiritual focus. The story follows four children through the four seasons, and Kim's illustrations are just wonderful. I had no idea I was going to write this book. It came to me as I was stuck in a traffic jam in Silicon Valley. I wrote the first verses on the back of bank deposit slips, the only paper I could find in the car. As my husband puts it, I “walked into the house, closed the door and didn't come out for four days.” Again, I started with prayer work and then went into one of my “zones.” When I was through with the story, I e-mailed it to my publisher, Linda Kramer. She immediately called me and asked how I knew she'd been trying to get a spiritual alphabet book written. (I didn't.) We spent a lot of time working together, editing this manuscript, until we were both satisfied with the text. It was a wonderful collaboration.
Rebecca :
Good Night God is such a tender way to teach reverence & joy for all things great & small & for the Creator of us all - it teaches in a suggesting kind of way. Taking the feelings that are tapped by the reading of this book, at this time of day - setting a calmness for the night to come & after the vivid day before...for child & parent alike. How parents learn is how children are taught. Have many parents written to you?
Holly :
The Internet is an amazing thing and a wonderful tool. On the third printing of Where Does God Live?, I was able to include my e-mail address on the book jacket. As a result, I have been so blessed with e-mails from children, parents, grandparents and aspiring writers from all over the country. There is a common theme with many of the letters. Many parents knew they wanted to teach their children about God, but they were no longer involved in a church. They weren't sure where to start. This book has been a tool that enables them to talk with their children about God, without the need of Sunday School or organized religious education. Many grandparents have written, telling me that their children didn't belong to a church, and they feared their grandchildren weren't being taught about God. They could share these non-denominational books with their grandchildren, without fear of offending their children.
Rebecca :
How soon those years of innate reverence & unselfconscious wisdom pass. A book is an enduring treasure trove which can re-open the memories & thoughts, again & again, have you ever thought of any other medium?
Holly :
As an advertising copywriter by trade, I am used to working in different
media-broadcast, web, print, etc. I know my next step is to create a website that would include information about the books, activities for children, listings of Kim's and my appearances, etc. However, I find it much easier to create these things for clients than myself! You know what they say about the shoemakers' children. However, the universe is truly nudging me toward this next step, so I imagine I'll launch the website in 2001.
Rebecca :
Why did you not name the boy?
Holly :
Since this is a story for very young children, I thought it would be better to write it in a way that would apply to any child. I have visions of children reciting some of the actual words from this book when THEY say good night to their world. I think it's easier for them if there isn't a name other than their own. Also, since I wrote this story for my nephew Aidan, I would have put pressure on myself to use his name and Aidan isn't a name you can easily create rhymes for!
Rebecca :
Is this one of your nephew's favorite bedtime books?
Holly :
I will find out in just a few weeks! The book was just released, and since he lives in Texas, I haven't seen him since he got the book. I'm sure my brother and his wife have read it to him, but I don't know if it's his favorite. One of my biggest “fans” is a little three-year-old girl named Savannah here in Tampa, and she told me that she likes Good Night God best of all. Needless to say, she really made my day.
Rebecca :
What are you working on now?
Holly :
Kim and I are very excited about our next book, Bless Your Heart. It's due out next fall. Again, a friend gave me the idea for this book. She told me that I say “bless your heart” so much, that I ought to write a book about it! I also have two new manuscripts that I really believe in. Although they are not overtly spiritual books, I believe that the messages within them are important ones for children to learn about. One theme is “change is good” and the other deals with teamwork. Back to the drawing board! Hopefully, it won't take nine more years. I'm also working on a new children's manuscript about thankfulness, and I've recently dusted off my unfinished “Great American Novel.” Doesn't every writer have one of those?
Rebecca :
Thank you, Holly Bea, for such a joyful bedtime story!
Do check out my reviews of:
God Believes in You
Good Night God
Bless Your Heart
Thank You, God.
Rebecca Brown
(Published 12/03/00)
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RebeccasiReads.com
