Episode #62: What is your favorite season to write in? -With Kim Baker

Welcome back! We are here with special guest author, Kim Baker! Grace Lin and Kim will answer this kid question: “What is your favorite season to write in?”

TRANSCRIPTS:

Grace Lin:

Hello, I'm Grace Lin, Children's Book Author and Illustrator of many books, including the middle grade novel, When the Sea Turned to Silver, and the picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Today, I'm here with Kim Baker, Author of the middle grade novels, Pickle, The Informally Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School and The Water Bears. Hi, Kim.

Kim Baker: Hi Grace. How are you?

Grace Lin: Good. How are you?

Kim Baker: I'm all right, yeah.

Grace Lin: Are you ready for today's question?

Kim Baker: I am. I'm excited.

Grace Lin: Okay, today's question is from a person named Megan. And they ask...

Megan: What is your favorite season to write in?

Grace Lin: What is your favorite season to write in?

Kim Baker: Oh, that's a really good question. And it works really well because I am in Seattle. And as you may or may not know, our seasons are pretty different. In the summer, it goes for a long time where it's sunny and dry. And then when fall starts... We're pretty far north, so the nights start getting darker, and the weather gets cooler, and we have a lot of rain. And we have a lot of writers here. And I think it's because of the way it is here in the fall and winter, where we have really short days and it rains a lot.

Kim Baker: So everyone who's been out kayaking, and hiking, and distracting themselves from riding with the beautiful nature and beautiful weather. It's like a signal that it's done, and it's okay, and it's time to get back to work. So everybody kind of goes indoors and we call it like... It's like a book season, you read more and you can write more. And I would say, it's fall. And then sometimes there are storms, so you have that kind of cool atmospheric feeling. So definitely fall.

Grace Lin: Ah, now do you think that the season you write in affects what you write?

Kim Baker: Not for me, personally. Maybe a little bit. I've always wanted to work on a ghost story, so I think fall would be a really nice season to do that when you have the leaves swirling and the sky is dark. And when I was a kid, October was always my favorite season because it felt like there was magic, like something could happen. You can feel that atmospheric difference. Yeah, anything is around the corner. Something could happen. Did you have that when you were a kid? Maybe it was just me.

Grace Lin: Yeah, no, no.

Kim Baker: I was always kind of hoping for that feeling.

Grace Lin: Yeah, definitely. My favorite seasons to be in is the fall and the end of the spring. Not the beginning of spring, because the beginning of spring is still muddy and stuff.

Kim Baker: Right.

Grace Lin: But the end of spring when things are really beautiful, but it's not too hot out. Ironically, my favorite seasons, spring and fall, are my least favorite to write in.

Kim Baker: Oh really?

Grace Lin: Because I want to be outside.

Kim Baker: Oh, there's that, yeah.

Grace Lin: It's very hard for me to write. It's very hard for me to concentrate, because I'm like, "I should go outside." But I actually love writing in the winter time.

Kim Baker: Oh, me too.

Grace Lin: When it's so cold outside and... I live in New England, so the snow is falling, and it's such a nice, cozy feeling to feel like you're sitting inside, and writing, and watching the snow fall. Because I don't really want to be out there, but it's so beautiful to see it, so. And I feel like a lot of my books have a snow theme to it because of that.

Kim Baker: Oh, that's funny. You think it comes through a little bit?

Grace Lin: I do, a little bit. And my second favorite season to write in is summer when it's really, really hot, because then I don't really want to go outside either.

Kim Baker: That's true

Grace Lin: It's too hot. I like to go out really early in the morning when it's still cool. And then when it's really hot out, I'm like, "Okay, I'll just stay inside. I could write the rest of the day because it's too hot now."

Kim Baker: There you go. Our summers are not that hot here. And my kids are home from school. And if I can help it, unless I'm on deadline, revising, or something, if I can help it, I can mostly just take the summer off. And just kind of play around with some writing exercises. And that's when I read more writing craft books and whatnot. And then it's a little refresher for me. And then by fall I'm anxious to write more and I really want to do it. And it's so it's kind of a reboot, so I like that part of it.

Grace Lin:

Oh, it's so interesting that you kind of have seasons to your writing too. You have a season where you're kind of just learning about craft then.

Kim Baker: Yeah, I try to. There have been years where I've needed to or where I've tried to write through the summer when there's a lot more going on. I mean, who knows about this summer? We'll probably be home. But when there are trips planned and my kids are home from school. And I just kind of want to focus on that more, and be present, and mindful. I'm trying to be. So yeah, and it does... I'm kind of a brat, so it makes me, if I tell myself I can't write, that's when I want to write more. So that kind of builds up, and so by the time... I would say fall is my most productive season.

Grace Lin Oh, that's so interesting. I would say fall and spring are my least productive seasons. Because fall is like, when it's so beautiful out and I know it's going to be winter, so I feel like I want to be outside, and enjoy the weather, and see the beautiful leaves as much as possible. And same with the end of spring. It's like, it's so beautiful out. We're exact opposites.

Kim Baker: That makes sense. I'm the same in the spring. I like to garden. So I think like, "Oh, I could write, but it's a clear day." So I'll go and plant those seeds or whatever I have to do, yeah.

Grace Lin: Well that just shows that every author is different.

Kim Baker: That's right.

Grace Lin: So thank you so much, Kim, for answering this question. And thank you Megan for asking it.

Kim Baker: Thank you for having me. And thanks for such a great question. It was fun.

Grace Lin: Thanks.

Kim Baker: Bye.

Today’s BOOK REVIEW comes from Jordan. Jordan is reviewing “Sea Sirens: A Trot & Cap’n Bill Adventure” by Amy Chu and illustrated by Janet K. Lee.

This book is a graphic novel about a surfer girl named Trot and her stray cat friend Cap’n Bill. They meet sirens, have an underwater adventure, and rescue Trot’s Grandpa.

I liked this book because the pictures and illustrations are beautiful. I feel like I am really having an adventure right along with Trot and her cat.

Thank you Jordan!

More about today’s authors:

Kim Baker's first book, PICKLE: The Formerly Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School, has been selected for many reading lists and was a finalist for the Texas Bluebonnet Award and the CBC Children's Choice Book of the Year. Her second book, THE WATER BEARS, is from Wendy Lamb Books, Random House. Find more at www.kimbakerbooks.com.

Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.

Special thanks to the High Five Books & Art Always Bookstore, Ms. Carleton’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Street School for their help with our kid questions and reviews.