Blog

Author Spotlight: Rosanne Parry + a GIVEAWAY

By on March 10, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Author Spotlight: Rosanne Parry + a GIVEAWAY                                                            

Today, I’m excited to shine the Author Spotlight on children’s author and fellow MUF member Rosanne Parry! Rosanne’s latest MG novel, A Wolf Called Fire, praised by Kirkus as “an exciting and thoughtful portrait inspired by a real animal who succeeded by being different,” was out February 4 from Greenwillow Books and is a 2025 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a #1 Indie Best Seller.

Interview with Rosanne

Welcome, Rosanne! Congratulations on the release of your beautiful new novel! It’s a pleasure to highlight the work of a fellow MUF member. A Wolf Called Fire is such a wonderful addition to the Voice of the Wilderness Series. Can you tell us a little background about what inspired these books?

Over the years I’ve gotten many letters from young readers who loved A Wolf Called Wander and were very worried about what happened to the brother he loved so much. So I was happy to return to the world of my wolf pack in the Wallowa Mountains. And there is much more research now about the dynamics of how wolf packs are lead and what kind of wolf grows up to be the alpha. So I wanted to explore how a wolf pup who starts out his life as the omega pup goes on to become a leader.

Point of View

It is so interesting that this story was inspired by a real wolf who became such an extraordinary pack leader, and I was amazed at how you were able to truly capture the point of view of an animal. I’d love to hear about your process and how you manage to write from this perspective so effectively. 

The work of reading fiction is to step outside of the self for a time and live as the fictional character does. So the work of the writer of fiction is to describe that fictional life and world with accuracy and detail that is not just vivid but accessible to the reader.

I have to reach out toward the wolf and ask myself what does this environment feel like. What color is the dirt and how does it feel under my feet and what does it smell like and what does the smell of this particular patch of dirt I’m standing on tell me about the world I need to survive in.

And then I also have to reach toward that child reader and ask myself what words will make this particular wilderness come to life. Because my reader has almost certainly never been to the backcountry of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and probably has not spent any time at all in the wilderness. So how can I choose words that will make them feel a part of that wilderness experience. It takes a lot of research and a lot of time spent in the actual settings of the story.

Voice

You describe the natural world so vividly through all the senses. Your writing is beautiful and lyrical. What advice do you have to new writers as they strive to find their voices?

I would encourage new writers to think of their voice as not so much something external to quest after, as though you might, at last, arrive at the Tree of Symbolism and pluck your own voice from among its fruits. Your voice has always resided within. So it’s more an enterprise of listening deeply to yourself and asking yourself what you hope to communicate in a particular story. And then thinking what a story needs in terms of tone and structure. Your own voice is already there. It’s more a matter of being humble enough to recognize it and proud enough not to let the editing process knock off all the interesting edges.

Characters

Along with Warm, the book includes many other memorable characters. Do you have a favorite secondary character? Who and why?

I really enjoyed writing Snow and Pounce in this story. Both are female wolves with plenty of leadership qualities who find themselves is a pack they don’t like. The one gathers her courage and leaves her pack. But the other quietly forms alliances within the pack she hates and in the end forms a new pack with them.

Back Matter

With its wonderful educational content, this book is sure to be a huge hit with teachers, and the exciting, fast-paced story and beautiful illustrations throughout will be so appealing to kids. Your back matter is very interesting and an excellent supplement. Young readers are going to absolutely adore learning about the real wolf behind the story, as well as the map of Warm’s journey and the pictures of the animal tracks. I love all you say about how kids can make a difference. How did you decide what to include in the back matter? 

When the first Voice of the Wilderness book was written I could not find an American publisher for it, so it was the British publisher Andersen Press who took it on. I had a meeting with them in London when we were at the beginning of the editing process. A British audience knows so little about the American wilderness that we talked at length about how to make the text accessible to them. Illustrations were my editor’s idea. I asked for the back matter to make the book work for teachers who also have to teach map reading and ecosystems and natural history and human history. They agreed that teachers need every bit of support we can offer, and so they set the standard for the books that followed. I’m grateful that Greenwillow has stuck with the format because the price of paper is rising and absolutely every page counts.

What was your biggest challenge in writing this story?

Greenwillow was very keen to have FIRE come out in 2025–their 50th anniversary year. And my approach to writing is not a speedy one. Honestly, the biggest challenge was getting the story researched and written in time to have it so beautifully illustrated and designed. It was a huge team effort. Much gratitude to the illustrator, Mónica Armiño, art director Sylvie Le Floc’h, and editor Virginia Duncan.

Writing Process

Will you tell us a little about your writing process? Where/when do you prefer to write?

I love to write outside when it’s warm enough for that. My treehouse is a favorite spot, but the truth is I can write almost anywhere and I often have to make due perching in whatever space is available. Research is probably the most defining aspect of my writing. I do a lot of it and it requires a fair amount of camping at the moment. Fortunately I love that!

Takeaways

What do you hope readers take away from this story?

Literacy is my primary objective. Because it’s a relatively short book, it’s often a 7 or 8 or 9 year olds first middle grade novel that they have read on their own, and they are a better reader by the time they get to the end of it. I want my reader to feel empowered to read ever more complex and challenging books and newspapers. I want them to care about the wilderness and believe that they have something to say in the defense of land and creatures who cannot speak for themselves.

Influences

What are some current books that have influenced you as a kidlit writer?

I really enjoy books that test the limits and try something new. Virginia Euwer Wolff is a long time friend and mentor. She’s also one of the first YA authors to write in verse. Her Make Lemonade was a game changing read for me.

I have heaps of admiration for Brian Selznick who pioneered an alternating text and sequential illustration story that stands apart from all the rest and makes me think about story in new ways every single time. If you haven’t read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, you are in for a treat.

I’m also a big fan of the graphic novel Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case. It’s a climate future story about a middle school girl and her scientist guardian who are traveling a west coast almost devoid of humans. The story alone is fabulous but the author included non-fiction touches large and small that I very much appreciated. There are pages of the main character’s homework which provide useful back story and fun facts. There are directions on how to tie knots or get into a backpacker’s hammock or navigate by stars. Every new setting has the GPS coordinates in case you wanted to find the place for yourself. A real innovation — blending traditional graphic novel panels with the finest in illustrated nonfiction.

Can you give us some insights into what you’ll be working on next?

My next Voice of the Wilderness novel will be about ravens.

And for the lightning round:

Coffee or tea? Cocoa

Sunrise or sunset? Sunset

Favorite place to travel: The homeward journey has always been my favorite.

Favorite dessert: Ice cream

Superpower: Moral Courage and Compassion are the superpowers we most need.

Favorite music: When I was writing A Wolf Called Fire I listened to a lot of classical pieces by Vivaldi and Respighi. They made me think of the forest.

Favorite book from childhood:  A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin

Thanks again, Rosanne! It was so much fun to learn about you and get a behind the scenes look at your amazing novel! Learn more about Rosanne on her website and follow her on Instagram.

Bio

Rosanne grew up in Oregon loving its wild places and fabulous libraries.  She’s the author of the bestselling Voice of the Wilderness novels and nonfiction picture books. Her newest is A Wolf Called Fire. Rosanne sells books at Annie Blooms, and writes in a treehouse in her backyard.

For a chance to win a signed copy of A Wolf Called Fire, comment on the blog!  (Giveaway ends March 17, 2025 MIDNIGHT EST.) U.S. only, please. 

Back to Top

Author Interview with Siobhan McDermott

By on March 7, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Author photo and cover for Paper Dragons book 2: Rise of the Sand Spirits by Siobhan McDermott

Middle grade fantasy continues to be a huge hit with my 5th graders. They are always eager for a new series, so I jumped at the chance to interview author Siobhan McDermott about the newest entry in her Paper Dragons series. In book one, Paper Dragons: Fight for the Hidden Realm, Zhi Ging is desperate to leave the unwelcoming village of the Glassmakers and win an invitation to train as a Silhouette—and perhaps gain immortality.

When she is offered an unheard-of second chance, she must balance her new-found excitement with the distrust and skepticism of her fellow Silhouettes. But her new underwater school, Hok Woh, has bigger problems and even bigger secrets, and Zhi Ging and her fellow Silhouettes soon find themselves in the middle of a battle for the future of Hok Woh and all six provinces.

While Fight for the Hidden Realm leaves readers on a bit of a cliffhanger regarding Zhi Ging’s next steps, readers can rest assured that book two, Paper Dragons: The Rise of the Sand Spirits, picks up the pace and jumps back into the action immediately! And speaking of action, let’s jump into the interview!

Interview with Author Siobhan McDermott

Katie: You are sharing a hoop with a Silhouette-aged student who loves fantasy novels. What is your quick elevator pitch for why they should read the Paper Dragons series?

Siobhan: Paper Dragons takes place in a magical underwater school and is jam-packed with delicious dim sum, ageshifting immortals, lightning-breathing dragons, and one extremely greedy duckling. For fans of folklore, I’ve sprinkled little nods to both Irish myths and Chinese legends throughout Zhi Ging’s world!

Katie: What surprised you the most when writing book two?

Siobhan: How much fun I had! The ideas for book one had been swirling around in my mind for over two decades before I wove them together into Zhi Ging’s story. When I first opened a blank word doc for book two, I was a little nervous about coming up with brand new characters and challenges. Instead, I’m really happy to say that book two features my all time favourite Chau: a magical version of mochi that I now desperately wish was real.

Cover for Paper Dragons: Search for the Hidden Realm by Siobhan McDermottKatie: Teachers often tell students to “Write what you know?” How have you been able to use “what you know” and your own life experiences to write such immersive fantasy?

Siobhan: Thank you! For me, it’s all about taking what you know and giving it a magical twist. I truly believe there’s only two words you need to kick start your imagination: “what if.” All you have to do is apply “what if” to any ordinary, mundane part of your life and it can trigger ideas that end up forming brand new fantasy worlds. For example, when I was growing up in Hong Kong I would often get ferries between islands. I’d spend most of those journeys peering down into the waves thinking “there’s so many buildings on land, what if there’s some underwater too. . .” That one idea stuck in my head for over twenty years, ultimately becoming Hok Woh: the underwater school made entirely from glass where children train to become immortal.

Katie: You mention in your first author’s note that the jellyfish didn’t appear until your first rewrite. If all writing is rewriting, how else has revision shaped your stories?

Siobhan: Oh, entire buildings, characters, and plotlines have vanished and morphed over my multiple rewrites! In fact, of the 43 chapters in the published book, only 3 have remained the same since my very first draft. It might initially feel tough, but killing your darlings is one of the most freeing parts of writing. You also don’t need to kill them permanently, not really. Every single sentence I cut gets saved in a secret doc with a word count that runs into the tens of thousands. Sometimes, it’s just about finding a better home for your initial idea. A couple of chapters I cut from book one were polished up and tweaked to form the foundations of a major moment in book two. The idea that inspired those original chapters works much better here than it ever did in book one! For any ideas you don’t reuse, being able to glance at them in the secret doc can also help remind you of how far your writing has come between drafts.

upside down jellyfishKatie: If you had your own personal jellyfish assistant, what type of jellyfish would you choose and why? (My personal favorite are the Pacific Sea Nettles, pictured, for their insistence on swimming upside down.)

Siobhan: Oh excellent choice! I think I’d have to go with the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish. They’re the largest species out there and their tentacles can stretch over 100 feet high. I’m pretty short myself so it’d be great to have one to help me reach the books on the top shelves the next time I’m at the library.

Katie: Switching gears, can you tell MUF readers about your path to publication? I know you’ve been involved in publishing for a long time. What led you to write for kids?

Siobhan: Of course! I’ve always loved middle grade books, particularly anything with a large dollop of magic. After a few years doing PR for non-fiction titles, I was lucky enough to land a role working with some incredibly talented children’s authors. Travelling around the country with them, hearing first-hand how they navigated that labyrinth between an initial spark of an idea to a published novel was incredibly eye opening. Quite a few of them still worked full-time too — with one hero of an author writing incredible fantasy books between shifts as a midwife. Chatting with them encouraged me to stop simply filling notebooks with ideas then leaving them to collect dust. Instead, I began scribbling after work and at weekends, plotting out a story that 10 year old me would have loved to read.

Katie: What advice would you give to fledgling MG authors?

Siobhan: Read as much new MG as you can! We all have our childhood favourites, the stories that made us want to become writers, but it’s so important not to rely on these as your only benchmark. There’s been some truly incredible MG writing published over the last few years (across all genres) and you’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you don’t read them. Take a look at the covers of books you loved growing up, then look at the covers now filling bookstore shelves. The artwork will be noticeably different, with illustrators and designers showcasing new styles and techniques, so why wouldn’t you expect the contents of these books to have also transformed across those same decades? Obviously certain themes are timeless, and a lot of great stories will share common ideas and emotions, but if you really want to write MG that sparks the imagination of readers, you have to understand how it’s constantly evolving. Don’t let your bar of what counts as “good” be solely guided by classics, it should be equally influenced by your contemporaries.

Katie: What are some of your favorite middle grade books or series?

Siobhan: How much time do you have?! Some middle grade books I’ve recently read and loved include:
Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo by Philippa Leathley
Artezans: The Forgotten Magic by L.D. Lapinski
The Whisperwicks: The Labyrinth of Lost and Found by Jordan Lees
Heartseer: The Tale of Anise Star by Rowan Foxwood

If you’re a speedy reader and want a middle grade series with a few titles already published, you can’t go wrong with:
The Nevermoor Series by Jessica Townsend
The Amari Series by B. B. Alston
The Greenwild Series by Pari Thomson
The Cosima Unfortunate Series by Laura Noakes

Katie: Is there anything else that you would like readers to know about the Paper Dragons series? (Like, how long are you keeping us in suspense until book three??)

Siobhan: Ha! I’m working on book three as we speak so, hopefully, you’ll only be kept in suspense a teensy bit longer. I’ve had a sneak peek of the artwork Vivienne To, my illustrator, has dreamt up for the third cover and I’ll just say readers are in for a TREAT! It’s stunning.

Katie: No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round so …

Lightning Round

Yellow graphic lightning boltCoffee, tea, or bubble tea?

Oh definitely bubble tea! Either matcha with classic tapioca or a peach white tea with strawberry popping boba.

Class you’d most like to take at Hok Woh?

I think it’d have to be Calligraphy. That particular tutor (who you’ll meet in book two) was so fun to write! They very quickly prove their classes are about much more than just pretty writing. Instead, it’s all about different ways of communicating – particularly hidden messages and secret codes.

Favorite dim sum order?

Has to be a plate of char siu cheung fun (叉燒腸粉)! Pieces of bbq roast pork wrapped inside a silky rice noodle. I’ve been known to eat a second or third helping all by myself!

Dream job when you were a kid?

For years all I wanted to do was sell ice cream. I only changed my mind when I realised I’d end up eating it faster than I’d sell it.

Superpower?

I’d love to be able to speak every language in the world. I’ve been travelling recently and quite a few of the museums and galleries I visited didn’t allow phones/photos. I had to guess what a lot of displays were saying and research them afterwards. I’d also love not to have to rely on translation apps when looking at menus — although my gamble in Taiwan with a dish that Google claimed was “flesh of the moon” turned out to be delicious!

Katie: Finally, where can readers find you if they want to reach out?

Siobhan: You can find me on Instagram at @siobhanmcd91

Katie: Thanks so much, Siobhan! Eager readers don’t have long to wait, as book two in the Paper Dragons series, The Rise of the Sand Spirits, slithers into mailboxes and bookstores everywhere on March 11, 2025!

Headshot of author Siobhan McDermott, photo credit Helen ScanlonBiography:

Siobhan McDermott was born in Hong Kong and grew up on a steady stream of stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore. She now lives in the UK and continues to order dim sum in Cantonese tinged with a distinctly Dublin lilt. Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm is her debut novel and was chosen as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. The story was inspired by moments across her life: from childhood ferry trips between Lantau Island and Hong Kong, to travelling around Taiwan, Italy and Spain.

Back to Top

Creative Writing Prompts for Young Authors

By on March 5, 2025   /   For Kids, For Writers, Teacher Tips, Writing  

children writingEnjoy these prompts. Here are a few tips:

 

  • Don’t worry about being perfect
  • Let your imagination run wild
  • Write about things that excite you
  • Read your story out loud to catch fun details
  • Have fun with your writing!

 

Imagine…

  • You wake up one morning and discover you can talk to animals. What conversations do you have, and what adventures unfold?
  • You find a magical key that can open any lock in the world. What would you unlock, and what would you discover?
  • Write a story about a day in the life of your favorite toy when no one is looking.
  • You’ve been chosen to be the first kid to live on a space station. Describe your first week there.
  • A mysterious package arrives at your doorstep with no return address. What’s inside, and how does it change your day?

 

About You…

  • Describe your perfect day from start to finish. What makes it so special?
  • If you could have any superpower, what would it be? How would you use it to help others?
  • Write about a time when you felt proud of yourself and why.
  • Imagine you could trade places with an adult for a day. Who would you choose, and what would you do?
  • What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from a friend or family member?

 

Explore…

  • ]You discover a hidden door in your school that leads to a completely different world. What does this world look like?
  • Write a story about a friendship between two completely different creatures.
  • If trees could talk, what stories would they tell about the world they’ve seen?
  • Create a new invention that would make life easier for kids your age. How does it work?
  • Describe a magical creature that no one has ever seen before. What are its special abilities?

 

Connect with Others…

  • Write about a time when you helped someone and how it made you feel.
  • Imagine you could solve one problem in your community. What would it be, and how would you fix it?
  • Describe a moment when you acted brave, even though you were scared.
  • If you could send a message to kids around the world, what would you say?
  • Write about a time when you learned something new about yourself.

 

Have Fun…

  • You’ve been chosen to design a new holiday. What would it celebrate, and how would people celebrate it?
  • Write a story about what happens in your classroom after everyone goes home.
  • Imagine you can shrink to the size of an ant for a day. What adventures would you have?
  • If your favorite food could talk, what would it say about being eaten?
  • Create a story about a day when everything goes wrong but turns out amazing in the end.

 

Hope you enjoyed stretching your imagination and coming up with new ideas. Why not share your stories with a favorite teacher or some of your friends?

Do you have any suggestions for story prompts? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Back to Top