Author Interviews

Author/Illustrator Interview with Casey Lyall and Sara Faber: The League of Littles

By on June 16, 2025   /   Articles, Author Interviews  
Casey-Lyall-Author-Photo

Casey Lyall

We’re excited to have Casey Lyall and Sara Faber on here today to talk about their new release: The League of Littles.

Hi, Casey and Sara, let’s start with learning a bit more about you, and then we’ll talk more about your book.

Sara Faber photo

Sara Faber

Did you have any childhood dreams for when you became an adult? If so, did they come true?

Casey: For sure! I went through a ton of different dreams for myself, but the one consistent one was always wanting to be a writer, so I’m always very thankful and happy to have that particular dream work out.

Sara: I had so many dreams as a kid, and one of them was to become an illustrator. I always loved the characters I saw on book covers, in comics and cartoons, and from a young age I tried to draw them, but back then I didn’t know yet that this was a job. And once I knew, I thought this must be the best job ever! Turns out, I still think it’s the best job ever. 🙂

Sounds like both of you have found your dream jobs. Speaking of books, did you love to read as a child? If so, can you tell us some favorite books?

Casey: I was a massive reader as a kid (and still am!) Summer reading club at the library was one of my favourite times of the year. I loved so many different books—too many to list! But some of my favourite authors were definitely Gordan Korman and Madeleine L’Engle. I think I read every single one of their books.

Sara: I was a big bookworm as a child, and I still am! I grew up reading the Harry Potter series, the Inkheart series, and another fantasy series called Laura, but I believe it was published in German only.

Please tell us a little about your family. Were you a Little? Big? Middle? Only?

Casey: I’m actually a middle child. I have an older sister and a younger one and luckily, they both have a great sense of humour.

Sara: I am the oldest of two! My sister is 10 years younger.

Sara Faber as a child

Sara Faber as a child

Did you have any hamsters or other pets when growing up?

Sara: I had two Guinea pigs when I was a kid – their names were Fips and Trixi, and two birds, Mozart and Beethoven. Later, when I was around 9 or 10, we also had a family dog – a brown Labrador named Gina.

Casey: We had Guinea pigs too! And some fish for a while, but we were definitely a cat family. There have been quite a few memorable felines in our household.

Would you be willing to share an embarrassing grade school moment?

Casey Lyall as a child

Casey Lyall as a child

Casey: I think I’ve tried to banish most of them from my memories! But, okay, here’s a good one: I tried out a lot of different sports as a kid and was not particularly good at any of them. Probably the most memorable incident happened when I was on the swim team. I can’t see very well without my glasses, so that was problem number one. Also, the goggles I had one weren’t working properly and kept filling up with water so I just had to close my eyes and hope for the best.

During this one race, I thought I was doing okay, but then bumped into the lane marker (these floating line things that kept that swimming lanes separate) and got a bit tangled up in it. I kept going though! And finished the race! …and then found another very confused kid at the end of the race in the same lane with me because I had accidentally moved into their lane when I got tangled into the marker.

That was pretty embarrassing!!! (And I think I got disqualified too, which was uncool.) My swimming career didn’t last very long. 😂

Oh, no! That would have been  embarrassing. I hope that story will find it’s way into one of your books sometime. I’m sure plenty of middle graders (and adults) have felt that way.

Sara: This is such a tough question. There is absolutely nothing that comes to my mind. I was a very shy and quiet kid, so maybe there wasn’t much that could have been embarrassing, since I tried to be invisible most of the time. 🙂

What advice would you give to kids who are bullied?

Sara: It breaks my heart when I see kids being bullied. As a parent myself, I think it’s especially important in today’s day and age to raise kind and compassionate people. My best advice is to ignore bullies as best as you can, but I know it’s easier said than done. And to talk to someone you trust, don’t deal with it on your own. It’s only when you get older, you will understand that the people who bully others feel like they need to bring others down to make themselves feel better. It’s not really about you, and there is nothing wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are!

Casey: I agree with Sara’s very smart and kind words above. She said it best!

I love this advice, and that your book deals with this situation.

Casey, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Oh, wow—I don’t know if I can even think of a specific age. I remember reading Robert Munsch books when I was little, and they made me laugh so much, I wanted to tell my own stories and make people laugh like that. I feel like the desire to tell stories has always been a natural part of my life. And something that I’m grateful my parents always encouraged.

Sara, when did you know you wanted to be an illustrator?

I knew I wanted to become an illustrator when I first found out that it’s an actual job. I remember I saw the word “illustrator” on a book and asked my great grandpa what it means. That was when I knew this is my dream job, even though I had no idea what to do in order to get there. It was only when I graduated from uni (I studied something completely unrelated) that I decided to work on improving my drawing skills and try to become an illustrator.

Casey, what is your favorite or most challenging part of being a writer?

I think my favourite part might also be the most challenging part! I love having that spark of an idea and getting to see that idea take shape into a fully-realized story. You go through so many twists and turns and discover things about your characters that you might not have realized at the start. It’s always an adventure! Now, on the flip side of that, at certain points, trying to get that story to take shape can be the most frustrating and challenging thing of all time and can feel like you’re banging your head against the keyboard…but the end result is always worth it. 😃

Sara, what is your favorite or most challenging part of being an illustrator?

My favorite part is definitely being able to draw every day for a living, and to express myself through art. With comics specifically, I love telling stories through facial expressions and body language, and to put it all together in an interesting and fun way. As much as I love drawing, showing up every day is also one of the hardest parts sometimes – especially when I don’t feel like drawing, because that happens, even though it’s one of my favorite things to do.

League of Littles coverCasey, can you tell us a little about why you chose to write a graphic novel and if you worked together to create the story and illustrations?

I wanted to challenge myself with a new format and it also seemed like a fun category to write for so I decided to give it a try. It was really cool to learn about the process! I tried to leave a lot of space for the illustrator to put their own spin on things, and there was a lot of collaboration from the whole team in terms of the general look of the story and how the scenes came together.

Casey, how did you come up with the characters & the idea of Littles banding together to help each other?

The characters came to me as I was brainstorming—I do a lot of doodling and pre-writing before I start a project so they started to take shape before the real plot of the story did. And in terms of the general premise, I was just trying to think of ideas that would be fun to write and fun to read and it popped into my brain! I’ve always liked the idea of secret organizations though so that probably fed into it a bit. Who doesn’t love secret shenanigans?

Casey, what inspired you to write about an escaping hamster?

I was trying to think of a realistic problem that a little kid could have that would also leave room for it to spiral into bigger adventures. Borrowing a sibling’s pet for show and tell felt like it fit that criteria and then once the character of Chester took shape, he pretty much took charge of his own story and I just tried to keep up!

Sara, how did you develop the characters for the illustrations?

Casey gave me some great descriptions for each of the characters including their heritage, personality, and their hairstyles. After reading the manuscript, I already had a pretty good idea of how the characters would look and act. After that I sketched a character line up, to make sure they look good individually and as a group, making sure their appearance matches their personality.

Character sketches

Sara’s character sketches

Thank you so much for sharing your sketches with us! I love your palette and the softness of the final illustrations. Can you tell us about your art technique?

Thank you so much! My art style developed over the years, and it’s very inspired by anime, Disney movies, and cartoons I loved as a kid (I still do). I love soft and warm colors in general, and I think this reflects in my art as well. When I draw for work, I use my iPad and Procreate, which is great because it makes revisions and making changes easier, and I can theoretically draw from anywhere, but in reality, I sit at my desk most of the time. 🙂 When I draw just for myself, I love drawing with a pen in my sketchbook. I love to keep it simple regarding the tools I use and to focus on lines, which is my favorite part about drawing.

Are any of characters based on based on people you know?

Casey: No, they’re all their own people. I just tried to come up with a fun mix of personalities for each team that could balance each other out and play off of each other at the same time.

Sara: I mostly used Casey’s descriptions for the designs. For some of the characters, I created a Pinterest board before coming up with their designs, but these served more as a general inspiration for how they would move and what they’d look like and weren’t based on a specific person.

Casey, what do you hope readers will take away from your story?

A lot of laughter!

What are you working on now?

Casey: All kinds of things! Mostly new middle grade and picture books ideas at the moment.

Sara: I am already working on the second book of the League of Littles, which focuses on the big siblings! The story is so much fun. I can tell you that much already. 🙂 I’m also coming up with my own story for a graphic novel on the side.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In The League of Littles, Eli, Lexi, and Mo, three trainees at an international organization that supports the needs of youngest siblings, accept their first mission and help find a lost hamster.

“A group of youngest siblings are challenged by a hamster on the run. . . . A brief, amusing romp with potential for future fun.”  — Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Casey Lyall is the author of Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is; Waking the Dead and Other Fun Activities; the acclaimed picture book A Spoonful of Frogs, illustrated by Vera Brosgol; and the popular Howard Wallace, P.I. series. She lives in southwestern Ontario, Canada, where she also works at her local library.

Sara Faber is an illustrator and comic artist, and when she is not drawing, you can find her reading, soaking in the atmosphere of coffee shops and bookstores, and going on walks with her dog. The League of Littles is her first book. Sara Faber lives in Germany.

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Interview with Cassidy Wasserman about Graphic Novel ON GUARD!

By on June 9, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Today, we’re excited to have Cassidy Wasserman with us on the Mixed-Up Files. I had the pleasure of reading her graphic novel On Guard!, which is releasing tomorrow, June 10!  I also got to interview her about the book, her inspiration and process, and more. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us, Cassidy!Cover of On Guard by Cassidy Wasserman

 

The author’s note in the book shares that the original seed for this story was about a friend breakup but slowly became about the relationship between mothers and daughters. The line you shared about the real story finding you along the way was lovely, and I wondered if you could talk more about how the story on the page came to be. How did you know when that shift needed to happen?

When I started writing On Guard!, I was focused on Grace and Ava, and how they grew apart. As I wrote, I dug deep into the feelings I experienced in middle school that were likely to be a more universal experience for readers. The story of my parents’ divorce was prevalent in my mind, and I realized that there was a natural through line between Grace, Ava, and Grace’s mom. I decided the shift in focus had to come from Grace starting that school year all on her own, where her struggles at home and school are now completely intertwined. Not only do we see her struggling at home while butting heads with her mother’s personality, but even at school she’s faced with how much she believes her mother liked Ava more than her.

 

There is a lot of your own story inside of Grace’s (and it’s awesome that you’re both artists!). How did you approach weaving parts of your own life into the narrative?

I feel the best stories come from personal experiences. I approached adding these parts of my life to Grace’s story by picking the ones that felt the most relatable, and the ones that I hadn’t yet seen told. I mention in my author’s note that I didn’t get to see relatable stories of mothers and daughters growing up, and it was important for me that this feeling of alienation from your maternal figure would come through. I wanted to ensure the story was true to my lived experience.

 

Relationships are handled deftly in your work, whether it’s Grace with her mom, Grace with her dad, or Grace with her friends, old and new. It was fascinating to see how you gave all of these relationships space in the book—both in the text and in the art itself. Could you tell us how you balanced these threads?

It all comes down to pacing, and making sure every story is intertwined with another. Grace is going through quite a lot, and all of those relationships need their time on the page. I like to let the art tell the story where I can. When you can let a reader sit with a silent panel or two, it can have a big impact. I found that when the plotlines organically developed to suit the needs of Grace and the story, they all started to naturally click into place.

 

One of my favorite lines was when Grace admitted she mostly just wants to hold a sword—who doesn’t? There were many other powerful moments that came through analogies to fencing, like when Grace realizes she can only control her own moves, not her opponent’s. Could you tell us about how you got into fencing? Did that experience give you the idea for this book?

I could talk about fencing all day! When I was a kid, I read The Spiderwick Chronicles, and the sister in that book fences. Ever since then, I’d hoped to be able to do it myself someday. I didn’t get to fence in school, but after college I joined a local club. Epee just happened to be the only weapon they taught, as my coach was a collegiate women’s epee coach. (Go, Wellesley!) It worked out nicely, because epee is the simplest weapon to explain. Foil and saber have a few more rules. I was in love with the sport from the moment I walked into the club and heard the bell guards ringing. I had been mulling over a story about my “Ava” for a while, and after I starting fencing, it became clear.

 

You mentioned you’ve always loved to draw and read. Are there any favorite books or artists that have profoundly shaped you as an author-illustrator?

Lucy Knisley is a big influence on me when it comes to graphic novels. Her travelogues were my favorite thing to bring around in art school. I’ve also pored over Jen Wang’s artwork in The Prince and the Dressmaker a million times, and anything from Tony DiTerlizzi. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol is also one of my favorites. The biggest influence on me as a writer, though, has to be Rick Riordan. I am a Percy Jackson kid through and through—it holds such a special place in my heart.

 

You’re also passionate about video games and work as a UX/UI artist. Do video games influence your creative process or storytelling?

Yes! Some of my favorite plots and stories to study are video games. The Last of Us in particular is incredible—I love how it deals with difficult topics and gray areas. My coworkers teach me to be a better artist and listener every day. As a UX/UI artist, I care deeply about accessibility and inclusion, and that naturally follows me to creating comics. Things like: Are the colors on the page workable for someone who is color blind? What about the font—is it easy to read for those with dyslexia? These are important questions when it comes to both comics and video games!

 

It sounds like book two for Grace is already underway! Will we get to see more fencing as well as more of Asher and Nia?

Yes! I cannot wait to dive deeper into their stories.

 

Do you have any other projects in the works we can get excited for?

I can’t say just yet, but stay tuned—I’m excited to show the world what’s next.

Cassidy Wasserman

If you could give writers any advice on how to keep writing even in the face of rejection or overwhelming odds, what would it be?

Keep going! Your story is worth telling—we need new perspectives on life. Take breaks when you need to and be kind to yourself, but don’t give up. Getting your story out there is sometimes about having it resonate with the right person, so writing something that is meaningful to you will always be worth that initial rejection.

No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so here it is!

Favorite place to write? My office!

Coffee or tea? Coffee, coffee, coffee!

Superpower? I want the chalk zone powers, where whatever you draw becomes real. I would draw myself so many ice cream sundaes.

Dream vacation? The Australia Zoo!

Dream job when you were a kid? I specifically wanted to be a “veterinarian, and an artist on my lunch breaks.”

House pet? Dogs and cats

 

Learn more about Cassidy and her projects at her website: https://www.cassidywasserman.com/

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Interview with Rom-Com Author G.F. Miller

By on June 6, 2025   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

I am excited I got to interview G.F. Miller on her newest book, What If You Fall For Me First. You can read my interview with her on Not If You Break Up with Me First which posted almost exactly a year ago! 

About the Book

Hi G.F.! Can you give us a short summary about the book?

Sofia is sick of her goody-two-shoes reputation and desperate for her crush to notice her. To help her level up from forgettable to fierce, Sofia enlists trendy and confident Holden—the guy who everyone else has written off as a total player and a first-class jerk. Under Holden’s guidance, Sofia learns to revamp her style, ride a skateboard, and stand up for herself. At the same time, Holden learns that when he’s alone with Sofia, it’s safe to drop the cool guy act and just be himself.

When their efforts start to pay off, and Sofia’s crush finally seems interested in her, she’s faced with a choice. Should she stick with the plan—and risk losing herself in the process—or take a chance on the person everyone says will break her heart?

I love that there were many things about this that felt like a classic teen movie from the 80s (best rom coms ever!). What movies were inspiration for it? Can I guess? I felt Pretty in Pink (or at least Duckie Dale) and Can’t Buy Me Love vibes!

Ooh, those were good ones. I love CBML. I mean, how cute was Patrick Dempsey circa 1987?? I see your classic rom coms and raise with “She’s All That”—another adorable (if somewhat problematic) movie. (And did you see the gender-swapped remake, “He’s All That?” Love <3). So, bestie, I’m thinking movie night?! I’ll bring the popcorn!

I’m surely up for an 80s Rom Com movie night! LOL. I like how this book has the feel of a YA book but is for those kids (like me!) who enjoyed reading about high school relationships. Can you share what you feel keeps this in the middle grade realm vs young adult? I know a lot of authors have difficulty knowing where to categorize their work.

It’s solidly middle grade! I was very conscientious about keeping the romantic chemistry, the language, and the themes at the right level for tween readers. In fact, as we edited, I ran every word, phrase, reference, and plot point through the litmus test of, “Would I want to explain that to my 10-year-old?” Parents and teachers can feel confident recommending this book to kids who are interested in reading romance but don’t want (young) adult content.

 

About the Author

Did you sneak anything from your childhood into this book? (Who hasn’t fallen for a Mark??)

I won’t pretend I was ever as purely kind and gentle as Sofia is, but I do relate to her desire to change herself and grow up on the double. I remember that moment in junior high when I thought, “I have to burn everything little kiddish and bury all weakness and grow out my bangs and prove to myself and the world that I am a baddie.” (Please see attached photo for the results.)

Glow-Up (Kind of)

And, um, yeah—crushes galore! If you’re a male human reading this, and you attended Indian Trail Junior High School for more than a week between the years 1990 and 1992, I probably had a crush on you at some point. Now you know. Sorry for making it awkward.   

Which character would you say you’re most like?

There’s a lot of me in every character, to be honest. I find my own cluttered headspace to be an endless well of source material. Sofia’s desire to transform and prove herself. Holden’s conflicted relationship with himself and others. Even the teachers and various mothers are really exaggerated versions of me in my best and worst moments.

What authors (and/or books) were some of your favorites at this age?

In junior high, I was devouring Lois Duncan books. High schoolers falling in love and running for their lives and having out-of-body experiences—that was my jam. When the covers fell off all the Duncan books, I read my share of Sweet Valley High and Harlequin Classics. But then I discovered Christopher Pike, and I was instantly addicted. Not only were those books creepy and thrilling, but the tone felt so real—like the author actually knew how teenagers talk and think and act. If you’re reading this Lois or Christopher, thanks for the memories!

 

Research/Writing

Where did the idea for this book begin—The problem? The resolution?

This book started with Holden. He was behaving very badly in Not If You Break Up With Me First, and I didn’t like him at all. When we started to dream about what might come next, he was the one character that I most wanted to get to know to see if maybe there was someone lovable under all that bad-boy bravado. As soon as Holden’s backstory and character arc came into focus, the rest of the story fell into place pretty easily. Sofia was the obvious perfect foil for Holden, and her crush on Mark in Not If You Break Up With Me First, was so fun to dig deeper into.

Do you make an outline? (Are you a plotter or a pantser with the genre?)

I do outline. And then the characters do whatever they want, so I go back and re-outline. And then the characters mess with the story again. And I re-outline… Thus, I plot my way through by the seat of my pants, and when I go back and read my first draft outline, I have to shake my head at how wrong I was about practically everything.

Can you share any tips for writing rom coms? Do you have any good sources for authors?

Rom coms are possibly the most character-driven of all the genres. The entire set-up, plot, and pay-off is driven by these two characters and how they bounce off each other. My tips are: (1) focus on character and (2) read and watch every possible rom com (if you’re even thinking about writing a rom com, you’re doing this already, right??). A good craft book is Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit. It’s a screenwriting book, but the story principles still apply!

I appreciate your knowledge of technology trends and slang you use in your book. (Sadly, I hadn’t heard the expression “glow up” before.) What are some sources for keeping up-to-date on both what kids are doing on social media and what words/expressions are in?

I don’t know of any better way to keep up than to hang out with lots of teenagers. My kids and niblings teach me new stuff every day! They are so fluent in this language—not only do they know all the terms, but they seamlessly use them in new and surprising ways. They each have their own unique spin on the language.

If you don’t have time to volunteer at your local Boys & Girls Club, you could start by following @mr_phlindsay_sped on Instagram. He’s a comedian and middle school teacher, and you’ll pick up some lingo from him.

 

For Teachers

Photo Credit: Shannon Ly for Shannon Ly Photography

Do you have a curriculum guide or discussion questions posted online?

I do! You can find classroom resources at gfmiller.com/educators-press

Are you doing school visits related to this book? 

I don’t have a formal school visiting program, but I’d be open to discussing it! When I visit junior highs, I typically talk about story craft and publishing. But if you want an unqualified person to talk about how to handle middle school relationships, I’m game for that too!

How can we learn more about you? 

Visit me at gfmiller.com and follow me on Instragram @author.gfmiller

Thanks for your time, G.F.

Thank YOU, Natalie!

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