Posts Tagged Author Interview

STEM Tuesday– Periodic Table — Author Interview with Jon Chad

By on March 25, 2025   /   Periodic Table, STEM Tuesday  

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing Jon Chad, author and illustrator of  The Periodic Table of Elements. Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything published by First Second a division of Macmillan.  The graphic novel gives rare insight into the anxiety children experience the night before the test. In this case, the young girl, Mel, faces apocalyptic fear over the next day’s test on elements. When she falls asleep she’s transported to a land where elements control the narrative and push her boundaries. There, she has to recover a book of science experiments and stop the evil Elemancer in his fortress modeled off the Periodic Table. The Jon Chad describes this story as part chemistry, part dungeon crawler!

“Solid gold.” —Kirkus, starred review

“A fun scientific romp with a Black girl protagonist; perfect for middle grade readers who need a chemistry review or a clever introduction to the periodic table.” —School Library Journal

Periodic Table cover

Christine Taylor-Butler: How did you get started illustrating? Did you draw as a kid?

Jon Chad: Yes. I’ve always been a drawer. My mother and grandfather were artists so I was always encouraged to pursue it with love. I started drawing vocationally in 2009. I studied sequential arts (comics).

For college, I went to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In my early years I was illustrating picture books for a publisher in Massachusetts about sports mascots for gift stores – for example: Atlanta Braves, Louisville Cardinals. I was a great chance to work with editors and learn about making files ready for publication. But on the side I was working on comics. I was fascinated by self-published comics and inspired by the field of artists making books. I wanted to make something novel – something that would push against expectations of what a book should look like.

CTB: So what early work did you create?

Jon: I created Leo Geo. The handmade comic is long and narrow but you read it vertically. It’s about a guy who goes to the center of the Earth. I wanted to see if someone could read a comic without panels and understand the plot without getting confused. All through the book the character is spouting off facts about various things. Leo Geo was published along with a other self-published books.

Leo vertical comic

Comic without panels

Eventually an editor at Roaring Brooks/Macmillan asked if I would do a book more focused on geology. I was willing to play ball and it was an amazing experience. We too often separate fiction and nonfiction culturally. We have a fear of young reader’s ability to absorb information.

I think there are a lot of examples of things we can point to that are wildly successful. For example, people now know there is more than one way to peel a potato (i.e. teach a child). We use videos, lectures, literacy types, etc. There are proven studies that show that comics can tap into cognitive ability. Allan Paivio talks about the dual coding theory of cognition: verbal representations and mental images. Graphic novel formats are helpful in this way. The proximity of words and pictures often has a greater success in teaching kids.

Dual coding

This knowledge fuels my artistic ambition. To create integrated works that give kids a rewarding story while teaching them about the world around us. I don’t think I’m hoodwinking my characters. I try to write my science comics aspirationally and think about where the readers are. But I’m ambitious. I think we underestimate their interest and capability. If someone is picking up a volcano book then they are ready. And I make the information not integral to the understanding of the plot. I want all the readers to connect with the story first – that’s part of my promise.

CTB: Is it difficult to translate facts into the story?

Jon: No. I can build a classic story while using the material. The facts build and become more complicated. And then when the stakes are the highest – the biggest most complicated topic – it comes.

CTB: Which is harder – authoring or illustrating?

Jon: I am intimidated by writing. I don’t consider myself to be a strong writer with words. So when I think of these books, I have a two page synopsis of what the story is going to be. Then I move on to a sketching phase because I’m better at that. I make tiny sketches so I can see how the book will develop – this is about metals, non-metals, etc. Then I put the information into a document where it can become a conversation between the text and the images. Do the images need to change or the illustrations? How do they support each other?

Thumbnail layout

Thumbnail layout of book

Also, because kids have such an incredible access to media and narrative fiction – what is the potential prior exposure that a kid has to a topic I am writing. For instance – lava. Where does a kid get information about lava prior to reading the book. Is it Super Mario Brothers? A movie or show? So I’m looking at contemporary media to see if there are examples. For example, video games such as Minecraft may talk about how diamonds are formed. Once I see those examples, I think “how can I build off that?”

CTB: Where did the idea of doing this book on the Periodic Table?

Period table page 1Jon: When I make books about various STEM topic I want them to mix and match up. There’s a universe where you could have a periodic table that’s couched inside of a narrative – like a 50’s surfing narrative. So I was looking for the genre/theme that would fit the periodic table. I felt like I was exploring the elements. They mix and match. There are similarities between some of them. Some of the qualities of the materials felt so wildly alien.

I’m a big D&D nerd. I love going inside a dungeon. So I have the reader go into a dungeon that contains some sections of the table. And the elements have properties that show up in the characters. For example, I could have the different monsters. Some are aggressive. Others are easily startled.

So now you can have a situation where the emotion and actions of the elements are similar to their properties. And a reader can explore the same role playing that I did as a child.

CTB: It’s clever doing the periodic table as a graphic novel/comic. And using the character’s angst gave me flashbacks to having similar fears when I was a student. We study and still never feel prepared.

Periodic table page 4Jon: Yes – Mel is really paralyzed by her fears. I had huge test anxiety when I was in school but at the same time I knew all the information. I could have used some of the confidence that Mel gains by the end of the book.

CTB: Graphic novels are complicated. How long did it take to do this book?

Jon: The first round of thumbnails was done starting in April 2021. My final version was July 2022. So that’s about a year. It takes me about 12-20 hours to do a page of comics. I’m counting from the drafts to the final edits. I do the thumbnails, balance the images with the text, pencil it for approvals, then add ink. Then I wait for approval. Afterwards I scans the images and begin doing digital coloring, shading and word balloons.

CTB: Sometimes adults have a hard time getting their head around the idea that STEM can be embedded in speculative fiction for kids. You created a book about the periodic table that embedded so many facts and drawings about the concepts. It’s seamless. Is it hard incorporating all of that science into the narrative?

POL Comic Surface TensionJon: It’s hard but also easy. I have a lot of practice. There is not an upper ceiling in what you can make accessible to young readers. Physics of Life in Germany is a biophysics facility focused on using physics to understand biological organization. I work on POL Comics with them. It’s a ten week graphic project which you can read for free on the site. The first page I did was “Surface Area versus Volume”. Then I did Surface Tension. After that the comics moved to subjects where I had no experience. So I had long conversations with doctoral subjects to simplify the topics so readers could understand them. Like DNA looping, or cellular energy costs. It reinvigorated me. I really could take any topic and have it understood. It is always useful to have the concepts illustrated.

I’m always paired with an expert who can give me feedback. Also curriculum experts. That takes it out of the hands of the editors. Working with experts who know what a kid who is supposed to be learning.

CTB: Do you have any books coming out next?

Jon: Yes, but a lot of what I’m working on is a bit on the horizon. However last year I created two graphic novels called “The Solvers.” I took what we talked about in the science comics and applied those concepts to math. Sometimes there is sterility when we are talking about numbers. One book covers multiplication and division. The other covers decimals and fractions.

CTB: Thanks for joining our blog this month, Jon. This has been one of the most fun interviews I’ve done in a while. And we’re impressed at your ability to see that books can be sophisticated and still readable for children. I would like to urge readers to look at Don’s substantial body of work covering science in comics. It’s a great way to help encourage young readers to learn about the world and how they can create their contributions or solve problems. And most importantly? STEM is not a separate pursuit. STEM is everywhere!

 

Jon Chad headshot

Jon Chad lives in Vermont and is obsessed with giant robots, screen-printing, and bookmaking. He is the illustrator of Science Comics: Solar System, and the author of Leo Geo, Science Comics: Volcanoes, Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements, and Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball. Jon Chad’s newest graphic novel series, The Solvers, uses comics, and superhero action, to teach mathematics to young readers.

Jon lives in Vermont with his wife and daughter (and a beautiful cat!) You can find him at @JonChad on Facebook, and @Jonchlaunch on Instagram.

author christine Taylor-butler

Photo by Kecia Stovall

Your host is Christine Taylor-Butler, a graduate of MIT and author of The Oasis, Save the… Tigers, Save the . . . Blue Whales, and many other nonfiction books for kids. She is also the author of the STEM based middle grade sci-fi series The Lost Tribes. Follow @ctaylorbutler on Bluesky, @ChristineTaylorButler on Instagram, and @ChristineTB on X. She lives in Missouri with a tank of fish and cats that think they are dogs.

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Interview with Kiyash Monsef, acclaimed author of Bird of a Thousand Stories!

By on March 17, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Book cover of BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES by Kiyash Monsef

Kiyash Monsef’s much-heralded debut, ONCE THERE WAS, introduced a fascinating concept: what if mythical beasts existed, and they needed veterinary care to survive? That book also introduced the vet-in-training, Marjan, who undergoes a series of trials to find her path in this dangerous and mysterious world. Marjan is back in Kiyash’s incredible new book, BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES – but as he details here, readers can dive right in and be richly rewarded.

Kiyash also discusses his writing process, mythological inspirations, and what’s next for Marjan (and him)!

I loved how the back cover lists ONCE THEIR WAS as a “companion” book to BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES. While the rich backstory of the first book adds so much to this one, I found that a reader could pick up this book and dive right in. Was that important for you to do, and how did you work to accomplish it?

I call the two books siblings, and that’s always how I wanted to approach writing BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES. It was very important to me that each book could stand alone. I know that reading time is precious, and I don’t want to ask for too much of it. If a reader is willing to give their time, attention, and imagination to one of my books, I want to honor that gift by giving them an experience that is satisfying and complete, and doesn’t demand that they immediately read the next book. Or, conversely, I don’t want to demand that a reader first read three other books before they can understand what’s going on in my latest story.

To accomplish this, I had to ask myself what background information a reader would need in order to understand the events and the relationships in BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES, and then find elegant ways to briefly seed that information so that everything makes sense. The biggest challenge was making sure that a reader would know just enough at the right moment, without paragraphs of infodumping. I think there are one or two instances where you might come across a word or a reference that hasn’t been explained yet, but I actually like a bit of mild disorientation as part of the reading experience, as long as you get your answers eventually (which you will).

I’ve read that ONCE THERE WAS started as a series of loosely-connected episodic short stories, and I’m sure that initial approach impacted your writing of that book. How did writing BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES differ from that approach, and did you have a preference between the two? (Also – as a fellow pantser, your books give me hope!)

ONCE THERE WAS has episodic roots in its DNA, and I think you can still feel that cadence in its storytelling. I love that about that book, but I always knew that I wanted my second book to be a more tightly-woven and fast-moving story. My approach to writing BIRD was quite different from ONCE, and it had its own evolution. I came up with an outline of sorts, and then I blasted through a first draft very quickly. Very little of that first draft other than some characters and a general sense of narrative momentum made it into the final version. There were a few story beats that stuck around, and some broad strokes ideas about the finale, but the second draft was really a second first draft.

The second time around, my process was more measured. I had a solid outline before I started writing, and I more or less stuck to it, and I think it hews pretty closely to what’s in the actual book.

Which is not to say that I have abandoned the pantser approach. I actually think having that improvisational ethos to draw on was amazing in a more structured creative framework, and there are plenty of moments and scenes where I kind of waved my hands at some idea in my outline, and then let the pantser take over when it came to actually executing those ideas. I think I’m discovering that I’m happiest writing somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Taking an early structural approach means you can build a deeper and more complex story, and you can write with intentionality. But I also believe that if I’m not surprising myself at least some of the time, it’s probably not interesting enough. So there is a plan, but there are also pants.

You have an incredible facility for creating fairy tales that feel as though they’ve existed forever. The acknowledgments section lists a few of your inspirations for these tales, and I especially loved your reference to the mythologist Michael Meade’s words: “It’s an old song. You can’t hurt it.” Have you thought about future writers taking your stories and running with them – and if so – how could you see them reimagined? In poems? Songs? Something else…?

First off, thank you for reading the acknowledgements! It warms any author’s heart to know that someone read those last couple pages. In ONCE THERE WAS, the fairy tales were all original creations, but the central fairy tale in BIRD is in fact drawn from a very old story with roots in many languages and cultures, and I wanted curious readers to know that. Particularly for a book that looks at the ways that stories endure and change over time, I thought it was important to pull back the curtain just a tiny bit to show that process at work.

As far as other writers retelling these stories, stories want to be told, and I think the stories in these books are no different. I do hope they can endure in some form or other, whether it’s poetry, song, or spoken by the light of a campfire. My secret, mischievous hope is that everyone forgets that I wrote them, and that they just kind of get added to the canon of stories that have always been around. That would be the coolest.

The relationships between Marjan and her friends feel heightened in this book, as do the stakes for Marjan’s actions. How did you work to deepen these connections throughout this book and raise the stakes for Marjan’s success (especially as they impact her friends)?

I have to give a lot of credit to my editor, Kendra Levin, who is THE BEST, for pushing me to raise the stakes from the start. Every time I got to a choice point, I had that note in my head, and so I was always asking, what’s the worst thing that could reasonably result from this choice? And because Marjan can be impulsive, we tend to see those stakes play out throughout the book. As far as Marjan’s friends, I just really like them all as people, so I really wanted to spend more time with them. As a result, the connections that Marjan has with them get deeper and more complex this time around.

In particular, her relationship with Malloryn, who’s Marjan’s roommate, confidante, and also possibly a witch, sort of took on a life of its own. Malloryn is so much fun to write, because she just comes very naturally to me, and her motivations and needs are always crystal clear in my mind. And as a writer, I think you need to trust your characters above all else, because they are the heart and soul of the story. So even if I think I know exactly where the story’s going, when Malloryn’s on the page, I kind of have to loosen the reins and let her cook, so to speak.

There’s a lot of talk among writers and teachers and librarians about older middle-grade books and the need for books that bridge the gap between MG and YA. Both of your books feel like they can be read and loved by readers of any age, but they seem especially perfect for those readers who can be overlooked in early MG and YA. Is that something you’ve thought about or are hearing from readers? Does that impact your writing?

I have heard this from a few people. I’m happy to know that these books fill a need, and hopefully they’re helping to keep young people engaged with the wonders of reading. At the same time, I try not to think too much about categories, or about writing to a particular subset of readers. My own middle grade reading was Stephen King and HP Lovecraft, so I’m not an authority on what defines the middle grade category. As a young reader, I was intuitively very conscious of when I was being “written to.” I always wanted to encounter a story on its own terms, and not filtered through what someone else thinks is age-appropriate, either in content or in complexity of language or story. I try very hard to write stories that I would have liked when I was younger, but also stories that I would read tomorrow, and that, more than the conventions of middle grade or young adult, is my guide.

You state that, to your surprise, you’ve now written two books. What’s next on the horizon for you and the incredibly rich world you’ve created?

I’ve got more stories to tell in the world of ONCE THERE WAS and BIRD, and I know I will get the chance to tell them at some point. At the moment, though, I’m poking at some different ideas — different worlds, different characters. It’s amazing to be in a position to be thinking about a third book, and I’m trying to approach this moment with openness to the wide range of possibility that it offers. But for fans of Marjan and her friends, fear not. There are more stories, and they’ll find their way into the world. Stories have a way of doing that.

Author photo for Kiyash Monsef

Kiyash Monsef is an Emmy Award–nominated producer and director; a writer of short stories, videos, comic books, and games; and a designer of innovative conversational and voice interface experiences. He’s the author of Once There Was, which was a finalist for the Morris Award, and Bird of a Thousand Stories.

BIRD OF A THOUSAND STORIES is available at bookstores everywhere.

You can see more purchase options at: Simon & Schuster.

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Interview with Author Cindy Jenson-Elliot: The Doomsday Detectives

By on March 14, 2025   /   Author Interviews, Nonfiction  
The Doomsday Detectives book

I always love bringing attention to new nonfiction books for kids and this is a GOOD one! I’m delighted to welcome author Cindy Jens0n-Elliott to the Mixed-Up Files Blog today.

Cindy Jensen-Elliott

 

She will be talking about her new book, The Doomsday Detectives

The Doomsday Detectives book

JLG Gold Standard

 

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection 2025

 

 

* “Packed with explanations of scientific terminology and methods of operation, this detailed and compelling book is a superb guide for curious STEM-focused readers. An outstanding resource that depicts the winding and complex journey of scientific exploration.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “This fascinating, informative volume highlights not only the people at the center of the discovery but the scientific processes by which they came to their conclusions….Perfect for kids who want to go all-in on dinosaurs.” — Booklist, starred review

 

 

 

 

JS: Welcome to the blog. I really loved this book. Let’s start with the first question: What drew you to writing about these two scientists?

Cindy J-E:   In summer 2017, I was driving to my first day at a new full-time teaching job when my agent, Stefanie Sanchez von Borstel, called to give me some updates: a rejection of a manuscript I had recently sent to her, and an opportunity. Cheryl Klein, an editor at Lee and Low Books, was seeking a picture book family biography of Walter and Luis Alvarez, the two scientists behind the discovery of evidence that an asteroid was responsible for the Cretaceous extinction. While I was intrigued – I LOVED my college geology classes and I LOVED teaching science — I was also feeling really overwhelmed. I was making a big career switch from holding five simultaneous but flexible low-paying part-time jobs in high-end communities, to holding one full-time teaching job in a low-income community. I was also switching from teaching grades 1 – 8 science and outdoor education to teaching middle school English to three different grades. As an introvert, full-time teaching has always been challenging for my psyche, especially when my kids were young. So I was especially nervous about the return to the classroom. However, writing, even in my most successful years writing for educational test companies, magazines, newspapers and publishers, has never been enough to pay the bills. But I could feel a spark of curiosity igniting.

I told Stefanie I would read Walter Alvarez’s book, T-Rex and the Crater of Doom, and see if I wanted to write a picture book biography. How long could that take, right? Over the next few months, I read Alvarez’s book before bed and on weekends, and contemplated how I might tackle a biography. By Christmas, I realized that this would have to be much more than a picture book biography. This story, involving everything in science from Paleontology and Earth Science to Astrophysics, was a science mystery much more complex than a simple biography suggested. For children to understand how scientists solved the mystery of the Cretaceous extinction, they would need to know the science that led to the discovery. I began working on a book proposal for a longer middle grade nonfiction book, and we submitted it to Cheryl in early 2018.

 

JS: How did you decide to turn this book from a “normal” biography focusing on the scientists, to a journey of discovery? 

Cindy J-E: By summer, Cheryl had rejected my first proposal — it’s hard to remember why — but she offered to let me rewrite it, along with a sample chapter, if I wanted to make another attempt. I spent the summer and fall of my second year at the school researching and writing a second draft of the proposal. This time around, I structured it as a long-form science mystery, and developed a structure that included elements I knew my students would appreciate — graphic elements, expository elements, narrative family biography and a narrative of science discovery. I would start it with the discovery of dinosaurs and the idea of extinction, and proceed to the discovery of the crater. In the proposal, I included samples of each type of writing – comic script, expository science, science and biographical narrative — as well as a 20-page outline. We turned the proposal in again and waited. Six months later – a contract!

 

JS: Whose idea was it to use graphic novel-like insets to explain the more complex science? (I think this is brilliant, by the way).

Cindy J-E: Thank you! It was my idea to use graphic nonfiction to explain some of the science through graphic narrative, and it came about because by 2019, I had been segued over to teaching science in my school instead of English, possibly because, in my very traditionally-minded school (at that time) I was teaching students to write comic narratives in English class, in addition to essays. Prepping for science teaching, however, is a lot more work than prepping for English class, so I asked my school if I could teach two grades instead of three, and two types of science – 6th grade Earth Science and 8th grade Physical Science – instead of three (Life Science). At this particular school, this was considered part-time teaching – two preps instead of three – and working 7 -2 instead of 7-4. The best way to learn science, for me, is to teach it and to have to write about it. So having my writing and teaching focused on the same topics was helpful. I wrote the book I wanted my students – 98% of whom were English-language learners – to use to learn science, so graphics were a great resource for them.

 

JS: Can you give us a couple of  intriguing fun facts that you learned while writing this book? 

Cindy J-E: Instead of  intriguing facts, I will give you some amazing facts and experiences I had in researching and writing this book.

Intriguing fact #1: I hadn’t realized how recently, in the grand scheme of things, dinosaurs were discovered at all, AND long it took people to realize that extinction was even possible. When there were parts of Earth that were still uncharted by Europeans, folks thought that maybe dinosaurs were hiding out in some deep, dark pocket of Earth.

This also points to my own realization of how often new and alternative hypotheses are ridiculed, often for decades, until enough data comes in. I tried to include a variety of voices and viewpoints with respect.

Intriguing fact #2: When I was scripting the first and last comics, I had written sound effects for the voices of dinosaurs. Then I came across a study by a scientist who studies animal sounds and the acoustics of their skulls. His work suggested that T-Rex probably sounded more like a hunting horn than a roar.

 

JS: What would you like readers to get out of this book?

Cindy J-E: I would like readers to understand the great joy, responsibility and gift science is to our world. As I say at the end, “Scientists – geologists, paleontologists, physicists, and every other researcher in every field – never stop digging for data, collecting evidence and retesting results. The scientific practices of asking questions, tossing around ideas with colleagues from around the world (who often become friends), developing a hypothesis, and testing to see if it is actually true are the eternal pleasures of doing science. Science presents a never-ending opportunity to learn and grow, and to expand the knowledge of civilization. Scientists don’t work for themselves; they work for everyone – everyone on the entire planet, now and in the future – to bring the truth to light and make it accessible and available to the whole world.” (p. 186)

I want readers to understand what the scientific process really is, how it is used, and how our knowledge changes as we gather more information. Science is not static. It is growth.

JS: How would you like teachers/librarians to use this book?

Cindy J-E: I would like this book to be used by teachers who want to collaborate across the curriculum – science and the humanities – as a class book to teaching middle school Earth science curriculum. Students can identify science processes used as the mystery is solved. They can teach students to use comics to explain their ideas.

Thanks so much for being on our blog today, Cindy. If you want to learn more about The Doomsday Detectives or Cindy, please go to her website: https://cindyjensonelliott.com/

 

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