Posts Tagged writing tips

Interview with Sarwat Chadda, Author of STORM SINGER

By Michael M. Jones on April 14, 2025 / Articles, Author Interviews

In Storm Singer, twelve-year-old Nargis, who has the ability to communicate with elementals, is caught up in an epic struggle for the fate of the land of Bharat after she encounters Mistral, prince of the eagle garudas who rule over the kingdom. He’s on the run after a coup which imprisoned his parents. Nargis reluctantly agrees to aid him, thus setting the unlikely allies on a dangerous adventure.

The cover of the book Storm Singer. A girl with a crutch and a bird-like boy with wings pose against a storm.

MUF: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Storm Singer is a fascinating story, and I’m excited to learn more. What inspired this story? What elements led to the creation of the world and the characters?

SC: Nargis inspired it. I wanted a hero that represented the weakest and the most downtrodden, and show how someone like her can rise up and overthrow a tyranny. Ultimately what inspired it was the awareness of how unjust the world is, that it is overflowing with resources, and yet those resources are horded by the few. I wanted to write about climate change, but in a fresh way, and fancied creating a cool magic system!

MUF: While taking place in a secondary world, Storm Singer invokes the Arabian Nights and Hindu mythology in the form of the birdlike garudas. Can you tell us more about your use of folklore and myth, and how you adapted it for this tale?

SC: I wanted to create a whole fantasy world that was entirely eastern, but not too bound to one setting or another, hence mixing Indian mythology with the Arabian Nights. Plus I wanted to fill the tale with magic that didn’t owe anything to western/European fantasy. Ironically the concept of elves, dwarves, knights, dragons, etc are now so common they no longer feel ‘fantastical’. I wanted to bring that feeling of the weird and wonderful back, hence creatures like garudas and rocs.

MUF: Courtesy of a childhood accident, Nargis now uses a crutch to walk. What can you tell us about this aspect of her character?

SC: There’s not much to tell. It is just part of who she is. I took a lot of advice on how to portray her in a matter-of-fact, day to day way. Thematically it magnified the difference between her and Mistral, who can after all fly but is, for the most of the story, trapped on the ground as well.

MUF: You like to travel and to incorporate your experiences into your work. Did any of that come into play with Storm Singer? What sort of research or references did you use in developing this?

SC: I recently went to Morocco, so that will flavour the writing. But the main theme, the vast gap between those with wealth and power and those without, comes from the news, and just seeing what the world is. Covid certainly exposed many injustices between the classes, and that inspired Nargis’s story. The garudas in many ways represent the 1%, those rich enough to ignore the troubles of the world, while often being responsible for them.

MUF: What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

SC: Two things, love of the characters, and the awareness of injustice.

MUF: You’ve released 16 books in 16 years. How do you maintain such an impressive output in so many different genres and themes?

SC: I always say ‘yes’! Ask any freelancer and they’ll all tell you the same thing. You don’t turn down work. Themes come as you write, often they’re based on what’s happening in the world, but viewed through the distorted lens of fantasy. My first novel, Devil’s Kiss (2009), was written in response to the Iraq War and Storm Singer was heavily influenced by Covid, and the disparity between the haves and have nots. On top of the novels I’ve written Legend of Hanuman and Baahubali: The Lost Tales for Disney Hotstar and Amazon in India, about 12 seasons all in all. Now that I’ve been around quite a bit I do get editors approaching me with projects, and recently I’ve got jobs based on pitches and sample chapters, rather than having to write the whole thing. There are times when I do get burnt out, I must admit. But in the end I really like writing. There are so many different stages of the process. Research, first drafts, revisions, getting the cover art!

MUF: You’ve said that the best way to learn storytelling is to play role-playing games. Can you expand on that thought? What other advice would you give fledgling writers?

SC: RPGs are pure story-telling. I wrote my own adventures for years for our group, I still do. You can use them as testing grounds to your plots! Also, you have a live audience, your players. You can see what works and what doesn’t. They will ruthlessly exploit any plot holes! My other advice is FINISH. There are no more important words in a manuscript than ‘The End’.

MUF: You wrote a fantastic, apocalyptic Mesopotamian myth-inspired duology, The Adventures of Sik Aziz,for Rick Riordan Presents. What was it like working with that imprint, and is there any chance you’ll do more with them?

SC: IT WAS AWESOME! Rick and I had crossed paths previously, he was an early fan of my Ash Mistry trilogy and a huge supporter of my work throughout, plus we shared an editor, so there was a lot of overlap prior to being invited to join. I knew I wanted to write a Muslim protagonist, but the Arabian Nights angle had been done to death. The whole RRP gang are a great bunch, I’ve never felt such camaraderie amongst writers before. First time in my life I got to hang out with the ‘cool kids’. I do have something coming up soon, not quite RR-related, but VERY CLOSELY connected!

MUF: What’s next for you? Do you have anything else planned for the world or the heroes of this book?

SC: The sequel, The Crow’s Revenge! Oh, Sickle, my beloved crow assassin from the first book, has not finished with Nargis quite yet.

MUF: Bonus question: You’ve expressed a love of dragons as “boss-level creatures.” Which dragon from any aspect of literature, myth, or popular culture is your favorite?

SC: Easy! Tiamat! The goddess of chaos from Mesopotamian mythology out of whose corpse the universe was created. And, cough cough, the big bad in my novel, Fury of the Dragon Goddess…

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Sarwat Chadda is the New York Times bestselling author of the City of the
Plague God duology, the Spiritstone Saga, the Ash Mistry trilogy, the Shadow
Magic trilogy, and the Devil’s Kiss duology. He has written for Star Wars and
Minecraft as well as the 39 Clues and Spirit Animals series. Sarwat is a first
generation Muslim immigrant of South Asian descent who loves writing over
the-top adventures. His work has received numerous starred reviews and was a
Goodreads Choice Best Middle Grade Award Nominee. He has been published
in over a dozen languages. Outside of novels, he’s written plays, comic books,
and TV shows, including The Legend of Hanuman for Disney+ Hotstar. Sarwat lives in
London. Feel free to drop him a line on X (previously known as Twitter) at @SarwatChadda
and Instagram at @Sarwat_Chadda or visit him at SarwatChadda.com.

STEM Tuesday– Naturalists– In the Classroom

By STEM Tuesday on April 8, 2025 / Earth Day, STEM Tuesday

Instead of just reading about ecosystems or food chains in a textbook, naturalists are out in the world seeing it happen —watching ants build a colony, seeing mushrooms grow after rain, or noticing how birds behave at different times of day. These books explore naturalists, what they do, and how you can be a naturalist too. They make a great starting point for nature explorations, classroom discussions, and activities!

I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau

by Julie Dunlap and Megan Elizabeth Baratta

Henry Thoreau collected leaves and arrowheads from a young age. He could tell when skunk cabbage was blooming by smelling the air. As an adult, he kept copious notes about nature, sending samples and observations to scientists. Observant readers will enjoy the timeline that runs along the bottom of the pages. Back matter dives into phenology (botanical signs of the seasons) and how Thoreau’s work has helped modern scientists understand climate change.

Classroom Activity – Nature Journaling

Try your hand at being a naturalist like Henry David Thoreau! Have students visit a local park, backyard, garden, or schoolyard. Each student should take a notebook, pencils, colored pencils, and a magnifying glass. Have each student explore the area for plants, insects, animals, weather, or sounds. What did they observe? Students should draw or describe what they observed in their nature journal. They can also take notes and write down any questions they might want to research later. Back in the classroom, students can share their observations with classmates.

Wildheart: the Daring Adventures of John Muir

by Julie Bertagna

Beginning with boyhood in Scotland and continuing with his adult life in the US, this book presents John Muir’s life in graphic novel format. Muir, more famous as the founder of the Sierra Club, was a careful observer of nature. His study of glaciers in Alaska informed his understanding of Yosemite.

Darwin’s Rival: Alfred Russel Wallace and the Search for Evolution

by Christiane Dorion

This is an adventure story – a tale of exploration, field research, shipwrecks, and a friendship between two naturalists that evolved over time. Both Wallace and Darwin wrote about natural selection and the evolution of new species. But instead of competing against each other for credit, both tried hard to treat each other fairly – to the benefit of all. Filled with maps and spreads showing diversity of beetles, butterflies, and birds.

Classroom Activity – Naturalist Spotlight

Naturalists such as John Muir, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, and others have made significant contributions to our understanding of nature and the environment. Divide students into small groups and have each group pick a naturalist to research. What type of work did they do? What did they study? What contributions did they make to our understanding of nature? What qualities does their subject share with other naturalists? Have students prepare a poster, PowerPoint presentation, or short skit to present what they have learned to the class.

Classroom Activity – Animal Tracking

Naturalists learn how to spot the signs of animal activity in nature. They find tracks, feathers, nests, and scat that reveal animal activity. Now it’s time for students to put on their nature detective hats and track animal activity. First, students should research and study images of animal tracks, scat, feathers, nests and other signs of local wildlife. Next, students can go on a walk to search for signs of animal activity. Have them take notes and sketch what they find in a nature journal. What evidence and signs of animal activity did they find? What information does it give them about the animals in their area? Have students share their findings with the class.

The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions

by Giselle Clarkson

This book presents four potential sites for conducting naturalist expeditions, along with the sorts of things one might observe while there. They are easily accessible to kids of all ages and include a damp corner (perfect site for discovering more about centipedes and fungi), pavement (great habitat for ants and worms) and weedy patches.

Classroom Activity – Build a Bug House

What type of habitats do insects prefer? In this activity, students can try their hand at building an insect habitat, a bug house! Have students collect natural items to use as building materials, such as sticks, bark, leaves, and pinecones. Students can use these building materials to design and build a small structure that provides shelter for insects. Place the structures outside and observe over several weeks. Students can write and sketch their observations in their nature journals. What insects does the bug house attract? Why are they important?

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Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at http://www.carlamooney.com, on Facebook @carlamooneyauthor, or on X @carlawrites.

STEM Tuesday– Periodic Table — Author Interview with Jon Chad

By Jennifer Swanson 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.

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 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?

Jon: 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.

Jon: 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 Tension Jon: 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.

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.

Posts Tagged writing tips

Interview with Sarwat Chadda, Author of STORM SINGER

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