Janet Nolan loves the collaborative art of the picture book -- how a writer’s words and an illustrator’s art come together to create something magical. As an award-winning author, her picture books range from fiction to nonfiction to historical fiction. She searches for stories that haven't been told and fresh perspectives on events that bind us all together. Janet lives in Oak Park, Illinois. She has a B.A. from The Evergreen State College and a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Janet is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Visit Janet's website to learn more about her work. Or visit her on social media:
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1. Do you ever struggle to come up with your next project? Or do you have lots of ideas and find it a challenge to narrow down your ideas?
I am always on the lookout for my next idea. When I do school visits, I tell students I keep my ears tuned to the “interesting channel” because the world is a fascinating place, filled with compelling stories. The struggle isn’t coming up with ideas or even narrowing them down. The challenge—or should I say joy—is searching for stories that haven’t been told and finding fresh perspectives on events that bind us all together.
2. How do you know your idea will make a good book?
Sometimes I know right away. I can visualize the story’s arc, beginning, middle, and end. Other times, I plod around for a while, doing research and writing drafts, hoping to find the connective tissue that will hold the story together. The difficulty is admitting (no matter how attached I may be to an idea) that it will not work as a picture book. On the flip side, when an idea does bloom into a story, it’s magical!
3. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?
Yes, I do. I find having two projects going simultaneously is more productive than having just one. I like the fluidity of switching back and forth and always try to have two files open. If I get stuck on one manuscript, I’ll switch to another. More often than not, when I switch back, I’ll see a solution. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go for a walk. Walking is the best remedy for a writing problem.
4. Where did you get the idea for these new books? What was your inspiration?
When I learned that over one million bats were roosting beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge, I was so intrigued I traveled to Austin, Texas, to see the bats fly. It was such a breathtaking sight; I had to write a book about the amazing bats. That was the inspiration for Bats Beneath the Bridge.
Get Ready for Halloween is a follow-up to my book Get Ready for School, which released in 2023. Get Ready for Halloween allows readers to see all that goes into getting ready – candy, costumes, Jack-O-Lanterns – before anyone says, “Trick or Treat!”
5. If you read these books to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with?
Bats Beneath the Bridge: I want readers to know education has the power to change hearts and minds.
Get Ready for Halloween: I would want readers to know the preparations that take place before something begins can be as fun, exciting, and interesting as the event itself.
5. As a nonfiction creator, how do you divide your time between research and writing?
There is no mathematical formula, but the research always comes first. The nonfiction picture books I’ve written did not begin as story ideas. They started as a question in search of an answer. It’s my curiosity that leads to research and it is research, that (hopefully) leads to storytelling.
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