Six Questions with Kimberly Delude

As a child Kim wanted to be a chocolate taste tester and travel the world. When she couldn’t figure out how to make that happen, she became the next best thing - a Speech Language Pathologist. While she still loves to travel and chocolate, she now spends most of her days helping kids find their voices and writing humorous stories. She’s the author of the award-winning series, Freddie the Fly, and Digital Red. When not creating you can find her attempting to golf, watching football with her husband and trying to hang out with her cat Lola. Want to know more about Kim? Visit her website.

Social media links:

X - @kimdbooks

Bluesky: kimdbooks.bksy.social

Instagram: @thespeechvine

Facebook: Kimberly Delude

1. What kind of student were you? What were your favorite subjects?

I like to describe myself as a recovering perfectionist. As a student, that meant I was very hardworking and dedicated —though I’ll admit math and I never quite saw eye to eye. I vividly remember rewriting assignments simply because I wanted my handwriting to look just right. My favorite subject growing up was social studies. I was fascinated by learning about different places, cultures, and people, and I dreamed of traveling the world. I think that is one of the things that made me love books. Stories offered a way to explore new places and perspectives, even when I couldn’t physically go there myself.

2. When you begin creating a book, do you always know where the story is going?

Yes, I always begin with a clear sense of where the story is headed. My creative process starts with what I like to call an “explosion” of inspiration—an entire concept arrives at once, and I have to write it down immediately. While that first draft is far from polished, it preserves the core energy and heart of the idea. When writing, I immerse myself completely in the characters and can vividly see the narrative arc from beginning to end. For picture books it’s a very natural process but with longer works, while I still always know where I want the story to go, I find I have a harder time sustaining the characters mindset and the rhythm over multiple days of writing.

3. When and where do you write? How often do you write?

I tend to collect ideas throughout the day. If something amusing happens or I hear an interesting phrase, I’ll immediately jot it down—often in a notebook or in my phone under a running list of “book ideas.” Most of my drafting happens late at night, particularly when I can’t sleep. My mind won’t shut off and usually will take one of the things that happened earlier in the day and form it into a story. Editing, however, requires a different kind of focus. I typically revise first thing in the morning during the summer, and on weekends during the school year, when I feel fresh and haven’t let anything else distract me for the day yet.

4. Where did you get the idea for this new book? What was your inspiration?

The idea for Digital Red was inspired by the students I work with. Even at the elementary level, I’ve observed how deeply immersed children are in technology. Around the same time, the monthly classroom theme focused on fairy tales, and the students were preparing a performance of one of the classic stories. Watching them engage with these traditional narratives, I was reminded of how enduring and impactful their lessons are. However many of these stories no longer fully reflect the realities of the modern world. That realization sparked a creative process: How might we thoughtfully reimagine these tales so their powerful lessons remain intact, while making them more relevant and relatable to the kids of today?

5. What was the process or timeline for this book, from idea to publishing?

The timeline for Digital Red has certainly been a long one. The initial idea sparked around 2018, but for some time it struggled to fully take shape. In the spring of 2019, while attending a writers conference, the concept finally crystallized when I realized the story would work best told entirely through dialogue. That creative breakthrough gave the manuscript a clear direction. What followed were many revisions and numerous submissions to agents and editors. In 2022, I received a “yes” through an open submission to The Little Press, which was an exciting milestone. Even then, the journey wasn’t quite over. The original publication date was set for 2024, but as is often the case in publishing, the release was delayed. The book is now being released on May 12, 2026.

6. Did the plot or structure of this book change a lot during the writing process?

Digital Red went through countless iterations—more than I can remember or count. While the core concept and plot remained consistent, the structure and style changed numerous times. It began as a traditional prose manuscript before transforming into a dialogue-only format. At one point, I experimented with telling the story entirely through text messages and then another version saw it turned into a chapter book and middle grade novel. Ultimately, however, I kept returning to the picture book format because it felt like it was what it was supposed to be.