Six Questions with Stephanie Wildman & Simon Wildman Chung

Stephanie Wildman is the author of six children’s books, her most recent Story Power!, was co-authored by her grandson, Simon Wildman Chung. It was illustrated by Estefanía Razo and  translated into Spanish as !El Poder de los Cuentos! by Cecilia Pópulus-Eudave). Her other books are Ghost Writer (co-authored with Cecilia Pópulus-Eudave, illustrated by Estefanía Razo; in Spanish as Escritor Fantasma); Breath by Breath (illustrated by Estefanía Razo; translated into Spanish as Respiro a Respiro by Cecilia Pópulus-Eudave); Treasure Hunt (illustrated by Estefanía Razo; translated into Spanish as Búsqueda del Tesoro by Cecilia Pópulus-Eudave); and Brave in the Water (illustrated by Jenni Feidler-Aguilar; translated into Spanish as Valiente en el Agua by Cecilia Pópulus-Eudave), all from Lawley Publishing, and Miri’s Moving Day (co-authored with Adam Chang, illustrated by Dream Chen from Kar-Ben Publishing. Stephanie became a Professor Emerita after serving as the John A. and Elizabeth H. Sutro Chair at Santa Clara Law.

1. What’s the best piece of advice a mentor has given you?

Thanks, Mary, for having me back on your blog. And congratulations on your book Pedal Pusher and your upcoming NCET panel!

My wonderful teacher and now friend Maxine Rose Schur read a draft of my second book, Treasure Hunt, which in that version was a story about a grandmother and grandson. Maxine suggested that if one can take an adult character out of a children’s book, then do so. So I imagined the story with an older, wiser brother - Luis. The younger sibling turned into the twins Flor and Roberto. I didn’t know at the time that I was writing a series. But the evolution of the characters and their interactions led to this series, and it is the fourth book in that series, Story Power!, that I talk about later in this post.

2. To what extent is your writing inspired by your own experience or by watching your children’s experiences?

I’m going to take a little “author’s license” in answering this question, because it is not my experience or my children’s that inspires my books. Instead, my writing is 100% inspired by my grandchildren and their questions and experiences. My first book, Brave in the Water, evolved from sitting at the side of a swimming pool for two weeks (eight sessions) and watching one grandchild not even enter the pool. My experience came into play here, though, because I grew up afraid of the water. Happy to report I can now swim and he swims competitively.

Treasure Hunt, the start of the Flor, Roberto, Luis series mentioned above, came out of pandemic activities with a different grandchild. Breath by Breath came from bedtime routines we practiced on sleepovers. Ghost Writer evolved from yet another grandchild’s questions as he tried to process the loss of a beloved family pet. Miri’s Moving Day also developed from a grandchild’s question about his heritage.  And more about Story Power! soon, but that book was one grandchild’s idea, so he is the co-author!

3. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

I do find I am more productive when I am working on several projects. When I bog down in one, I can turn to another to keep the writing going. Even now, as I’m working on book publicity for Story Power!, I am taking a poetry class. It’s wonderful and very generative. The text for the class is Dorianne Laux’s Finger Exercises for Poets. She tells how her mother was a gifted piano player who, in spite of her prowess, practiced routine exercises daily. Laux writes: “There are eighty-eight keys on a piano, six hundred thousand words in the English language. The patterns, sequences, and permutations of both are endless. For me, language is another kind of music.” Working on multiple projects at the same time enables me to practice daily.

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

As I mentioned earlier in this post, the idea for Story Power! came from my co-author and grandson Simon Wildman Chung.  As I said, Story Power! is the fourth Flor, Roberto, and Luis book from Lawley Publishing, illustrated by Estefania Razo. I didn’t set out to write a series, and with book three --Ghost Writer-- I thought I was done with these characters. 

I never get tired of telling this story: I was working on my MG novel, asking advice from my then 7-year-old grandson Simon. His response to my MG first chapter was, “You need more action, Grandma.”

“Okay, thanks,” I said, gathering up my pages. 

 “But,” he continued, “I have an idea for another Flor, Roberto, and Luis book.” 

 “Okay Simon, what is it?” I looked at him. 

 “They should write a book.” So of course, Simon is my co-author, because this book was his idea! And he has been a great co-author, sitting with me with our pencils, circling words that didn’t belong in drafts, brainstorming titles, and meeting with the publishers and illustrator on Zoom, sharing his formatting ideas.

5. Was this always the title for this project? If not, what other titles did you consider and how did you land on this one?

The first draft of this book was titled "Flor and Roberto Write a Story," which evolved to "Flor and Roberto Tell a Story." Because those didn't seem catchy enough, "Write the Rainbow" and "Once Upon a Rainbow" also came into play at various points in the editing process. Ultimately our wise publisher rejected those rainbow-themed titles as being keyed to the story within the story, when really the book is about how to write a story and helping children develop the writing habit. The final title -- Story Power! -- fits with the superhero theme of the story within the story about saving the rainbow, but also emphasizes the power of stories.

6. If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with?  

We all love stories, and kids are full of stories. We all want kids to develop the reading habit. Similarly, I hope they will develop the writing habit. I hope that this book will show children that they, too, can write a story, just like Flor and Roberto did.

I am happy to share that my webpage holds educational resources to help children develop the writing habit, including work sheets and a guide by Dr. Shawna Della Cerra with many writing prompts. Find Dr. Della Cerra’s material at https://www.stephaniewildman.com/new-storypower.