Congrats, Jennifer Ann Richter!
Salutations, Jennifer! I'm delighted to have a small share in celebrating the release of your debut MG, BIRD NERD! I remember when your book was just a twinkle in your eye.
Thanks, Dionna! I remember reading some of your first chapters of MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS, too. We've stayed the course, haven't we?
We have! It was a double pleasure for me when I learned that not only would our debuts be coming out in the same year, but that we'd also have the same publisher, Holiday House Books for Young Readers. How cool is that?
Very cool. And thank you for creating our debut group, The 24/7s! You've been doing yeoman's work for our group and have been an enthusiastic supporter of our books.
It seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Okay, so down to business. Please share how your kidlit journey began.
I’d have to go way, way back for that one! Of course, like a lot of authors, I enjoyed writing as a child. Mainly poetry and the occasional short story attempt. But writing was just one of my gazillion interests, and one that I never thought I’d do as a profession. Then a little over twenty years ago, between unsatisfactory career choices, I found myself dabbling in writing again. Then I got to thinking maybe I could write for a living. So I started coming up with article ideas and fiction pieces and flooded the market with them. In 2004, I thought I’d gotten my big break when I published two stories—one suspense, one with more of a literary bent. But the streak ended quickly, and that made me stop and focus on what it was I really wanted to write.
I thought back to my most positive reading experiences and realized they were all books I read during my tween/teen years. Then I figured, if I enjoyed reading those books so much, maybe I would enjoy writing them. That was also a time when world events were such that I wanted to write novels that gave young people hope.
From that point on I took fiction courses and workshops, joined SCBWI, wrote a bad novel, then a better one. Then a third. And my fourth is what ultimately got picked up. I’ve also published children’s short fiction and poetry along the way.
Very interesting journey! So what inspired you to write BIRD NERD? Was birding your jam as a kid?
Surprisingly, birding was not one of my gazillion interests growing up. Once I discovered it as an adult, though, I became quite an obsessed birdwatcher. Birds then began to naturally show up in my writing. In fact, I think something bird-related has appeared in every one of my novel manuscripts and in quite a bit of my poetry.
I suspect birds were off my radar as a kid because I grew up in a big city and never knew anyone who was interested in birds. This inspired me to write a novel about city kids discovering the world of birding. The novel took on many forms and initially was set in middle school and didn’t involve a competition. During my latest re-start, more than one writer friend brought up the idea of a competition. I decided to go with that and make it between city and suburban kids as a vehicle to demonstrate our commonality and to bridge differences in race, socio-economics, etc.
Sounds like a perfect combination to a winning book for middle-grade readers!
Thanks, Dionna! I remember reading some of your first chapters of MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS, too. We've stayed the course, haven't we?
We have! It was a double pleasure for me when I learned that not only would our debuts be coming out in the same year, but that we'd also have the same publisher, Holiday House Books for Young Readers. How cool is that?
Very cool. And thank you for creating our debut group, The 24/7s! You've been doing yeoman's work for our group and have been an enthusiastic supporter of our books.
It seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Okay, so down to business. Please share how your kidlit journey began.
I’d have to go way, way back for that one! Of course, like a lot of authors, I enjoyed writing as a child. Mainly poetry and the occasional short story attempt. But writing was just one of my gazillion interests, and one that I never thought I’d do as a profession. Then a little over twenty years ago, between unsatisfactory career choices, I found myself dabbling in writing again. Then I got to thinking maybe I could write for a living. So I started coming up with article ideas and fiction pieces and flooded the market with them. In 2004, I thought I’d gotten my big break when I published two stories—one suspense, one with more of a literary bent. But the streak ended quickly, and that made me stop and focus on what it was I really wanted to write.
I thought back to my most positive reading experiences and realized they were all books I read during my tween/teen years. Then I figured, if I enjoyed reading those books so much, maybe I would enjoy writing them. That was also a time when world events were such that I wanted to write novels that gave young people hope.
From that point on I took fiction courses and workshops, joined SCBWI, wrote a bad novel, then a better one. Then a third. And my fourth is what ultimately got picked up. I’ve also published children’s short fiction and poetry along the way.
Very interesting journey! So what inspired you to write BIRD NERD? Was birding your jam as a kid?
Surprisingly, birding was not one of my gazillion interests growing up. Once I discovered it as an adult, though, I became quite an obsessed birdwatcher. Birds then began to naturally show up in my writing. In fact, I think something bird-related has appeared in every one of my novel manuscripts and in quite a bit of my poetry.
I suspect birds were off my radar as a kid because I grew up in a big city and never knew anyone who was interested in birds. This inspired me to write a novel about city kids discovering the world of birding. The novel took on many forms and initially was set in middle school and didn’t involve a competition. During my latest re-start, more than one writer friend brought up the idea of a competition. I decided to go with that and make it between city and suburban kids as a vehicle to demonstrate our commonality and to bridge differences in race, socio-economics, etc.
Sounds like a perfect combination to a winning book for middle-grade readers!
What was the revision process like as you worked with your editor Della Farrell?
My first round was big picture stuff. The next time around, I received a more detailed chapter-by-chapter feedback. A good deal of it had to do with timeline issues, which were mainly due to some changes I’d made on my own during the first round. (Note to self: Don’t change what’s not broken!) I must admit, when I first opened Della's second editorial letter, my jaw dropped. All I could see was the work that lay ahead of me. To reach my deadline, I immediately went into advance-planning/full-planner mode.
Advance-planning/full-planner mode? Explain, please.
At an SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference, author Pamela N. Harris had encouraged writers to create an electronic chart or binder to keep track of any editorial notes and suggestions you might get to improve your manuscript. Alongside each comment, she suggested you list ways you would address the suggestion. Long before I received my first editorial letter from Della, I had that virtual chart up and ready to use. I had even included things that I myself wanted to change in order to enrich the story. While waiting for my second editorial letter, I created a new binder to include things I learned from my first editorial letter. This helped me stay grounded and keep track of things.
Hooray for authors helping authors! Well, thanks so much for catching us up on your Bird Nerd journey, and allowing us to be part of your big pub day. It was fun!
Thank you for celebrating with me!
My first round was big picture stuff. The next time around, I received a more detailed chapter-by-chapter feedback. A good deal of it had to do with timeline issues, which were mainly due to some changes I’d made on my own during the first round. (Note to self: Don’t change what’s not broken!) I must admit, when I first opened Della's second editorial letter, my jaw dropped. All I could see was the work that lay ahead of me. To reach my deadline, I immediately went into advance-planning/full-planner mode.
Advance-planning/full-planner mode? Explain, please.
At an SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference, author Pamela N. Harris had encouraged writers to create an electronic chart or binder to keep track of any editorial notes and suggestions you might get to improve your manuscript. Alongside each comment, she suggested you list ways you would address the suggestion. Long before I received my first editorial letter from Della, I had that virtual chart up and ready to use. I had even included things that I myself wanted to change in order to enrich the story. While waiting for my second editorial letter, I created a new binder to include things I learned from my first editorial letter. This helped me stay grounded and keep track of things.
Hooray for authors helping authors! Well, thanks so much for catching us up on your Bird Nerd journey, and allowing us to be part of your big pub day. It was fun!
Thank you for celebrating with me!
The Author:
Jennifer Ann Richter is a former diplomat, teacher, investment representative, editorial assistant, voice captioner, and audio description writer for TV (with a few odd jobs in between). Somehow, she managed to focus long enough to get serious about her writing—a love that had always been simmering in the background. Her big break came after novel attempt number four. Jennifer’s interests are as varied as her employment history, and they often find their way into her poetry, short stories, and novels. Her debut novel, BIRD NERD, was inspired by the birding hobby she picked up as an adult. Astronomy, space travel, and her experiences living and working in Germany have also featured prominently in her writing.
Check out jenniferannrichter.com for more, including Jennifer's Bird of the Month.
Check out jenniferannrichter.com for more, including Jennifer's Bird of the Month.
The Book:
Bird Nerd is about thoughtful, nerdy fifth-grader Nyla sets out to win her school’s bird watching competition, while balancing old friends with new in this heartfelt debut.
Nyla Braun has always been called a nerd at her Philadelphia school. But that hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her nerdy hobbies, especially when she has best friend Tasha by her side. When a birding tournament between Nyla’s class and a class from a suburban school is announced, Nyla sees her chance to get the respect she deserves. If they win, that is. The Burb Birders will be tough competition.
With the contest underway, Nyla soon catches the attention of the most popular girl in class, who also wants to win, setting off a chain of small disasters as Nyla tries to balance old friends and new and the pressure to be cool when you really just want to be yourself.
Told with warmth and gentle humor, debut author Jennifer Ann Richter’s Bird Nerd combines a deep love of nature and birding with the story of a young girl learning to discover her own confidence and values.
Nyla Braun has always been called a nerd at her Philadelphia school. But that hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her nerdy hobbies, especially when she has best friend Tasha by her side. When a birding tournament between Nyla’s class and a class from a suburban school is announced, Nyla sees her chance to get the respect she deserves. If they win, that is. The Burb Birders will be tough competition.
With the contest underway, Nyla soon catches the attention of the most popular girl in class, who also wants to win, setting off a chain of small disasters as Nyla tries to balance old friends and new and the pressure to be cool when you really just want to be yourself.
Told with warmth and gentle humor, debut author Jennifer Ann Richter’s Bird Nerd combines a deep love of nature and birding with the story of a young girl learning to discover her own confidence and values.
