Today I’m excited to introduce Alison Fomento to my readers.
Alison is a special guest because she is the first picture book author I’ve ever interviewed.
Please join us to welcome Alison as she tells us how her new book THESE BEES COUNT! came to be.
Here is what Alison has to say:
interview by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
• Good morning, Alison, could you tell us, first of all, why did you write this book?
A honey-vanilla ice cream cone inspired my new picture book THESE BEES COUNT! Our family was vacationing in Florida and what’s a vacation without daily ice cream stops? This particular ice cream shop had signs posted about the disappearing honeybees and colony collapse disorder and how important bees are for pollinating crops.
I had a light bulb moment of how bees count in our world. My first picture book, THIS TREE COUNTS!, had only been out a few months at that time, and the phrase “Bees Count!” stuck with me and I started writing a draft right away.
• I know THESE BEES COUNT is a picture book. But do you consider it to be fiction or non fiction?
THESE BEES COUNT! is a fictional and non-fiction counting picture book suitable for kids from kindergarten to fourth grade. There are talking bees in my book and a fictional group of school children visiting a bee farm, but every bee fact mentioned in the book and the “The Buzz on Bees” end notes are fully researched and fact-checked with several apiarists (bee experts).
• Who is your illustrator?
Sarah Snow is the fabulous illustrator for THESE BEES COUNT! She’s done a great job capturing the beauty of the bee farm and you can almost hear the buzzing when you turn the pages of the book. She uses collage and paint so the art has texture and seems to pop in each scene. Sarah illustrated THIS TREE COUNTS! and will illustrate my next book out in 2013, THESE SEAS COUNT!
• Which formats is it available?
THESE BEES COUNT! is now available in hardback, and I hope that it will be available in other formats (paperback/e-book) and languages soon, as has happened with THIS TREE COUNTS!
• Can you tell us a little about your road to publication
I had experience writing for various magazines and newspapers such as The Writer, Parenting, and The New York Times, but I really wanted to get my fiction in print. In 2008, I attended an SCBWI conference where an editor from Albert Whitman & Company spoke on a panel about writing picture book. I submitted two stories which were rejected, but in each letter, the editor gave me promising feedback and mentioned that they were seeking nature stories. I had a very short 200 word story ready about a tree and the third submission time was the charm in this case. THIS TREE COUNTS! became my first published picture book.
• Do you have a marketing plan?
As any author knows your publishing house can only do so much for your book. I’m part of the KidLit Authors Club, a regional promotion group, and I actively seek out libraries, bookstores, and festivals to share my book. And schools! My book is geared for the school market, so one of my favorite activities is visiting schools and sharing my books.
• Any advice you want to share with our readers who have a manuscript ready?
Don’t rush. Sure, it’s possible to write a book in a week, but revise, revise, revise, as long as it takes to get your story in great publishing shape. And always think before you submit a query. Do your research to find the agent or editor that might be most interested in your type of writing.
Alison Formento grew up in Arkansas and now writes and lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, a dog, and a few fish. Learn more about Alison at alisonashleyformento.com.
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