What I've Learned From 150 Episodes of KidLit Love...

Celebrate with me!

I cannot quite believe it, but I’m celebrating the 150th conversation on my KidLit Love podcast! The 150th episode just released today and I am so honored and grateful for the many bookish conversations I’ve had with authors inside the kidlit community.

I had been thinking of starting the podcast long before I actually launched it, but the typical fears crept in that kept me motionless: Who would actually say YES to chatting with me? Would anyone listen? Would I be any good at interviewing my bookish favorites?

Well, it turns out that MANY authors said yes, readers DID actually listen and I absolutely LOVED initiating conversations with authors. This podcast has truly been my happy place since the beginning.

Every conversation was and still is a blessing, an opportunity and an invitation to learn and grow together through books and reading. Here are the top ten things I’ve learned (and a special bonus!) thanks to the generous authors and illustrators who shared their time with me over the last 150 episodes:

🎉It's never too late to start writing.

Without a doubt, this is absolutely my biggest takeaway from the podcast: If you have a dream in your heart to start writing, it is NEVER too late. While many authors knew from the start that they wanted to write, many did not. Or, they pushed the dream down for something more sensible and marketable. Inevitably, the urge to write was stronger than the urge to suppress it and many of the authors on the podcast talked about finding writing later in life, after a completely different career or sparked by parenting their children. The bottom line? If you have an inkling to write, then WRITE.

🎉Feel the fear (and insecurity) and write anyway.

I used to think that all published authors had confidence in addition to their competence for writing. I was wrong. Every single author I interviewed acknowledged the fear, insecurity or worries they had about being good enough, sharing their writing with others or how their writing would be received. These sentiments varied across authors, but the simple fact remained: Writing was something they CHOSE and KEPT CHOOSING even on the days it was hard and even on the days they didn’t believe in themselves. They didn’t let fear and insecurity stop them from trying.

🎉Mine your life for stories. They’re there.

We may not think so, but our lives, no matter who we are and how we grew up, are full of stories just waiting to be told. From our childhood homes and siblings to our family traditions and passions, all of us are ripe with stories that could be told on the page. These sparks can shift and grow as writers reimagine them in book form, but they are there. It’s a true legacy they leave behind.

🎉Write the book you wish you had as a child.

We all have our own stuff: childhood challenges and traumas, less-than-positive school scenarios and/or wishes for things to be different than they were. If only we had the right book at the right time to help us feel seen, soothe our emotions and act as a balm for what ailed us back then. Many authors interviewed shared this sentiment and rather than bemoan the fact that there weren’t any books on the shelves that helped them feel seen, they decided to write them, paying it forward to future generations.

🎉Follow your curiosities and passions.

Whether writing fiction or non-fictions, each and every author I interviewed had a single character trait in common: they were curious. Absolutely anything could spark an idea for a new book: remembering a childhood hobby or experience, scrolling social media and seeing something that made themes top the scroll, reading a book or article that shared one isolated fact they just couldn’t get out of their mind or following an adult passion that led to a proverbial rabbit hole of discoveries. The best part? They shared. They took a risk to share their idea, their experience and/or their passion with the world so that we could benefit too, igniting our own curiosity in the process.

🎉Writing is more than just words on the page.

Sure, in order to publish a book for the world to enjoy, authors must write. But across my 150 conversations, I’ve learned that writing is so much more than words on the page: it’s an embodiment practice. If not writing, authors are thinking, planning and dreaming. They’re researching, experiencing and even resting. They’re present, they feel deeply and writing is literally part of who they are. It was the most wonderful thing to realize and the most wonderful thing to feel, even through the Zoom screen.

🎉Consistency and persistence pays off.

What’s the difference between a published author and one whose manuscript is tucked in a desk drawer? Published authors KEPT writing (and learning, sharing and growing) even when it was hard, even when they faced rejection and even when they considered giving up. I lost count of how many authors would tell me about the X number of rejections they received in trying to find an agent or even the X number of drafts that never saw the light of day. Those setbacks might have stung, but they did not stop them. Writers keep writing.

🎉Articulate your purpose and passion for readers.

I have enjoyed each and every episode I have been lucky enough to host, but the episodes that I really love, that really stand out, are those where the author is quite clear on his, her or their purpose and passion for writing is: to offer stories with humor and heart, to show readers they are not alone, to inspire readers to care about the world and more. Some authors are quite clear on what that purpose is from the beginning and authors have discovered what it is as they continue writing. Either way, taking care to name what it is goes a long way in cultivating a writing career they love.

🎉Always learn, grow and push the boundaries of your practice.

I’ve learned that writing isn’t something that is truly ever done. There is always one more possibility for the page, one more revision that could be made, one more craft technique to explore. And the authors are here for it. From joining workshops, taking classes, heading to conferences, participating in critique groups and experimenting on the page, authors are continually evolving their practice, some even venturing into writing for new audiences and in new genres. Their writing is continually evolving over time and there’s always something new to reach for to share with readers.

🎉The KidLit community is the best community.

Oh, this one has my heart. So many authors have taken a chance on me: someone who loves books and reading but was a brand new podcaster figuring out what she was doing along the way. They graciously and gracefully joined me for conversations, starting as strangers and ending as friends (at least in my mind!). Some even pushed me to acknowledge a dream they knew was in my own writing heart. I’ll never forget the moment we stopped recording and Janet Costa Bates looked me right in the eye and asked about the book I was writing. Somehow, she just knew and her question was like the permission slip I had been waiting for to think that writing was possible for me. Since then, many authors have offered their encouragement, their coaching and even their critiques to help me move forward with my own dream. The kidlit community truly is the most kind, encouraging, supportive community I’ve been a part of.

🎉Enjoy every step of the journey.

If there’s one thing I know for sure after 150 podcast episodes, it is this: authors embrace every phase of the writing journey as important, as something to appreciate and something to savor. Whether those moments are positive, like celebrating a book's birthday, reading with young fans, making a list or earning a star or less-than-positive, like writer’s block, low turn-out at events or even rejections, they all seem to understand that getting to experience it all is a gift. They are grateful for every experience, acknowledge everything as an opportunity for learning and look forward to the next phase with joyful anticipation.

As I reflect on these lessons and the 150 conversations I’m so incredibly grateful to have had, I cannot help but be reminded of a book, of course! In LASAGNA MEANS I LOVE YOU by Kate O’Shaughnessy, Mo is reminded that the things that didn’t work out for her were not failures… they combined together to form the bridge to the beauty that currently exists in her life.

When I think back to the beginning when I was worried about who would say yes, what I would say, if anyone would listen and how I would overcome the learning curve in starting a podcast focused on interviews, I’ve realized something: none of that actually mattered. The end result of the podcast isn’t the episodes themselves: it’s the conversations, the connections and the inspiration that each and every author has inspired in myself and in all who listen. It is my hope that this podcast is the bridge for readers, writers and want-be-writers into that same space of kidlit love.

To all of the authors and illustrators who have so kindly embraced my podcast, thank you. You’ve not only brought a great deal of book love to my life and to the life of all my listeners, but you’ve made my own life better in so many ways.

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