By Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton
Today I
have the honor of interviewing one of my dear friends, Lisa Amstutz. I have
watched Lisa blossom from an aspiring author to an amazingly successful
author of around 150 books, both nonfiction and fiction. Beyond her writing,
Lisa recently became an agent with Storm Literary Agency.
I'd like
to discuss Lisa's life experiences, becoming an author, an agent, and her two
latest titles, Amazing
Amphibians (January 2021) and Mammal Mania (coming
April 2021). Both of these titles are published by Chicago Review Press.
Lisa,
you grew up with a passion for nature. Can you tell me something about your
childhood that is a good memory of experiencing nature firsthand?
My
father was an entomology professor, so he would take us out into fields or the
woods to catch insects for his collection. It was fun to see what unusual specimens
we could find. We also had good times hiking and camping as a family.
What was your favorite book growing up?
I can’t
pick just one! But when I was small, I loved The Snowy Day and anything
by Richard Scarry. Madeleine L’Engle’s books were favorites in my middle grade
years.
Your
college education revolved around biology and environmental science.
How did this help you when you decided to turn your attention to writing?
Well, first of all, I'm really interested in those topics, so it was natural to write about them. My training gave me more confidence in writing about science accurately and may have opened a few doors with editors.
What
has been the hardest thing for you to overcome as an author?
It took
me years to find an agent; in hindsight I think I was focused more on writing
whatever inspired me and less on what the market wanted. There needs to be a good
balance there.
What
has been your greatest joy as an author?
Letters and stories from readers who have enjoyed my books or made memories together because of them. The latter happens most often with Applesauce
Day, which is about a family making applesauce together.
In
your book Amazing Amphibians, you cover a lot of ground: Amphibian anatomy, behavior, hibernation, conservation and more.
You also included wonderful activities. How is your writing process in writing Amazing Amphibians
different from your process in writing a book like Applesauce Day?
Applesauce
Day was based
on a family tradition and a spark of inspiration. It flowed out in a stream of consciousness
one night. (Followed by many revisions, of course). Amazing Amphibians
is a much longer, fact-heavy book, so I researched one topic at a time, wrote
about it, then moved on to the next topic.
Mammal Mania
will be available on April 20, 2021. It is full of so many interesting and fun
facts along with 30 activities. What do you hope is your readers’ take-away?
I hope
they will gain an appreciation of the amazing diversity of mammals and learn
more about how they can help protect them.
You
recently became a literary agent for Storm Literary Agency. What do you see as
an agent that is the most common mistake made by aspiring authors?
Most of
the stories I get are pretty good. They just do not stand out. Because I can sign
<1% of the submissions I receive, the story needs to really grab me, and I’m
sure it is the same for editors.
People
researching your titles will notice that you have written many books as part of
a series. Can you explain just a bit about how one goes about becoming a series
author?
Many of
my books are written for educational market publishers who focus almost
entirely on school and library sales. These publishers do mostly series.
However, trade publishers do series as well, and you can write up a proposal
with a sample manuscript if you have an idea for one. Amazing Amphibians
and Mammal Mania were both pitched as part of an existing series at
Chicago Review Press, the Young Naturalists series.
Do you have any good advice for
someone wanting to break into the field of writing for children?
Read
tons of recently published children’s books to get an idea of what current
trends and styles are. Read some books about writing for kids, join Facebook
groups, and join SCBWI if you can. It’s a tough market to break into and it
takes time to learn the craft. Be patient and keep learning, and celebrate your successes along the way!
Thank you, Lisa, for taking time to
share your experience and thoughts with our readers. I am sure they will be as
inspired by you as I am by your wonderful success. We look forward to reading Mammal
Mania in April and to seeing what you have for us in the future.
Lisa
Amstutz is the author of ~150 science and history books for kids. Her
background includes a B.A. in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Science/Ecology.
A former outdoor educator, she specializes in topics related to science,
nature, and agriculture.
Lisa spent
eight years as a freelance editor, working with individual authors and
publishing companies. She also served as Assistant Regional Advisor for
SCBWI:
Ohio North and as a volunteer judge for Rate Your Story. Lisa recently
joined
Storm Literary Agency as an Associate Literary Agent. Learn more at www.LisaAmstutz.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK
How
big is a blue whale? Why does a sloth crawl from the safety of a tree to the ground
once a week? How does a vampire bat feed?
Young nature
enthusiasts will find answers to these questions and learn all sorts of
fascinating facts about mammals in this full-color, interactive
book. Mammal Mania explores what makes mammals unique, as well as
their anatomy, behavior, and conservation needs.
Readers will
learn to build a squirrel feeder, write a putrid poem, make an animal tracking
station, and much more.
Thirty hands-on activities promote observation and analysis,
writing and drawing, math and science, and nature literacy skills.
