Erin Dealey

August is the perfect time for REACHING FOR THE STARS, Roxanne Troup’s latest picture book, Illus. Amanda Lenz (Schiffer Kids), which launches (See what I did there?) tomorrow!

What will we find light-years away,
beyond the expanse where our planets play?

Roxanne Troup, REACHING FOR THE STARS

We met Roxanne Troup on a previous blog post celebrating the #BookBirthday of her book, MY GRANDPA, MY TREE, AND ME, and now it’s time for another celebration!

Let’s ask some questions!

Q 1. What was the inspiration for your story? Were you a “Space kid” or star-gazer growing up (or is there one in your family)?

Roxanne Troup: I’ve always loved looking at the stars and trying to find different constellations. The inspiration for this particular story came in late 2019, shortly after I learned about NASA’s new Artemis program. I thought it would be fun to celebrate all we’ve learned about space, commemorate a woman landing on the moon, and “countdown” along with NASA’s launch. (Originally, my title was “Countdown to Space.”)

Process + Rhyming Nonfiction

Q 2. How do you approach a rhyming nonfiction project like REACHING FOR THE STARS? Which comes first—the text, the title, or the research?

Roxanne Troup: I didn’t make a conscious choice to create a rhyming story. It just sort-of happened.

Originally, I set out trying to tie space facts to a countdown structure to work with the title and first line that popped into my head. Then I dove into research. But I couldn’t find the facts I needed for that idea to really work.

A couple months later I revisited the story, looking at it through a fictional lens. I imagined a female astronaut waiting for liftoff and dreaming of all the things she would do and see in space. I moved my facts to nonfiction sidebars, but something still felt off—like the story was missing a vital piece of itself.

About a year later, as I was drifting off to sleep, that first line came back to me—in rhyme! “What will we find lightyears away, beyond the expanse where our planets play?” I hopped up and scribbled the first several stanzas before returning to bed with the meter and rhyme pattern set.

Over the next couple weeks, I worked through the rest of the manuscript writing new stanzas, checking the meter, and revising my word choice until everything felt right. I turned my sidebars into a glossary and added an author’s note about Artemis—the story’s inspiration.

Q 3. If this book were a metaphor for your writing process—which might be your favorite and which was the most challenging aspect: the prep, the “unfolding”,”All systems go!”, Lift off, outer limits, or the birth of that hot, shiny star (your book!)

Roxanne Troup:

the “unfolding”

I love the process of “unfolding” or revising—when a story feels like it is finally coming together, perhaps as more than I imagined it could be, but something I am proud of and excited about—that is an awesome feeling. Though I must admit I’ve not always been great at waiting for it.

Like everyone, I’ve sent stuff off too soon and/or felt blasted by feedback I didn’t think I deserved (only later realizing how accurate it was). Over the years, however, I’ve discovered that sometimes I just have to wait. Eventually, I figure it out and the story is better for the waiting.

Does that make “the unfolding” my favorite part of the process or the most challenging? . . .  Perhaps both. Revising is a challenge, but nothing quite beats that feeling of accomplishment and hope that maybe this one will get picked up by a publisher who loves it just as much as I do.

“All systems go!”

Everyone loves this phase of book making, when an editor emails with that initial offer and you just can’t contain the excitement. But then, there’s the waiting . . .

and waiting . . .

and waiting . . .

as your story goes through the publication process and you wait for art . . .

wait for your turn in the production queue . . .

wait for printing and shipping and marketing and all the things that have to happen behind the scenes for a story to become a book. I don’t love that part so much.

Lift off

But if “lift off” truly begins with artwork, that part is my absolute favorite! I am in awe of illustrators. I love seeing how an illustrator imagines my words. I love how their art brings the story to life; how it amps up the emotional core; and I always enjoy finding all the little details an illustrator adds to a story.

Q 4. What’s your favorite spread? Why?

Roxanne Troup: I love all the little details in the “Mission Control” spread (pictured above). Every time I look at it, I find something new. I also really like how Amanda worked part of the text into the art of this spread:

Q 5. What surprises did illustrator Amanda Lenz bring to the book?

Roxanne Troup: I knew Amanda would be incorporating actual images from space into the art. (It was a technique I suggested during the querying phase, but I wasn’t sure if it would work.) After seeing Amanda’s completed artwork, I was in awe. She combined the two techniques so seamlessly, and fit in lots of easter eggs which add a fun seek-and-find element for kids. I love it!

Happy #BookBirthday blast off to

REACHING FOR THE STARS

and many thanks to Roxanne

for joining us on the blog today!

To learn more about Roxanne Troup and her books:

Check out her website:  roxannetroup.com

and follow her on TwitterX:  @RoxanneTroup

Next up on the blog:

BEAR’S BIG IDEA by Sandra Nickel, Illus. Il Sung Na, Carolrhoda Books