Introducing . . . Lauren Kerstein

Lauren Kerstein

PictureBookBuzz Author Interview Questions
 
PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
 
Lauren: I’m ecstatic to be part of this wonderful group of authors! I’m a Jersey girl at heart, and currently live in Colorado with my husband, Josh; our dragons...er, daughters, Sarah and Danielle; and Hudson, the dog. I am an author and a child and family psychotherapist, which has provided me with a unique view of emotions, life stories, family dynamics, interactions, resilience, and the importance of a sense of a humor. I believe those insights and experiences have strengthened my writing.
 
When I was in third grade, my teacher read The Giving Tree (Silverstein) to our class, and cried. That moment is burned into my mind forever. I felt the intensity of her emotional reaction, admired her courage to cry in front of third graders, and realized the incredible power of books. I will never underestimate that power as a writer. 
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, (ROSIE THE DRAGON AND CHARLIE MAKE WAVES)?
 
Lauren:

• In 2016, I read a ReFoReMo post by Tammi Sauer entitled: How to Do the Structure Strut. This post planted a seed for trying different structures in future picture book manuscripts.
• Enter Paula Yoo’s NaPiBoWriWee challenge. I wanted to try writing in different structures throughout the week and wrote a “how to” book about putting your mom to bed. This idea emerged from the triumphs and challenges I’d faced as a child psychotherapist and as a mom myself. (For anyone who has tried to put a child to bed, you know the there is no shortage of challenges!) I infused as much of my Jersey humor into this book as possible, and had a lot of fun writing it.
• Eight million revisions later, that “how to” book morphed into ROSIE THE DRAGON AND CHARLIE MAKE WAVES. Although, Rosie and Charlie are quite different than the original draft from May 2016, the character traits, humor, and voices are the same.

 
 
PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.
 
Lauren: My book has two main characters: Charlie and Rosie.
 
Charlie is a planner, nurturer, and patient leader. When he decided to adopt a pet, he did NOT plan to adopt a dragon. But, Rosie found Charlie irresistible! The rest, as they say, is history. Rosie is a precocious, curious, joyful dragon who loves trying new things. She is courageous, strong-willed, and rather mischievous. Together, Rosie and Charlie find the courage to try new things, even when their plans don’t go quite as expected.
 
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Lauren: I think readers will enjoy the sweet friendship between Rosie and Charlie, humor, joy, and Nate Wragg’s incredible illustrations.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on?
 
Lauren: I’m currently working on a number of projects across multiple genres. Since Rosie and Charlie spend a lot of time vying for attention, and make me smile, I’m working on more of their adventures. I am also working on a number of picture books from nonfiction to fiction; serious to subversive. In addition, my third professional book with AAPC Publishing (about emotion regulation) is in its final stages of revisions. Finally, I plan to tackle revisions on my middle grade novel, and young adult novels in 2019. I like to stretch my creative brain as far as possible!

AMAZON

barnes & noble

indiebound