Publication Interview with Miriam Busch: Lion Lion

Balzer and Bray, September 30 2014
illustrated by Larry Day

Please describe the book.
The text is minimal – most of the book is a dialogue between a boy and a lion.  The boy is looking for Lion, and the lion is looking for lunch. The lion follows the boy through the neighborhood, refusing every food the boy offers to him.  Readers might wonder: IS THE LION GOING TO EAT THE BOY? WHAT DOES THIS KID MEAN, HE’S LOOKING FOR LION? CAN’T HE SEE THE LION RIGHT THERE?  Lion and boy speak—seemingly at cross-purposes— until a surprise reveals that the boy has everything under control after all.

As the story progressed from inception to copy-edited version, what were the major changes? How did those changes come about?
This story began as another story entirely: one about a boy-king named Rusty and some lions. The initial story idea came from the illustrator (who had a loose story). He asked me to collaborate. We worked on this story for a couple of years, but after many revisions, it still didn’t work. 

Still, something about it wouldn’t let me go. Months after we scrapped Rusty, I doodled a what-if idea on a diner napkin. Keeping in mind my African travels and childhood around-the-world folktales, I borrowed from Rusty—the first two lines and a lion— but set it on Kenya’s Lake Naivasha. I wrote a different kid – this time, just a clever kid who knows how to be a friend.

Initially, I needed that specific setting to shape the story, but by the time the editor suggested an urban setting, the story was strong enough to let that happen. To me, this change adds to the sense that the boy leaves his home to wander through the neighborhood of his imagination.

In a previous revision, the boy slyly (knowing that the lion would refuse) offered different animals to the lion to eat – the editor suggested the change to the food the animal friends were eating.

This book was truly a collaboration between me and Larry Day. While aiming both for a tongue-in-cheek surprise and entirely interdependent words and pictures, we paid close attention to the interplay of text rhythm and visual rhythm through every revision.

When did you first begin work on it?
 2008.

When did you finish?
 2013. 

What research was involved before and while writing the book?
I grew up on folk tales from around the world, so while that’s not research, it is background. I cycled through so many animals in the many revisions, and – this sounds silly — I did tons of research on eating habits and habitats. (I wanted to make absolutely sure that the foods the animals were eating would have the necessary irritating effect on the lion.)

Your first book was published in 2009. What have you learned about being an author (v. being a writer) since then?
In no particular order:

• There is, apparently, a thing called “Strategy” when it comes to publishing – what you debut with makes a difference.  If your first book sells well, editors are more likely to give your next manuscripts a look. (Duh, right? But I didn’t have a clue.)
• I write across ages and genres. Very smart people have advised me to publish under two different names – one for YA  (and up), one for the younger set.  
• I’ve learned that agents and editors often move around, and it’s a good idea to pay attention to who’s where. 
• I’ve learned that while YES, this is a people-driven business, and many times more of a popularity contest than we’d like to believe, there’s room for all sorts of quirky personalities. 
• And I’ve learned that almost everything is a flash in the pan – bad reviews, good reviews, trends – everything passes. It’s best for my own forward motion to pay only small doses of attention to any of that stuff that’s not in my control. To paraphrase Jane Resh Thomas, “Do your work. It’s the only thing that over which you have any control.”

Where do you do most of your writing?
 These days, I’m at my dining table. (My office is too messy!)

Do you remember the first book you loved?
There were so many! But one of the first was Ruth Krauss and Ellen Raskin’s Mama, I wish I Was Snow; Child, You’d be Very Cold. It is one of the few books I still have from my childhood. I loved that book so much I wanted to dive into it. (As is evidenced by my delicate longing-filled crayon work on the endpapers.) 

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Miriam Busch is a January 2014 graduate of the Hamline MFAC program. She lives in Illinois.

Meet the Grad: Miriam Busch

On January 19, 2014, the final day of the upcoming residency, the MFAC program will have a Graduate Recognition ceremony, honoring the 11 men and women who have just completed their studies and will receive an MFA from Hamline University. Between now and residency, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, we'll be posting interviews with each student. Miriam Busch is today's grad; she lives in Illinois.

What do you do when you’re not working on packets? I work on packets when I’m not working on packets. Also: I write other stuff. Also also: I proofread/ edit for a publishing house and color storyboards for advertising campaigns. And I eat chocolate and fret about packets.

How did you hear about the Hamline MFAC Program? I was attending a Highlights Whole Novel Workshop. Anne Ursu and Laura Ruby ran it, and (MFAC grad) Christine Heppermannassisted. They talked about Hamline, about this community of writers striving for excellence. I told myself I had no interest, but somehow I found myself chatting with (program director) Mary Rockcastle.

What was your writing experience prior to entering the program? I had been writing stories for kids in secret for a while. I had published an article related to my old life in a scientific journal, and wrote an early reader for National Geographic Kids.

What do especially remember about your first residency? Each residency strikes me with how spectacularly devoted and generous and supportive the faculty, administrators, staff, and students are. Everyone shares this deep love of/compulsion for writing for children. It’s wonderfully satisfying to live among fellow travelers/creatures from the home planet, if only for eleven days every six months.

Have you focused on any one form (PB, novel, nonfiction; graphic novel) or age group in your writing? Tried a form you never thought you’d try? I tried everything except non-fiction here at Hamline. When I entered the program, I was mostly drawn to middle grade fantasy and picture books, but in addition to working in these genres, I tried a YA verse novel and a graphic novel. The latter two are forms I never imagined I would try.

Tell us about your Creative Thesis. Mighty Cave Chickens is a middle grade graphic novel. The premise is silly (our three chicken heroes embark on a quest to save their rogue clan and themselves), but my advisor (Gene Yang) encouraged me to forge beyond simple silliness, to explore the deep longing at the protagonists’ cores. Starting something new for the Creative Thesis is not recommended, but Gene liked this idea more than a different novel I was considering converting. Graphic novels require detailed visual description for the illustrator—huge challenge for me, as I was accustomed to the picture book format, where illustrator’s notes are frowned upon and generally unnecessary. But here’s what I learn (repeatedly): no matter the format, any story must satisfy the foundational basics covered in each residency.

What changes have you seen in your writing during your studies? I entered the program entirely unschooled, and now I have language and tools (and fellow writers!) that allow me to assess how (or if) pieces work. Before, I might have been able to sense something was missing in a manuscript, but now I can figure out what. Also, instead of my pre-program sole method of meandering-on-the-page-until-something-sticks, I now can make a deliberate choice between several modes of working.

Any thoughts for entering students or for people considering the program?
Most of us don’t have the perfect office or steady, uninterrupted writing time. Many of us have stretches where we have only 15 minutes here and there. Just write. Never give up. Write between the cracks of needy children and ill parents (or needy parents and ill children). Keep in touch with your classmates. Write. If you are thinking about entering but aren’t sure you can commit, do the mini-immersion. (Fair warning: it’s a street-dealer trick. 1. They give you a taste. 2. You’re a goner.)

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 The public is welcome to attend the graduate recognition ceremony on Sunday, January 19, 3:30pm, (Anne Simley Theatre, Drew Fine Arts Building). Jane Yolen is the speaker.