An Interview with Linda Ashman

I loved Linda's new book, Stella Unleashed, Notes from the Doghouse, the moment I read the first page.  After speaking with Linda I love the book even more and am a complete, life-long fan of hers.  She is delightful to talk to -- we fell into an easy conversation and I found Linda to be funny and smart and very, very nice (sorry for the bland word -- I generally don't prefer the word "nice" -- but Linda was such a genuinely nice person... and nice people can be hard to find!).

My complete review of Stella can be found here, but I'll give you a quick summary now.  Stella is a collection of poems told from the point of view of a spunky, sweet, funny dog.  The poems talk about a number of great topics, from how hard it can be to find the right home to Stella's thoughts on how dogs are treated in France.  Each poem is perfectly written and beautifully illustrated.  Dog lovers -- and poetry lovers -- of all ages are bound to adore this book.      

I was able to ask Linda questions both from me and from my favorite class of ex-first graders.  Here we go, starting with questions from me:

Can you talk a bit about where you came up with the idea for Stella?

At the time I wrote Stella we had two dogs, Nicky and Remy, both of whom liked to hang out in my office as I worked.  One day Nicky came in, sat beside my desk, and looked at me with such a wise and thoughtful expression that I wished I could read her mind.  She was probably thinking about food, but I like to think she had loftier thoughts.  At any rate, it got me wondering what she'd tell me if she could speak, which led to writing the poems.

Did you have an audience in mind as you wrote?

Over the years, my husband and I have given each other a number of "dog books" -- books with stories, poems, and/or funny photos of dogs.  I really thought of Stella as a book for adults as well as kids -- anyone who loves dogs.

Why poetry as opposed to prose?  Most of your books are in verse -- do you consider yourself a poet?

From the start, I pictured this as a poetry collection, with short vignettes about life from a dog's point of view.  I really love writing in verse -- I love playing with language and rhythm.  And for me, the restrictions of rhyme and meter make it easier than writing prose, which is so open-ended.

Can you tell me a bit about your process?

I wish I had one!  It seems pretty erratic these days.  I write while my son Jackson is at school.  I don't write every day, and may go weeks (months!) without writing, depending on what else is going on.  My stories usually start as something barely comprehensible scribbled on a yellow pad.  I then go to my computer and try to build whatever I've written.  I print that out, scribble more things on the page, take it back to the computer and expand a little more.  I repeat this process over and over.  It's slow, sometimes tedious, and requires a fair amount of coffee and chocolate.

Do you have any favorite authors, either of adult books or kid lit (or both!)?

I love Thomas Moore and Anne Lamott, and generally tend to read more non-fiction than fiction.  Recent favorite include: Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver; Digging In, by Robert Benson; The Middle of Everywhere, by Mary Pipher; What is the What, by Dave Eggers; Here if You Need Me, by Kate Braestrup.  As for fiction, I loved both The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini.  (I'll address favorite kids' books in the next section...).

I understand that you've had a varied career path -- from studying economics to working as a real estate analyst to children's book author.  How did you decide that this was what you wanted to do?

It was really more of an impulse than a decision.  After working as a real estate analyst, I went back to school and got a master's degree in Urban Planning at UCLA.  I was really into sustainable communities, livable cities, co-housing and alternative housing forms -- ideas that weren't exactly mainstream at the time I graduated in 1993.  I was working for an environmental program, not very happily, when I got turned down for a job I really wanted.  the news arrived in a letter.  As soon as I opened it, I burst into tears and said "All I ever wanted to do was write children's books!"  Jack, my incredibly supportive husband, said, "Then do it."  That was 13 years ago, and I've been writing ever since.

Any upcoming books that you can tell us about?

I've got another poetry collection coming out in July.  It's called M is for Mischief, and includes 26 poems about naughty children -- from angry Abby to Zany Zelda.  It's illustrated by the very talented and funny Nancy Carpenter.  I sold it when Jackson was 2 years old, and he's now 10, so it's been a bit of a wait.  I'm thrilled that it's finally going to be in print!

You've written so many books -- how do you pace yourself/keep going?

Coffee and chocolate definitely help!  It can be hard to stay motivated, particularly after rejections -- the business can be very discouraging at times.  And there's always that fear that you've written your last good story.  I just keep looking for good ideas, scribbling things down, and hoping something will come of it.

Any advice for beginning writers?  I was talking to a young writer the other day who said she was having a hard time "finding her imagination."

It IS important to “find your imagination,” and that requires a lot of playing, dreaming, staring off into space, wandering aimlessly—things kids (and grown-ups for that matter) aren’t encouraged to do.  There’s such an emphasis on “doing”—every minute seems to be scheduled with activities these days—that kids (and adults) miss out on the sort of free play and daydreaming so essential to creativity. It’s also important to feed the imagination, which books are so great at doing.  So I guess I’d encourage the middle school student to find a quiet time and place to write, to read a lot, and to explore things that really fascinate her.

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Now, questions from the first graders...

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We know that you have a dog named Nicky but how did you get the idea to write poems?

Hopefully I answered this question above.  Sadly, I don’t have a dog named Nicky any more.  She died in May 2008 at age 15.  Our other dog, Remy, died the year before at age 11.  We miss them very much.  It was really sad not to have a dog in the house, so we got a puppy named Sammy last summer.  She’s a very sweet and funny girl, and will be just about perfect as soon as she stops chewing our shoes and socks.

Why did you make the words rhyme?  And how did you make the words rhyme?  Was it hard?

I like the sound of poems that rhyme and have a particular rhythm.  They’re fun to read aloud, kind of like songs without the music.  Sometimes it IS hard to come up with a word that fits the rhyme and rhythm of the poem AND that makes sense, but I enjoy it; it’s kind of like figuring out a puzzle.

Why did you want to make the book from Stella’s voice?

I love dogs.  They’re very emotional creatures, care deeply about humans (and food!), and do lots of funny things.  I thought it would be fun to see the world from a dog’s point of view.  Plus, I liked the idea of speaking for MY dog, Nicky, since she was quite old by then, and I knew she wouldn’t be around much longer.

Did you interview other people who have dogs before you wrote this?

No, I based it on my own experience with dogs I’ve known and loved.

What is your favorite children’s book? 

I wouldn’t be able to limit it to one—I have MANY favorites!  When I was young, I loved reading biographies, poetry, fairy tales, and books by Dr. Seuss and Beverly Cleary (I still love these).  When I was a little older, some favorite books were The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little Women, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and To Kill a Mockingbird.   

When my son was still reading picture books, we had a lot of favorites.  A few that we read over and over again were: Seven Silly Eaters, by Mary Ann Hoberman; Contrary Bear, by Phyllis Root; Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman; Sixteen Cows, by Lisa Wheeler, and John S. Goodall’s brilliant wordless books, like Naughty Nancy.

These days Jackson reads lots of novels on his own.  At the moment, his favorite authors are Gordon Korman, Rick Riordan, and J.K. Rowling.  We still like to read together, too, and to listen to books on tape when we go on trips.  We’ve really enjoyed books by Andrew Clements, Richard Peck, Louis Sachar, Jerry Spinelli, Carl Hiaasen and Sharon Creech (Love that Dog is a particular family favorite).

Who is your inspiration for writing?

My son Jackson has inspired all of my books in one way or another. Other books have been inspired by my dogs, animals, and nature—all things I love.

When you wrote this book, who was it for?

I wrote it for Nicky, first of all, and also for Jackson, and my husband and me, because we loved her so much.

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I've read Linda's next book, M is for Mischief and it's fantastic.  I can't recommend Stella or Mischief strongly enough.  Happy reading!