The wonderful thing about being part of a critique group is the chance to grow with other writers. I’ve enjoyed working with many critique partners over the years, and though some of us are scattered across the United States and only meet face to face on ZOOM, several have become my very dear friends. Each writer’s journey, words, and perspectives are unique and offer wonderful insights and inspiration. One of those writers who inspires me and cheers me on is my friend Tiffany Erickson. Tiffany and I both actually live in the same town. I first met her when she was the Children’s Librarian at our local library. I would take my granddaughter to pick up library books and attend her story hours. My granddaughter even gave her a special name, “Library Queen.” It wasn’t until my granddaughter moved away and I started to write children’s books that I learned “Miss Tiffany” was also a writer with a dream of being published. I’m thrilled to report that she has achieved this goal with her recently debuted picture book, THE SNACK THIEF.
Tiffany has graciously agreed to let me interview her for this month’s blog post to learn more about her writing journey.
Me: Tell us a little about yourself, Tiffany.
Tiffany: I grew up on a farm with plenty of time to daydream. I got my first job working in a library at 16, and just really fell in love with it. After college, I took a pretty boring job that forced me to go to library school. I’ve worked as a children’s librarian for three different libraries for over 12 years. I recently left my job as a librarian to be a full-time mom and writer, although being a mom is getting more of my attention right now!
Me: How did I get interested in writing children’s books?
Tiffany: Like most big readers, I started writing my own stories early. I found a picture book that I wrote and illustrated with stencils from when I was eight or so. Then I really hit my stride in middle school after reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I kinda made a name for myself by writing teen dramas that were admittedly very bad. Then I wrote lots of very bad poetry all through high school and college, but I was learning!
When I became a librarian, there would be times when I wanted a fingerplay or song for a certain theme, so I would write one. Plus, being around books all day is inspiring and demoralizing in equal measure. Some books make you think, I could certainly do better, while others make you think, I could never write so beautifully! (see anything by Grace Lin!)
Then, when I had kids, I started seeing the childlike wonder in the world again, which gave me a whole new level of inspiration!
Me: How did your writing journey begin?
Tiffany: The first time I really sat down and wrote a story was in 2016. I borrowed (then stole) a little yellow notepad at my dad’s house and wrote a story about a girl who turned into a tiger. I’m still working on that story! I tried a few shortcuts, like pitching to Brown Book Kids, which wanted me to pay over $30,000 to “publish” one book! But there are no shortcuts unless you want to spend a lot of money! I started taking classes and workshops from The Highlights Foundation, reading as many writing books as I could from picture book authors, and thankfully met you! Then we swapped stories and encouragement, which has been wonderful.
Me: Tell us about The Snack Thief.
Tiffany: The Snack Thief is a story about Toby, who makes a snack each day only to have it stolen by strange animals. So, he lays a trap to catch the thief. It’s a bit of a mystery, which I think is fun for young readers. They like to be a little smarter than the book and figure out the mystery first.
Me: How did you get the idea?
Tiffany: A couple of things were bouncing around in my brain. A classmate told a story called Zanzibar by Bill Harley in my storytelling class, about 20 years ago. Her name was Katrina, and she must have been amazing because I still remember her saying “cracker-cheese, cracker-cheese, cracker-cheese”. That started Toby’s snack obsession. It just kinda bloomed from there, with old Halloween costumes and annoying siblings
Me: What has your publishing experience been like?
Tiffany: It’s been great, which I know is very lucky. I started pitching The Snack Thief after a pretty good critique, not expecting much. I pitched it to six publishers before getting a yes from Lawley Publishing. They are wonderful! After my book was accepted, we had a Zoom meeting to go over expectations and the timeline. I received a very modest advance on royalties, but after several publishers wanted me to pay up, it was nice to have someone supporting me. The total time from acceptance to book in hand was about 15 months. Lawley is a small press, but they do submit their books for review to companies like School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, which adds a bit to the timeline, but also adds to the book’s exposure. Lawley sends out marketing emails every month with countdowns to publication and what I can do from an author standpoint to promote my book. They have been a dream to work with!
Me: How were you matched with an Illustrator?
Tiffany: During my first meeting with Lawley, they asked about my favorite art styles, and I gave them a couple of illustrators that I admire. Then, they searched for some artists based on my wish list and sent me ten artist portfolios. I had such fun looking through these portfolios, but I always came back to Lana Levitan. She was handed the manuscript with very few notes from me, and she did such a lovely job. She even illustrated the recipes in the best way.
Me: What have you learned from the publishing process?
Tiffany: I have enjoyed working directly with a small press. I have a supportive publisher, but I do have to hustle more than someone who has an agent and a larger publishing house. Being an author is no longer a job for introverts! Even big names have to get out and sell their book. I just need to do a little more selling than some. With any publishing adventure, I would say the most important traits are patience and humility. You’ll get rejected, get tough critiques, and review notes that don’t make sense at the moment, but you need to keep editing, pitching, and studying. Then, once you get an offer, you sit and wait for that book baby to come along.
Me: What have been the biggest rewards so far?
Tiffany: It’s been rewarding to see people enjoying my book. A little three-year-old checked out my book from the library and now loves making cracker stackers. Kids tell me about seeing my book on the library story walk, or at a store. I’m amazed at how many people believe in me. I just need to believe in myself the same way.
Me: Where can someone purchase your book?
Tiffany: My books are available online anywhere books are sold: Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc. They are even available online internationally, like Waterstones UK. It’s fun to go down a shopping rabbit hole like that. I have a fledgling website, misstiffwrites.com. I’m much better at writing than web design. You can also find me on Instagram and Bluesky @misstiffwrites.
Me: Tiffany, thank you for sharing your story with our readers. Your experience is uplifting and encouraging. I am immensely happy for you. Best wishes on your writing career. We’ll look forward to your future publications!
To learn more about Tiffany’s book, THE SNACK THIEF, click on the Recommended Reads section of this blog.
Little Seeds Read 