Interview by Shannon Barnes
Tell us about your latest book or a project you are working on.
My next book, Lights at Night, comes out this August. It follows two special families as they experience lights at night throughout the year. The illustrator, Maggie Zeng, did a phenomenal job, and children will love to spot the foxes (and fox motifs) as they follow along with the children on their journey through the seasons.
I’m working on tons of new things, all in the beginning stages of brainstorming and “zero drafts” (the draft before it’s even finished enough to call it “draft one!”)
Tell us about your writing process.
I tend to think in titles and get excited about a concept or idea and then build the story around it. I am always working on multiple things at a time—I need to do a brain dump on the initial idea and then leave it for a while to percolate (the zero draft) and then come back to refine and develop. I have some very talented critique partners who help when I get stuck.
How did you first get published?
I had the idea for Métis Like Me for a while and mentioned it to my current editor at Tundra Books after a different manuscript was turned down.
What do you like about writing for young people?
I like that picture books are a shared experience between children and adults and that favourite books tend to “stay in the family” and be passed down or bought for friends, family and future generations. There is nothing more rewarding than connecting with a child. They are the most honest reviewers, so their approval is the highest praise.
Tell us about writers who inspire you.
There are so many; where do I start? Shawn Harris is always doing something fun, and I admire the boundary-pushing of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. Vashti Harrison’s BIG was a marvel, and Carrie Finison’s Don’t Hug Doug and Pigs Dig a Road are favourites.
Find out more about Tasha Hilderman and her work at tashahilderman.com or on Instagram @tashahildermanbooks.