I’ve wanted to be an author since I was about nine years old and my dad gave me a copy of “Anne of Green Gables.” As a little girl, I wanted to be just like Anne Shirley when I grew up—spunky, driven, caring, and smart. Anne was obsessed with publishing a book of her very own, and I was too.
When I was 12 years old, I wrote a 300-page (very cheesy) novel which will never see the light of day. My parents had it printed and spiral-bound and it is currently sitting on my bookshelf for the amusement of our kids down the road. The best way I can describe this book is “Pirates of the Caribbean” meets “Pride and Prejudice” meets “Little Women” (with a hint of the macabre of “Jane Eyre.”) It was really something.
I started “The Ill-Tempered Clavier” about 5 years ago. However, my obsession with drawing well-dressed mice began long before that. I remember sketching mice in bowties during music history class…and music theory…and every class of my college career, frankly. It was my default doodle and I got really good at it.
I originally intended that “Clavier” debut as an ill-tempered, well-dressed French mouse who was always grumpy because he didn’t know how to tie his shoes. But I really wanted to write a chapter book and didn’t want to do that in French! Here’s one of my earliest concept sketches:
Several years later, I must have been feeling nostalgic over my childhood. I remember sitting on my couch one day watching the snow fall and dreaming up a little midwestern town at Christmas, complete with a little midwestern church, and a little rat family who lived there.
My dad is a great storyteller. When I was little, he would tell us adventure stories while putting us to bed. One story was about some mice who lived in an old church in Harlan, IA and solved mysteries. He would always pause the story on a major cliff-hanger, and I would stay awake late into the night imagining what was going to happen next!
Fast-forward 20 years and I am finally publishing a story of my own! Yesterday, I received my author’s copy of “The Ill-Tempered Clavier” and was thrilled to rip open that Amazon package and see MY book looking so beautiful and professional.
I am so excited to continue writing. I’m currently illustrating my next kids’ book, “Pickles’ and Pebbles’ Halloween Adventure,” set to be released in September! I’ve also begun the second book in the “Clavier” series, “Clavier and the Sticky Situation.” So stay tuned for more updates!
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