Welcome to the Back Matter Break Down! I’m excited to bring you a really insightful interview with author Jessica Whipple, author of Enough Is… and I Think I Think A Lot. You’re going to love getting a peek at the behind-the-scenes process of writing the back matter for her latest book. Jessica is also giving away a 30-minute Brain Picking Session via Zoom, so make sure you read to the end of the post to find details on how to enter. Let’s dive in!
Book: I THINK I THINK A LOT
Author: Jessica Whipple
Illustrator: Josee Bisaillon
Publisher / Year: Free Spirit Publishing, 2023
Genre: Fiction
Topics: Social-Emotional, Mental Health
Blurb: “I think. I think a lot. I think I think a lot. More than most other kids.” A young girl notices and wonders about the ways she and her classmates approach doing good work, caring about people’s feelings, and showing they’re grateful. She comes to accept herself just as she is and celebrates the differences between herself and her classmates. “I care a lot. Not more than other kids, just in my own way.” Inspired by the author’s experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), I Think I Think a Lot can be a starting point for discussions about overthinking or obsessive thought and about the many ways individuals see and experience the world. The neurodivergent main character allows readers to see themselves and others in the story and emphasizes self-acceptance in the face of comparison.
What is your manuscript word count? What is your back matter word count?
JW: I had to look back! Word count is about 500 for the story text and the back matter is about 850 words, perhaps more.
At what phase of the drafting/revising/publishing process for I Think I Think a Lot did you decide your book needed back matter?
JW: My book proposal to Free Spirit with back matter included. (Free Spirit requires a full book proposal with writing credits, a market analysis, and thorough comparative title research included.)
What did the first draft of the back matter look like?
JW: When I made the book proposal, the back matter was simply an author’s note of perhaps two paragraphs plus a few non-specific online OCD resources.
Tell us about the back matter revision process. How did editor/agent input cause changes, if any? How did you get to the final version we see in the book?
JW: Free Spirit wanted to include discussion questions–it’s one of their trademarks, so to speak. So I worked with the editor to write relevant questions that satisfied her requests and my own hopes for the book. Lastly, rather than a list of resources, we included a note about OCD including a definition and how to contact the International OCD Foundation online. So it was even better than my proposed list of resources.
Did you feel any concern or hesitancy about talking about your own OCD experiences in the back matter?
JW: No hesitancy, however the question was how to limit the many facets of my complicated experience having OCD. But the book already focuses on just one aspect of my experience, so that helped me focus my author’s note.
Reflecting on this process and what you learned, what tips can you offer picture book writers for writing back matter?
JW: One thing that comes to mind is to let yourself feel free to be your authentic self.
Thank you, Jessica! I love the advice you left us all with and appreciate you letting us see a bit of the process you went through to bring this back matter together!
Please support Jessica! You can purchase I Think I Think A Lot and Enough Is… wherever books are sold and she asks that you please consider your local independent bookseller.
Signed copies here: AuthorJessicaWhipple.com/books
Follow Jessica Whipple: @JessicaWhippl17 on Instagram and X/Twitter. She’d love to connect there!
Now for the GIVEAWAY! Jessica has generously offered a 30-minute Brain Picking Session via Zoom to one lucky person! To enter: Leave one comment on this blog post by January 23, 2024 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. A winner will be chosen at random and notified on January 24, 2024. One entry per person!
***** EDIT: The giveaway has now closed! Congrats to Kate R! ****
Thank you for reading!
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Judy Campbell-Smith 
Thanks for sharing Jessica! I’m in the process of writing my own backmatter, and I loved seeing your process!
It’s always so fascinating to hear the behind the scenes details! Thanks for sharing, Jessica! I have several stories with backmatter, and I love the idea of including several discussion questions!
Thank you for sharing, Jessica. Backmatter can enhance a story.
Thanks Judy and Jessica! It’s always a treat to hear the backstory of an author’s picture book! I love that this one came from your own experiences, Jessica!
Congrats Kate! You are the winner of the giveaway! I will connect you and Jessica soon
Thank you for sharing. I love back matter. It helps me as a parent know how to take a book further with my kids and gives me a jumping off point to research.
Thank you for sharing. What a fun blog idea to go over back matter. We own this book and think the message is wonderful. I so relate to this!
Jessica and Judy, this is a wonderful post about back matter. (And makes me feel better about my back matter being longer than the actual story!) I can’t wait to get my hands on Jessica’s newest story! Congrats!
Thanks Jessica for inspiring me to be my true authentic self.
Thank you Judy and Jessica! I haven’t really heard from many authors about their process with back matter so this was really helpful! And I’m excited to check out your book!
Thank you Judy and Jessica for this offer. I have one story with back matter so far and I’m not sure the format is going to fly. It would be great to pick your brain on process.
Apologies if this comment posts twice…thank you to Judy and Jessica for this kind offer. Only one of my stories has back matter now and I’m not sure the format will fly. I’d love to pick Jessica’s brain. 😀