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 