May 18, 2020 Interview & Giveaway with Valerie Bolling
I’m excited to welcome to the blog this week, author Valerie Bolling!
* Valerie is offering one lucky person a manuscript critique (maximum 500 words). To enter, check out the Rafflecopter giveaway following the interview below.
About Valerie:
Let’s Dance! (Boyds Mills & Kane) is Valerie Bolling’s debut picture book. In addition to being an author, Valerie has been an educator for over 25 years. When she taught elementary students, it was difficult to find diverse literature for them. Thus, she is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel valued and heard.
A graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University, Teachers College, Valerie currently works as an Instructional Coach with middle and high school teachers.
Besides writing picture books, Valerie writes a Monthly Memo for teachers that she publishes on Twitter, and she has been published in The National Writing Project’s Quarterly (“The Family Writing Project Builds a Learning Community in Connecticut”) and NESCBWI News (“Microaggressions Don’t Feel ‘Micro’”). Recently, she had a poem accepted for publication by Cricket Media.
Valerie is a member of NCTE, SCBWI, the NESCBWI Equity and Inclusion Committee, the Authors Guild, the WNDB Mentorship Program, #12X12PB, 2020 Diverse Debuts, 20/20 Vision Picture Books, and a picture book critique group.
Valerie and her husband live in Connecticut and enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater, and dancing.
Connect with Valerie:
Please tell us about your debut book, LET’S DANCE!
The “official” description that accompanies my book is: This picture book showcases dances from all over the world, with rhythmic prose that encourages readers to tap, spin, and boogie along.
From the cha cha of Cuba to the stepping of Ireland, dancing is everywhere you go. This rhythmic showcase of dances from all over the world features children of diverse backgrounds and abilities tapping, spinning, and boogying away. This read is so full of energy, kids everywhere will want to dance along!
My short one-liner for my book is: Let’s Dance! celebrates dances from around the world and the diverse children who enjoy them.
Who might this story appeal to?
This story will appeal to anyone who loves to dance, wants to see children featured who are not typically seen in books, and appreciates rhyme and fabulous illustrations. Though the book is suggested for ages 3 – 7, I’ve read it to 5th and 6th graders who’ve loved it! Like dancing, we can enjoy reading a book together, regardless of our age or background.
What inspired and/or motivated you to write it?
Everyone who loves to dance inspired this book, Justin! I wanted to write a book that showcases the joy associated with dancing … and Maine Diaz’s illustrations definitely captured that joy! I was not only motivated to celebrate the universality of dance but also the diversity and inclusiveness of dance. Anyone – no matter who you are – can dance; we all do it a bit differently … with our unique flair.
What about writing this particular story in rhyme appealed to you?
I thought rhyme would be the best format because it mimics the joy, peppiness, and rhythm of dance. Rhyme reads like dance.
What was your research process like for this book?
Justin, I didn’t do much research, initially, though I did use rhyme.zone.com as a resource while drafting. Later, when my editor, Jes Negrón at Boyds Mills & Kane, asked me to write a two-sentence description about each dance for the book’s back matter, I did some research, at that time.
There are so many fascinating cultures and dances out there. How did you decide which ones to include within this book?
The only cultural dance that I decided to include when I wrote the book was kuku from Guinea, West Africa. Since that was a dance I had learned in college, it had special meaning to me. Truthfully, I had not envisioned other cultural dances for this book when I wrote it. It was Jes’ fantastic idea.
I saw “Tappity-tap/Fingers snap” as tap dance, but she imagined flamenco from Spain. I envisioned the electric slide for “Glide and slide/Side to side,” but Jes suggested long sleeve dancing from China. One of the most interesting changes is that for “Jiggity-Jig/Zig-zag-zig,” I wanted a boy in a wheelchair because I saw someone dancing at a wedding who was making a “zig-zag-zig” motion as he danced in his wheelchair. Jes, however, thought those words were wonderfully matched to Irish stepdancing, and I agreed! There’s not a boy in a wheelchair on that spread, but there is one in the disco spread!
Are there any dances that didn’t make the cut that you’d love for readers to know about?
There are just two stanzas that “didn’t make the cut,” Justin: a hip-hop stanza (Hippity-hop/Bippity-bop) because it was similar to the breakdance one, and another that Jes felt didn’t necessarily have a particular dance associated with it (Step by step/Move with pep). The impetus for Jes cutting two stanzas is that she wanted me to add back matter and needed those pages for space.
Who were the team members you worked with on it and what was the process like collaborating with them?
My editor, Jes, is the person with whom I collaborated throughout the process. She was simultaneously collaborating with Maine, the illustrator. Though I didn’t communicate with Maine at any point during the process, I trusted Jes to share my vision with her. It’s obvious, based on the illustrations, that this was done.
It was a pleasure working with Jes! She was committed to having Let’s Dance! be its best while also remaining true to my commitment to diversity, inclusion, and representation of those who are not often seen in books. I’m so glad that she was the editor for this book and that Maine illustrated it. As I like to say, Jes’ vision and Maine’s illustrations truly made my words dance!
What was the overall timeline like for this story, from your inception of the idea to publication?
I wrote the first draft in June of 2017, started querying in January of 2018, and the story was “liked” in a June 2018 Twitter pitch. I signed the contract that July, and the story was published March 3, 2020. I’m grateful for how fortunate I am that this was a quick process.
How has this story evolved from its first draft to the published book now out in the world?
I wrote my first draft of Let’s Dance! in June of 2017, at which time it was entitled I Love to Dance, as this line was repeated throughout the book. When I shared it with Marianne McShane, a friend, who is writer, storyteller, and retired librarian, she suggested I read Watersong by Tim McCanna as a mentor text and that I start the story with a line that appeared later in the text: “Tappity-tap/Fingers snap.” Her recommendations helped significantly in revising the book.
Are there any plans for a follow-up to it?
Just a couple of weeks ago, Justin, I wrote a book very similar to Let’s Dance! about a related topic. I plan to share it with my critique group this month and would like to start querying it soon. According to my contract, I will need to start with my current publisher, Boyds Mills & Kane, which I’m happy to do.
If you had to select one or two words as the takeaway for this book, what words would you choose?
Dance! Diversity!
I see you were a WNDB (We Need Diverse Books Mentee). What was that experience like, and how has being a former mentee influenced your process, work, and overall path as a children’s author?
I’m currently a WNDB mentee and so thrilled to have been awarded this honor in January. My mentor is Kelly Starling Lyons, and I couldn’t have asked for a better, more supportive person. Kelly suggests mentor texts to read, provides valuable feedback on my manuscripts, and has great ideas about how to market my book. She possesses such a wealth of knowledge and shares it openly and graciously.
Kelly is a true treasure, not to mention a prolific, award-winning author. I LOVE her book that was released this month, Tiara’s Hat Parade. The language in the book is beautiful, and the story is inspiring. I love that it depicts the determined, innovative spirit of a young girl.
I definitely lucked out winning Kelly as my mentor!
What’s the most exciting part of the publication process to you?
Obviously, seeing the actual book in print was a thrill, but I actually enjoyed all parts of the process. Hearing about Jes’ global vision for my book, seeing early sketches of the illustrations, writing my dedication and bio – all of it was great. What I also appreciate is that having gone through this process once, I’ll be more aware of what to expect the next time … and I truly hope there’ll be a next time – sooner rather than later.
Thanks for your time, Valerie!
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me, Justin! I always appreciate the opportunity to share information about Let’s Dance! and my writing journey.
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