We’d like you to meet Sarina Siebenaler, our first featured author in February. Sarina has written two wonderful books that promote literacy through lyrical rhyme and hilarious characters. Her journey to authorship will ring true with so many that struggle to achieve that lofty goal, and also as a parent who wanted books to inspire her own children. We’re thrilled she found success. A busy mother of three, we appreciate the time to get to know her better.
How long have you been an author and what made you decide to write your first book, Do Not Wish for a Pet Ostrich!?
I became a first-time published author in 2019. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t start with a business-savvy plan or understand how to create and publish a book in this heavily competitive and saturated market.
It flopped, failed, and a major pivoting plan became the fruition of the “Do Not Wish…” series. Do Not Wish for a Pet Ostrich! was released in 2020. I knew I wanted to be an author that targeted readers to help with early literacy through lyrical rhyme and comedy. My son, who was diagnosed with Autism in 2013, and my other 2-children have always enjoyed picture books motivated by silly stories. The rhyme and meter of stories significantly impacted my son’s reading skills and language development. Through countless bedtime rituals of reading and engaged conversations during story time, he finally started to speak at five years old.
The inspiration behind the character consideration of an ostrich came to me when my children would ask if they could have exotic pets in our home! That’s when I thought the long-legged, skinny-neck, fast and furious bird would make his debut! I genuinely hope this bird and its feathered adventure will continue to make children smile, and the story helps spark imagination while building emergent reading and comprehension skills.
What comes first for you: plot or characters?
The character first! When I brainstorm a character idea, the plot needs to immediately register the portrayal and emotional connection of what the story will be. If I can’t think of what this new character will portray, I’ll continue brainstorming new character ideas. Will this character be silly? How will this character be entertaining for the reader? Will there be a specific conflict resolution? Is this character relatable to a large-reader audience? I also think of my stories as short films that adults reading to children will enjoy. As often as I have watched the same movie or read the same book to my children, I truly appreciate it when it can be a little less relentless when played or read repeatedly.
Since each book reveals the next character of the upcoming book, I have plenty of time to generate ideas about what the next book will be and how the plot will unravel. It’s a lot of fun for me to create an element of surprise and start working on new adventures with different story ideas! The second book, Do Not Wish for a Birthday Unicorn! is the sequel to the ostrich book, and my third book, Do Not Wish for a Christmas Elf! will be released in 2023. More fun to come!
Who is your favorite children’s author and why?
This is a great question and hard to answer. I have read and enjoyed many countless books from the moment I opened my first picture book as a child. If I had to choose one, I would give a major shoutout to my current industry crush, author/illustrator, Jon Klassen. His work is known in our home as the “Hat” books. His work is so clever and funny, and his artistic style is simplistic, yet effectively authentic. The first time I had seen his cover at a major retail bookstore, I was like…what in the world is this? I just had to know what the story was!
The black cover includes one fish wearing a hat with a cluster of bubbles streaming behind him—the simple font for the title and bylines – all in caps with no embellishing pizazz or fluff. I opened the book and read it silently alone with constant giggles erupting inside me. I re-read his story to my 3 kids, and they loved it and wanted to read it again! All his “Hat” books are just so cute and entertaining. I highly recommend them, but start with, This is not my Hat, first! My absolute favorite!