Pandemic Publishing (Ewing and Springstubb)

Publishing During a Pandemic--A conversation between Kathy Ewing, author of Lead Me, Guide Me: The Life and Example of Father Dan Begin and Tricia Springstubb, author of the picture book Khalil and Mr. Hagerty and the Backyard Treasures.

Tricia: So, we did it! We both have new books out in the world. Virtual toast!

Kathy: (virtual clink) Yes! A moment I looked forward to so much and yet, right at the last minute, there's always a little grief about letting go. Giving away something you've lived with alone for a long time.

Tricia: For me, this moment always feels like sending a small boat out onto a wide sea. Off it goes, brave little vessel, and you watch from the shore, holding your breath as it rides up and down on the waves. But I have to say, publishing right now feels more like pushing something over a cliff.

Kathy: What we have right now is a pandemic and racial injustice and an at least partial quarantine and, for the two of us, an inability to share our books the way we would like. My audience is adults and teens, and I’m figuring out how to do events and communication on-line. I’m guessing it’s even more challenging for you, since your audience is children?

Tricia: Emotionally, it’s hard not to see Khalil in the hands of actual kids. For me, that’s the moment when a book finally feels real. For kids, especially the littlest ones, books are physical objects to be held, hugged, manipulated, and I really miss the pleasure of seeing them turn the pages and pore over Elaheh Taherian’s beautiful illustrations. From a practical viewpoint, having to cancel school visits is a big loss. Those visits are a really important part of a kid lit writer’s life, and there’s no telling when I’ll be able to do them again. 

Kathy: One thing helping me is the relevance of Father Dan to these problems we’re facing. He always preached acceptance. You accept the difficult person sitting in front of you as is. Same thing with the world at large. In one of my favorite sermons, he talked about life as a banquet put before us. We can complain about the food or we can say this is what I have to work with and I'm going to be grateful. He said, "If I give away moments of joy, moments of peace, because things are not exactly the way I want them to be, well, that word 'want' needs to get out of my vocabulary. I need to choose: This is what I have, and this is what I can do with it." This is what we have, and what can we do with it? Maybe all we have right now is a carrot and a chocolate cake, but we can choose to view them as treasures, as your characters Khalil and Mr. Hagerty do.

Tricia: Khalil and Mr. Hagerty treasure the small things. They’d manage this quarantine with ease, out in the backyard with their books and bugs and buried treasures. 

Kathy: It’d be really hard for Father Dan! When you think of him, you think of hugging!

Tricia: I was in the post office yesterday for the first time since March. There were duct tape lines on the floor, and even without any posted signs we all knew what they meant. We’ve become pandemic pros. I was thinking about being in that very same post office years ago, holding a box that contained a typed manuscript I was sending to my publisher. Back then, I never dreamed of the myriad ways we can promote our books now. I’m grateful I can make connections with teachers and librarians over social media, but they’re all so stressed and overwhelmed by the virus’s impact on their professions. I know--I really do--that the world still needs art and stories, maybe more than ever. Yet some days, promoting my book definitely feels beside the point.      

Kathy:  I think about Father Dan all the time anyway, and especially now when everybody's suffering a little bit and many people are suffering a lot. You know, this conversation is one way we wouldn't have promoted our books before! Obstacles have a way of making you more creative and ingenious. 

Tricia: Hey, I’m used to being the most positive person in any group!

Kathy:  I admit there are lots of things I’m missing. I really enjoyed doing readings with my first book, so I'll miss that for sure. When I fantasized about a launch event for this book, I pictured dozens of church people, so many people I love and respect. Also, as one of thirteen children, Father Dan had, literally, hundreds of cousins and nieces and nephews. So I pictured a big crowd and lots of crying! Have to give up the notion of a large crowd right now, for sure. 

Tricia: I’d have loved being there!

Kathy: Come to my virtual launch instead. It’s a Facebook Live event, sponsored by Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry, on June 23 at 7:00 pm. Info’s on the store’s website. I hope lots of people gather to celebrate the book and, of course, Father Dan. How about you? Any virtual visits or talks?

Tricia: I’ll be doing an online story hour with Cuyahoga County Public Library on July 1 and some other virtual things as the summer goes on. They’ll be listed on my website.

Kathy: Congratulations, Tricia.

Tricia: So good to talk to you, Kathy. 

Kathy Ewing's work has been published in The Bark, America, The Millions, Brevity, and other publications. Her memoir, Missing: Coming to Terms with a Borderline Mother, appeared in 2016, and her second book, Lead Me, Guide Me: The Life and Example of Father Dan Begin is soon to be published. She teaches Latin at Cleveland State University and blogs at http://www.kathyewing.com.

Tricia Springstubb is the author of picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. To find out more about her work, visit triciaspringstubb.com.