Interview with PHAEA CREDE – #Kidlit Writer Extraordinaire

Carol Gordon Ekster: Phaea, more than two years ago Writers’ Rumpus interviewed you about being a debut author when JET THE CAT first came out. Now that you are an established author, what has changed for you?

Phaea Crede: The biggest difference is my confidence. No matter what, I am a published author and no one can take that away from me! I also falsely thought it would be much easier to write new stories. Whoops! Not true! Every time I sit down to write it’s like I have to relearn the skill all over. But that “always a beginner” mentality isn’t a bad thing. That’s the reason I had the nerve to write a graphic novel-type book like Super Pizza & Kid Kale!

But lots of other thing have changed. I’ve built all these amazing relationships with libraries and indie bookstores, especially my local indie Word on the Street, in Marlborough, MA. I’ve been able to do lots of school visits, library presentations, participated in my first ever drag queen story time (shout out to Boston-based queen Fay Kinnette who did an awesome job reading Jet the Cat!), and I’m about to visit a bunch of kid’s Comicon’s and comic book festivals with my latest book Super Pizza & Kid Kale!

CGE: Tell us some ups and downs over the past 2 years.

PC: The Ups

• My first Super Pizza & Kid Kale reading was at the iconic Brooklyn Book Festival
• I signed a two-book deal with Viking Books, who also published Super Pizza & Kid Kale
• I got to write a book for Disney Books about Stitch called Stitch Crashes Disney
• Watching the careers of all my critique partners (like Carol Gordon Ekster) take off!

The Downs

• Heartbreaking rejections are still a part of the game
• Living through these modern book bans is wild

CGE: I’ve been to one of your book signings for SUPER PIZZA. You were amazing! So confident, so cool looking in your pizza outfit. It was like you were an actress. Tell us about your background and why you were so fabulous.

PC: Busted! I was a high school theatre kid, plus I used to do stand up and sketch comedy. That helps a lot with readings and school visits. I also have been gifted with remembering what it felt like being a kid, which helps me connect to my target audience. I try to talk to them the way I liked to be talked to by adults.

And yes, the kids and adults love the pizza outfits! Super Pizza & Kid Kale is such a silly story that hearkens back to some of my favorite comedic super hero characters like The Tick, so dressing up in a pizza dress, or a pizza mask, or a full-body pizza jumpsuit felt totally natural. Honestly, I’m more pizza than human these days.

CGE: As an experienced #kidlit person, what advice do you have to help people keep motivated in this journey as a creative?

PC: Human connection is key. Keep building critique groups and join new ones. Go to other authors’ book events. Go to conferences if you can! And, of course, read tons and tons of books, especially the new ones. Then make friends with those authors and illustrators! A rising tide lifts all boats.

CGE: You work full time and have two kids. Tell us when and how you fit in writing time.

PC: Finding time to write is very hard! Sometimes I only get one hour a week. On a good week, I get in a few 5am or 6am writing sessions and maybe an hour on the weekends. I have to plan in my head and on my phone before I sit down to write so I can maximize my time. I use lots of free mobile-friendly apps like Notion to write notes on the go or in-between meetings. But there is a reason I only complete 3 – 5 manuscripts a year!

That being said, I just got laid off from my full-time tech job so maybe I’ll be able to find more time before I find a new gig!

CGE: Tell us about your upcoming titles?

PC: Stitch Crashes Disney, illustrated by the awesome Steph Laberis, just came out on May 30^th from Disney Books. That was a dream come true! I dedicated that book to my first-grade teacher Ms. Griffin because she taught me to read.

After that, my next book will be with Viking Books, but hasn’t been officially announced yet. I can say that it combines fairytale princesses and pro-wrestling, so it’s going to be GOOD. Look for more news about that project in a few months. I have other still secret projects as well! But none as delicious as pizza and kale.

Connect with Phaea here:

Twitter: @phaeacrede

Instagram: @phaea_crede_books

Website: phaeacrede.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhaeaCrede/