Pedal, Balance, Steer: Interview With Children’s Book Author (And Kidlit Champion) Vivian Kirkfield…Plus A Double Giveaway!

Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike? I sure do. It felt shaky, awkward, and a little scary at first. But then, something clicked, and WHOOOSH! I was off! Nothing rivaled that feeling of freedom, the wind in my hair, and the power and means to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Learning to write books for children has been a similar trajectory for me, and I owe so much of that to my guest today, Vivian Kirkfield. To put it simply, she’s been the wind in my hair and the power in my pedals when I’ve needed it most. I can telepathically feel many of you nodding in agreement as you read this, because so many of us who know Vivian feel this way.

Maybe you’ve been part of her annual #50PreciousWords writing contest, which has become a mainstay in the kidlit community, launching many writing careers and getting hundreds of new books each year into the hands of children who need them. Due to its popularity, there is now an international version of the contest, and a kids’ version!

Or, like me, maybe you subscribe to her fabulous blog posts that feature fun themes, such as “Perfect Picture Book Friday” and “Will Write for Cookies.”

Vivian’s award-winning work in children’s literature spans from rhyming, lyrical fiction to one-of-a-kind historical nonfiction, and from board books, all the way to middle grade. And on February 20^th, she’ll release an exciting new picture book called Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World with Calkins Creek (Astra Publishing House, Ltd).

It tells the incredible story of one brave woman on a mission to forge her own path and make her mark on the world, no matter how long and arduous the journey. Set in the late 1800s/turn of the century United States, when both the bicycle and the women’s movement were first gaining popularity, this is a story that in true Vivian Kirkfield fashion, will make you want to ride off after your dreams! The illustrations by Alison Jay add historical authenticity and the backmatter is fascinating.

Hilary Margitich: Vivian, welcome to the Writers’ Rumpus! I’m so happy you’re here with us today! I’ve got my bike with me. Do you mind if I ride while we talk? It helps me channel my inner Annie Londonderry.

Vivian Kirkfield:  Hi Hilary. What a thrill to be here! And thank you so much for the kind words and for asking me to visit today. Just let me park my bike, and I’ll sit and catch my breath while you ride circles around me.

HM: I could go on and on talking about you and your work at length, but I’m going to let you talk because that’s what we’re here for today. Can you tell me how you first discovered Annie and her incredible story? And what made you decide to capture it in a picture book for kids?

VK: Every manuscript has an interesting story behind the story, and Pedal, Balance, Steer is no different. It all started back n 2017, when my agent submitted a manuscript to Ann Rider at Houghton Mifflin.

It was a nonfiction picture book biography about the man who founded the Greyhound Bus Company. Ann loved it, but felt the book would be stronger if it contained several stories about things that go…car, bike, train, etc. She asked if I could write five more manuscripts like this one…and of course, you know what the answer is when an editor asks a writer to write…YES! YES! YES!

When the editor read the manuscript about the first bike, she jotted a note on it, ’Do you think we could have a standalone picture book about how bikes helped women gain independence?’ And so, as soon as From Here to There: Inventions That Changed the Way the World Moves launched in January 2021, I started writing a picture book manuscript about three fascinating women in history who rode bikes: Francis Willard, Kitty Knox, and…Annie Londonderry.

I thought it was a great manuscript, and so did my critique partners and agent, but Ann Rider said…nope! She said she just wasn’t connecting to the story (I’m sure any of you who have submitted to an agent or editor have heard that line), and could I choose just one of them, and make the story all about her.

Off I pedaled to revise. But when we submitted the new manuscript, it still wasn’t her cup of tea. My agent submitted it more widely, and Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek/Astra fell in love with it.

Actually, she didn’t fall in love with the manuscript, but she loved the topic and asked me to do a revise and resubmit. Which turned into another revise and resubmit. And another.

What does this editor want, I wondered? Giving up was never an option for me. I found picture books that she had edited and studied them as mentor texts to try to figure out what she was looking for. I revised again, and this time she acquired it!

HM: I love the micro and macro layers to this story—it’s about Annie’s bicycle ride, but it’s also about the whole trajectory of her life from that point on. It’s about women having the freedom to ride bicycles, but also to do many more things that would soon come, like working outside of the home and voting. How do you find that these layers come together for you when you are working on a story like this? Do you see all of them when you start outlining and drafting, or do they gradually get added in?

VK: Up-front disclosure: I don’t outline. 😊 For me, that’s probably why I love writing picture book biographies. I do a ton of research on the life of the person, or sometimes that important invention or moment in their life and how it unfolds. That provides the framework for my manuscript. My ‘only’ challenge is to decide what I want to focus on. With nonfiction, there is SO MUCH INFORMATION. The hard part is finding that focus that kids wll relate to, and then figuring out what to leave in and what to leave out.

HM: One thing I appreciate very much is the way you include the naysayers, who could have derailed Annie, had she chosen to listen to them. This really DOES happen in life, but it can be a tricky thing to communicate to children—that people are not always nice and supportive! What was your thought process with this, and what are you hoping your young readers glean from it?

VK: As you mention, Hilary, children deal with naysayers all the time. Parents who are sport-minded but their son or daughter wants to take ballet or learn how to  play the violin. A teacher who sees a drawing and tells the kid, “That doesn’t look like a tree.” I remember my late husband, who had a lovely voice but would never sing when others were around, told me that in junior high, he joined the chorus. And at the end of the first session, he was told that from then on, he needed to stand in the back row. ☹

We need to provide children with stories that help them feel seen and heard, with characters who pursue their goals no matter what others say, and with books that spark their curiosity and encourage them to dream BIG!

HM: Vivian, I am familiar with YOUR incredible story of how you started writing for children (and doing all the other amazing things that you do with kidlit), but can you share it again for our readers who might not be? It has been incredibly inspiring for me to hear, and I know it will be for others.

VK: Sure, Hilary. I just shared it on the December webinar for 12×12, but I’m always happy to relive those moments.

When I was no longer teaching kindergarten (my first dream) and my own children were grown, my husband encouraged me to write the book I’d always wanted when I was a teacher. And so, late in 2010, I self-published an activity guide for  parents and teachers all about using picture books and craft & cooking activities to build a child’s self-esteem and help them master tasks and skills: Show Me How!: Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking.

But because I self-published it, I had to handle the distribution (knocking on doors) and marketing (knocking on doors) and promotion (knocking on doors). And that wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. Someone suggested blogging as a good way to connect with parents and teachers. For a tech-challenged person, that was a hard skill to master. But I had 1,000 copies of the book in my garage and I wanted to get them in the hands of the people who needed them.

I began blogging about picture books. I connected with Susanna Leonard Hill who was also blogging about picture books. I discovered people who were not only reading picture books and reviewing picture books, they were also writing them, or learning how to write them. And then my son gave me a very unusual birthday gift when I turned 64…

He took me skydiving!!!!!!!!

And when my feet touched the ground, I knew that if I could jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I could probably do anything. That was 2011, and Julie Hedlund announced she was starting a challenge to write twelve picture book drafts in twelve months in 2012. Beam me up, Scottie! I knew that was exactly what I needed. I was 65 years old and jumped into the kidlit world the same way I had jumped out of the plane – with my whole heart.

HM: Who have been some of your most important mentors along the way? This could pertain directly to writing, or not, your choice!

VK: Mentors…so many of them. My mother, who loved to read with me and my sister. My grandmother, who was never too busy to tell us stories from the Old Country. My sixth-grade teacher, who encouraged me to believe in myself. I won the school’s Fire Prevention essay contest, and began to realize that I might be a good writer. My high school English teacher, who loved my writing so much that she asked me to help read and grade the compositions of the other students.

When I started writing, Susanna Leonard Hill, with her wonderful picture book writing class, Making Picture Book Magic, the first class I took. And her amazing contests: Halloweensie, Valentiny, the Winter Holiday Contest. I never missed any of them, and in the last few years, I’ve given back by offering critiques and mentorships as prizes to her winners and for other contests in our kidlit community.

Julie Hedlund, for putting together 12×12 which has been foundational in my writing journey. Renee LaTulippe, for sharing her amazing knowledge of rhythm and rhyme in prose and poetry. Her Lyrical Language Lab class is the bomb! And of course, my critique partners, who have helped me polish my manuscripts – I owe them all big time!

HM: What are some of your biggest pieces of advice for aspiring children’s authors? Or some things you wish you had known back when you started?

VK: Be kind to yourself. This is a hard business filled with rejection. Self-care is key.

Find joy every day. Take a walk and stop to look at budding trees or glistening snow, listen to the birds, watch an old movie you love, EAT ICE CREAM!

Seek feedback on your manuscripts, and when you get it, if it isn’t positive, put it aside for a while. When you come back to it, read it carefully–there may be some golden nuggets that you can utilize to make your story stronger. And even if you love the feedback immediately, let the manuscript sit a bit and then think about how is the suggestion helping the plot move forward, or how is it helping the reader connect more with the characters.

Advocate for yourself and your manuscript with editors and agents.

Always be respectful and courteous, but stand up for your vision.

Be a compassionate mentor to others. We can all learn from one another, and we can all help each other.

HM: What is next for you? This could be writing projects in the works, upcoming contests, etc. I know you have a bunch!

VK: Thank you for asking, Hilary! There are a bunch–what a blessed person I am! I just received author copies of Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World, illustrated by Alison Jay and launching from Calkins Creek/Astra on February 20th. And then next year, I have another narrative nonfiction picture book biography coming in the Spring, also from Calkins Creek, One Girl’s Voice: How Lucy Stone Helped Change the Law of the Land. I recently saw the book dummy of sketches by illustrator Rebecca Gibbon, and I love them!!!

Plus, an as-yet unannounced picture book, a sequel to Pippa’s Passover Plate, with Holiday House. AND a board book with another publisher, but nothing is signed yet, and it probably won’t launch until 2026.

In addition, I guess I should mention #50PreciousWords. The contest will run only TWO days this year, March 2nd and March 3rd. The contest has grown since it started in 2016. We had 756 submissions last year! And the #50PreciousWords Literacy Initiative donated 300 books to local schools in need.

I encourage everyone to put on their thinking caps, sharpen their pencils, and write a story appropriate for children 12 and under, in 50 words or less! Please follow my blog or on social media so you don’t miss the heads-up post in February, which will have all the guidelines and a list of the amazing prizes. And just saying, many of those 50-word stories are published books now. One is even a 50,000-word young adult novel!

HM: Where can our readers follow you on social media, etc.?

VK: Website: www.viviankirkfield.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/viviankirkfield
X: www.twitter.com/viviankirkfield
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/viviankirkfield
Instagram: www.instagram.com/viviankirkfield
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/viviankirkfield.bsky.social

HM: Vivian, I just want to keep talking with you, but I know you’re a busy person. Also, in full disclosure, I need to step off of my bike and take a rest! Thank you so much, it’s always such a pleasure to talk to you. Come back often and always.

VK: And I need to step back on mine and cycle back home, where there are manuscripts to critique, and research to do, and stories to write…and ice cream to eat! Thank you so much, Hilary, this has been fabulous!

Vivian is generously offering a copy of her new picture book Pedal, Balance, Steer or a 30-minute Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat to TWO lucky readers! To enter, comment on this post! If you share this interview on social media, mention that in your comment and you’ll get another entry. Giveaway closes in one week. US and Canada only.

To pre-order a signed copy of Pedal, Balance, Steer from Vivian’s local indie bookstore, click here.

Writer for children–reader forever…that’s Vivian Kirkfield in five words. Her bucket list contains many more words–but she’s already checked off jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, walking under the ocean, and going around the world in less than 80 days. When she isn’t looking for ways to fall from the sky or sink under the water, she can be found writing picture books in the picturesque town of Bedford, New Hampshire.

A retired kindergarten teacher with a masters in Early Childhood Education, Vivian inspires budding writers during classroom visits, and shares insights with aspiring authors at conferences and on her blog where she hosts the #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest and the #50PreciousWordsforKids Challenge. Her nonfiction narratives bring history alive for young readers and her picture books have garnered starred reviews and accolades including the Silver Eureka, Social Studies Notable Trade Book, Best STEM Book K-12, Bank Street College of Education Best Book of 2022, and Junior Library Guild Selection.