Meet the awesome #kidlit creator and debut author, Andrew Hackett.

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I met Andrew first in the NESCBWI on-line meet and greets during the pandemic. He was a bright light and because I am a retired teacher and he was an elementary school teacher and a writer, I connected with him. I’m thrilled to highlight here today.

Andrew, first of all, HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!!! Ollie, the Acorn and the Mighty Idea, illustrated by Kaz Windness, Page St. Publishing, comes into the world today. Can you tell us the story behind this story? 

ANDREW HACKETT: Thank you so much and thank you for having me on the blog today! I am so excited for Ollie to be out in the world and available for kids and families to enjoy.

The story of Ollie and Everett grew out of two separate inspirations. The first came from a summertime conversation with my kids about the suspected consequences of swallowing a watermelon seed. I wondered what would happen if you swallowed something else, like an acorn for example. The possibilities of this lit up my imagination.

At the same time, I had been wanting to write a story about a small child named Twig, who would show all of the things he could do because of his small size. 

After a bit of mental ruminating and coalescing, these two ideas merged together and created the beginnings of what is now Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea.

CGE: Please share your journey that led you to write for children. 

AH: I have always dabbled with the idea of writing for children, but similar to Ollie, thought I couldn’t and I shouldn’t. What I lacked was knowledge about the industry and how to even begin, so as a result, I didn’t. 

Fast-forward to being a parent of three young children and in my day job as a second-grade teacher, I found myself surrounded by both books and children. I was unintentionally immersed in an education of picture books, which kept my hope for writing for kids alive. 

When the pandemic came around, I took a leave of absence to be home with my three young children during remote learning. I quickly realized that my brain finally had the capacity to learn something new. So in between Zoom calls and making lunch for my kids, I entered the magical online kidlit community and began learning all I could about the industry and how to get started. 

CGE: What influence has being a teacher had on your writing? 

AH: When I tally up my years in the publishing world, it looks as though I have had a pretty quick ride. However, when I reflect on my journey, I have to take into the account the 17 years of teaching which have provided me with an immersive education into children’s literature and the minds of my target audience. The impact this has had on my writing from inspiration to execution is something I can’t deny. 

CGE: In addition to Ollie, the Acorn and the Mighty Idea you have two more picture books coming out, all within less than two months of each other. How did that happen and how does that feel? 

AH: It is all wonderfully overwhelming! In my wildest dreams I couldn’t imagine getting one book published, so three in such a short time still feels like a dream. 

As far as how it happened, my first two books, Ollie and Curlilocks and the Three Hares had been out on submission and were acquired by different publishers around the same time, so it isn’t terribly surprising that they are pubbing around similar dates.

After those publishers passed on our option books for them, Hope and the Sea went out on submission and was acquired by WorthyKids. 

CGE: All three are terrific, but quite different from one another. Do you have a favorite? Which one was acquired first? Any interesting tidbits you can share with us about publication?

AH: That is like choosing a favorite child! Even if I had one, you know I can’t say. What I can do is tell you what I love most about each.

For Ollie, I love the absurdity! I threw out all sense of what was allowed or not allowed in picture books and embraced the zany and what I knew made for a great read aloud.

Curlilocks and the Three Hares will always hold a special place for me because my daughter was the inspiration for it. I also love that this book gave me the opportunity to try out an early reader structure, which I had not previously planned to explore.

I love that Hope and the Sea showcases my lyrical writing and a quieter story. Growing up in Rhode Island, I spent my childhood at the beach and continue to feel a special connection to it. It was wonderful getting to personify Sea and make it a character in the story.

CGE: What are you most excited about regarding being a published author? And what are you afraid of? 

AH: I am most excited at seeing these characters and worlds that I have created in collaboration with incredible illustrators Kaz Windness, Jan Dolby, and Svetla Radivoeva, being enjoyed by children all over. 

I think a fear of mine is not getting the opportunity to see more of my stories make it to publication. While I am hopeful and we continue to have books on submission, it is hard not to let the doubt creep in. 

CGE: You have a great blog with fabulous #kidlit interviews. What drew you to doing that? 

AH: When I was first becoming acquainted with the kidlit world, blogs were one of my go tos for education, camaraderie, and agent research. I gained so much from the time and generosity of the creators running these blogs that I began to wonder what I could do to add to the preexisting resources. My blog, The Backstory, was the answer. I have always found authors’ stories of inspiration fascinating and saw this as an opportunity to add to our community. 

CGE: You are a second grade teacher and a dad. When do you find the time to write and deal with your writing life? Do you have a set schedule? 

AH: My life is busy and it is impossible to do all parts of it well all of the time. As a result, I find myself needing to prioritize and stealing chunks of time to meet deadlines or whatever is at the top of the list. 

I would often wake early and stay up late to be able to write at times that didn’t take away from my family time. Now that I have a bit of a backlog of manuscripts, my attention has shifted over the last several months from creating new work to planning and organizing publicity for the three books. This I have been squeezing into the nooks and crannies of life. 

CGE: What does the future hold for Andrew Hacket? 

AH: I hope the future holds more books. I have stories ready to go just waiting for the right editor to find them. Other than that, I plan to continue teaching, promoting my books, and uplifting as many other creators as I can. 

You can connect with me here:

Website

Twitter/X

Instagram

CGE: Thank you, Andrew! I know your books will touch many lives. Keep them coming! And thanks for sharing your journey with us at Writers’ Rumpus.