Come meet an awesome #kidlit creative, David McMullin.

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: What brought you to enter the world of writing for children?

DAVID MCMULLIN: I have always enjoyed my creative side. As a child I loved arts and crafts, and my first career was as a singer/dancer, leading me to perform on Broadway. When I left that profession, I found I still needed to express myself in some way, so I took art classes. Through it all I noticed that little stories were constantly popping into my head. They got louder and louder until I had no choice but to put them down on paper. I joined SCBWI in 2014 and have been riding the writing rollercoaster ever since.

CGE: Your debut picture book, Free to Be Fabulous, illustrated by Robbie Cathro, came out with Clarion Books in 2024. What was that experience like for you? And what’s the story behind the story?

DM: Art imitates life. Free to Be Fabulous is a variation of my personal childhood story. I was artistic and creative in a small rural community without many creative outlets. Luckily, through the power of writing, I was able to give my main character both the opportunity and courage that I lacked.

As far as publishing, I had been seriously pursuing it for about six years when that book sold, so it was all very exciting. Of course nothing is ever as straight forward as we hope. It took three R&Rs (rewrite and resubmit) before an offer was made. Some nail bitting was involved.

CGE: You have your first board book, Rock ‘N’ Roll Baby, illustrated by Allison Black, that just came out in March with Random House Children’s Books. What inspired you to write a board book and on this particular topic?

DM: It all started as a simple rhyme based on the lullaby Rock-a-bye Baby. The word play with “rock and roll” and “rock-a-bye” seemed obvious, so I started having fun with the idea of a loud bedtime book. As I continued to write it gained length, an arc, and more themes.

I loved the challenge of using a pre-existing rhythm template. The fun part was finding the right words to fit with each page’s new musical theme.

CGE: How have your acquisitions been? Twisty turns, immediate yesses, painful waits? Tell us about your journey.

DM: I would say my experience has been that of most writers. I’ve had lots of rejections, lots of close calls, and lots of long waits. Rock ’n’ Roll Baby’s first round of submissions experienced all of those things. After no offers, my agent and I moved on to other projects. A couple of years later, we revisited the manuscript and this time it found an offer in 45 minutes. So … fast, but not.

CGE: So timing is everything!!

Tell us about your work schedule and process. What does your writing life look like?

DM: One thing I know we have in common, Carol, is that we are both very prolific. I love the writing process, and so I set very aggressive goals for myself. I write a new first draft every other week. On the alternating weeks, I revisit an old manuscript with potential. Then I write a weekly poem. Plus, I’m always revising a slew of other projects from chapter books to graphic novels. My hope is to always reach the end of the day feeling like I have made progress.

CGE: Do you enjoy the marketing and promotion aspect of being an author? What kinds of things have you been doing?

DM: In a word … NO, but of course, it is much more nuanced than that. I love sharing my books. I dislike hawking my books. Is there a difference between the two? Sometimes. Over the last year, I have attended many book festivals, and signings, and school/library visits, but I find I am most effective when I am not trying to get people to buy my books. My goal is always to educate, entertain, and engage. I use my books as tools to do these things. If a few books happen to sell in the process, hooray!