#kidlit Interview with the Awesome and Talented Caroline Perry

Carol Gordon Ekster: Welcome, Caroline! I’m so excited to highlight you here at Writers’ Rumpus. Can you tell us about your journey into becoming a children’s author?
 

Caroline Perry: Hi Carol! Thanks so much for hosting me on the Writers’ Rumpus blog. I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember – as a child, I was always filling notebooks with scribbled stories, and I started writing professionally while I was still in college.

I spent many years working as a journalist, starting out as a mail sorter and editorial assistant before eventually earning my stripes as a theater critic, arts correspondent, beauty editor and celebrity profile writer. I loved the excitement of daily deadlines, but my heart was always in children’s literature.

After becoming a mum, I decided to take that dream seriously, and I took my first, tentative steps on the long road to becoming an author. My debut book, The Corgi and the Queen, was published several years later, when I was 45 … It’s fair to say that I’ve ridden all the loops of the “writercoaster” several times over!

CGE: You’ve lived on three continents and traveled quite a bit. How has that influenced your writing?

CP: I didn’t have the most stable childhood, and as a ‘fourth culture kid’ I also grew up without extended family nearby. As a result, I have permanently itchy feet, and I’m endlessly curious – my kids joke that I can strike up a conversation with anyone, and I’ll know a stranger’s life story within ten minutes of meeting them! But I think those early experiences are also the reason why themes of belonging, loneliness, and finding connection appear so often in my work. Even in my humorous books, many of my characters are trying to figure out where they fit in. I can definitely relate!

CGE: What is your writing process like?

CP: The traditional “butt in chair” approach doesn’t work for my ADHD brain. I tend to work in bursts: sometimes I’m incredibly productive, and other times I need a “fallow” week or two to recharge. When I’m excited about a story, though, I can’t think of anything else – I’ll stay up far too late tinkering with rhymes, or reworking story arcs.

I have three kids, in three different schools, who seem to have a million different appointments and activities. I also work in our family business … there really aren’t enough hours in the day. But if I’m happily losing sleep over a manuscript, I usually take that as a very good sign!

CGE: You won a 2026 Christopher Award for your book The Memory Cake, illustrated by Jen Bricking and published by Holiday House in 2025. Congratulations! Tell us your inspiration for writing that title. Also, can you tell us about other highs of your career? Any lows or disappointments you’d be willing to share?

CP: Thank you so much! The Memory Cake is definitely a book of my heart. It went through a few rounds of revision before being acquired, and I shed many tears during the process as it’s such a deeply personal story. Because it’s the first traditionally published children’s book centered on Maltese culture, I also felt a huge sense of responsibility to get it right. I was invited to launch the book at the Maltese embassy in Washington D.C., and this meant the world to me, and the Christopher Award is truly meaningful to both me and the illustrator, Jennifer Bricking. We’re so grateful for the recognition.

Like most writers, I’ve had plenty of challenging times, too. Manuscripts I loved that didn’t sell, trade reviews that didn’t arrive, projects being “orphaned”… publishing is rarely a linear journey.

CGE: Caroline, I just have to tell you that I was recently reading a post in Brian Gehrlein’s PB Spotlight. He was interviewing an agent and Brian asked her, “What three picture books would you have LOVED to represent?”

And her first response was, “Currently, I would have LOVED to represent:

THE MEMORY CAKE by Caroline L. Perry, illustrated by Jennifer Bricking. This story is as sweet as it is sad, but with a joyful ending that leaves readers with hope and the knowledge that we can overcome hard times. And like a good cake, this story has layers—intergenerational, history, war, family, and cooking! And yummy bonus, it has a recipe in the back! When I think about my ideal picture book, this is it.” This was SO cool to read. What an honor. Congrats!

 CGE: What are your top tips for our #kidlit #amwriting audience?
 

CP: Read widely and read constantly! I still read hundreds of picture books every year, across all genres, because it’s the very best way to understand pacing, structure, and commercial appeal. The classics are wonderful, but it’s really important to read recently published books, since the market (and readers’ expectations) have evolved so much.

I’d also say this: don’t chase trends. By the time a “hot” topic reaches acquisition, the industry will often have moved on. Don’t lose hope if the manuscript you adore isn’t in vogue; publishing is cyclical and genres declared “dead” always come back around. Most importantly, write the kinds of stories that genuinely excite you. Readers can tell if someone is trying too hard to be funny, or forcing a rhyme, or feigning interest in a topic. Write the stories only you can tell – the ones that keep you up at night!

CGE: Do you have any new projects in the pipeline?
 

CP: Yes! I have a soon-to-be-announced project releasing in August (it’s been hard to keep this one quiet!) And I’m incredibly excited for I Am Not Grumpy!, a companion to I Am Not Happy!, illustrated by the wonderful Sydney Hanson and coming out with Simon & Schuster in September. Sydney and I had so much fun making this book together, and I hope readers love it as much as we do. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Rain Frog … and her serious case of Resting Frog Face!

I also have two books scheduled for 2027, Nighty Knight (Simon and Schuster) and Nobody’s Cat (Kids Can Press). Lots to look forward to!

CGE: Thanks, Caroline. I know you’ll inspire many of our readers.

If any of those readers want to connect with Caroline, you can do so here:

Insta: @carolinelperry

Website : www.carolinelperry.com