Aaron Shepard is an award-winning American writer of children’s books and non-fiction books for grown-ups. He who was born in 1950 in New Rochelle, New York, and lives now in the San Juan Islands off Washington state. In this interview he talks about his books, his love for folktales, reading and writing.
Voicu Mihnea Simandan: You have been a story writer for most of your life. How has your writing evolved over time?
Aaron Shepard: It has become simpler and more compact. I try to say more with fewer words.
VMS: Where did the ideas for A Sea King’s Daughter: A Russian Legend (reprinted in 2011) come from?
AS: Like most of my children’s stories, this is a retelling of traditional literature. I came upon the story of Sadko while browsing through the library stacks of the University of California at Davis, where I used to live. I’m always attracted to good stories about musicians, since making music has been an important part of my own life, second only to writing.
VMS: Why are you so fascinated with fairy tales and folktales?
AS: They appeal to my imagination and sense of wonder. And I enjoy the differences in culture that you find in versions from different countries. It was almost an accident, though, that I wound up retelling them in my children’s books. I was a storyteller before I was a children’s writer and had already worked with a lot of them. So, it was natural for me to include those among the stories I sent to publishers. And I soon learned that my retelllings were more welcome than my original stories, so I just focused on them.
VMS: Illustrations are a very important factor in any children’s books. A Sea King’s Daughter was masterfully illustrated by Gennady Spirin. What was your work relationship with the illustrator?
AS: When you work with a major publisher, you normally do not have any working relationship with the illustrator. Though I’m sometimes able to see and comment on the artist’s sketches before final painting, in this case I saw nothing till just before publication.
VMS: You have started as a non-fiction author but have moved on to write children’s books. How did you find the transition?
AS: Actually, I wrote stories long before I wrote nonfiction, even if few were published. So, writing children’s books was more like coming home.
VMS: You’ve also branched out from children’s books and have written some well-received chapter books, comics and graphic novels. Do you employ similar skills when writing books targeted for an older readership?
AS: My picture books have always been aimed at older kids than picture books usually are. So, most of my children’s books, whether picture books, graphic novels, or chapter books, are meant mostly for kids from 8 to 12. Of course, every genre has its own requirements. You have to be a lot more focused and succinct in a picture book or graphic novel than in a chapter book.
VMS: Everyone seems to believe that children no longer read and, with the availability of affordable e-readers, many believe that, sooner or later, children will no longer want to hold books in their hands. Please comment.
AS: I think kids read more than ever, even if it’s not books. And a book on an e-reader is still a book, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t really worry about that.
VMS: You maintain an excellent website. How important is it for writers these days to be “out there” on the Internet, interacting with their fans?
AS: I don’t go in much for interaction, and my Web site isn’t really set up for it. To me, the job of an author is to look inward and pull stuff out of the deepest part of themselves. I worry nowadays that authors are too busy online to do that. So, we get more surface, formula stuff that isn’t really nourishing to the soul. But maybe there are authors who can do both.
VMS: Do you still read children’s books and young adult fiction?
AS: Yes, all the time. I read to my wife for 15 or 20 minutes after dinner almost every night, and it’s almost always a children’s novel.
VMS: What book are you working on right now?
AS: At the moment, I’m mostly writing books for adults about how to self publish. I do have some children’s stories I want to get back to writing, but right now I’m more involved with republishing old ones—like The Sea King’s Daughter—that originally came out from major publishers but went out of print. I’m also publishing one that has never been in print before: a picture book called The Christmas Truce, based on a historical incident from World War I. And I want to convert some of my books and stories to ebooks before long.
VMS: What is your writing routine?
AS: No routine! Every day is different, and much of the time, I’m publishing instead of writing.
VMS: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
AS: Read, write, turn off the TV, shut off your cell phone. Learn to be quiet and observe.
VMS: Thank you for your time.
AS: Thanks for your interest!
Listen to Aaron Shepard read “King o’ the Cats”
Voicu Mihnea Simandan
Bangkok, Thailand
October 28, 2011
