Interview with author and poet, Nancy Tupper Ling
Today, I am excited to introduce Nancy Tupper Ling, an author and poet who is also a dear friend of mine. Nancy and I met ten years ago when I started working in children's book publishing. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create illustrations for her picture book, Double Happiness.
During the book's creation, the author and illustrator were not allowed to communicate with each other, so Nancy and I didn't get to know each other until after the book was published. However, when Nancy came to San Francisco to visit her family and attend the American Library Association conference, we decided to meet up.
From that moment on, we hit it off and became great friends. We have stayed in touch over the years and are thrilled to collaborate again on One Perfect Plan!
ALINA: Did you enjoy writing as a child? When did you decide to become an author and poet?
NANCY: Writing is something that seemed to come naturally to me, even as a child. Subjects like math and chemistry were a real struggle, but writing was fun! That said, I told my mom (Jean Tupper) that I would never become a poet because that was “her thing.” Ironically, as soon as I went off to college, I started submitting poems to the campus journal. Turns out, I followed in her footsteps closer than I thought.
ALINA: Aww... I love your first story and cover!! So cute!!
What does your writing schedule look like when working on a book?
NANCY: Unless I have a deadline, I shy away from a writing schedule. That said, I do have a favorite time of day to write. It started when my daughters were younger. I got into the habit of writing late at night after they were tucked into bed. This routine stuck, with the caveat that I have to anticipate what I’m going to work on at night time. So throughout the day, I look for small “pockets of time” when I jot down ideas that I’ll work on later. I guess, ideally, I work best with smaller segments of time, if that makes sense.
ALINA: How do you overcome writer's block when you feel stuck?
NANCY: I think I experience “revisionist’s block” more than writer’s block. I never have a shortage of new ideas for stories and poems but, when it comes to having to revise a certain section of a manuscript that’s not working, I have anxiety about how I’ll fix it. I start to doubt whether I’m even capable of coming up with a better solution. That’s where I feel immobilized and blocked. The solution is to take a walk, knit, take a bath–anything that allows me to think about the story in a different location. Another solution: ASK MY CRIT GROUP FOR HELP!
ALINA: Are there any fun stories related to your books that you have never shared?
NANCY: Well, the first book that we worked on together, Double Happiness, took about ten years to sell. It started as a single poem entitled “One Rainy Day,” which was about two siblings who were totally bored at home on a, you guessed it, rainy day. At one point, after its ump-teenth rejection, an editor commented “this story really needs more movement.” That’s when it dawned on me! Maybe my characters should literally move from San Francisco to Boston, filling their “happiness boxes” along the way with memories of their home. The story became filled with movement, from trains and buses, to planes and taxis. Turns out that revision worked, and it was purchased by Chronicle Books. The rest of our Ling-Chau connection is history.
ALINA: It's inspiring to learn about the effort and patience required to write a book and how long it takes for an idea to evolve into a published book on the shelf. I love illustrating Double Happiness - that's how we met! I'm glad we had the opportunity to work together on the One Perfect Plan after so many years.
Could you provide a sneak peek of your upcoming book and share your current work?
NANCY: Isn’t she pretty? Bless the Earth: A Collection of Poetry for Children to Celebrate and Care for Our World will greet the world on April 2nd of this year. Yay! Illustrated by Korean artist, Keum Jin Song, this book inspires young readers to become stewards of our world through poetry. The chapter headings give a glimpse of the topics addressed within its pages:
Dreams for My World
Earth and Sky
All Creatures, Big and Small
Seasons
Caring for Our World
To learn more, you can look here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705379/bless-the-earth-by-june-cotner-and-nancy-tupper-ling-illustrated-by-keum-jin-song/
ALINA: I've been following your posts about Bless The Earth! It looks gorgeous. It's so important to have more books that celebrate and appreciate nature and our planet.
If you could spend a day in the world of any book, which book would you choose?
NANCY: That’s a great question. I mean, it’s one thing to have a favorite book, like The Book Thief, or The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, but it’s another question entirely as to whether I’d want to spend a day in that world. In this case, I think I’d pick All Things Bright and Beautiful because I love the Scottish countryside and the interactions between James Herriott and the quirky animals and their owners.
ALINA: Oh my gosh! James Herriott's books are my favorite, too! I used to turn to his stories for comfort when I had a tough day at work. They're like hot chocolate on a chilly day!
You have worked on several books. Was there a book that was particularly challenging to write? Conversely, was there a book that came relatively easily to you?
NANCY: I wrote a book about the adoption of a child entitled The Story I’ll Tell. This book came to me in the form of a day dream, like a gift, as I was driving down the road. When I sent it to my agent at the time, Joan Paquette, she loved it right away and submitted it. That rarely happens. And it was picked up by Lee and Low Publishers soon after that. Most of my other manuscripts take a lot of revision, and a long time to sell. Our book, One Perfect Plan: The Bible’s Big Story in Tiny Poems, was sitting in a drawer for years. It felt almost finished, but it was a hard book to sell because it was faith-based. However, when my current agent, Anne Marie O’Farrell, read it, she knew the perfect editor for the story–Bunmi Ishola, Random House Christian Children’s division. Of course, it wasn’t ready yet! More edits to my poems were required. I often think of the famous poet, Galway Kinnell. He was editing his published books on his way up to give a reading. I guess there’s always room for improvement.
ALINA: Where do you usually find your inspiration?
NANCY: Now that my daughters are grown, I have to borrow other peoples’ children for inspiration! Ha! Still, my best sources are:
My own imagination
News stories that I read
Observing everyday life
Nancy has many resources for book lovers and aspiring writers. Follow Nancy to get updates about her books and events.
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