Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Lily Andrews is talking with Kelly Bennett, author of Rainbow Kite.

FQ: Congratulations on your book, Rainbow Kite. It is a sweet and heartwarming story. I know you get asked this question a lot; What made you become a children's book author?

BENNETT: My 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Brown planted the “belief” in my writing ability when she chose one of my poems—about a spider—on the bulletin board (along with many others). To my delight, classmates and parent read my poem and commented on my poem. After that, when given a choice of project, I chose writing. Hurrah teachers! Fast forward to when, as a young mother of 2, I decided to take some Continuing Ed. Classes and the editor of the Tulsa World happened to be teaching a course on Writing and Marketing Stories for Children. That was all it took!

FQ: Where did the idea for this book come from? Childhood experience perhaps?

BENNETT: Rainbow Kite came from me watching a kite flying competition in Bali, Indonesia. Kite flying is serious business in Bali, and the kites are gorgeous and huge—big as cars with long—trains long tails. It takes many people to set them flying. Watching them, my imagination took flight. 

FQ: What was the writing process like for Rainbow Kite? Can you tell us a bit more about the backstory?

BENNETT: I can’t begin a story until I know the opening and I know how it ends so while I knew it was going to be about a kite, and the way kites seem to have minds of their own. I couldn’t write it until I met Lulu, because the story is really Lulu’s journey. For whatever reason, maybe Lulu is shy, maybe gender questioning, maybe new to the neighborhood—Lulu had no intention of going outside, and probably wouldn’t have if the kite hadn’t needed rescuing. At that point, Lulu’s imagination took over. From there the write flew. I love it, my critique buds loved it, surely readers would too. Thinking it was perfect, I sent the story, then titled Polka-Dot Kite, to my agent...talk about snapped string!

Amy, my agent, said it was great but... (there seems to always be a “but...”) it lacked depth. After rescuing the kite, Lulu and it went on an imaginative adventure but that’s all. Amy then posed the all important question: what about other characters? What do they think about Lulu and this kite?

I dug deeper into who Lulu was to me (in me) perhaps as every character has some of us in it. As the younger sister of a brother less than 2 years older, I always played with him and his friends and was often teased for being a tomboy, which really bugged me, especially as I grew older and was “Not Allowed” to participate in “boy” activities. So, challenged to dig deeper, I decided to use Lulu’s play with the kite, and various children’s reaction to the games she chose as a way to broach the subject of gender roles in playtime activities.

FQ: I liked the structure of the story and the whimsical illustrations within the pages. How did you personalize your writing style?

BENNETT: Thank you for this! Once Lulu grabbed hold of the broken kite’s string, we were up and away. I started with descriptions (similes) of ways a kite can pull and push and resist and rush depending on the forces of child and wind.

As Rainbow Kite is all about imagination, I tried to use apt and evocative descriptions. K.M. Brown’s illustrations, with their anime vibe, fun detail, and boldness amped up the imaginative play. Love it!

I am long-winded (as you may have guessed from my answers), so after I had a solid story I spent countless hours whittling away at the word count. And, I always “dummy” my stories. I create books by folding 8 blank pages in half, cut up the manuscript and tape it onto each page. I use the dummy book to be sure each spread is illustratable, that the story flows, that the page turn is in the best place—and best to help me trim excess verbiage.

FQ: How did you settle on passing the themes of creativity and self-expression as takeaways for young readers?

BENNETT: Piggybacking on what I wrote above, I used traditional gender roles in play as potential conflict points, because they so often are. But, I didn’t want Lulu to care about them. I mean really, the silly “rules” about who can like what? Who can play what? Who can wear what? Who cares! Not Lulu. There is enough conflict in the world about making more on the playground. Instead, I wanted Lulu to inspire others—and readers too, hopefully—to feel free to explore.

FQ: How long did it take you to write the book?

BENNETT: Oh my...years. I am slow. First a story simmers. As I mentioned, I need to have the beginning and ending set in my mind before I can begin. Once a story is really poking at me, niggling, keeping me awake, I chain myself to a desk or chair and write a whole draft in one sitting, one day. Then I put it aside. I put a story aside often so I can return to it with fresh eyes. Then I pull it out, study it, decide what the story is really about and begin chipping away at it. I do not share a story with anyone until I have a solid draft.

Once I have a draft I’m happy with, I share it with my critique buds. I have two small groups of trusted readers I critique with. We are all over the country, so email stories to each other and zoom critique. And, we also meet in person when we can—usually in conjunction with a writing event, or at someone’s home for intense critique retreats. They tell me what’s working and what isn’t. (I fall into a miserable depression during which I threaten quitting.) And after picking myself up, get back to work. Then, when I am happy with the revisions, I send it to my agent, who gives me her feedback. All of that takes time. I always have several stories in various phases of development so it’s not as if I ever stop—although I do quit, after every critique.

FQ: Will there be more children's books coming from you in the future? If yes, what themes would you like to include in them?

BENNETT: Oh yes, I have other stories in the works. As you may know, I have written 2 baseball book, one THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT, a picture book about baseball history, the original Yankee Stadium and Babe Ruth’s big wish and OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABE a book of photos and inspiration quotes by Babe Ruth on Life: Hitting, Pitching, Striking Out, and coming back swinging. So now, baseball obsessed I am working on a women’s baseball book—hurrah for Professional Women’s Baseball.

FQ: What advice would you give young authors who want to venture into writing children's books?

BENNETT: Read, read, read what you want to write. And if you want to write picture books, then type up the manuscript, study the books, the structure, where do they begin and how do they end? Picture books are like fine art in that the medium is two-dimensional and they are restrictive in length & size. Join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). If you are reading this, there is a chapter near you where you can learn, commune with others in the field, participate in workshops and critique groups.

Be bold! All the stories already written are already books. Write your stories!

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