Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Shrubaboti Bose is talking with Susan Marie Chapman, author of Growing Up Is Hard To Do Part 1 (A Grumpy the Iguana and Green Parrot Adventure).

FQ: Could you tell us a little about yourself, your background, hobbies and what drives you to write?

CHAPMAN: I was born and grew up in Pennsylvania. When I was twelve years old, my parents moved from the Philadelphia area which is a big city to a farm in rural Pennsylvania. It was there that I learned all about nature and animals that I would have never experienced in the city. We planted a huge garden every year and we planted each seed by hand. To give an example, we had over two hundred tomato plants, rows of corn, lima and string beans. We had cabbage, watermelon, cantaloupe and potatoes and lettuce. This garden was two acres wide. We also had animals, dogs, cats, over one hundred chickens, turkeys, pigs and geese. After we harvested all the fruits and vegetables, we canned them and stored them in our dry cellar for winter. I loved being around my neighbor’s horses and cows. It was fascinating to witness a birth or ride horses bareback through the fields or catch fireflies at night.

Being the oldest of eight children, I was always teaching my younger siblings things like when our momma cats gave birth and my brothers and sisters wanted to watch and to help. Children are like sponges, they soak up everything. So why not teach them something new while telling them a story.

FQ: In the series Growing Up Is Hard To Do, readers are introduced to several different characters, each with their own personalities and perspectives. How did you develop these characters, and was there a particular character or idea that came to you first?

CHAPMAN: Growing Up Is Hard To Do Part 1 and 2 (books 10 & 11) are part of a 17 book series called Grumpy the Iguana and Green Parrot Adventure series. Each character, starting with Grumpy and Green Parrot, are introduced into the series with their own book. These animals live in Flamingo Park in Miami, Florida until Grumpy and Green Parrot move to Naples, Florida. It is here that they meet the pelicans, grandpa and his grandson, the littlest pelican.

The series began with the Grumpy The Iguana book. This book is based on true events and I wrote the story in twenty minutes while walking home from Flamingo Park. I was very inspired by this iguana that lived in the park.

FQ: What motivated you to choose the themes of growing up, friendship, individuality and belonging as the core point of these books?

CHAPMAN: I think that most children want to fit in or blend in. They do not want to be singled out and called names because they are different. As children grow and become more confident, they do like to be unique and special. Self confidence comes from your parents encouraging you to be yourself and follow your dreams. It is in this frame of mind that you will find others that desire the same. You might call them your soul tribe because they feed your soul with positivity.

FQ: When you began writing the first book, did you already have ideas for the larger series and the kinds of adventures that the characters would experience together?

CHAPMAN: When I wrote the first book in the series, Grumpy the Iguana, I had no idea that this would become a series. I was just inspired by an iguana that I would see every time I visited the park. It was very organic and I never thought about more books. I actually thought this would be a one only book.

FQ: Baby’s mother tells her that being different can be a good thing and that she will eventually find her “soul tribe.” What do you hope young readers take away from Baby’s experience of feeling different and learning to appreciate who she is?

CHAPMAN: Being a child is tough. You want to be accepted but it does not always happen and it can be a painful experience. But you can not give up hope that you will find others that appreciate you for you. Every child is special and carries a special gift. It is in the journey of life that you discover exactly what that gift is. Some discover their gift early on while others might take a lifetime to figure it out like me. I did not become a writer until I was sixty years old. Now I cannot stop the books that are pouring out of me.

FQ: All the characters come from different parts of the animal world. What possibilities do you see in bringing them together, particularly when developing their friendships and individual personalities across the series?

CHAPMAN: Each animal, Grumpy the Iguana, Green Parrot, Mr. Squirrel, Little Mouse, the Screech Owl family, Grandpa Pelican and the Littlest Pelican, has a story and they all work together to help one another, even the sea animals, Mr. Sea Turtle and Baby the Manatee.

FQ: The book combines storytelling with information about manatees, including their behavior, eating habits, physical characteristics and their relationship with the environment. Why did you incorporate these educational elements into the story?

CHAPMAN: Children love to learn new things but it is much easier to learn if it is woven into an adventure. Then it does not feel like a lesson, it feels fun.

FQ: I’m sure you have been asked this question a lot, but could you share what inspired you to become a children’s author? What advice would you have for someone considering venturing into the art of writing stories for children?

CHAPMAN: I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always loved reading and read every classic novel by the age of twelve. I read Jane Eyre, Gone With The Wind, Pride And Prejudice, all of Charles Dickens' novels, Vanity Fair, Wuthering Heights, etc. Later, I loved the Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames and The Hardy Boys series.

In sixth grade, I wrote a short story that was published in a Children’s Readers Digest magazine with the help of my English teacher. I still carry the award with me to this day, fifty years later. It is a small medal with an inscription of excellence. Teachers can be so inspiring and a great teacher can make a world of difference in a child’s life.

My father discouraged all of his eight children away from the arts, although he himself majored in English in college. I graduated from college with an Associates degree in Business and a Bachelors degree in Economics.

It was not until after I married, raised my two children, got divorced and moved to Florida, that I started to write. When other matters take precedence in your life, you do not stop to think about yourself and what you want. I put everything and everyone before me but I have no regrets. I have lived a very full life and now I am doing something that I was meant to do, write! It is my passion and I get excited just thinking about the possibilities.

For more information about Growing Up Is Hard To Do Part 1 (A Grumpy the Iguana and Green Parrot Adventure), please visit the author's website at: susanmariechapman.com

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