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Author Christy Mihaly and her Golden Opportunity

I am excited to share that many of our Judges have new books coming out in 2024! It’s just a testimony to the talent we have gathered here at Rate Your Story to assist writers on their journey and authors on their continued journey!


This month, I am thankful to have the chance to interview long-time Judge / Author Christy Mihaly who is multi-published in the areas of both fiction and non-fiction (including informational fiction, biography, civics, and STEM. Christy loves the magic and power of words and is always learning something new, from machines that make hay to eating invasive insects, from solar power to jumbo squids to unsung heroes to the magic of the water cycle. She’s also a presenter with the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) and a founding member of the GROG blog. 


[Note: Click on the titles / links to buy the books.]


Lynne Marie: On behalf of myself, our team and our Members -- Thank you for being a Judge and for sharing your expertise with us!


Your latest project, a Little Golden Book about funny man Mel Brooks, entitled Mel Brooks: A Little Golden Book Biography, releases January 2, 2024! Please tell us how you came to write for Little Golden Books and any interesting tidbits about writing in this “subgenre.” 


Christy Mihaly:  Hah, I love thinking of Little Golden Books as a subgenre! Did you know that Little Golden Books were first launched in 1942, and intended to be accessible and affordable? Before that, children’s picture books were beautifully illustrated but priced beyond reach for most families. LGBs were priced at 25 cents and were sold in department stores and supermarkets so families saw them and bought them! Now LGBs are part of Penguin Random House. LGB Biographies are a new addition – the series is growing and has covered famous folks from Dr. Fauci to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to – as you may have heard – Taylor Swift (over a million sold!). I was thrilled to be asked to write about Mel Brooks.


LM:  Please tell us about the topic – did you choose it, or was it assigned to you? What are your connections with it, if any? Please share a little bit about your research. 


CM: I chose Mel Brooks from a list of folks the awesome LGB editor (Andrea Posner-Sanchez) wanted to make books about. My first reaction was that Mel was a weird topic for the picture book audience, who had probably never heard of him, but then I realized there are so many parents and grandparents (and great-grandparents!) out there who love Mel and would enjoy sharing his story with their littles. 


I have fond memories of laughing uproariously at Mel Brooks movies, and my family is Jewish so that’s another connection. The research for this book was a blast because, of course, I had to re-watch the movies! In addition, there are many interviews of Mel available on video, along with several biographies, his own recent autobiography, and tons of articles and print interviews. So, I had plenty of material to work with.



LM: This book is a departure from what you usually write. What were the challenges you faced, if any, writing this book? 


CM: With any nonfiction picture book, you do all this research and develop all these fascinating facts about your topic and then face the challenge of: What do I leave out? I usually have to cut more than I want to. Some of that fascinating information can go into a picture book’s back matter but guess what – an LGB is just 24 pages, with no back matter. About 950 words. (And 100 percent accurate and without skipping anything important, naturally!) 


LM: What was the revision process like for this book? How long was the process from writing to acceptance? 


CM: For a picture book, this was a compressed time frame. I started researching in early March 2022, and we had a final text in June. I squeezed the normal process into that time frame: drafted, redrafted, revised, sent to critique partners, asking them to pay particular attention to where I could cut – they’re good at that! Then I incorporated feedback and revised some more. Andrea sent a few small suggestions; we had a bit of back-and-forth over some of them, and after that, it was on to Kelly Kennedy, the amazing and talented illustrator. For each spread, I included photographic references for the illustrator, to assist in ensuring accuracy in the art. There’s a lot that goes into a little book!

 

LM: Please share a revision tip that you found helpful in writing this book?


CM: Cutting unnecessary words makes your writing stronger.


LM: I truly enjoyed that this book has something for everyone – At a young age Mel decided that he wanted to be in show business, and through hard work, dedication, and a large funny bone, he achieved his dream! It will encourage the reader to dream and to achieve! But beyond the young reader, there are so many references (comedy shows, films, celebrities and more) that are relevant to all ages.  How did you juggle all this in such a short book? 


CM: You’ve identified the heart of this story! Mel is a guy with a huge sense of humor who succeeds, by dint of persistence, hard work … and the help of friends (and spouse). Once you have that heart, it’s easy to write the rest – you just cut everything that doesn’t serve that main point. Easy-peasy, right? Hah. But I knew I needed to include enough references to Mel’s famous movies, etc., so that the story would resonate with the adults reading the book to the kiddos!


LM: What is the favorite fact that you learned about Mel Brooks from the research for this book?


CM:  I loved learning that this man, whom we think of as talented, successful, happy, even care-free, grew up in a New York City tenement house, fatherless and poor, sharing a bed with his 3 older brothers. 


LM: You have a background in poetry. Please share how this informs your writing style and choices. 


CM: Picture books are like poetry, in that for both, you take a complex concept and boil it down to its essence. You must carefully select each word, and make words fit together into a beautiful whole.


LM: What led you to writing non-fiction? Which came first, fiction or non-fiction? 


CM:  I love nonfiction. Although the first piece I sold was a fictional magazine story, it was based on real life, and shortly after that I sold a bunch of articles to kids’ magazines. I have written fictional stories and informational fiction, but ask me to plot a novel and I’m lost. Give me the facts!


LM: What do you love most about writing non-fiction? Share something that you loved learning about during the research or a research technique you found helpful for each of the books that you’ve written. 



Hey, Hey, Hay! - Holiday House - While writing this book, I loved breathing in the scent of new-mown hay in the hayfields, watching all the steps in the haying process, and learning about the machines that farmers use in haying. I was so fascinated by the process, I wanted to share it all with kids.


Diet for a Changing Climate - Twenty-first Century Books, 2018 - For this one, my co-author Sue Heavenrich and I created recipes using invasive species and insects, and we had to taste-test delicacies such as fried crickets – yum!


Free for You and Me - Albert Whitman 2020 - I was thrilled to be able to incorporate a vignette telling the story of Matthew Lyon, a Vermont patriot, who was imprisoned for the crime of … criticizing the president! Nowadays, we understand that the First Amendment protects our right to criticize presidents past and present.


Water - Barefoot Books, 2021 - I did so much deep science research for this book, and enjoyed finding the facts that kids would love. For example: have you ever thought about the water cycle and noticed it’s the same water going around and around – so, you could be drinking the same water that a dinosaur once drank. And why isn’t that water filthy? Because of evaporation! When the water evaporates, it leaves the dirt behind, so falling rain is clean again. Nature is so cool.


Patience, Patches - Dial Books, 2022 - This one’s fiction! But it’s totally true that when a new baby joins the family, patience is required! And loving relationships are the reward.


The Supreme Court and Us - Albert Whitman 2022 - I learned about the Pledge of Allegiance cases when writing this: In 1940, the Court held schools could require students to recite the Pledge … but in 1943, the Court reversed itself to rule that freedom of religion means people can’t be required to say something that’s against their religious beliefs – so, if a student’s religion said they couldn’t pledge allegiance to a flag, they didn’t have to recite the pledge. 


Mel Brooks - Little Golden Books, 2024 - I learned so many fun facts!! And some important insights into why he succeeded. For example, as a teen, Mel worked summers in the Catskills, and practiced telling jokes to guests. He was diligent about analyzing which gags worked and which didn’t, and why. You realize the hard work that lies behind what looks like spontaneous humor.


LM: Compare the task of writing fiction vs. nonfiction and how you feel it differs. What tip do you have for approaching fiction and/or non-fiction? 


CM: One thing that’s easier about fiction: I usually don’t need a lot of research or citations, I can just rely on imagination and storytelling. But in either genre, the main task is the same: make it compelling to young readers. 


LM: What are you working on now? What is coming next? 


CM: I’ve got a book about Congress coming out this fall. It’s currently titled Our Congress, and will be published by Albert Whitman as a follow-up to the prior two I wrote for them about the First Amendment and the Supreme Court. After that, I have a picture book biography of a famous musician (we’re s-t-i-i-i-l-l waiting for an illustrator!) and I’m planning another amazing project with Barefoot Books, but neither of those has yet been announced.


LM: Answer a question you wish we had asked you, but didn’t. 


CM: You didn’t ask, why am I a RYS judge? The answer is because I love what you’re doing and I love helping other children’s writers. I believe the people who work to share their stories and books with kids are making the world better, and I love being part of that. 


CHRISTY’S BIO: Christy Mihaly is an award-winning children’s author, former lawyer, environmentalist, and poet who has published more than 35 titles on topics from hayfields to free speech to food. Her 2024 Little Golden Book Biography of comedian/actor/producer/director Mel Brooks was a fun change of pace.


Christy has written many books about civics and government, including the picture books Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means and The Supreme Court and Us (Albert Whitman 2020, 2022). Her picture book about Congress is scheduled to release in September 2024. Christy’s Barefoot Books WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery, received a Kirkus star and Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal. Other picture books include Hey, Hey, Hay!, a mother-daughter farming book (Holiday House, 2018) and Patience, Patches!, in which a dog learns to deal with a new baby in the family (Dial, 2022). 


She enjoys school visits and running poetry workshops and lives in Vermont, where she enjoys walking in the woods and playing cello (though not simultaneously). Christy is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen&ink Literary Studio.


SOCIAL MEDIA: 

Instagram: @christymihaly

Blogging on GROG: https://groggorg.blogspot.com/ 

Illustrator (Kelly Kennedy) Instagram @kennedyillustration

LGB editor: Andrea Posner-Sanchez – Instagram: @wombat68

Publisher: @randomhousekids #littlegoldenbooks


Here’s my blurb about buying signed books from my local indie: 

You’re welcome to buy my books anywhere … and if you’d like me to sign and personalize your copy, you can order online through Montpelier’s Bear Pond Books, my local indie. https://www.bearpondbooks.com/.

***Just scroll to the end of the checkout page to specify in the special instructions/comment box how you’d like the book signed, and I’ll stop by and sign it before they send it out to you.*** 

Specific picture book links: 

Mel Brooks: A Little Golden Book Biography: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780593648391. 

Barefoot Books WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9781646862801

Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780807524411. 

Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them): https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780823436668. 


NOTE: Readers - if you enjoyed this interview, please support our authors by buying their books, recommending their books, ordering their books into the library and especially, by reviewing their books on review sites like Amazon.com and Goodreads. 

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