For someone who only started her writing career in 2011, Vivian sure is going places fast! She began by blogging to connect with parents and teachers for a parenting book she wrote, but wound up connecting with the writing world in general. She made one friend in particular who shared her belief that picture books are important for kids because a picture can say 1000 words. This friend happened to be an author in Singapore and was on the planning committee for an upcoming conference. She invited Vivian to speak at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in 2013, a year in which the Festival was also an SCBWI event.
Having never left the country before, Vivian was more than a bit hesitant, but all of her new writer friends encouraged her to go. One of them even wrote and illustrated a little picture book story called MISS V’S BIG ADVENTURE. Vivian had never created a PowerPoint before either, so she reached out to her daughter-in-law for help. And then Vivian flew to Singapore with a suitcase of clothing and her presentation on a jump drive clutched in her hand. She spoke on the importance of using picture books to connect parents with children, which parents sometimes forget, both here and on the other side of the world, in their hurry to have their children advance to reading ‘real’ books. But because the conference was so chock full of events, Vivian barely had time to see anything in Singapore except the hotel and the conference venue.
Not so for her upcoming round the world trip that starts at the end of February 2019: Vivian will fly into Sydney two days before the Australian SCBWI conference. She will meet up with a fellow American friend, as well as an Aussie friend, whom she first met in Singapore and who is the RA for the Australia SCBWI. After a bit of sightseeing around Sydney, she will attend the conference, as well as present a program entitled: How to Succeed in Publishing: From Story Idea to Book Deal. And Vivian is doubly excited because her agent is the keynote speaker for the event. What fun!
Time to recuperate from jet lag? Not for Vivian! Next, she’ll be off to Auckland, where she will spend three weeks with another writing friend, traveling all over New Zealand (I’m envious!). And the day before she leaves, she’ll present another program at a regional SCBWI conference in Auckland.
Finally, Vivian will conclude her writing conference tour with the Bologna Book Fair. But this does not conclude her travels! After the book fair, Vivian and one of her stateside critique buddies will do day trips to Florence, Milan, and other points of interest in Italy. And finally, seven weeks after beginning her trip, she will head home to New Hampshire. When all is said and done, Vivian will have literally traveled around the globe!
How does one keep track of such expansive travel plans? For Vivian, the answer is: in a notebook and on a calendar. Vivian loves notebooks. As she shared travel plans with me, flipping from page to page during our interview, she also came across pages of general reminders, shopping lists, and, of course, countless writing samples. She wishes she was more organized. In fact, she told me she starts each new manuscript in a ruled notebook, but somehow other items of interest find their way onto the pages.
She showed me her rough draft for her tentative sequel to PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House). I know we are all excited to see the launch of this first Vivian book which hits the shelves in early February…to be immediately followed by FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (Pomegranate) on March 1. And then on May 1, the long-awaited SWEET DREAMS, SARAH arrives.
For of you who are fans of the #50PreciousWords Writing Challenge, never fear. Even though Vivian will be traveling, she still plans to host the challenge which runs from March 1-8…she’ll be reading all of our stories from her friend’s home in New Zealand.
One can’t talk to Vivian without discussing the topic of writing. I asked Vivian where she wrote, how she wrote, and from where she received story ideas. Well, she sits facing North at her dining room table, with the beauty of NH to the left as seen through a big picture window that looks out to the woods that surround her home. Her fireplace and the front door are to her right. She inscribes the first lines of each new story in longhand in a notebook and takes copious notes, especially if she is researching a nonfiction subject. If it is a rhyming story, she loves using Rhyme Zone and for all of her stories, the Thesaurus. She says you can never have enough words! Frequently, she receives ideas for stories from television shows, magazine articles, and online while researching other ideas. And I’m sure she’ll also get plenty of ideas for potential stories from her upcoming trip around the world!
Concluding advice from Vivian: Have the desire to share your story and life with the world in order to benefit children (and adults). Everybody can make their dreams real if they have passion, patience and persistence. Embrace feedback. Always be open to what others tell you, but stand firm for what you believe. Check out Vivian’s website and blog https://viviankirkfield.com/ for more inspiration!
How have you traveled in your writing career, both literally and figuratively? Leave a comment below in order to enter a contest to win a Surprise Writer’s Package from Vivian, containing picture books and more (and maybe, just maybe, something chocolatey, too!).
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah A. Hetu-Radny
