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Shelley Pearsall
What is your connection to Ohio?
I was born in Ohio, grew up in Ohio, went to college in Ohio, and still live in Ohio today. I guess you could say that I am an Ohioan at heart. My family has roots in Ohio that go back more than 100 years!
What inspired you to become an author or illustrator?
I began to write when I was in elementary school. One teacher allowed us to write stories on the back of our worksheets, if we finished early. Soon, it became a race to finish my work, so that I could turn over the page and write a story on the other side. (This probably explains why I am better at writing than long division.)When I was in fifth grade, I fixed up a writing table in a small closet in my house, so that I would have a quiet place for writing. Sitting among the winter coats and old clothes, I wrote a lot of stories. I had my first story published in a kids' magazine when I was 12, and that is when I knew for certain that I wanted to be a writer someday.
Over the years, many people have read my stories and encouraged me to follow my dream of becoming an author. Teachers, family members, and friends inspired me to keep writing, and I am very grateful to them. They are still my biggest fans today!
What advice do you have for a young author or illustrator?
Writing is just like any other talent--to achieve your dream requires lots and lots of practice. Most writers have drawers and trunks full of old stories and poems that they wrote while growing up. Even though most of an author's work is never published--doing all of this writing helps a writer to improve. So, it is very important to write for fun and practice. Keep a journal, write family stories, enter writing contest, create your own picture books to share with younger kids. . .just write!! (remember, you have a whole trunk to fill. . .)I also recommend keeping idea collections: folders or boxes where you collect and save interesting ideas you find for stories. Write down unique names, street signs, news items, family events--whatever you might be able to weave into a story someday. Here are a few ideas for names and stories found in one of my folders: Toppy Hawkin, Chicken Fork Road, the day Grandma and Grand fell in the lake. . .(they were fine, by the way)
What do you like to do for fun?
Writing is fun for me. So I would say that writing is my first choice when I have free time. I also enjoy collecting "stuff"--antique hats, rocks & fossils, shells, and artwork. I love to read children's books. A few of my favorites are Tuck Everlasting, Hatchet, The Great Gilly Hopkins, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets. When I want to relax, I enjoy doing landscape paintings. I often try to see theater performances, visit museum, and go to the beautiful parks near Cleveland because they inspire me to be creative.
Some of your most popular books are:
- Trouble Don't Last (2002)
- Remarkable Ohioans: Stories (1997)
- Next Stop, Freedom! : A Resource Guide on the Underground Railroad Through Ohio and Across the Great Lakes (1997)
- Classic Clevelanders (1996)
- Tales of the Western Reserve (1994)
- Ghost Stories (1993)
Links:
Shelley Pearsall
