KidLitTakeaways
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

KidLitTakeaways

Bite-size bits of wisdom & inspiration for writers on the go!

Q & A with Sue Macy, Author of Miss Mary Reporting

3/28/2016

43 Comments

 

Plus a Giveaway!
​By Chana Stiefel

Picture
In honor of Women’s History Month, I interviewed a role model of mine (and I’m not just saying that because she used to be my boss at Scholastic). Author Sue Macy has published 15 children's books about women in sports and journalism, including her latest book: MISS MARY REPORTING: THE TRUE STORY OF SPORTSWRITER MARY GARBER (Paula Wiseman, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016). Sue shared some bits of wisdom & inspiration with KidLitTakeaways (KLT). PLUS, she’s offering a signed copy of her new book to one lucky winner. See details below!
 
KLT: You’ve written about many female athletes. What inspired you to go behind the scenes and write about Mary Garber—a female sports reporter?
SM: It’s easy for me to identify with Mary because she wrote about sports. Sports were her passion. On the playing field, you have all of the human emotions concentrated around an event. Mary felt that it was just as important to write about the losers as the winners. Nowadays everything is about winning, but there are textures and defining moments that an athlete can go through by losing the game or by missing the final field goal. So I love that Mary saw sports for more than just a tally of points at the end of an event. She wrote about the human side of sports. Also, she was born in Ridgewood, NJ, although she grew up in North Carolina. I identify with the Jersey Girl aspect. And she followed her passion for over 50 years, which is amazing.
 
KLT: How did you first learn about Mary and her career?
SM: When I started writing books 20 years ago, there wasn’t much written about women in sports. One anthology I read had a speech that Mary had given about women in sports, so I knew who she was and filed her away as someone worth knowing about.
 
KLT: What made you decide that Mary’s story would appeal to kids and make a great picture book?
SM: I thought she was a real character. The best picture book character is someone who is colorful and memorable. Mary was small, about five feet tall, and she was writing about basketball and football players and other huge athletes, so I imagined the visual contrast. I also thought that the arc of her life—how she conducted herself in an all-male arena and broke barriers—lent itself to a picture book audience.
 
KLT: Mary began her writing career back in 1940. Describe your research process.
SM: I had great fun researching the book. I travelled to Winston-Salem, NC, where Mary worked, and did research at the public library. The library has a North Carolina Room, with drawers and drawers of old-fashioned microfilm of all the local newspapers. So I started picking out reels from random years of Mary’s career. I made sure I got a couple from each decade. I didn’t read everything she wrote, but I got a really good sampling of the scope of her career. I found out that her favorite sport to write about was tennis, but she also wrote about everything from marbles to track and field and the soapbox derby.
 
KLT: What other gems did you discover?
SM: The librarian who works in the North Carolina Room, Fambrough “Fam” Brownlee, had played high school sports in Winston-Salem and knew Miss Mary. So I had the opportunity to speak to someone who knew her personally.
 
KLT: You also wrote about one of Mary’s role models, Jackie Robinson—a biography within a biography. How did that come about?
SM: I read in an obituary about Mary (who passed away at the age off 92 in 2008) that she admired and wrote about Jackie Robinson. Her newspaper wasn’t indexed, and my eyes hurt going through all those microfilms, but I found her article about a Brooklyn Dodgers game that she attended in 1947. I also found a wonderful column that she wrote in 1956 looking back at Robinson’s career and why he was so important to her and to baseball as the first African-American player in the 20th century. “It takes guts to keep your mouth shut and walk away,” Mary wrote about Robinson’s reaction to the some fans’ biased reactions toward him. “It is against every normal reaction of human behavior. But Robinson did it.” I wasn’t going to leave North Carolina until I found that.
 
KLT: Tell us about the path to publishing for MISS MARY REPORTING. Do you have an agent?
SM: Not currently. Editor Sylvie Frank had edited my book ROLLER DERBY RIVALS at Holiday House (2014). When Sylvie moved to Paula Wiseman Books, she called me and said, “I’m starting a new job. Let’s have lunch.” That’s the best possible call you could ever get as a writer! I pitched some ideas to Sylvie over lunch. But when I got to the idea of MISS MARY, I could tell…I was speaking emotionally. When an idea comes from somewhere deep inside you, it’s meant to be. It’s authentic in the best way possible. Sylvie loved it. It was the most seamless process I’ve had in all 15 books that I’ve done. Anything that starts with food ends up being a winner!
 
KLT: MISS MARY’s illustrations are stunning (and those eyeglasses!). Were you involved in choosing the illustrator, C.F. Payne?
SM: C.F. Payne is a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator. The publisher chose him and I was thrilled. I did have some input when the sketches came in. I also sent him some photos of Mary and I found a press badge from that era on ebay that says, “Women and children not admitted,” which I shared with him.
 
KLT: What are some takeaways for aspiring authors (who may not yet have lunch invitations from editors)?
SM: Go to conferences! It’s important to network and meet people. As for the writing, for me it’s always about the passion. The more passion I have for a subject, the more fluently the writing goes and sometimes the more salable the manuscript is. If an editor sees that you’re really passionate about the story, there’s a better chance that he or she is going to listen to you.

Thank you, Sue, for the great advice and inspiration! Sue is generously offering a GIVEAWAY—a signed copy of MISS MARY REPORTING to one lucky reader. Rafflecopter details below Sue's bio!


 
​

Picture
About Sue Macy
Sue Macy has written more than a dozen nonfiction books for young readers, including sports-based picture books, middle grade biographies, and young adult social histories focusing on women's sports, the Olympic Games, and the early impact of the bicycle and (forthcoming) the automobile on women's lives. In her previous life, she was an editor and editorial director of educational magazines at Scholastic and other publishers. She lives in Englewood, NJ, and can be reached through her Web site, suemacy.com, or Twitter @suemacy1.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
43 Comments
Kim Pfennigwerth
3/28/2016 05:57:13 am

I can't wait to read this book and I love that Sue shared a picture and a press pass that showed who were the accepted reporters back then.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 07:32:06 am

Thanks Kim! Sue really nailed the details in her research.

Reply
Debra Shumaker link
3/28/2016 06:44:15 am

LOVE this interview. I love PB Bios so I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book! Thanks for such great information!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 07:33:05 am

Thanks Debra! The book is terrific and the illos are amazing. A new favorite of mine.

Reply
Rita Lorraine Hubbard link
3/28/2016 07:26:33 am

This book looks absolutely adorable. Just the type of bio pb I love.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 07:34:03 am

Thanks Rita Lorraine! I love it too. A great and inspiring story.

Reply
Donna L Martin link
3/28/2016 07:29:25 am

I currently write narrative nonfiction chapter books so this post is right up my alley! Love to learn about another author's writing/researching process.

Great post!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 07:35:08 am

Thanks Donna! Glad you enjoyed the interview. I love what Sue says about having passion for what we write about.

Reply
Hayley Barrett link
3/28/2016 07:35:38 am

Can't wait to read this! Thanks!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 08:29:24 am

Thanks Hayley! It's a great read.

Reply
Sue Heavenrich
3/28/2016 08:22:39 am

I always love books about women journalists and pioneers - Miss Mary was both. Definitely putting this book on my READ list.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 08:30:15 am

Thanks Sue! Mary's story is truly inspiring.

Reply
Wendy Greenley link
3/28/2016 08:39:16 am

Thanks for sharing this interview. I've got the Jersey girl connection going on, too. :)

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 08:55:17 am

Ha Wendy! Same. I'm transplanted to Jersey, but I'm still a Floridian at heart.

Reply
Juliet Clare Bell link
3/28/2016 09:06:04 am

Sounds really interesting. And it's true about the passion. Thanks, Clare.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 09:29:30 am

So true! It's all about the passion. Thanks Clare!

Reply
Debbie LaCroix link
3/28/2016 09:08:11 am

Great interview! I love this line:
--The best picture book character is someone who is colorful and memorable.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 09:30:58 am

Yes! Me too! Gotta keep that in mind in all of our stories--fiction & nonfiction. Thanks Deb.

Reply
Lori Alexander
3/28/2016 09:38:12 am

Great post! I've been studying PB bios for an upcoming project. Can't wait to read this one :)

Reply
Kristin Gray link
3/28/2016 10:37:51 am

Same here, Lori! :D

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 10:18:03 am

Thanks Lori! I'm also working on a PB bio and MISS MARY is a terrific mentor text. Sue's research is also amazing.

Reply
Kristin Gray link
3/28/2016 10:37:23 am

That cover art is killer! I'm going to pass this title along to my neighbor who is also a sportswriter. She will love this. And I can't wait to read and study it for myself. What an amazing lady! And I love the quotes you included, Sue. Good work.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 11:24:09 am

So awesome Kristin! Thanks! And I totally agree...awesome art!

Reply
Traci Sorell
3/28/2016 11:27:35 am

Great book! What an incredible addition to the nonfiction biography section for children!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 04:18:41 pm

Thanks Traci. Couldn't agree more!

Reply
Lindsay Hanson Metcalf
3/28/2016 02:59:36 pm

I have been wanting to read this. Thanks for the reminder that I need to seek it out! As a former reporter, I am super excited to hear the story of an awesome woman of journalism.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/28/2016 04:19:49 pm

So cool Lindsay!

Reply
Annette Bay Pimentel link
3/28/2016 09:04:55 pm

I checked this book out of the library as soon as they got it in, and I loved it. No surprise...I love everything by Sue Macy!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/29/2016 12:43:49 pm

That's terrific Annette!

Reply
Natalie McNee link
3/29/2016 08:49:16 pm

I love the look of the book and I can't wait to read it!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/30/2016 07:02:13 pm

It's as wonderful as it looks, Natalie.

Reply
Kristi Veitenheimer
3/30/2016 05:39:45 pm

Looks like a great book. You have to applaud someone who appreciates the losers as well as the winners!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
3/30/2016 07:02:54 pm

Yes, Kristi! Totally!

Reply
Melissa Stoller link
3/31/2016 03:01:21 pm

Great interview - I also love the title and cover. Look forward to reading!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
4/3/2016 06:56:02 pm

Thanks Melissa!

Reply
Rebecca Sheraton link
4/1/2016 05:39:07 am

Sounds like a great book to read. I loved hearing about your research.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
4/3/2016 06:55:30 pm

Thanks Rebecca!

Reply
Natalie Lynn Tanner
4/3/2016 04:01:44 pm

I saw this book on Amazon some time back and was SO EXCITED!!!! I am a HUGE fan of C.F. Payne's work, and can't wait to read Sue Macy's work! I think I am especially drawn to the life of Miss Mary because my Mom is the BIGGEST football fan in the world (GO BRONCOS!!!). At 5 ft tall and weighing only 75 pounds, she was playing football with the neighborhood boys well into high school! I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE this book with her!!! THANK YOU, Sue, for bringing this tiny, but LARGER THAN LIFE woman into the spotlight!

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
4/3/2016 06:57:04 pm

So awesome, Natalie. Hope your mom enjoys the book too!

Reply
Maria Johnson
4/4/2016 02:14:29 pm

Your passion and dedication to story, hunting down every tidbit
was inspirational. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
4/5/2016 09:39:51 am

Thanks for your comments, Maria.

Reply
Christie Allred link
4/5/2016 10:09:51 am

What a good interview. I especially loved hearing Sue's answer for "Tell us about the path to publishing..."

Reply
Chana Stiefel link
4/6/2016 07:41:27 am

Thanks Christie! I agree...Sue's path is inspiring (and lucky!).

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Donna Cangelosi and Chana Stiefel are picture book critique partners & friends who are passionate about kids' books & are eager to share tidbits from their writing journey with other aspiring writers. 

    Subscribe

    Archives

    July 2020
    July 2019
    November 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Children's Books
    Children's Writers
    Editing
    Fiction
    Kidlit
    Non-fiction
    Picture Books
    Publishing

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact