Today we’d like to introduce you to Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Connor: Several years ago, I was teaching kids creative writing, while Annabeth was working in TV. Then we got an email from a nine-year-old that totally changed our lives.
Annabeth: My cousin, Harrison, emailed us saying there weren’t enough funny books for kids his age. He asked if we could write one for him and even gave us an idea: A pirate named Shivers who’s afraid of everything! We loved that idea so much that we wrote it as a present for Harrison. That was the start of our career as children’s book authors. We have two books out with HarperCollins now and four more on the way.
Connor: While we love writing, our favorite part of the job is visiting elementary schools around the country. We have a live show that uses comedy to inspire kids to read and write. At this point, we’ve visited hundreds of schools and performed for over 20,000 kids–and consumed nearly a million gallons of coffee. We really love getting to tell students how Shivers came from the imagination of a kid just like them, and that their ideas are already amazing enough to become published books.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A: We feel really lucky that HarperCollins asked us to write four Shivers books based on our first manuscript, but that came with a lot of challenges. Our second book, Shivers! The Pirate Who’s Back in Bunny Slippers had to be completely rewritten.
C: So, we went and bought a giant eraser…
A: No, but we did open a new word document and stare in horror at the dreaded blank page for a while.
C: As with any new job we had a lot to learn and frankly, we had no clue how to write a sequel. Actually, it’s a pirate book so we like to call it a sea-quel.
A: Luckily, we had a very smart and patient editor to guide us through the process. And we learned not to be too precious about our writing. Sometimes you have to throw a lot away, but that makes room for better work.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
A: We visit elementary schools across the country promoting literacy through comedy. A big part of being authors is doing school visits. Because of our performing and teaching backgrounds, we try to do something a little bit different.
C: Our Laugh to Write show combines a raucous performance of our books, a creative writing lesson, and an improv show where we bring kids’ ideas to life. The goal is to provide kids with the most exciting and hilarious hour of elementary school they’ve ever had.
A: I’m pretty proud of how many students we’ve been able to reach in so many different areas. Also, we’ve had kids literally roll on the floor laughing, which I used to think was just an expression.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
C: While I felt incredibly grateful for our first book contract, I am most proud of selling our second book series. It’s called Time Tracers: The Stolen Summers. It comes out this May. It’s about how time doesn’t fly when you’re having fun–it gets stolen.
A: It took dozens of outlines and many drafts to figure out how to pull off a sci-fi comedy, but we’re really happy with the final product and we can’t wait for it to come out!
Contact Info:
- Website: annabethandconnor.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Jackie Rodman Photography
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