Launching the Manzanita Children's Book Community and Indie Author Feature: Elaine Miller Bond
Taking things one step at a time...
It’s hard to believe, but the first-ever “Create Your Children’s Book” cohort is coming to an end!
Our last meeting will take place this Wednesday. We’ve spent a rich four months together, and I’ve been honored and privileged to support an amazing group of eight members to develop their work. Everyone has written at least one manuscript they’ve honed with feedback from the group. And they have publishing plans for their next steps. I’ve shared video and written lessons on a range of topics, such as writing prompts, plotting, creating strong characters, and exploring publishing options.
We’ve had a fantastic array of guest speakers, including Rob Trujillo, Zetta Elliott, Beth Bacon, Innosanto Nagara, Lee Wind — and this Wednesday, I’ll be in conversation with Karen Chan, publisher of Gloo Books. Phew! We packed a lot in.
So what next? I started this cohort with the goal of building a broader community. I’m in conversation with cohort members about making this transition. And I’m planning the full launch of the Manzanita Children's Book Community in June 2024!
📚What is it? More than a community—it's a thriving ecosystem for indie children's book creators. Whether you're new or seasoned, find camaraderie, support, and resources here.
🌐 What's Inside?
Online Hub: We will have a vibrant platform where members can connect, ask questions, share successes, and access resources.
Monthly Gatherings: I will hold engaging two-hour sessions covering various writing and creative topics, to also include manuscript feedback and member connections.
Guest Speakers: Members will engage in inspiring conversation with indie authors and publishers who will share their wisdom and experiences.
Join Us Today! Fill out this form to stay updated and share your thoughts. Let's shape this space together!
Interested in joining the next September “Create Your Children’s Book” cohort? Email me to get on the list.
Within the different types of support I give, my core offering is always one-on-one work with clients, which I love. I’m happy to work on short-term projects, and also to set up a longer-term relationship to support folks as they develop their stories, hone their craft, and fulfill their writing dreams (you can find out more here). I wanted to use this newsletter platform to highlight some of these awesome folks and their books!
I’ve had the pleasure of working with author and wildlife photographer Elaine Miller Bond on several of her projects. One of them recently came out. So I asked her some questions about the book and our work together. Enjoy, and swim on with those adorable Owens Valley pupfish!
THE PUPFISH HERO: WHO FOUND BRAVERY AND BUCKETS . . . AND SAVED A SPECIES!
Written by Elaine Miller Bond, Illustrated by Susan Greenleaf
Laura: Can you tell me about the inspiration for this book. What led you to write it?
Elaine: I have loved pupfish ever since I saw my first frolicsome schools of Salt Creek pupfish on the sun-scorched floor of Death Valley National Park in 1999. Over the years, I “collected” sightings of other pupfish species, too: Ash Meadows, Saratoga Springs, Amargosa, and even the critically endangered Devils Hole pupfish, which lives in an immeasurably deep underground cave. (Notes: due to the Devils’ Hole pupfish critical endangerment, check if viewing them is possible before attempting to see them in person). All pupfish in the Greater Death Valley Complex are endangered and endemic, so they each live in their one little “island” of water in a "sea" of sand and desert rock and nowhere else on Earth.
After I returned home from Death Valley my good friend Russell Scalf told me that a biologist bravely caught all the Owens pupfish in buckets to save them. That without him, the species would surely be extinct.
I ran to my computer and discovered the famous account written by the biologist himself, Edwin “Phil” Pister (“Species in a Bucket” (Natural History Magazine, January 1993). Reading about his experience moved me deeply. He was understandably “scared to death” holding the fate of a species, literally, in his hands. But he cared and he knew he was the only one who could save the species from extinction. So he did it anyway. What an inspiring lesson for kids! To spring into action, even when it scares you, when you care deeply and know you are needed. Plus, who wouldn’t love seeing cute little rascally fish that chase one another through the water like puppies?! That’s why they’re called pupfish.
After taking time to reflect on the story, I roused the confidence to look up Mr. Pister’s address in the White Pages for Bishop, CA (by then, he had retired from the California Department of Fish and Game - later, Fish and Wildlife) and to write him a formal snail-mail letter, kindly requesting an interview in the hope of retelling his heroic tale for young people. A few weeks later, I received a phone call: “Hello, I’m calling for Elaine Bond. This is Phil Pister.”
The moment I heard Phil’s voice changed my life. I drove from the San Francisco East Bay up to Bishop to meet “The Pupfish Hero” in person and tour Fish Slough with him, where he saved the Owens pupfish, the entire species, all alone and in near darkness. As we trudged in deep sand, with prickers and grabby shrubs all around, hidden holes, rocks, muddy pockets … I couldn’t imagine how he did it!
Laura: I know this had a long path to publication. Can you talk about the steps in bringing it into the world, and how you worked with the publisher?
Elaine: Luckily, I got my start in publishing as a senior science writer for the University of California Natural Reserve System, and as a staff writer, one perhaps doesn’t fully consider or perhaps “live in fear” of the submissions process. That rude awakening — rejection! — struck me later and at times, hard, when I began writing independently. Over the years, I learned to submit sparingly and to target editors/publishers after I had researched their wish lists and reflected on how my book(s) might fit with their vision. Referrals, conferences, and meet-the-editors events in which submissions opportunities are offered have worked well for me.
I began seeking a publisher for The Pupfish Hero by following up on a referral to a nonprofit publisher with a national park close to the pupfish. They referred me to another national park with pupfish, then a national refuge with a different species of pupfish, then eventually — brilliantly and logically! — to a nonprofit publisher who serves the very region where the Owens pupfish and “The Pupfish Hero” lived: the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA). They were clearly the best fit, operate bookstores and visitors’ centers along the glorious “Eastern Side” of the Sierra Nevada, and were already fans of Phil, a local hero, and those wily, jewellike little fish.
In fact, I drove back to Bishop twice more to meet the publisher in person, fittingly, at The Pupfish Café! (It’s a real (and nice) establishment off Highway 395 behind Spellbinder Books!)
My three previous children’s titles — Running Wild, Living Wild, and Wild Colors of the West (Heyday Books) — are board books for kids ages 4 and younger, and I both wrote and illustrated them with my own wildlife photographs. Being the sole creator of the work simplified production.
I realized ESIA would be assigning an illustrator for The Pupfish Hero and appreciated that they asked for my vision for the page spreads and content and general layout and placement of text and illustrations. Some publishers take firm control of the book, down to the book’s title, which they often change, so I’m grateful for the relative freedom I enjoyed as author.
You and I had several rounds of editing with this project. Which was fun! And I’m sure the process had its challenges. Can you share some of your thoughts and experiences about our editorial process?
It was fun for me, too! And an honor to learn from such an esteemed and compassionate expert, specifically, in children’s picture books. I found so many people, writers included, have opinions and ideas, which ultimately ends up confusing me. Few actually spend years studying picture books, as you have. I trust you.
From the outset, I set my mind and heart to writing a different though complementary story to Phil's own “Species in a Bucket” article. In my mind, no one could tell Phil’s story better than he could himself. At times, I wondered if anyone “should” (re)tell his story. So, kids-kids-kids were my focus.
But how could I write so that young people will learn something and feel inspired? Most importantly, how could I get them to care? If I write about a biologist’s career, are they even going to turn to the next page? What about the fish? They’re amazing little “extremophiles” and co-stars of the story! Several children's book authors who read early versions of my book said they didn’t care about little pupfish or whether they went extinct!
Phil answered that most important question of "caring" himself. He said that kids care “automatically” about little creatures, like fish. No one needs to defend their right to exist or convince kids to have compassion. Phil’s confidence in kids and the hope he gleaned from them empowered me, too. And when I had taken the manuscript “as far as I could on my own,” I reached out to you, Laura, for individual editing. I had taken two of your excellent workshops while writing, but in the end, I very much wanted and appreciated (and needed!) your help.
My previous kids’ books were short. Some page spreads only comprised one word of text! Learning to be the author-only of a picture book — a true and also very complex story — challenged me, and at times, I doubted I could do it. I always keep trying and trying, perhaps to a fault. Eventually, I always seem to "get it." But until I do, sometimes the writing/learning can be painful, because I care so much about the subject and sharing natural, precious wonders with children. I some cases, I want to share before it’s too late!
For this book, letting drafts "rest" and working on other projects helped give me a new perspective until I discovered its "voice." Once I could hear the voice of the story, it flowed much easier. Laura, you helped me bring physical sensations into the book, like Phil's numb, tingly toes in cold water. And one of your most elucidating comments was that “kids want to know about other kids,” which made perfect sense.
I went back to Phil a couple more times and asked him about his love for the water and experiences as a boy. He didn’t seem like a warm, fuzzy, “talk-about-feelings” kind of biologist, but he did kindly share two episodes in particular with me. One of them turn to be amazing, and almost startlingly profound, as he knew, intimately, even as a young boy, exactly how it felt to be rescued. His boyhood stories were not in “Species in a Bucket.” And now, I knew I was finally, really and truly, writing for kids.
How can people buy the book? And can they come and see you at events? What’s the best way for them to stay informed?
Thank you for this wondrous opportunity to share!
Book details:
THE PUPFISH HERO: WHO FOUND BRAVERY AND BUCKETS . . . AND SAVED A SPECIES!
Written by Elaine Miller Bond, Illustrated by Susan Greenleaf
Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (SierraForever.org) (November 2023)
children’s, 44 pages
ISBN: 979-8-988-9185-0-9
WHERE TO BUY
Books are sold by the publisher, Sierra Forever / Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA).
And copies are widely available in museums, visitors' centers, and bookstores in the Eastern Sierra.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Amidst a stunning and remote landscape of mountains and desert, THE PUPFISH HERO is the true story of a quick-thinking, young scientist who saved an entire species of fish using two five-gallon buckets!
Read along to learn about the Owens pupfish, their brush with extinction, their desert oasis, and what it takes to be a fishery biologist.
EVENTS
The initial event, FIRST PUPFISH AUTHOR TALK MARCH 4, was held on Monday, March 4 at 6pm (Pacific Time, U.S.A.) via Zoom, and hosted by the Mono Basin Historical Society. You can watch a video here.
I post events on my website:
In-person reading and wildlife photography art show/slide show: Mid-May in Ashland, Oregon. More details soon.
Facebook:
Friend page: Elaine Bond
Or public page: Elaine Miller Bond (Author)
Email:
Please contact me, and I’ll be happy to send announcements:
Thank you, Laura Atkins and Substack readers. Here’s to every big heart for little fishes!