Kristin Anderson Cetone is the award-winning author of the children’s book Buckaroo Buckeye. She’s a Reading Specialist and the founder of Nuts About Reading™, an online reading service, aimed at enhancing children’s reading skills. Kristin’s mission, like her character Buckaroo Buckeye, is to inspire children to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams while navigating life’s challenges. She’s won the 2016 OneBookAZ and 2013 Mom’s Choice Silver Award as well. Today, we’re asking Kristin about her writing career.
Favorite quote from your book?
“You are a worthless nut just like the rest of us.” -Buckaroo Buckeye
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I always wanted to work with children and horses.
When did you write your first book and how old were you?
I wrote my first book in 2010, after retiring from my school district where I was a Reading Specialist.
How did you begin writing? Did you intend to become an author, or do you have a specific reason for writing each book?
I have always been somewhat shy and found that I could always express my thoughts more easily through the written word. I didn’t intend to become a children’s book author, but with Buckaroo Buckeye, the character I imagined, I hope to further guide and influence literacy success for young children.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to read my text back to myself out loud!
Do you like to create books for adults, youth and/or children? Why?
Children. Reading success truly begins at birth with parents reading aloud to their children.
I enjoy creating unusual characters that are entertaining while they teach life lessons.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Buckaroo Buckeye-A Little Nut with Big Dreams is my first book and my favorite. I hope it will be the ‘father’ of many more stories for young children.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Buckaroo Buckeye was written in just a few weeks.
How many hours a day to you devote to writing? Do you write a draft on paper or at a keyboard (typewriter or computer)?
I am still “old school” and prefer to write a draft on paper with rough drawings for illustrations, and then I transfer the information to the computer. I devote several hours a day to writing but take frequent breaks to recharge and think about things I want to change in my story.
What does your family think of your writing?
They are very supportive of Buckaroo Buckeye. Being from Ohio, my children and husband have been raised with all things “Buckeye.”
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I like to “scout out” the latest in children’s books; read; work on creative DIY projects and I always enjoy assessing children to identify their grade level reading ability and provide guidance to parents.
What do you think makes a good story?
A relatable message delivered through a unique character with a positive and uplifting ending.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating/writing your books?
To be able to accept criticism from editors and willingness to change aspects of your story. When it is your “own words,” it can be hard to accept that wording changes are beneficial in the long run for your book. I had to learn to trust the insights of an objective second set of eyes.
What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?
I like children’s authors such as Jan Brett, Conrad Storad (an Arizona author), and Laura Ingalls Wilder to name but a few. I read a variety of adult authors that write about mystery and intrigue in descriptive settings.
A favorite book that has influenced me is the children’s book CHARLIE the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise and illustrations by Christopher Santoro. The unique little character of a caterpillar is so adorably illustrated and cute, and I can relate to the story’s message from my own life journey.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I have heard from readers of Buckaroo. Kids and parents say they love the cuteness of the character, the illustrations, the happy ending and the overall positive message of the story. One child said, “they cried happy tears at the end of the story!”
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
I am inspired by my own life journey and childhood experiences, and from my years as a teacher working with kids and their parents.
Do you have any suggestions to help one become a better writer? If so, what are they?
For children, write about something you know. Using your own personal experiences makes your story more real and relatable.
Do you meet your readers at book signings, conventions, or similar events?
I’ve had the opportunity to read my book to children at library author visits throughout Arizona. It’s so much fun to see them get absorbed in the story of Buckaroo Buckeye!
Tell us about your most recent book.
Buckaroo Buckeye-A Little Nut with Big Dreams is a read-aloud picture book for young children and parents. Buckaroo is a tiny buckeye-nut-seed that sets off on his life journey of self-discovery to find his place of purpose and worth. He believes in himself and his dream and rises above the bumps and bullies he encounters along the way.
What’s more important: characters or plot?
In a children’s book, I think the characters take center stage. They need to grab the reader first so they will want to read the story to find out what happens. Of course, the plot or events of the story have to hold the reader’s attention and need to be relatable. Young readers like to identify with the characters of the story and the events of the story to absorb the author’s message(s).
How do books get published?
I am a self-published author. So I oversaw the entire development of my book from the characters, story events, story message, text editing, illustrations–to the printing of the book. I wanted to make sure my story remained mine. Many authors submit a manuscript of their book to a publisher directly, and others use agents on their behalf. If a book publisher decides they want to produce the book there may be some drastic editing that takes place and in most cases, the author has no control over the illustrations.
The publisher handles all the details of layout, design, illustrator, and printing of your book. They will promote and help market your book, whereas a self-published author has to promote and market their books on their own. It is a difficult task to get a manuscript seen let alone accepted. You must be able to handle rejection and persevere. Under a publisher, the author also has to relinquish full profits from the book as the author gets a percentage only of the book price while the publisher receives the bulk of the profits. Now, if you become a best-selling author I imagine the author has a little more bargaining power. As an author, you have to decide which way you want to go.
Do you write every single day?
No. I probably should, but I don’t.
Ballpoint, uniball or fountain pen?
I use my trusty pencil to write and use a ballpoint pen to edit.
Any writing rituals?
I like to start writing early in the day when my enthusiasm and focus are at their sharpest.
What’s the worst job you’ve had?
I have had several office jobs that were stifling and didn’t give me an outlet for my creativity. Ever since I was a child my creativity has been a big part of my personality. I produce my best work when I have autonomy over the tasks I need to complete. I like to have a sense of control over my work.
Tell us some more about your book.
Buckaroo Buckeye-A Little Nut with Big Dreams is the first of what I hope to be many more books. I have three more stories I want to produce as a Trilogy that connects directly to the parent-Buckaroo Buckeye. I am excited to see what will come after the trilogy because—What does a buckeye tree do,
but produce more buckeye nuts?
Are you planning to adapt any of your stories to the screen?
That’s way beyond my horizon line at this point. I have had many people say how cute Buckaroo is and what a wonderful character he would be for animation. Who knows, he may be the next Mickey Mouse!
How hard is it to establish and maintain a career in writing?
Establishing your writing career as a new author in this day and age is extremely hard. However, as the world of self-published authors is growing it becomes even harder to get an established book publisher to produce your book. You will encounter a lot of ups and downs and hurtful words along the way but if you believe in yourself and remain determined you will achieve your dream just like Buckaroo Buckeye did! I encourage everyone to find the Buckaroo Buckeye in themselves.
Any last thoughts for our readers?
Why Did I Create Buckaroo?
It is not your ‘size’ in life that determines success. Unfortunately, success today is more commonly measured by the size of physical prowess, celebrity, or wealth. Buckaroo Buckeye is a tiny buckeye-nut-seed that follows his dream of finding purpose and worth. Success comes from a tiny ‘seed’ within each of us. This seed contains our dreams and passions. With encouragement and nourishment from family and culture, education, and life experiences, the seed will sprout and grow mighty. Reading success is the foundation for education. It is an important vehicle as we all travel our life journeys to self-discovery. Happy trails to all, on your life journey of self-discovery!
