Thank you Raewyn for the interview. I love all the concepts found in Count the Stars and my class enjoyed the book.

Interview

What was your inspiration for Count the Stars?

A conversation around the breakfast table with real-life Maddie, (who still recalls the date and what we had – Eggs Benedict served with her dad’s homemade hollandaise sauce!)

I was telling Maddie about some memories I had from primary school – Mr Derby letting me choose a prize from a box of old books after I won a maths competition and Mr Foy teaching us about the solar system and how it made me want to be an astronaut. 

When I asked Maddie what she remembered she told me she had a teacher she adored so much she used to follow her around at recess. Then she told me about the day the teacher taught her about the Fibonacci spiral in the playground…’

What drew you to writing picture books and Middle grade?

I am astonished by maths and science but art, poetry and music all fill my heart with wonder too so what could be more perfect than picture books? Books where every word carries weight, every picture tells a story, and where the combination of the two can make the page sing!

And why Middle grade? Oh, Emily. I’ve always wanted my voice to be heard, to make a difference, and when I’m writing for those children I’m writing for the future! 

How did you choose which character to centre the story around? 

That was easy this time because it was inspired by someone real. 

What was your process for writing Count the Stars?

Very simply it’s the same as when kids write stories in class. I ask myself what is the main problem and how is it solved? I think about pace. When and how does the problem surface? And I usually do a storyboard. The number three plays a big role here, both with repetition and in the overall structure. 

Other characters usually pop up around this stage too, like Maddie’s mum and dad and her teacher Miss Tandy. I had to decide which parts of the story they might tell and what they could bring to it.

Next, I try to tell the story in the most real and believable way I can. Through Maddie’s eyes and with Maddie’s words but also drawing on my own feelings.

There is an element of instinct in this step too and when I trust it, well, that’s when the poetry comes.

What was the process for illustrating Count the Stars?

You’d have to ask Gabriel Evans that but looking on I saw him taking on my words and then doing something very instinctive and creative with them. He completely understood what I was saying but he bought his own magic. The beauty of collaboration…

What is your approach to world and character building?

With this book the world had to be, more than any other book I’ve ever written, the one seen through Maddie’s eyes. It had to have maths everywhere you looked – maths in her bedroom, maths around the house, maths in the garden, maths at school, and then ultimately maths in the stars. 

My approach to character building is to let the character inhabit their world and magically they’ll do things which reveal who they are and how they feel. Then I find those key words and phrases that speak the most clearly. 

How would you describe Count the Stars?

Everyone is saying it is a STEM based picture book (science, technology, engineering, maths) but it’s more like STEAM. You can’t ignore art!

I’d describe it as a book about a little girl who shows us how to lean into the things we love.

Did you have a favourite moment in the book to write?

When the night sky takes Maddie’s breath away and she reaches out to Priya. Maths and magic, hand in hand…

What was your favourite book growing up?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Gotta love that lion. And the four brave kids.

Do you have a favourite genre to read?

Nope. I’ll read anything where the words are wonderful.