Friday, August 21, 2020

The Story Behind the Story of MOOTILDA by Kirsti Call


Buy Mootilda HERE: https://amzn.to/3aJsIz2

When Mootilda wakes up on the wrong side of the barn and experiences one cow-tastrophe after another, she has to figure out how to turn her bad moooood around. 

As soon as Corey Rosen Schwartz and I brainstormed Mootilda into existence, we knew we had to write about her. We wanted to write something social emotional (since I’m a therapist) and funny (since we both love to laugh) so we filled the story with wordplay and a repeating refrain: “I’m in a bad moooood!” 

Our first version of the story involved a coyote and Mootilda saving the day by scaring him away with her bad mood. We thought the story was perfect in every way and asked our agent to send it out immediately. She sent it to three editors and when Courtney Fahy at Little Bee told us she wanted a tiny tweak, we were thrilled. But her tweak involved taking the coyote out! WHAT?!?! NOOOOOOOO! We absolutely could not take him out! But we talked to our families and critique partners and somehow mooogically figured out a way to make the story work without the coyote. And Mootilda’s Bad Mood is vastly better because of it. 

I’m over the moooooon excited to see Mootilda out in the world on September 1st. And in case you’re curious, I’m almost always in a good mooooooood! 


BIO: Kirsti Call is co-coordinator of ReFoReMo. She reads, reviews, revises and critiques every day as a 12x12 elf, a blogger for Writer's Rumpus, and a member of critique groups. She's judged the CYBILS award for fiction picture books since 2015. Kirsti's picture book, MOOTILDA'S BAD MOOD (Little Bee) debuts fall 2020. COW SAYS MEOW (HMH) and COLD TURKEY (Little Brown) release in 2021. Kirsti is represented by Emma Sector at Prospect Agency.

To find out more about Kirsti and her
moo-velous upcoming books, visit:

Www.kirsticall.com 
www.writersrumpus.comwww.reforemo.com 
@kirsticall (instagram) 
 Kirstine Erekson Call (facebook) 
@kirsticall (Twitter)

Want to Share YOUR Story Behind the Story?
We'd love to hear from you.
[Traditionally published, SCBWI PAL books only, please.]
Contact Lynne Marie at LiterallyLynneMarie@gmail.com

10 comments:

  1. Great back story! Can't wait to read it!

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    1. It's moo-ving -- to say the least. One of my favorites! You'll love it! Thanks for stopping by My Word Playground, Lori!

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    1. It really is! It's a moo-d changer :) Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by My Word Playground, Mona!

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  3. Loved reading this post! It put me in such a good moooooood! Looking forward to reading it!

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    1. You and me both. It was moo-sic to my ears -- thanks for stopping by My Word Playground, Judy!

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  4. Looks smashingly wonderful - and may it bring on a good mood.

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  5. Thanks for stopping by My Word Playground, Virginia! Be sure to check out our Book Chat, which is sure to feature Mootilda one day!

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  6. Interesting fact about the coyote! I love seeing how books transform in the editing process; it's fascinating (and daunting when you're right in the middle of it!) Mootilda is such a fun book!

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  7. I agree, Candice :) thanks for stopping by My Word Playground!

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