Creator Chat: Chelsea Lin Wallace
"Heck yeah, girl. Get it!"
It’s my pleasure to welcome picture book author Chelsea Lin Wallace to Creator Chat. Chelsea is the author of beautiful, heartfelt books including, A Home Named Walter, Ode to a Bad Day, and The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary.
Read on to find out how Chelsea wrote her autobiography at age 9, her journey to publication, and her goals for the future (hint: it involves a stage).
Welcome to Creator Chat, Chelsea! Tell us about your background and how you became an author.
I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI as the left-handed middle child in a family of five. When I was 6yo I received Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Woah. I felt SEEN! Pouring through poetry inspired me to start writing. I’d sit in my closet and write ghost stories and silly poems far past my bedtime. My mom kept them all; everything from A Bug in My 7-Up to Eerie Eyes. I have an autobiography from when I was 9yo and in it I say, “When I grow up I will be a writer.” I guess I knew then. But life zig-zagged and I found myself in digital marketing as a young adult. It wasn’t until I pivoted into a teaching career that I rediscovered my love for creative writing.
I dedicated myself to the craft of picture book writing. I took a picture book writing course at UCLA, wrote piles of stories, formed a critique group, and eventually started querying. I met my now agent at a conference for a critique consultation. She signed me and soon after we sold my first book, A Home Named Walter.
While this trajectory seems almost dreamlike, it wasn’t without its failure and rejection. I fell on my face plenty (before and after) signing with Jen. But my 9yo self knew what I know now – there is nothing else that feels as good in my skin as writing stories for children. I hope that they feel as seen in these stories and poems as I did.
“…there is nothing else that feels as good in my skin as writing stories for children.” - Chelsea Lin Wallace
What would you go back and tell your beginner-writer self if you could?
“Heck yeah, girl. Get it.” Honestly – I feel like I did it right. I worked hard at learning the business and the craft, I wrote and read a thousand stories, I joined writing communities like 12x12, and I stayed focused and dedicated. I wouldn’t change a thing.
What’s been the most rewarding moment of your creative career so far?
Probably the day I met Jen (my agent) at that SCBWI conference. The ground beneath my feet shifted and my world expanded and every moment since signing with her has been just as rewarding.
What three pieces of advice would you give any creators hoping to get published?
-Write a crud-ton of stories; some you will polish, some you will submit, some you will hide away forever, but NONE of that work will be wasted.
-Find a critique group
-Read read read picture books
Do you have any rituals (eg light a candle, make tea, go for a walk) that help you get a creative session started?
Walking my dog or taking a long shower always breaks me out of sticky spots.
Is there something else creative that you’d like to learn how to do? (e.g. illustrate books, play an instrument, embroidery etc.)
I’d love to learn how to write a song. I’m a poet and have been threatening to write poetry as music for years. I have to take my future-self advice and “get it.”
Any writing goals (big or small) that you’d like to share?
I have Readers Theater for two of my books and my dream is to take all (most) of my books from Page to Stage! Ode to a Bad Day was recently performed at a playhouse in Maine and The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary will be performed by the drama club at a local school here in Los Angeles in April so we are on our way!
Thank you for joining me today, Chelsea!
Chelsea Lin Wallace is a children’s writer, poet, and former elementary school teacher with a master’s in education. She is the author of several picture books, including A Home Named Walter, Ode to a Bad Day, and The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary. When she isn’t busy writing for kids she can be found cheering them on -- coaching volleyball, directing musical theater, and encouraging them through their ups and downs. She believes sincerity in storytelling is everything and you will see this kid-realism reflected with humor and heart in all of her books. She is represented by Jen Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency and lives in Los Angeles with her husband Michael, her daughter Charlee, and her dog, Lucky.
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P.S. links marked with a * are affiliate and may earn me a small percentage of the sale at no cost to you.
That Ode to a Bad Day cover re-enactment photo is definitely the best!