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MEET BETTY G. BIRNEY
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Betty G. Birney

Reading and writing were way up there on my list of favorite things to do. I started writing at age seven. As soon as I could read books, I fell in love with them and knew I wanted to create my own. So I wrote a book called TEDDY BEAR IN THE WOODS, gave it to my parents and announced that I was going to be a writer. I’ve been writing ever since.

What was your first job when you graduated from college? (What other jobs did you have before you became a writer?)

My first job was as assistant editor for the alumni magazine of the University of Missouri-Columbia. I then moved back to my home town of St. Louis where I became an advertising copywriter. I worked for a number of years in St. Louis, then (with a short stop in Chicago), moved to Southern California where I headed up the advertising department at Disneyland. That’s right – I had to go to Disneyland every single day! From there, I moved up to the Disney Studio in Burbank where I was a trailer producer and publicist for film. That’s when I started writing children’s television, both animated and live-action. I’ve written over two hundred episodes of children’s television shows, as well as a number of Afterschool Specials and a TV movie. I won a lot of awards for my work, including an Emmy, a Writer’s Guild of America award and three Humanitas Prizes. So I was always making a living by writing but I didn’t start writing books until the 1990s. I wrote books “on the side” while I wrote full-time for T.V. In 2002, when my son went away to college, I decided to dedicate myself to my true love: books. And now, in 2007, I have five middle-grade novels published. Although I wish I’d done that sooner, I learned a lot from the different kinds of writing I did. For instance, I still use the brainstorming techniques I developed in advertising. And television teaches you a) to be visual and b) to make sure your characters all have distinctive voices.

Where do you get your ideas?

Absolutely everywhere. I have no shortage of ideas, but I can’t possibly live long enough to write them all. I especially like to hear people’s true experiences – those make the best ideas. If somebody says, “and it’s absolutely true,” I’m hooked. But ideas may just be a word or phrase, a title, another book, a song – you name it. You just have to train yourself to be open to ideas. Tell your brain you’re looking for ideas – it will find them.

What gave you the idea for THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS?

The book is the result of a lot of ideas coming together. My son inspired the character of Eben. At a very early age, he decided he wanted to see the world – and he’s done a pretty good job of it so far. But I always wanted to do a book based on the wonderful stories my grandmother told me about growing up on a farm in Lonedell, Missouri. That’s the real Sassafras Springs. While I used some of her stories, the tales came from a wide variety of sources.

Do you enjoy researching or do you prefer working totally from your imagination?

While all my books are fiction and have an element of fantasy, I always do research. I can’t imagine any writer who doesn’t. For the Humphrey books, I researched hamsters and their behavior extensively, as well as elementary curriculum. (Many of the story ideas come from my own recollections of school.) For Sassafras, I researched farm life. And for my latest book, THE PRINCES S AND THE PEABODYS, which is pure fantasy, I researched soccer, cheerleading, wizardry, French language, castle life, a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, etc.

Have any of your books earned special recognition?

I’m delighted that THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY has won a number of state Children’s Choice Awards (Rhode Island, Iowa, Oklahoma, Washington, Maryland) and is still on a number of state lists. The book also won the Children’s Crown Award, also voted on by children. FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY received a prestigious Christopher Award in 2006. THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS is now on a number of state lists, including California, and was an Honor Book for the Judy Lopez Memorial Award given by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association. THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS is in the 2007 Elementary California Collection; THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY is in the 2006 Elementary California Collection; and TROUBLE ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY is in the 2008 Elementary California Collection.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Yes, but it’s probably not a great idea! However, I have books under contract and so sometimes it’s a necessity.

When you do school visits, what question do children ask you most?

Do I have a hamster? (That’s when I’m talking about the Humphrey books). The answer is: no! My dog won’t allow it. Children and adults always want to know where I get my ideas. I suppose for beginning writers, getting ideas seems difficult, but they’ve always just popped up all around me, from an early age.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

I do write every day – seven days a week (except on special holidays and vacations). I’m at my desk the better part of every day. However, I now spend a lot of time arranging travel for school visits and answering emails. Also, proofreading my books for the U.S. and for England, where they are very popular – but changes must be made because of language differences. We all speak English – but there are a lot of differences. Keeping up with the demands of my already-published books cuts into my writing time. And, I have to admit, I’m story editing a T.V. series right now, but I think it will be my last. I’m not enjoying it as much as I love writing books!

Has anyone ever written you a fan letter you’d like to share?

I can’t resist that question. It began like this: “Dear E.L. Konigsburg ….” If I ever meet her, I’m going to ask her if she got a letter that said, “Dear Betty G. Birney!”