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MEET JENNIFER L. HOLM (9/2011)
by Bonnie O'Brian

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

Jennifer L. Holm

That's easy: read! One of my old neighbors told my mom he wasn't surprised when I became a writer. He once saw me (when I was a kid) raking the leaves – and reading a book at the same time.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

I had two sets of favorites—the CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN by Lloyd Alexander and the Prince Valiant comics by Hal Foster. I loved being transported to a different "place".

When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career? (or a career in illustrating? or just art in general?)

I actually majored in International Relations at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Looking back, I think diplomacy is something everyone should learn.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

Many, many rejections.

What was the inspiration for the BABYMOUSE series?

I was a huge comic book reader when I was a kid, but I was always slightly disappointed by the girls characters in comics at that time (there weren't that many of them). Luckily, I have a super-talented brother who is a cartoonist, and so Babymouse was born!

You collaborate with your illustrator brother, Matthew Holm, on the BABYMOUSE and SQUISH series.

What's it like to work with your brother?

Since I'm the older sister, I always get my way. (Just kidding.) It's a pretty easy collaboration because we do most of it over the internet.

You also write historical fiction (TURTLE IN PARADISE and THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA). What's your favorite part of writing that genre?

I love all the little details of what it was like to live in years gone by (and it makes me *really* appreciate little things like indoor plumbing).