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MEET NANCY SMILER LEVINSON
By Ann Stalcup

What did you most like to do as a child ?

Nancy Smiler Levinson

Growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I liked ice skating, swimming, and Saturday matinee movies, but books always provided the greatest source of pleasure.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up ?

Some stories that I was especially fond of were The Poppyseed Cakes; Black Beauty; Heidi; Lassie, Come Home; and the Secret Garden. I liked books that were full of drama and emotion. I liked books that made me cry. In sixth grade I read a novel called Katrinka by Helen Eggleston Haskell that I have remembered all my life. I used to imagine myself a brave peasant girl like Katrinka, growing up in Russia, the country of my ancestors.

Did you write any stories or books while you were growing up ?

Influenced by Nancy Drew, my first "novel," in grade school was a mystery. That was my first and last mystery, since after that I concentrated on writing stories that were closer to my heart - the kind that would make a young girl keep.

As child, did you ever have a moment when you said "I'm going to be a writer when I grow up ?

I don't recall saying that, but I knew that I would write; my earliest inclinations were toward newspaper reporting.

What kind of writing did you do as a teenager ?

In Junior High I became a newspaper reader. I was also influenced then by a series of children's books about a young woman reporter. A female journalist was a rarity in those days, but I decided that would be the life for me when I grew up. I joined the newspaper staffs in high school and then at the University of Minnesota, where I majored in journalism.

What kind of work did you do when your college years ended ?

I worked for a small newspaper in New York state; then did magazine research at TIME and eventually became an associate editor at Bantam Books educational department in New York City.

How did your life change when you married ?

I moved to California and became the mother of two sons. As I read to them I began to write books for children. In one way I surprised myself because this was something I never planned, but in another way, perhaps it was no surprise at all, since I've always loved children and children's literature.

When you were first published, was your book nonfiction or fiction ?

My first two books were nonfiction biographies for a Dillon Press series on women: Contributions of Women in Business and The First Women Who Spoke Out, with chapters on several women abolitionists and women's rights leaders.

Twenty-five of your books have been published. They range from history, biography, fiction, easy-to-read, and Historical Fiction. Many of these subjects involve considerable research. Is there a particular kind of topic taht you most enjoy researching ?

The span of my work stretches over twenty-six years, so that with life and interest changes, I have moved happily from one kind of research to another. Enjoying history as I do, I would have to say that history is involved in one way or another with most of my titles.

Have all of your fiction stories been about real people or events, or are some of them totally from your imagination ?

Fiction has come from my life and those closest to it. Three historical fiction HarperCollins I-Can-Reads are from research and imagination.

What gave you the idea for SHE'S BEEN WORKING ON THE RAILROAD?

I was visiting a museum in Balboa Park in San Diego, when I saw an exhibit of women on the railroad. I had no idea that such a history existed. I got in touch with the woman who was the exhibit curator, Shirley Burman. She lives in Sacramento. We met and worked together, using much of her vast historical collection.

I'm very impressed with our "Easy Read" books, particulary NORTH PLE, SOUTH POLE AND DEATH VALLEY. You manage to say so much in so few words. Because of heir length and low word count do they take less - or more - time to write than other types of books ?

Easy-to-reads are NOT easy-to write. I do a great deal of research and have to let go of much fascinating material, and that is frustrating. I begin writing long, and consequently need to work on many revisions before getting down to the final pithy manuscript, while always working towards a story that includes a number of kid-friendly specifics. Then my Holiday House editors send detailed queries, and at the end, I go over this work with experts in the field.

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

When I was younger I was able to do so. Recently, I am more comfortable focusing on one at a time. I work at home in Beverly Hills, CA, and not at the regular hours I did some years ago. I live with my husband and our rescued dog, Scarlett, in Beverly Hills, California.

What are you working on now ?

Another Holiday House easy-reader on the subject of an extreme environment. This is on rain forests. The suggestion for this came from the editors there.

What do you most enjoy about writing for children ?

Writing for young readers is the most joyful and challenging work I have ever done. Since I write both fiction and nonfiction, I am asked which I like best, and my answer is always "Both." In fiction, it is rewarding to find that I can draw readers into caring about my characters and connecting with what they are experiencing and feeling. I enjoy researching and writing nonfiction because when something particularly interests me, such as an historical event or a person's biography, I have a strong urge to share the story.

Visit Nancy's website at: www.Nancysmilerlevinson.com