Traveler and writer Kimberley Lovato has never met a journey she didn’t love and has written about the wonders of seeing and being in the world for more than 20 years. Her articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Virtuoso: The Magazine, CN Traveler, Travel + Leisure, AARP, Hemispheres, Ciao Bambino, Best Women’s Travel Writing, and more. She is the author of several travel guides as well as an award-winning culinary travel book about the people and food of the Dordogne region of France. Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness (illustrated by Barbara Bongini and published by MB Publishing) is her debut children’s picture book. Read more about her at: www.kimberleylovato.com and follow her on Instagram: @KimberleyLovato
1. Do you ever get stuck creatively? If so, how do you get unstuck?
Absolutely I get stuck! A long walk or coffee with a friend does wonders to unlock the block. I also cook. There’s something about following a recipe from beginning to end that helps. When I am back at my desk, I remind myself to go step by step; teaspoon by teaspoon; word by word to get through the sticky parts until I can get back into a flow. On days like this, we often have something delicious on the dinner table too. Win-win!
2. What was your favorite book when you were a child? Why?
I had many favorites as an older reader, but when I was younger, I adored the Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren. I certainly identified with Pippi’s red hair and freckles, but I also loved that she was a strong, quirky, smart 9-year-old girl who lived with her monkey, Mr. Nilsson, and a nameless horse. Pippi made every day an extraordinary adventure.
3. Did you have a favorite teacher when you were a child? What made them so special?
Two stand out. One was my 4th-grade teacher, Mr. Brendell. He wrote his own stories about the adventures of best friends Tuck and Tom and read a few chapters to the class each week. We couldn’t wait to find out what happened next! I don’t think he ever published his tales, but I’ve often thought about how he kept an entire room of kids rapt with his words. The other was my high school French teacher, Ms. Danne. Her love of the French language and France were contagious, and I have been a Francophile ever since. Merci, Madame Danne!
4. Where did you get the idea for Pisa Loves Bella? What was your inspiration?
My own wanderlust was the initial inspiration. But themes of kindness seemed appropriate too, given how vicious people are to one another these days—from the highest echelons of society to online neighborhood groups to school playgrounds. Being kind is a choice we make every day, so it felt both timely and universal to weave that into a travel tale. Being teased as a kid influenced my story too. I have red hair and freckles, and my pre-married last name was Dumm, pronounced Dumb, so, yeah, the jokes just wrote themselves. Luckily, like my character Bella, I had kind friends to lean on.
5. What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing/researching this book?
I had no idea the skill it takes to rhyme well. Finding the right words, putting them in the correct meter, stringing together sentences that propel a story forward while not sounding too forced or way out of context ---phew, it was tough! It was bit like playing with a Rubik’s Cube. Every day I twisted and turned the words and sentences in different directions until one day, things lined up. Rhyming books are so fun to read aloud, so I worked hard to get it right.
6. If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with?
My hope is that kids leave thinking about what it means to be kind to one another, and to themselves. Even the strongest among us (or famous landmarks) can have their confidence cracked by a few hurtful words. I hope kids learn that we all have our own unique tilts, and good friends help us celebrate them. If they leave a little more curious about world travel, that would be a bonus.
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