Six Questions with Lisa Katzenberger

Lisa Katzenberger has been making up stories to entertain herself since she was a child. She loves to write books that make children laugh, escape, and dream. She is the author of It Will Be OK, A Love Letter to My Library, I Can Do It Even If I'm Scared, Croc & Gator, and It Belongs to the World: Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin. Lisa lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two children. Visit her online at www.lisakatzenberger.com.

1. How do you know your idea will make a good book?

This is a great question, and I have an honest answer: I never know if my idea will make a good book! That is where my critique partners and agent come into play. My CPs will let me know if the craft elements are working and my agent will let me know if she feels there is a place for my story idea in the market. I also run it by my kids, who are my most honest critics!

2. Once you’ve created a first draft, what’s your next step? Critique group? Check in with your agent? Tuck it away to let it age?

I do a few revisions before I’ll share a story with my critique partners—about three to five. Sometimes I will share the concept of a picture book with my agent to get her feedback if it’s an idea she thinks could sell. But I wait to send her a manuscript until it’s in the best shape I can get it. I do dozens of rounds of revisions on my stories, and they often take me a couple years to get into shape. This time involves drafting, revising, sending to CPs, and yes, letting it age here and there.

3. Do you ever feel lonely being a writer or illustrator? If so, how do you deal with that?

I absolutely do. While my kids are in school, I’m home alone all day. I have learned how important it is to stay in touch with friends and have built a close group of writer friends I can rely on for interaction. Some of them live nearby and we’ll meet for lunch or a writing date. I have one good friend who I zoom with each Monday for accountability and to talk about our writing goals (and usually our kids!). Then I have another group of friends who are scattered about the country where we have a DM string where we can always go to vent, brag, ask questions, whatever we need. I would be so lost and lonely without my writing community!

4. What was the timeline for I Can Do It Even If I'm Scared, from idea to publishing?

I wrote the first draft in May of 2019. It went through 40 revisions before it was acquired in March of 2022, and then published in July of 2024. So it was five years from idea to publication!

5. If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with?

I have recently done school visits for I Can Do It Even If I'm Scared: Finding the Brave You. This story is about applying a Cognitive Behavioral Technique called "Acting As If." The message I tried to send to kids is that you can train your brain not only to learn new things in school, like reading and math, but you can also train your brain to learn new emotions and behaviors.

6. What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing/researching this book?

The inspiration for this book came directly from a therapy session of mine, where I learned the Acting As If technique. I shared this with my agent and editor, just because I wanted them to understand how important this book was to me. After my editor acquired the manuscript, she asked me if I would write an Author’s Note talking about my experience in therapy and using this technique. I was very nervous to share something so personal, but I wanted kids who were feeling anxious or scared to know that they could find their own bravery too.