Why So Many Authors Were Once Theater Kids

+ some upcoming library events!

Today, dear readers, is a big day in the Swinarski household. It’s the last day of school.¹

So, what does this mean? It means that my next three months involve sandy toes, ice cream for lunch, read alouds in the backyard on a quilt, tubing on Fishtrap Lake, Banana Boat rubbed onto little knees, drives up north, dropping kids off at sailing and soccer and art camp, and a whole lot of margaritas. 😅 Our summer will conclude with one large family vacation: we’re going to Denmark (Copenhagen and Billund) and Poland (Sopot²) for two and a half weeks in August. I’m surprisingly relaxed about it right now, but I’m sure a few nights before we leave I’ll go from Cool Relaxed Travel Mom to Raging Psycho With Packing Cubes.

It means that my writing routine, which was already held together with duct tape and prayer, is about to collapse into a pile of playground wood chips. (Did I mention I have a draft of a book³ due mid-October?)

In past years, summer set me into a panic. But as my three littles have gotten slightly older, I’ve found myself naturally becoming a bit more go-with-the-flow. They’re old enough where I can send them outside to the backyard for a while if they’re being too wild. I do have some structured childcare time. And I know that being in the real world—the world of little boy swim trunks and zoo trips and air-conditioned movie theaters—typically helps my writing practice. It’s nice, not having a kid in diapers and being a handful of books into this publishing thing. It helps me to trust the process and not be so Level 10 Wound Up constantly.

Or maybe it’s this: that there’s a big old world out there, besides preorder numbers and promo campaigns. A world where I’m Mom, which sometimes means I can’t go on beautiful writing retreats in the South of France but also means I get to eat popsicles next to my three kids while they experience Mulan for the first time.

I see so many writers getting anxious about the number of GoodReads adds they have, or when they should start pitching themselves to podcasts, or how to get started with school visits. And I get it: if you’re writing a book, you want people to read it. There’s something to be said for the craft of writing itself, but there’s also something to be said for wanting your words to reach people. After all, if you build a car, but nobody drives it…how do you know you built a good car? How do you even know if it works? Other people utilizing it is part of the craft, in a way. And lest you think I’m some type of Yoda, meditating in the woods, I’ll let you know that I, too, was sad when I learned there wouldn’t be paper ARCs of Take It From the Top, and I, too, was sad when What Happened to Rachel Riley was only in a handful of Barnes and Noble stores, and I, too, was sad when I realized there was simply no way the above-mentioned writing retreat was going to work out for me during this season.

But sometimes I want to squeeze people’s cheeks and remind them: this, this right here? It wasn’t promised. We didn’t earn it; we don’t deserve it⁴. It’s a gift. The happy readers are delightful surprises; the rejections and hard numbers are commonplace. If I write 500 words from our rickety boat club with bad wi-fi while my kids learn to sail, that’s a Good Writing Day this summer. It ain’t the South of France. But I’ll take it, over and over again.

Excellent news: my next middle grade book, Take It From the Top, is available for request on Edelweiss and NetGalley! That means if you’re a book reviewer, you can submit a request for an e-ARC and read the book before anyone else. I don’t control who gets approved—sorry! But you should definitely shoot your shot.

Actors, Authors, and the Drama of Stories:

A few interview requests are making their way into my inbox in anticipation for the book’s autumn release, and one of the most common questions I’ve been getting so far is if I, too, was a theater kid.

Take It From the Top is about two best friends at a summer camp for the performing arts, and musical theater has a heavy influence on the story as a whole. I’m able to joyfully tell those interviewers that yes, in fact—I was a theater kid. From the ages of 8-13 I was part of a local children’s theater group in Madison that traveled around southeastern Wisconsin, putting on musicals for kids. In high school, I was in the school play and two musicals. I was never any good, to be clear. But I loved it. I tried to dig up a photo from the depths of the internet but came up empty-handed, so you’ll just have to trust me.

When I think back to why I loved doing theater, as I had to do often for Take it From the Top, I realized that my favorite part had nothing to do with the singing (which I…couldn’t do) or the acting. It didn’t have to do with the smear of blush on the apples of your cheeks, or the pit in your stomach before the lights came on. It had a little to do with hanging out in the dressing rooms before shows, buttoning up your costume and French braiding each other’s hair. But it mainly had to do with the story aspect. I always loved the day we’d first get the script. I wanted to hear the story, and see just how we’d be telling it. That was what meant the absolute most to me.

In Take It From the Top, Eowyn is talented but suffers from anxiety and immense stage fright. Her prickly director reminds her that she needs to invite the audience in. She isn’t simply performing—she’s telling a story. It’s a group effort, a relationship between storyteller and story receiver. She’s built the car. Now, does it drive?

That’s why it’s unsurprising to me just how many theater kids became writers. So many authors I speak to can excitedly recall starring in Brigadoon or Ragtime or Hello, Dolly in high school. We were always storytellers, from the very start. Our medium may have changed, but to spin a tale for an audience: that’s what our hearts are seeking to do.

Want to hang out with me at a library?

Sounds like my idea of a good time! I have two events in the next few months at libraries, and I would love to see you there. These events are free, but copies of The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County will be available for purchase + signing. I’m sharing a bit of the inspiration behind the book, answering reader questions, and givin’ hugs.

Pauline Haass Public Library in Sussex, WI: June 20 at 6:30 PM (registration requested)

Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn, WI: September 20 at 6:00 PM

If you have a theater kid in your life, it would mean the absolute world to me if you would consider a preorder. The book releases 11/19⁵. It involves former besties on the outs, a healing father/daughter relationship, a first crush, and about a million and one theater puns. (If your theater kid is excited about seeing Wicked in theaters, I think they’ll love Take It From the Top—that’s the summer mainstage show that ex-besties Eowyn and Jules are starring in!)

And lastly, a book I’ve loved lately for…

Kids: I snagged Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson on the recommendation of my friend Sarah, and wow—we adore it. The art truly is like a museum for your lap, and my kids have loved discovering these old classic tales that we often let fall by the wayside in 2024. I’d never actually read Puss in Boots until getting this treasury, but it’s my kids’ favorite in the book so far!

Middle graders: I revisited The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, as I’m apparently on a fairy tale kick. I loved this book growing up, and I treasure it still. It’s the story of two princesses seeking a cure for a plague that’s come to their kingdom. I don’t usually read fantasy books, but this lies in the realm of an incredibly classic fairy tale myth.

Adults: A friend lent me The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles + I adored it. It’s really long—like, almost a little too long—but the character development is *chef’s kiss*. It’s the story of four young men in the 1950’s traveling from Kansas to New York, 3 of whom have recently left a teenage detention facility.

Thanks for reading along!

-Claire-

1. Wisconsin schools often get out quite a bit later than other schools around the country; our tourist department successfully lobbied a while back to legally require all public schools to start after Labor Day. That means we often go into mid-June with classes.

2. We have an AirBNB right on the beach of the Baltic Sea. 😍 A lot of people asked if I was Polish after reading What Happened to Rachel Riley—I’m not, but my husband K is from Gdansk!

3. More soon!!!

4. The Barnes and Noble drama—guys. It’s a bit much. Look, What Happened to Rachel Riley is without a doubt my best performing book. By FAR. And it was only in two Barnes and Noble stores. When I see authors claim things like “Barnes and Noble just deigns who’s good enough to be in their stores”…yes? That’s how—that’s how stores work? I actually love that Barnes and Noble functions more like a local bookstore now. The shopping experience has gotten SO much better! I’m not sure who told you that you were entitled to be in Barnes and Noble but, um, you’re not.

5. The same day as the paperback version of What Happened to Rachel Riley, FYI!