Eastern NY Member Spotlight

Lesa Cline-Ransome, Children’s Book Author, SCBWI Advisory Council

If you take one look at Lesa Cline-Ransome’s social media pages, you’ll see an accomplished author, speaker, and teacher spreading the word about the important and well-researched books that she’s published.

To date, Lesa has published 22 picture books, 6 novels for both middle grade and young adult, and is currently working on her very first novel in verse. Her books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness to name a few. She’s received numerous awards and accolades.

What really stands out to me is why Lesa writes her books. She tells stories that needs to be told. Stories that have been missing from our history and cultures for too long. She lifts voices that should be heard and honored.

Her books are a resource for teachers and librarians to bring in a full picture of important aspects of our nation’s history. Lesa brings her books into schools and reads to children who see themselves in the faces of historical legends who made a difference in our world. The heart of her stories connects with everyone. The tenacity, determination, and love for community are themes I’ve noticed in her books.

Lesa’s advice to writers rings true, and I appreciated her honesty in how hard a writer has to work—not only in sitting down to get a book written, but following through in every area of the publishing and marketing process. Writing and being an author takes the same tenacity and determination that Lesa writes about. She shows that the positive impact we can have on children and teens is well worth it.

I hope you enjoy this interview. You’ll see that Lesa took each question seriously and put her heart into the answers. If you haven’t already, pre-order her latest book and check out her long list of titles on her website.

Thank you, Lesa, for your advice and for writing these important and entertaining books!

Janine De Tillio Cammarata

(All photos are printed with permission by the author.)

Can you tell me about yourself? Anything you want to share about your family, hobbies, likes, joys?

I am from Malden, Massachusetts and I grew up as a reader, spending nearly every single weekend in the library. I am the mother of four young adults, and officially an empty nester. There is nothing I love more than stories and words, so when I’m not writing, I spend much of my time reading and doing word puzzles (NYTimes Spelling Bee and the Crossword). I also have a book group I meet with regularly as well as my Writer’s Group.

How long have you been a member of SCBWI?

I have been a member of SCBWI for several years, and I have been an Advisory Council member since 2019.

How has it helped you in your writing career?

Continuing to learn and grow your craft is essential as a writer. Whether I am teaching a workshop or sitting in on one, I enjoy discovering new ways to think about and tell stories as well as building a writing community with other writers and illustrators.

Why should someone become a member of SCBWI?

Community is the main reason. Writers and Illustrators generally work in isolation and having the opportunity to engage with other creators at conferences and regional events or critique groups can be vital. It is also important to learn as much as you can about the publishing industry in general—marketing, advances, social media, school visits, contracts, agents--all of the variables that support your career. Because the truth of it is, a long career now relies on so much more than simply writing. Creators are asked more than ever to navigate all aspects of publishing and sharing, and having information is a powerful tool in this industry.

When did you know that you wanted to write for children?

I thought about writing for children once I completed my graduate studies in Elementary Education and became a mother. Coincidentally, my husband, Illustrator James Ransome, had already illustrated several picture books at that point and suggested I begin writing for children. And so, shortly after the birth of our first daughter Jaime, I began work on my first picture book bio, Satchel Paige, the story of the Negro League Pitcher. It’s still in print 22 years later.

What genre of children’s books do you write?

I began writing picture book biographies, and then in 2018, I wrote my first historical fiction middle grade novel, Finding Langston, which evolved into a trilogy. I’ve also written a chapter book (She Persisted: Claudette Colvin). In January, I released my debut Young Adult novel, For Lamb, which is set in Jim Crow Mississippi. What many of these books have in common is that they are based in history and center on the lives of black people.

Book Cover: The Story of the Saxophone, young black boy with cap, white shirt, brown knickers and shoes playing a saxophone on cobblestone. black cat on a blue background — The Story of the Saxophone—Lesa and James’ latest book!

What was the inspiration behind your latest picture book, The Story of the Saxophone?

What I most love about writing is the way that research can lead you down rabbit holes and help stories evolve into what they are meant to be. I came to The Story of the Saxophone by researching the life of saxophonist Sidney Bechet. One day, when I asked myself the very simple question, “I wonder who invented the saxophone?” I discovered the story of Adolphe Sax from Dinant, Belgium. I reframed the story so that it centered on a young boy who loved to tinker and invent so much that he created a serpentine shaped instrument called a saxophone. I followed that story all the way across the gulf to New Orleans, Louisiana to a young man named Sidney Bechet who discovered the saxophone and transformed the world of jazz with its sound.

Page 8 & 9 from The Story of the Saxophone. Man and young boy in a music instrument story. boy happily stares at an instrument — The Story of the Saxophone, pages 8 & 9 (printed with permission by Lesa Cline-Ransome)

Many of your picture books are illustrated by your husband, James E. Ransome. Can you tell us how that partnership came about?

James had been illustrating books for several years before we teamed up to create the book Satchel Paige. We met nearly thirty three years ago as sophomores at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York where he was majoring in Illustration and I was a Fashion Marketing major. I loved writing. My first job after college was working as a fashion copywriter at the department store Lord & Taylor in NYC before transitioning into teaching where I fell in love with Children’s Literature. When we started a family, it seemed like a perfect way to blend all of our passions and loves: art, writing, words and children. We have now collaborated on over 20 picture books, and he illustrated the covers of each book in my middle grade Finding Langston trilogy.

Lesa Cline-Ransome embracing husband James E. Ransome in their home. Smiling black couple. both wearing glasses. Lisa short brown hair with highlights. James bald head with gray and facial hair. — Lesa Cline-Ransome with her illustrator/husband James E. Ransome

How do you and James collaborate when creating a book together?

Interestingly, we use the term “collaboration” very loosely. Typically, I write the manuscript and anywhere between one to three years later, James illustrates the images. So there is never a point when we are consulting or working side-by-side on a project. In that sense, we are very much like any other author/illustrator team who aren’t married. The one difference is that as I am writing, I will often share drafts with James. I believe it gives him a better understanding of my intention as a writer. On occasion, he will pitch ideas to me for projects he would like to work on together such as Satchel Paige, Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams (he had a crush on Venus), and Before She was Harriet.

Do you have a favorite book or top five of the ones you’ve published?

I pour my heart and soul into each book I write, but I guess there are a few that have more personal elements and as a result, when I return to them, I feel as if I know the characters in an intensely personal way. One example is with the story of Before She Was Harriet. Ever since I was a young girl, I was often given an inaccurate and incomplete history of the contributions of black people in this country in my elementary school classrooms. But I do remember the day when I learned the story of Harriet Tubman. Hearing her story of fearlessness, faith and perseverance is what gave me pride when every other historical resource suggested blacks were willing participants in enslavement. I believe I have been preparing to write Harriet Tubman’s story since I was a young girl, and so every time I read Before She Was Harriet aloud now to audiences of all ages, it still makes me emotional. Her story changed me, and I hope that in the writing of her life and expanding her story to include her life as a suffragist, a Union spy, a General, Moses and her life as a young girl, Araminta, Minty, all in the service of others, young readers can experience the same surge of hope, pride and inspiration that I have. Other favorites include Finding Langston (which centers on my love of libraries), and Leaving Lymon (an homage to my music lover father)

What are you currently working on?

I am currently finishing my very first novel in verse entitled One Big Open Sky. It is the story of 11-year old Lettie, her mother Sylvia, their family, and Philomena, a young woman they meet along their journey from Mississippi to Nebraska. The story takes place in 1879. They travel in an all-black wagon company along the Oregon trail, hoping to forge a better life in the West. Through these three narrators, we discover the joys and challenges they face along the trail.

Where do you get your ideas from and can you share about your writing process and routine?

My ideas generally stem from my interests and questions I have about history, the world, and the human condition through the lens of people of color. I am intensely curious, always asking too many questions of people I meet and of my own family, but those questions often lead to the most interesting stories. I probably spend more time researching than I do writing because I need to know not only the subjects I write about, but the music, the geography, the political landscape, and any events that would have shaped their understanding of the world. Then I spend anywhere from 5 to 7 hours each day writing. It takes me approximately 3 months to write a picture book; 8 months to write a middle grade novel and 1 year to write a young adult novel. That’s with balancing a very busy travel schedule.

How do you balance writing with promoting your book and teaching workshops?

Not well. Before the pandemic, I believed I did a great job of balancing writing with traveling for speaking engagements and school visits. I felt I could get a good deal of writing and reading completed in airports and in hotel rooms. Being essentially at home for two years and doing primarily virtual visits and spending stretches of time at home, in leggings, sipping tea at my desk quietly at my desktop taught me that you need that space to really engage with your work. I try (and often fail) to be more intentional around scheduling engagements when I know I have deadlines. I have learned there is an art to saying no, which I haven’t yet mastered, but when I do, I recognize that I am essentially saying yes to my writing and the books I create.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to write for children?

Build a writing community. Start with SCBWI. Attend meetings and regional events and get to know other writers. Visit your local bookstore or library to listen to writers discuss their process. Take notes and ask questions. Make writing a practice, a routine. Sit down each day and write something, even if it’s just a paragraph. It doesn’t have to be a book. It can be a journal, something about your kids, your day, or what you ate for dinner. You have to get in the habit of writing. Of course, most importantly read. Anything and everything, especially the genre that you plan to write. I am often shocked by the number of people who tell me they want to write but haven’t read a book for children since they were kids.

What forms of self-care do you bring into your day while writing?

I begin each day with meditation and I walk daily. In my office, I surround myself with things I love—light, the color yellow, artwork, plants, photos of my four children and family, candles, a gorgeous boucle chair, and books.