Hi friends! Here we are smack dab in the middle of fall, my favorite season. There is nothing more beautiful than New England foliage. It’s the perfect time to go for a hike, take a road trip, or even get those family photos in. What’s that you say? You don’t like how the sun sets at 4:40pm? Well, neither do I, but it does give me more reading time with my kiddos at night. Which means…taller stacks of picture books from the library! Of course, taller stacks mean my chances of finding gems are even greater. And boy did I find a gem this fall. Which is why I have Howard Pearlstein here to talk about his beautiful picture book, THE OLD MAN EATING ALONE. If you haven’t read this story yet, please be sure you do. I promise, it is one you will never forget.

Seriously, go get the book. I’ll wait…

Got it? Great! Let’s dive into this interview.

Howard, where do you live, and what is one of your favorite things about it? 

I live in Birmingham, Alabama, and my favorite thing about living here is how easy it is to get anywhere. I can be downtown in a couple of minutes; any type of dining or recreation is just as close and the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico are only four and a half hours away.

That sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing. Can you tell us what inspired THE OLD MAN EATING ALONE? 

My youngest daughter Emily, who’s now 29, has always been an extremely empathetic person. As a very young child, the sight of seeing someone eating alone – especially an old man, chewing slowly with his mouth closed – brought her to tears. Her empathy inspired the story.

Wow, Howard. Empathy is a wonderful gift, and your daughter’s awareness of people around her at such a young age totally pulls on my heartstrings. Can you give us a peek into your creative process. Where did you write the story? Did it come to you all at once, or did you have to keep coming back to it? How long did you work on it until you thought the story was perfect? 

This story for THE OLD MAN EATING ALONE came together very quickly. Thinking about Emily and her sadness about seeing an old man eating alone, I wondered how I could turn that scene into something more positive, where being alone doesn’t have to equal loneliness. Once I realized that he had his memories to keep him company, the story fell into place, because I simply wrote down experiences my wife and I shared together. I thought about the idea for about a week and then wrote it in one sitting in my home office. The published book is my first draft with just a couple of edits here and there. I wish all stories came together this quickly!

Me too, Howard. Me too. I love how in the story Mr. Wilson shows Emily that he is never really alone because his late wife is always with him. And then in the end when he passes, he says the same thing to Emily in a note, “No matter where I am, I’ll always be with you. And since I’m always with you, you’ll never be alone.” This is such a powerful message for readers of all ages who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. And I really appreciated how this message went full circle in your story. Are there any other takeaways you were hoping to leave with readers?   

The idea of love living on after death is definitely a main message I wanted to communicate, along with the idea, as mentioned earlier, that being alone doesn’t necessarily mean a person is lonely.

An interesting thought for sure. What was your critique group’s reaction the first time they saw the story?

I didn’t have a critique group – but I do have an unfair advantage. My wife was a kindergarten teacher for many years, so, every time I have a manuscript, I run it by her and ask her if the idea is worth pursuing or not. If she gives a manuscript a thumbs up, I keep going and get her feedback along the way. With this story, however, I got a thumbs up and no revisions.

One side note about critique groups. While I think it’s essential to receive feedback about your stories, too many opinions can end up diluting your vision. I think having one or two trusted voices – people who truly understand children’s books, the children’s book market and what children like – is a much more effective approach to critiques. And, at the end of the day, you need to trust your own opinion over everyone else’s. 

How wonderful your wife was a kindergarten teacher and is able to help you with your manuscripts. And great advice on navigating the murky waters of “which critique do I listen to?!” It is easy to lose sight of your vision when there are so many conflicting suggestions. Was it difficult finding a home for this story? 

Clavis Publishing had published one of my first books, SALLY ANN MCFIDGETBOTTOM, and I had also recently signed a contract with them for CONNOR CROWE CAN’T LET GO. I think having these two books with Clavis made them more receptive to my manuscripts, so I think, having them know me, helped in finding a home for this story.

That’s great! Tell us what it was like when you found out Clavis was going to publish your story.

It’s always an exciting moment with a good amount of disbelief when a publisher says they’re interested, especially after receiving so many rejections or just crickets. I have to admit though that there’s also a bit of trepidation. I never believe the book is actually going to be published until I have an actual copy of it in my hands.

Which is such a long time from acquired to published! But yes, publishing is tricky, and the fear of the contract falling through is a sad reality. I’m so glad this story made it out into the world! And by the way, Hilde Groven’s illustrations are truly moving. The butterfly in each spread is pure magic! My girls loved pointing out the butterfly with each page turn. What was it like working with Hilde? Was the butterfly her idea? Anything else you would like to share? 

Clavis Publishing selected Hilde as the illustrator and she was the perfect person to bring this story to life. Her illustrations truly are moving, and they do an amazing job conveying emotions. The butterflies were all her idea and I love the way she wove them in throughout the story. Working with her was a wonderful experience. Although we’ve never met in person and live halfway around the world from each other, she was very open to sharing her sketches with me and asking for my input. The funny thing is that the Emily she drew all on her own looks very similar to my Emily at that age.

Oh, wow! I love that. Very serendipitous. I have to congratulate you on having nine picture books out in the world with two more on their way! Is there anything you would like to share about your upcoming stories THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU and THE BAD BOOK FOR GOOD KIDS? 

Thanks so much. I’m excited to see these new books come out and to see how they’re received. They’re both completely different than THE OLD MAN EATING ALONE. Both are meta-type stories where the fourth wall is broken, and they’re all about being silly and entertaining.

Incredible. I love how you write serious books and silly books. That’s a dream of many writers. Do you have any tips or words of wisdom for your fellow creators? 

This is a really difficult industry. The most important tip I can give is that if you want to succeed in it (whatever success means to you), you have to be 100% committed. Regardless of the number of rejections or rounds of revisions, you have to keep going by keeping your goal front and center at all times – while also being fully clear on WHY you want to achieve this goal. For me commitment and clarity are the keys.

Fabulous advice. Thank you so much for sharing your time with us, Howard. I look forward to reading your upcoming books. And thank you friends for taking the time to read this interview. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Howard Pearlstein is an award-winning author of 9 picture books that have been translated into five languages. He’s also an advertising copywriter who has worked on some of the world’s most popular brands, including Toyota, Verizon and Mitsubishi. A California native, Howard now lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Howard has three daughters, Amanda, Jacquie and Emily, who live across the country, and one wife, Debi, who still lives at home.

You can find Howard on his website: here

Twitter: here

Instagram: here

Facebook: here

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Lindsey is the creator of two imaginative little girls, the wife of an extreme sport enthusiast, and a member of many picture book critique groups. In her spare time, she enjoys watching webinars, attending conferences, and borrowing outrageous amounts of picture books from her local library.