Member Interview: Author Anne Wynter

Where did you grow up, and how did that place (or those places) shape your work? 

I grew up in Houston, and I believe the diversity of the city certainly shaped my work. The book that feels most true to Houston is NELL PLANTS A TREE because my family had a pecan tree that they planted around the time I was born. A lot of my family members and friends also had pecan trees. It felt like they were everywhere!

Did you always want to be an author, or did that come later?  

I loved books as a kid, so I definitely wanted to be an author—but I also wanted to be an astronaut, a geneticist, and a Broadway performer! 

If someone were to follow you around for 24 hours, what would they see? 

They'd see me talking to myself a lot! They'd also catch me suddenly remembering to do something that I had completely forgotten about. They'd see me complimenting my cats and telling them how beautiful they are. They might see me desperately searching for my keys. And of course, they'll see a lot of me with my kids. At the moment, they wouldn't see me doing much writing, but I'm hoping that changes! 

How does your everyday life feed your work? 

I get so many ideas from my kids—listening to them talk, hearing about what happened at school, and observing how they react to the books we're reading together. 

Tell us about some accomplishments that make you proud. 

I started taking tennis lessons recently, and I just got bumped up from Beginner classes to Advanced Beginner classes. Feel free to call me "Serena" going forward. 

What surprises you about the creative life? 

It involves so many decisions. What you work on day-to-day, what your marketing efforts involve, what your characters do, how you structure your time—so many decisions! It's both freeing and overwhelming. 

When a reader discovers your work, what do you hope they find? 

I hope they love re-reading my books. A well worn copy of a book is the best compliment. 

Quick-Fire Questions:

How might you complete this sentence: Everything I need to know I learned … 

from “Nick at Nite.” I used to watch hours of it every night as a kid and a teenager. I think a lot of my humor comes from those old shows. 

If we are all bricklayers of our own lives, what will your next brick be? 

My first novel! 

Best advice for picture book writers? 

If you don't have a child to read to regularly, look for a volunteer opportunity to read to children (or a friend with a kid/kids who could use a little break while you take over story-time—even if it's over Zoom!) It was so valuable to see how my perceptions of certain books didn't quite align with my kids' perceptions. I loved books that they couldn't care less about. There were books I couldn't stand that they'd ask for over and over. But then there were the books we all wanted to read—ideally, you want your stories to settle in that little sweet-spot.