Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Sandra Neil Wallace

I have a secret to share, and it’s the reason why I write nonfiction. I want to know what makes people afraid. More importantly, I want to know why, despite extreme fear that may include the possibility of death—they face that fear and go on to lead brave lives. I’ve come to realize that this […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Mary Kay Carson

Why do I choose to write books about meteorologists, biologists, astronomers, and ecologists? Because it allows me—a failed scientist—to live vicariously. Growing up, animals were all I cared about. My family moved a lot, so pets were often my best friends. By the end of third grade, I’d lived in five states and attended four […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Cynthia Levinson

“Cynthia Levinson did an insane amount of research!” That’s what a librarian said after reading Watch Out for Flying Kids: How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict and Build Community (Peachtree Publishers).   She had a good point. Here’s a small sample of my insanity: —3 trips to Israel —2 trips to […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Deborah Heiligman

Tom Wolfe, the journalist who died earlier this year, said that every writer has a word or a phrase that is that writer’s theme. Wolfe’s was, not surprisingly, “status.” About ten years ago, my husband heard him say this at a talk, and asked me, do you know your theme? I didn’t have to think […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Seth Fishman

My dad didn’t know how to do anything. Except, perhaps, read books, tell jokes, and find oil (he was a geologist in Texas). Seth’s dad riding an ostrich But I never learned any of the basic cool parenting things that both moms and dads often teach their kids like how to fish, how to change […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Sarah Albee

At school visits kids always ask me where I get my ideas. I talk about how it’s important to keep a notebook handy. Ideas can show up suddenly, often when you’re busy doing something besides sitting at your desk, and snagging them can require lightning-quick reflexes, like capturing the snitch in a Quidditch game.   […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Susan Hood

One day I saw this necklace on Etsy and knew I had to have it. Those who know their Dewey Decimal System will know it says “I still believe in fairy tales.” And I do. Not the insipid Sleeping Beauty/Prince Charming movies I grew up with, but the stories that terrified and fascinated me as […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Heather L. Montgomery

I’m passionate about getting kids hooked on nature. For many years, I worked as an environmental educator. Leading kids knee-deep in a stream, paddling through a rock-walled canyon, standing under a rushing waterfall, that’s how I connected students to nature. I’ve taught tens of thousands of kids. I never considered becoming a writer until, one […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Barbara Kerley

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been super interested in other people. I like to think it’s because I’m curious, but honestly, I think it’s because I am this weird mix of really nosy and also pretty shy. Starting in third grade and for years beyond, my favorite book—hands down—was HARRIET THE SPY […]

Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Elizabeth Partridge

Since I was a teenager, I’ve been haunted by the Vietnam War. During high school and college, I was passionately against the war. I hated the suffering, death, and destruction the war brought. My heart broke for the Vietnamese, for the Americans sent to fight, and for our torn, divided country. After the war, protestors […]