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MEET KELLY MILNER HALLS (Washington) Co-author with ROXYANNE YOUNG (California)
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Kelly Milner Halls

Searching for frogs and lizards was my favorite thing to do when I was a kid. There was just something about safely rounding them up, studying them, then letting them go that made me feel connected to the real world. When I visit Texas, I still catch them (and let them go) today. My kids love it. My older sister still wished I’d grow up.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

Because I also caught snakes, the most influential book of my childhood was the Golden Book LITTLE GUIDE TO REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS. Before I could read, my parents circled the animals I was not allowed to touch, and that probably kept me alive.

Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

I did write stories when I was a kid. I had a very vivid imagination – lots of bad dreams because I loved scary television shows. So writing the dreams down, drawing what I’d “seen” helped me not to have the same dream the next night. I also made lots of “fact” lists – things I’d learned about a topic like frogs or vampires or Abe Lincoln.  

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

I wondered about it after my 3 rd grade teacher told me I should think about being a writer. She saw some talent in me, and I did listen to her. But it wasn’t until high school (at Newbury Park High in Southern California, by the way) that I actually realized writing was a JOB, not a hobby. I made the connection by writing for my high school newspaper.

What audience did you have in mind for your career as a writer - adult or children?

I studied journalism in college thinking I’d write for adults. But I didn’t get really serious or excited until I found my way to writing for young readers. The subjects I could tackle for kids were a whole lot more fun.

When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career? (or a career in illustrating? or just art in general?)

I was, again, because I loved writing for the high school newspaper. But it took me a while to realize writing for kids meant I could ask all the questions I ever wanted to ask when I was a kid. Writing nonfiction for young readers is like an ever changing adventure in discovery.

If you didn’t write as a child, then when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

I did write as a kid, but it was having kids of my own that got me excited about children’s magazine articles and books. It was like a “duh!” moment. “Duh, writing for kids is way more exciting than writing for kids. Why didn’t I see that all along?”

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

I worked in record stores while I was in college and after I left. I loved records – they really were vinyl, 12” records back then, too. No CDs when I worked in record stores. And my first newspaper job was selling classified adds all day. Not exactly journalism, but it was a foot in the door.

How soon after that was your first book published?

It took a long time. For a while, after college, I didn’t write at all because I got bored with writing for adults. I worked for the YMCA – before and after school care for kids – when my kids were little because I could bring them with me to work. That’s when the light went on that I could write for kids. So I didn’t publish my first book until I was in my 30s. Before that, I did write about 1,600 articles for kids’ magazines and children’s book reviews. But my first BOOK didn’t come out until 1995.

When was it published?

While I was on assignment on magazine articles, I’d take my kids with me if I had to go far. We’d stop at fun places to stretch our legs, often dinosaur fossil exhibits and museums, because we all loved dinosaurs. I thought they should be published in one place so other families could visit them as they traveled. That was my first book and it was published in 1995.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

I was accepted really quickly, compared to other writers. I didn’t know that was unusual until I’d written a few more and saw that other writers had to work a lot longer to achieve that goal.

What are the topics are some of your books?

I tend to like weird topics. In fact, when I visit schools, I admit I get paid for being weird. And it’s true. If a subject makes me say, “What the heck?” or, “Ewww…gross!” I know I might write about it. So I have written about dinosaur mummies, albino animals, kid mummies and one of my favorites, cryptids – Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, chupacabras...I love writing about unusual things.

Do you focus on fiction or nonfiction? Which do you prefer? Do you find one easier than the other?

I focus on nonfiction and it’s a WHOLE lot easier for me than fiction. But my friends Chris Crutcher, Terry Davis and Terry Trueman are helping me learn to write good fiction, too. Someday, if it’s good, you’ll see some fiction with my name on it too. But my first love is nonfiction. It’s like a treasure hunt, for me. I love it.

Do you do other types of writing - for example, educational, nonfiction, magazine work?

I’ve done a little bit of everything, yes. I’ve done eEducational science fair books – which were way harder than I thought they’d be. No wonder I never won my science fairs. I’ve written five or six craft books, and I did a WHOLE lot of magazine work before I turned to books.

What kinds of things inspire you to write?

Anything that makes me crazy with curiosity inspires me to research and write. Remember that kid in your class that annoyed you asking too many questions? That’s me, in adult form. Except now I get paid for it.

Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas are EVERYWHERE – on TV, on the bus, sitting on an airplane; if you keep your eyes open walking through your life, ideas pile up right in front of you. I just look for a new twist on an old subject.

What gave you the idea for TALES OF THE CRYPTIDS?

I’d always loved dinosaurs – big lizards to me – and the Loch Ness Monster always reminded me of a marine reptile that lived with dinosaurs called a pleisiosaur. I started wondering how many “water monster” stories there were around the world, and originally wanted to write a book about those legends. But covering more cryptids got me more excited. So that’s what I decided to do.

What really triggers your imagination?

That burning curiosity, that’s what triggers all my work. If I have to know how something works or where it came from, that’s it. I’ll do the research. If I find enough cool facts, I’ll write a book.

Have any of your books earned special recognition?

They have been “praised” and called winners, yes, most of them. And it’s always an honor. But there is nothing better than having a kid write to me or tell me at a school that my books have made them feel a little more connected to the world. I couldn’t find many books I liked when I was a kid, so I write the books I would have checked out myself. When kids tell me I did a good job, it makes me really happy. TALES OF THE CRYPTIDS is in the 2009 Middle School and High School California Collections.

How did your life change when you got married? and had children? Did it make it easier or harder to find time to write?

Having kids opened the door to writing for kids. It was hard to make time, but if you want something badly enough, your work hard to find a way. I found a way.

Have any of your fiction stories been about real people or events?

I have one fiction picture book, and it was about a little girl and her family who bought too many baby chicks. My daughter and I once bought too many baby chicks. So I’d say yes, so far, that’s absolutely true.

If some of your fiction stories are factual, do you write about people that you have been interested in for a long time, perhaps since childhood?

My fiction writing friend Chris Crutcher says most of his books reflect people he’s known or cared about. I’m sure that will be true for me too. Even fiction has to be realistic.

Do you enjoy researching or do you prefer working totally from your imagination?

Because I write nonfiction, I LOVE research. That’s the part that feels like searching for buried treasure. Every time I uncover another eye-opening fact, I can’t wait to see what else is out there to discover.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

I do. I’ll work on one with more focus, but I’m always trying to be ready to write the next book, because this is my job – the thing I do to pay all my bills.

Which of your books did you most enjoy writing?

It’s probably a tie between TALES OF THE CRYPTIDS and ALBINO ANIMALS. Both were just so much fun to research and write. I’m getting ready to work on an alien/UFO book now that will be pretty fun too.

What other jobs you had before you became a writer/illustrator?

I worked at record stores, I worked at a newspaper clipping service, I sold classified adds, I sent telex messages, and I worked at the YMCA before I was a writer. But always – always – I worked at having fun. That’s one thing that will never change.

What are you working on now? When do you expect to start submitting it to publishers?

I’m finishing up a book called OPERATION RESCUE: Saving the Baghdad Zoo that is due to my editor at HarperCollins/Greenwillow on September 15. It’s a really great, more serious book about people who worked hard to save the zoo animals caught in the crossfire when the US/Iraqi war started in 2003.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

I write every single day, unless I go on vacation, but that almost never happens. I don’t have set writing times. I just write, take breaks, write, take naps, write, eat dinner, write, go to bed. It’s fun. My office is here in my home.

When is your next book going to be in book stores?

I’ll have two new books in stores this fall. One is called WILD HORSES, a fun book that traces the migration of wild horses all over the world. And the other is called DINOSAUR PARADE, a dinosaur book for little fossil fans 4 to 7.

Do you like to include humor in your stories? Or adventure? Or mystery?

I do, but I’m funnier when I do school visits. I’m not your typical presenter. When I visit schools, we all laugh as we learn.

When you do school visits, what question do children ask you most?

They can’t believe I actually get paid for writing about things they think are FUN to read about, not just “educational.” So they ask me how I got to write about all these cool subjects. I say if you do your homework – good careful research – almost any topic can be “educational,” even weird ones.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

I want them to know they can write and read about things that excite them, that real writing and research can be fun. In fact, if it’s fun for you, you’ll do a better job. If I tried to write about algebra, it would be a really bad book because as important as it is, it isn’t fun for me. But if a person who loved algebra wrote a book, I’d probably love to read it. That writer would share their excitement with me as a reader. I want kids to know they can do that too, even if they write about skateboards or diamond rings instead of American history.

Has anyone ever written you a fan letter that you’d like to share?

I once got a fan letter that said, “Don’t worry about being weird. You’d fit right in at my house.” And that made me happy. Because I know we are ALL weird in our own ways, and that’s not a bad thing. Weird just means different, and I’m proud of it. I wear my weird with pride.

Is there anything about yourself that you’d like to share - hobbies, where you were born, special talents other than writing/illustrating.

I was born in Texas, I went to high school in California, I loved to ride horses, snow ski, do gymnastics and play tennis before I ripped up my right knee joint. I still like to dig fossils, to paint and to visit anyplace weird, whenever I can. Oh, and I have a four-foot rock iguana named Gigantor living in my dining room.