Interview With Author Sarah Geddes
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi! My name is Sarah Geddes. I live in Michigan – the high five state. I’m a 6th grade language arts teacher, a mom of two boys, and a children’s author – among other things. My book Henry the Sneezing Dragon was published in 2023. My next book will be released Sept. 13th, 2024 – To the Moon: A Jacob and Trevor Adventure. My third book, which I decided to self-publish (because who doesn’t love trying new and scary things?) will be out this fall; it is called The Water Bear Astronaut.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book, coming out Sept. 13th this year is called To the Moon: A Jacob and Trevor Adventure. The book is inspired by my kids. My son Jacob lost his first tooth when he was 5 and around that time we also started our game of pretending to fly to the moon on the saucer swing in our back yard. The book is about a little boy who loses a tooth, but the tooth fairy has run out of money, so she leaves him fairy dust instead. The little boy and his brother use the fairy dust to fly to the moon on an adventure.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well between teaching 6th grade and having two boys… I don’t really have time to write. I generate ideas by playing with my kids and usually end up using the Google Docs app on my phone to get ideas down when I’m waiting for a hair cut or sitting in a parking lot waiting to pick someone up from school.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
When it comes to children’s books – I just love how my boys get pulled in and it made me want to get my stories down on paper. The Tickle Monster is a favorite in our home. Sandra Boynton books were wonderful when they were young. I also loved The Day Teddy Beddy Bear Got Lost by Avery Slier and A Fish Out of Water by PD Eastman – among so many others.
What are you working on now?
I am working on self publishing The Water Bear Astronaut. It is about a tardigrade that goes to space. My boys learned about water bears, or tardigrades, by watching Wild Kratts. From them I learned NASA gad actually sent tardigrades into space. I even looked it up because I had never heard that before. I’ve accepted by now that my kids simply know more about animals (and bugs) now than I do!
I also wrote a story The Stowaway Bear. I really want to get it published but I need time to do some editing and revising. Since I am visiting Mackinac Island (the setting of the book) in August, I’m trying hard to be patient. I think walking about the island with my story in mind may help me make some improvements. It is about a bear named Tully who follows her nose from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – where she lives – and ends up on a ferry boat to Mackinac Island.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, I’m still working on the best promotion methods. I really enjoy selling in person at Charlin’s Book Nook in Frankenmuth. I’m still finding my niche of how to promote myself online.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to simply go for it. Don’t talk yourself out of writing or publishing. It can be really scary to navigate something new – and to be honest, I’m still learning the world of publishing myself, but there are people willing and able to help you along the way.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is no one thing that sticks out to me. I think in general the advice to believe in yourself and to be kind to others are the ones that mean the most to me. Both of these tie into how I want to live and the type of stories I want to write.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston right now. She is an author I only just discovered. Earlier this month I finished The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center, Funny Story by Emily Henry, and a few Tessa Bailey books. Looks like I have been pulled into all romance novels this summer!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to get my book The Stowaway Bear revised and published. After that I’m just excited to see where the next story comes from. What adventure will my kids and I have that spark a new idea to put down on paper?
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Am I alone on this island or are my kids and husband with me? It influences my decisions for sure! I would choose Perfect by Judith McNaught. I might also choose The Host by Stephanie Meyer – although it has been a while since I have read it. And although I can barely remember the stories – I know I loved Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Clearly when I was young. That might be a fun one to have for my boys as they got older on this desert island 🙂
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