Interview with Children’s Author Stephanie Riley

When thinking about subjects for a series of blog posts for my MorningStar Editing LLC website, I decided to interview a children’s author. I decided to do this because I know a lot of authors, both newbie and established, have a lot of questions they’d like to ask other authors.

I chose to interview Stephanie Riley, a successful children’s author, because I’ve edited three of her Adventure Squad children’s books. I know how dedicated she is, how much she enjoys writing her books, and how much she’s learned along the way.

One thing that stands out to me in Stephanie’s writing process is how committed she is to writing for her audience. As her editor, I see this again and again: the writers who are willing to rethink, reshape, and refine their drafts to meet their audience needs are the ones who grow the most—and whose stories become ready for their readers.

The following answers are Stephanie’s. I did not shorten them or edit them in any way, except to meet Chicago Manual of Style requirements. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Stephanie Riley is a successful children’s author. She is a pediatric occupational therapist by trade and lives with her family in central Louisiana. She has graciously agreed to talk to me about her writing journey. You can learn more about Stephanie and the Adventure Squad at Amazon.com: Stephanie Riley: books, biography, latest update. The following is the first in a series of interviews on writing, editing, and marketing.

1. Have you always wanted to be a writer? If not, when and how did your journey begin?
Actually, no. I’ve always been an avid reader and a “creative” in general. I play two musical instruments, I love to draw, I’ve written a few poems, things like that. For years my husband has been encouraging me to try my hand at writing stories. That was a skill that I just did not think that I had. Then one day I was at work (I’ve been a pediatric occupational therapist for twenty-five years – currently in the public school system) and I was telling some of my students about my pet bird Guava. They were so enamored with her. It just occurred to me that she would make a great protagonist for a children’s book series. Inspired by the idea, and further encouraged by my husband, the idea snowballed from there.

2. Have you always wanted to write children’s books? What about them attracts you? Have you considered writing other kinds of books? What genre and why?
When I first embraced the idea of writing, it was definitely children’s stories that I gravitated to. It was a natural extension of my work with the kids. I know children really well, so creating stories for them came easier than I expected.

While writing the third book in my children’s series I started to get the “itch” to branch out into adult novels. I have two favorite authors: J. R. R. Tolkien and Stephen King. The first is a natural fit. Going from reading children’s stories to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is a progression one would expect. On the other hand, when people find out that I love Stephen King, it tends to throw them. I guess I have a dark side hiding in here somewhere because I love a good thriller or horror novel! I started my first in a series thriller novel in October. It has required a lot more research and more complex character development than my children’s series, but I am absolutely loving it!

3. What made you decide to take a chance at writing children’s books?
That’s easy. It was the kids that I work with. The public school system is so rigid now. Everything is about academic minutes and testing. There’s no time left for creativity, imagination, and just losing yourself in a good book. There isn’t any value placed on reading for the pure joy of story. That was the hole that I wanted to fill. I want to give kids stories that they can lose themselves in; stories that take them on an adventure and bring them so much joy that they can’t wait to find the next book to dive into.

4. Where do you get your ideas for your characters and for the story?
For my characters, I started with our pets. We have our own little zoo at home. Guava is my green cheeked conure, and she is my writing buddy and companion. I’ve shared her pictures and videos with the kids that I work with and they love her. Our two guinea pigs were a natural fit to round out the Adventure Squad. They are small, furry, and very cute. I also included my daughter’s horse in the first book as the lost “Calico Colt.” The rest of the animals I made up. Some are “inspired” by family members, but they are purely from my imagination. I decided early on that I wanted all the characters in my series to be animals. It appeals to my target age group (seven-to-ten-year olds) and doesn’t require any overthinking as far as cultural sensitivity or politics are concerned. I want my stories to be for all kids of all backgrounds, nationalities, genders, etc… An all animal cast fits the bill.

For my stories, the plot usually drives the location. I wanted the colt, Star, in the first book to be lost in an underground mine. I had visited the Calico silver mines in California (now a tourist attraction) with my husband so that was the first location that came to mind. But where I get the overall story idea is a harder question to answer. I’ll revert to Stephen King. In his book On Writing, King says that stories are “found things.” They already exist, like fossils in the ground just waiting for an author to dig them up. He also says that although every successful author eventually gets asked that question, few, if any, have an answer. I think it’s just different for everyone and very hard to qualify. But for me, it feels like the fossil he described. It starts as a very small piece of a much larger artifact that emerges from a song, a smell, a picture, an item in a thrift store, an experience, etc… Once the fossil pokes up out of the ground, I dig it up as I write.

 5. How long does it take you to write the story? Do you do any outlining or storyboarding? Why or why not?
I can write a first draft manuscript of the Adventure Squad in about fifteen hours. Unfortunately, that often translates into two weeks or more, depending on what time of the year it is. If it’s summer and I’m out of school, it gets done much faster. My writing time is dependent on my other responsibilities, but I can get about 1000 words down in an hour. I do not outline or story board at all for the Adventure Squad, and I write in chronological order. Once I start digging up the fossil, it just starts pouring out.

My novel, on the other hand, is shaping up a bit differently. I will never be a plotter. In every other aspect of my life, I am very much a planner–sometimes too much! But with writing, planning kills the creative process, full stop. I think that is why I didn’t believe that I could write at first. When I tried to come up with story ideas, I would over think it and it killed the creative “buzz.” I am and always will be a discovery writer (the old term was “pantser”). However, I am finding that because the story of my novel and the two main protagonists are so much more complex, I am having to do a little planning in the form of background of the characters and a few of the main plot points that will move the story along. Other than that, when I get into what writers call “flow,” the scenes come into my head like a movie, with video and audio, and I try to get it on the page with as much fidelity as possible.

6.Is there anything you would like to add or tell us about your writing process?
I have recently started referring to the Save the Cat story beats for structure. I’m not writing out the beats and then creating the story with them. Rather, as I write I use the Save the Cat story beats as a guide to where the scenes might best fit to move the story along. I write the Adventure Squad in sequential order from beginning to end. But with my novel, scenes started coming to me fully formed, but not in order. It’s a weird change, but a fun one. I never know what my characters are going to do next!

Stephanie’s approach highlights two things I see often as an editor: the value of structure and the freedom of discovery. Using tools like Save the Cat as a guide—not a rigid formula—can help keep a story moving while still leaving room for surprises. I’ve seen this balance play out in the Adventure Squad books: a strong underlying structure paired with moments that feel organic and character-driven. Whether you draft in order or write scenes as they come, the real work happens in revision, when those pieces are shaped into a clear, engaging story for young readers.

Want to grow as a children’s writer, not just polish one draft? I offer critiques and editing that focus on clear guidance and craft lessons you can use long after you finish one manuscript. Learn more about my children’s editing and coaching services on my website under Services.

In the next interview, Stephanie shares how she found her editor, what it’s really like to work with an editor, what she learned, and what helped her the most during the editing process.