This is an interview about Share Faire Famous and No School, My Rules!, presented in partnership* with Stephanie Henson and The Children’s Book Review.
In this captivating interview, we delve into the creative world of a multifaceted children’s author, Stephanie Henson, who has two new books: Share Faire Famous, a middle grade novel exploring the challenges faced by a former internet-famous baby navigating middle school, and No School, My Rules! a lyrical picture book that takes readers on a journey through the eyes of a child questioning the need for school.
Stephanie shares the unique inspirations behind these stories, her involvement with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and how personal experiences, including battling the autoimmune disease Psoriatic Arthritis, have influenced her writing. With a passion for working with independent presses and a knack for incorporating poetic devices into her prose, this author is determined to create stories that entertain and help children, proving that writing is her true calling.
Your middle grade novel, Share Faire Famous, explores the theme of a former internet-famous baby navigating the challenges of middle school. What inspired you to write about this unique perspective?
Stephanie Henson (SH): During the pandemic, I followed a family on TikTok who had a little boy named Franklin. He was one year old at the time and the family posted every milestone, every moment, every memory online for the world to see. Franklin instantly became famous and had no idea. As a one-year-old, you have no control over what is shared on social media. So, I thought it would be fun to sort of imagine what it would be like for Franklin to grow up having this fame he never asked for and enter Middle School. What would that look like? How would he handle everyone knowing who he was when he barely knew himself? That was sort of the inspiration behind Share Faire Famous.
In Share Faire Famous, the protagonist, Marshall, grows weary of pursuing social media fame. How do you think this theme resonates with today’s youth, who are growing up in a world dominated by social media?
SH: In the book, every choice to be featured online was made by Marshall’s mother. She is responsible for his fame. Now that Marshall is older and able to make his own decisions, he is reluctant to have so much of his life out there for everyone to see. I think it resonates with what is happening today on social media. There is an insatiable need to be a part of everything, and there is FOMO if you are not. I think there can be a struggle with what you want people to have access to and what you would rather have remain private. Kids today are addicted to their phones and are accustomed to posting every little element of their lives online. I think it’s interesting to have a character who is sort of the opposite of that.
Share Faire Famous tackles various aspects of middle school life, such as bullying, the Class President race, first love, and the search for purpose. How do you balance these diverse themes while maintaining a cohesive narrative?
SH: I think weaving these themes through the book was a fluid process since the evolution of the story and the growth of Marshall’s character had him facing different challenges and how he responded to those incidents. Kids nowadays have many different experiences in Middle School that have them sort of maturing on the fly and dealing with circumstances beyond their control. As in life, the story pivots to have Marshall manage the emotions that come along with these coming-of-age themes.
Your lyrical picture book, No School, My Rules! takes readers on a journey through the eyes of a child who questions the need for school. What message do you hope young readers will take away from this story?
SH: I hope to give kids a different perspective on how they approach going to school. I do not believe this book will magically make kids want to go to school, but rather, it will allow them to understand the various reasons why kids might not want to go and, through the main character’s internal logic, ultimately will let them see the need for school. Kids will be able to relate to this book because not wanting to go to school is this universal feeling that most kids have had.
In No School, My Rules! you make playful comparisons between the child’s life and the lives of birds, sandcastles, and trees. How did you come up with these creative comparisons, and what do they symbolize?
SH: This book came as a result of my own undiagnosed anxiety as a kid, as well as my son’s anxiety at the time over not wanting to go to school. During one of his tantrums over not wanting to go, he referenced our Puggle Elsie and said, “If Elsie does not have to go to school, then I don’t have to go either.” So the lightbulb went off in my head, and I just had these ideas of different animals or objects not having to go to school and what that would look like. There is symbolism between each object I chose and the corresponding reason for not wanting to go. There is actually a spread in the book about dogs, thanks to my son.
As a member of SCBWI and a 2024 SCBWI Virtual Conference Scholarship winner, how has your involvement with this organization influenced your writing journey?
SH: SCBWI gives so many opportunities to writers to improve their craft. I am constantly attending webinars offered by the organization in order to gain more knowledge of the writing and creating process. My time attending the virtual conference was so beneficial since I had access to all of the keynote speeches as well as live opportunities to participate in writing workshops. I feel as a result of all of these learning opportunities, I am a much better writer than when I first started out.
You’ve been published in various print and online publications, including a children’s poetry book that reached Number One New Release on Amazon. How has your experience with poetry influenced your prose writing?
SH: Poetry is the backbone of everything I write. I try to incorporate different poetic devices in my writing to give it a lush lyrical feel. Connecting to the emotion of poetry also allows me to dig deeper inside my characters’ heads to really try to convey what they are feeling and thinking. Poetry is really the celebration of lyrical language marrying emotion, and I am poised to approach all of my writing that way.
As a creator who identifies with underrepresented groups and battles with the autoimmune disease Psoriatic Arthritis, how do you incorporate your personal experiences into your writing?
SH: I think there is a daily challenge associated with living with a chronic condition. You never know waking up what kind of day you might be in store for. Fatigue and joint pain are big symptoms, as well as brain fog. It affects my writing because I often write from a social and emotional perspective that is fueled by the hardships caused by living with a disability.
For example, my PB manuscript, “I’m Not OK, But That’s OK,” outlines several scenarios in which a child might not feel OK all the time. The goal of the piece is to let the child know that they are not alone and that it’s normal not to feel OK sometimes. When you are afflicted with a chronic illness, that is something that you learn very quickly.
Both Share Faire Famous and No School, My Rules! are being published by independent presses (Oh MG Press and Tielmour Press, respectively). What drew you to work with these particular publishers?
SH: I love working with small presses. I find that there is a level of personal attention and communication that you might not necessarily have with a bigger house. There is accessibility there, which I appreciate. Plus, it’s exciting to work with new publishers because they tend to publish innovative pieces or stories that traditional, bigger publishers might ignore. My writing tends not to fit into a traditional box, so I feel my style is very well suited to smaller presses.
With two books releasing in the summer of 2024, what’s next for you as a writer? Are there any upcoming projects or themes you’re excited to explore in the future?
SH: I am super excited to promote these two books this summer and hopefully have some signings where I can connect with kids. We are planning a launch party for No School, My Rules! at a local independent toy store that also sells books. We will have a reading, crafts, and treats, so I look forward to that.
I have two Upper Middle Grade Novels in Verse on sub that I am hopeful about, and I am in the process of drafting my third. I also have two beach-themed picture books on sub that I hope will get picked up. Other than that, I love to write children’s poetry and have submitted to an anthology that I would love to be a part of.
But mostly, I will continue to write things that will hopefully help and entertain children because, in my heart, I know that it is what I am meant to do.
About the Books
Share Faire Famous
Written by Stephanie Henson
Ages 10-12 | 202 Pages
Publisher: Oh MG Press (2024) | ISBN-13: 9798869193070
Publisher’s Synopsis: Marshall, a former internet-famous baby, now roams the overwhelming halls of middle school.
While most teenagers endlessly pursue social media fame, he’s grown weary of it!
Throw in an unyielding bully, the intense Class President race, budding first love, and the search for purpose-all woven together with middle school angst.
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No School, My Rules!
Written by Stephanie Henson
Illustrated by Mai Tran
Ages 5-6 | 48 Pages
Publisher: Tielmour Press (2024) | ISBN-13: 9781738219315
Publisher’s Synopsis: A heartfelt story that takes readers on a lyrical journey through the eyes of a child who questions the need for school.
With playful comparisons to the effortless lives of birds, sandcastles, and even trees, this tale humorously explores the idea of a world without school until she ultimately discovers the more profound significance of education.
This charming narrative not only captivates with its creativity but also imparts a meaningful lesson about the importance of school in shaping a confident and independent future for readers of all ages.
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About the Author
Stephanie Henson lives with her family in West Chester, Pennsylvania, but is originally from Central, New Jersey, where she has a degree in Communications and a Publishing and Professional Writing Certificate from Rider University. She is also a member of SCBWI (Eastern PA Chapter) & is a 2024 SCBWI Virtual Conference Scholarship winner. She has been published in print and online through various publications and has several children’s poems published.
Her first Children’s Poetry book was released in affiliation with Experiments in Fiction, an indie publisher in the UK, and reached the Number One New Release in Children’s Poetry on Amazon (ebook). She recently announced her next project, a Picture Book on school refusal, to be published with Tielmour Press in August 2024. She also has an MG Contemporary coming June 2024 to be published with Oh MG Press.
Stephanie identifies with underrepresented creators with chronic illnesses through her battle with psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease. Finally, she enjoys reading, theatre, mindless web searching, Netflix binges, sunflowers, sports, and anything related to coffee!
For more information, visit stephanie-henson.weebly.com/.
This interview—An Interview with Stephanie Henson, Creator of ‘Share Faire Famous’ and ‘No School, My Rules!’—was conducted between Stephanie Henson and Bianca Schulze.
