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Books to Treasure 2006
Lisa Campbell Ernst Bio
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There is nothing to compare with the absolute joy of creation–the act of taking a blank piece of paper and making a whole new world. It is one full of bewilderment, surprise, and certainly, of power. One of my earliest memories is of this sense of power while making a drawing. Wow! It was a revelation that I was an artist, and to my three-year-old mind, it seemed a very noble thing to be. |
I had the great good fortune to grow up in a family that loved books. And, also lucky for me, I had parents who believed in the importance, as well as the fun, of reading aloud. Not only did this instill in me a love of books and storytelling, but it also planted the idea that stories were something to be shared–that they were a gift one could give. Certainly that has a great deal to do with my love of creating children’s books today.
Growing up in Oklahoma, I drew pictures and made up stories about the animals I saw around me in my neighborhood: dogs and cars, lizards and rabbits, turtles, snakes, and birds. I made little books with crayons and scrap paper, stapling the pages together.
Sometimes I feel that things have not changed all that much! I still make up stories about the things I see around me, things that make me wonder “why?” or “how?” or “what if?”
The idea behind When Bluebell Sang began one day while traveling down a country road and seeing cows standing in the shade under a large tree. Of course I had seen cows doing that many times before, but on this particular day it seemed to me that the cows were most definitely up to something, something wonderful that we humans were not privy to–but what? The story of Bluebell, Swenson, and Big Eddie was my answer to that question.
Hannah Mae O’Hannigan’s Wild West Show was inspired by my time growing up in Oklahoma and later living in New York City. The sense of “belonging” to a place and fulfilling one’s dreams gave birth to the character of Hannah Mae. She is very dear to my heart.
Even a traditional tale takes on the perspective of the teller. In creating Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale, I decided to explore the possibilities of a different time and place for a familiar character. Before I knew it, Little Red Riding Hood was riding her bike through cornfields, and Grandma was out on her tractor, not looking any too frail! Sometimes writing can be full of surprises.
I believe that anytime a writer sits down to work, there is a sense of the unknown about to happen. Characters take on lives of their own, coming to forks in the road; it is the writer’s job to decide which path they will choose. Quite often there really is no right or wrong decision, but deep in your heart you find the answer. I think it is the writer’s responsibility to listen to that voice deep within him or her and follow it. And–hopefully– when a story seems right, and true to your heart, it will make sense to the other people too. Trying to be honest to that vision is really all you can ask of yourself as a writer.
After nine years of living in New York City, I’m back at home in the Midwest–Kansas City to be exact. My family includes my husband, Lee, and our two daughters, Allison and Elizabeth.
I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world because I get to work at something I honestly love to do–creating books. It is a grand adventure that I approach with the hope for touching some lives, and hearts, and funny bones along the way.
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