MIRANDA BIRTHISEL “Being a mother is what started my passion for writing!”
Kelly’s Writerly Q&A October Author Interview is with Miranda Birthisel, a children’s author, mother and primary school teacher. Picture books have always played an important part in Miranda’s life so it’s no wonder she’s got several books being published this year and next. She’s a fellow Beyond Words author and her second picture book Santa Bilby, published by Scholastic, is out now!
Kelly: Welcome Miranda, it’s so great to chat! Thanks for taking the time to answer some writerly questions. Congratulations on publishing your second picture book, Santa Bilby, what’s it about?
Miranda: Thanks, Kelly! On Christmas morning Santa is stuck and calls on his mate, the Easter Bilby, to help finish delivering the presents. Bilby tries to deliver them the same way Santa would but soon realises that she needs to put her own spin on Christmas this year! It’s a fun story full of chaos and cuteness and Cate James has done such a wonderful job bringing it to life.
Kelly: It’s an adorable read that’s so festive, I’m feeling the Christmas spirit now! What does your typical day of writing look like, has it changed from when you published your debut?
Miranda: I always have my little ones with me so the most I will do during the day is write a few notes to work on later. My main writing time is at night once the kids have gone to bed or in the early morning before they wake. This is how it’s always been but hopefully, in the future, I can have writing days!
Kelly: It sounds like you have a wonderful routine. I’m sure as your kids grow you’ll gain some writing days. What has it been like going on submission and landing multiple publisher yeses?
Miranda: It’s a great feeling to finish a story and send it to my agent for submission, but I try not to get my hopes up. Some stories that I’ve had a particularly good feeling about have come back a no. Although it’s hard news to receive, I appreciate that a publisher has taken the time to respond as the waiting and silence is often the hardest part of the process. I also find the rejection to be easier if I’m working on another story that I’m excited about. On the occasion a story does come back with a yes, it’s obviously the best feeling. I feel like I know the characters in my stories so well and it’s incredible to think they are going to come to life beyond my words!
Kelly: It must be amazing to know your characters are going to come to life beyond your words - I love that statement so much!
Kelly: Some writers say that every time they sit down to write a new story, they forget how it’s done. Do you agree with that statement or do you feel more confident than ever?
Miranda: I don’t necessarily forget how it’s done but I have my own messy way of writing that wouldn’t work for a lot of people. Sometimes the first thing I work on is the ending because that’s the one thing I’m clear about. Other times, I start in the middle and jump around the pages trying to nut out the story. The beginning is often last as I crumble under the pressure of getting it right. There are so many different ways to write the same story, whether it’s the point of view or structure, so I will sometimes have two versions going on at the same time until one stands out as the better fit. I mostly write in rhyme but sometimes a story leans more towards prose so I enjoy the change when that happens.
Kelly: The beginning is always the hardest so it makes sense to write that part last. Let’s talk about motherhood and being a primary school teacher, how has that impacted you as a writer?
Miranda: Being a mother is what started my passion for writing! My kids love picture books and between the four of us, we hire a ridiculous amount each week from the library. It’s one of my favourite days because we then go home and read them together. One day I read 38 picture books to my kids in one sitting. If that doesn’t spark my creativity, I don’t know what will!
Kelly: Same! I didn’t start writing my first manuscript until I became a mother! So, what can we expect from you next?
Miranda: I have 5 books coming out across 2025 and 2026 including the return of Bilby at Easter. It was a really fun story to write so I’m looking forward to sharing more soon!
Kelly: How wonderful! I look forward to another Bilby adventure! So much to look forward to! Thanks so much for your time.
Miranda: Thanks, Kelly!
If you’d like to know more about Miranda, follow her on Instagram. And I’d love it if you checked out my review of Santa Bilby here. Thanks for reading!
