Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Henderson Smith.
Hi Angela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Who doesn’t want to believe that anything is possible? When you were a child, did you watch Peter Pan and think, “That couldn’t really happen!” Probably not. You enjoyed the magic without calling it that. You were different in some way after you met Peter, You believed. I write because I BELIEVE—
Anything can happen in children’s books. That’s one reason I love to write them. Nothing good is off-limits.
Anything can happen in children’s hearts. That’s another reason I Iove to write books. Stories become a part of each child.
Anything can happen in children’s worlds. That’s the main reason I love to read my stories to them. We connect.
I started writing when I was about eight years old. I actually still have the journals filled with super important stuff like who I liked that week and what I did that day…but hey, it was a start. I also started art classes when I was six and had the same teacher until I was 18. The perfect match of writing and art is children’s books! Although I don’t do my own illustrations, I’m drawn to books by the art. No pun intended.
When my three kids were little, we would max out our library cards with children’s books and picked them out by the art. Although reading with them wasn’t always “glorious,” what really is? It was totally worth prioritizing. And as I read to them, I started having my own ideas…jumpstarted by reading, but definitely inspired by random moments with my kids especially times outdoors.
My firstborn son Christian inspired my first book, Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree. When he drew a scoop of ice cream on a tree, I said, “Wouldn’t that be so cool if ice cream could grow on trees?” For kids, that even tops money growing on trees! So, I began writing a story where that’s what happened. My son, six-years-old at the time, did all the artwork, and together we “preformed” readings of the book at church and in our local library.
Later when I was back in the classroom as an English teacher and was also a single mom, I decided to go for it. I already spent years several years attended SCBWI conferences to learn the ins and outs of children’s books (which made my respect for each book SO much greater,) and connected with other authors in some part of their own journey. I blogged faithfully for years creating lessons for 180 children’s books that I read. I wanted to learn everything about it. My writing mentor gave me a push…it was time. Time to take a chance on my own stuff. So, I cut the first ISAAC manuscript by about 800 words, sent it to a publisher, and waited, and waited…until about 9 months later, I got a letter saying that the publisher accepted it! One letter, one yes, represents years of work. Risky work. Work that may have only been read by “my people.” Work that was worth it either way as it was part of our story either way. Work that I’m thrilled goes beyond us…
Since Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree (2019), I’ve launched two more of Isaac’s adventures, Isaac & Izzy’s Tree House (2020), and Isaac & Izzy’s Magical Maples (2021). Rachael Koppendrayer is my illustrator, and she brings the stories to life in a way that only she can!
*My favorite part of getting these books published professionally and being an English teacher is that schools will welcome me in to connect with their kids while I read the stories to them. I love it…every second of it. I love their faces, their thoughts, their excitement.
—Just as Peter Pan can fly to Neverland, fight off Captain Hook, talk with fairies, and so forth…Children are so engrossed with the adventure, that they may not even realize that they left feeling braver, freer, stronger, and more curious. “
The themes of my three books are captured on the final page, the first one being, “Even when the magic seems gone, always remember to look for the rainbow.” If children in the audience or on their grandma’s laps or in their bedroom drifting off, hear or read the story and enjoy it, that’s success. If they feel like that no matter what’s going on in their lives, they can have JOY by looking for the good, that’s success.
…The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” -J.M.Barrie
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Getting the letter of acceptance from a publisher wouldn’t be as rewarding if the road was smooth, but boy, in certain moments, it’s hard to appreciate the process. Longing for ease is natural!
TIME was and still is the hardest obstacle. Allowing myself to do something that feeds my soul, but doesn’t “feed my stomach” was something I had to know was right for my season of life. When I became a single mom, I went back into the classroom to support my kids and me, but anytime the kids were not with me, I wrote. I read. I attended conferences. I did what I could and tried not to get discouraged by what I couldn’t. Easier said than done. I still aim for that.
Other challenges are definitely rejection from publishers, discouragement in the learning process, frustration due to lack of resources, and disappointments along the way. YET, I think the MOST important challenge and common thread with writers (and really all creators) is to “KNOW YOUR WHY.” If my why was only to hold my completed books in my hands or to make money, I’d feel very empty…especially as people don’t realize that the publisher makes most of the money unless your J.K.Rowling. But the cure to that challenge is to determine my why and keep coming back to it throughout the process.
I’ve gained so much more…connected in unique ways with my trio when they were little, connected with authors and illustrators and learned SO much from them, connected with artistic friends, small business owners, librarians, and principals doing school visits, and each time, it’s become part of my story…part of who I am and hopefully part of who they are.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The best way I can describe my work or my “brand” is to share a personal text from a friend: “Dear Angela, I spent time this afternoon thinking of you. I slowly read both of your books. I stopped many times looking at the illustrations. Your work shares beautiful messages with young readers: the importance of friendship, of sharing with others, of facing obstacles with perseverance and hope. You live your life upon those beliefs. . . You bring your joyful energy and your positive attitude.” (Magda Widner)
Her words are water to my thirty soul. Serving one’s work and others is success in the purest form. Madeleine L’Engle continues to say in her book Walking on Water, Reflections of Faith & Art, “When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist; Shakespeare knew how to listen to his work, and so he often wrote better than he could write; Bach composed more deeply, more truly, than he knew; Rembrandt’s brush put more of the human spirit on canvas than Rembrandt could comprehend. When the work takes over, then the artist is enabled to get out of the way, not to interfere. When the work takes over, then the artist listens. But before he can listen, paradoxically, he must work.”
Although I’ll never touch these masters, my desire is to listen, create, and share. When I have the JOY of being with children and introducing them to Isaac, my hope is that they will be FILLED with hope in their individual circumstances while enjoying a magical story together. Don’t we all need that?
What am I known for? Bringing HOPE to kids…and bringing it with the energy of an Enneagram 7
What sets me apart from others? Bringing people together
What am I most proud of? I don’t know if “proud” is the right word, but what I value most is having HOPE in my Savior Jesus Christ throughout my daily life and experiencing His grace and help especially through loss of my mom, divorce, single mothering for six years, taking risks writing, teaching and loving middle schoolers, and most recently, new hope with the joy of being a newlywed to my love Neal Smith
*I’m also excited about starting Single Moms of Sunnyvale, a ministry for single moms and their kids to receive practical help for their needs. March 2022 is our one-year-birthday, and in our first year, we’ve been able to provide aid for critical needs such as counseling, medical bills, utility bills, partial rent, and such. When I am invited to book events at schools, I’m able to raise awareness and give a portion of my proceeds to this cause.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Know your why.
Appreciate the process. Journal or take pictures along the way to capture it. Look at where you started and see where you’ve come instead of only how far you have to go. Don’t compare your journey to another person’s journey as your story won’t be the same.
Articulate what you want to be known and ask others closest to you what you are known for. The closer those two answers are, the closer you are to the truest success, knowing yourself and inspiring others.
Laugh…at yourself. Like yourself.
Measure success carefully…money is necessary, but it isn’t THE measure of real success.
Be grateful. Gratitude is the cure for most things.
Contact Info:
- Email: author.angelahenderson@gmail.com
- Website: angelahendersonauthor.com
- Instagram: @angelahendersonauthor
- Facebook: @authorhendersonauthor
Image Credits
Matt McEllogott Photography
