In today's blog post, we have the privilege of chatting with the incredibly talented author Leigh Reagan Alley, the genius behind the multi-award-winning book Shiny Friends Super Squad: Starr of the Show.

In the words of our CEO, “This book will be a BIG hit in every home and classroom with tweens! It’s a bestselling series waiting to happen!”

So get excited…it’s going to be a good one!

Hey Leigh, We're so happy to have this opportunity to chat with you!

I’m so excited, too! Louise has been so generous with her support and praise for this series. It has been such a gift to my spirit. To say I’m grateful doesn’t say the half.

Could you kick things off by giving us a glimpse into your background and what motivated you to become a children’s book author?

I’ve thought of myself principally as a writer since I was small. Some of my earliest memories are of plunking out “newspaper” stories on my grandparents’ typewriter, of stapling endless reams of their stationery together to make books, and of writing poems that my grandfather (a talented, unpublished poet like his father before him) would frame. My third grade teacher was the first person outside of my family to look me in the eyes and tell me that I could make a living as an author. I took her to heart––and became a teacher besides!––because of her beacon of steady encouragement. Someday I’ll tell you the story of The Poetry Door, but I don’t feel like crying today! Mrs. Beal was a light. She was the real deal. And my grandparents? I hit the absolute jackpot with them.

How magical! We look forward to it!

Your book, Shiny Friends Super Squad: Starr of the Show, is full of wonderful teachings for young readers. What was the inspiration behind the storyline and the brilliant characters you’ve created?

That’s so kind of you to say! My own daughter inspired the character of Sunny; she was a maker from birth, I swear! She was always inventing something. Whether making back-scratchers from pencils and pizza lid supports or repurposing my old cameras as change purses, I never knew what she would dream up next! Supporting her to navigate her growing-up years served as the general inspiration for the series. Remembering, vividly, all the bitter and the sweet of pre-teen life made it easy to find the characters’ voices. I also am a longtime educator (I’m Dr. Leigh Alley), and my expertise is in Social- Emotional Learning, The Whole Child, and Wholeness-Centered Teaching and Learning, so it has been fulfilling to introduce the tools of my vocation, my calling, into a series aimed at helping tweens to navigate their relationships and responsibilities more healthfully.

There’s no denying that it has achieved that with certainty. And, considering your wealth of experience and education, we’re not at all surprised that your work has received so much recognition, including The Golden Wizard Book Prize!

Can you tell us more about your journey as a writer and how you developed your storytelling abilities?

For as long as I dreamed of being a writer, I dreamed of teaching learners how to write. My undergraduate study was in English and writing. I was fortunate to attend university on a full academic scholarship, and I was the advanced composition tutor from my sophomore year forward. All of my professors were both deeply talented at their crafts and marvellous at lending their skills and tools. They tailored a curriculum to me and, like my teachers before them, affirmed me and challenged me. My capstone for the B.A. was an MG fantasy manuscript (the Shiny Friends series is somewhat of a departure from my usual work), and my faculty committee asked me to autograph it, God love them. I’m indebted to them forever for the belief and love they poured upon me throughout my time at UMM. For several years after earning my baccalaureate degree, I was a high school English teacher (which I loved!) before transitioning to roles as a literacy and instructional strategist, as a director of a consortium for school improvement, and later as the Executive Director of one of the oldest, largest professional organizations for educators in my state. Today, I am an Assistant Professor of Education in the University of Maine System which invested so much in me. I teach Children’s and Young Adult Literature as part of my load every semester, so it really does feel as though I’ve come full circle!

That is an impressive array of achievements!

Obviously we’re huge admirers of your talent, but we were also really impressed by the illustrations in your book! They are spot on for your intended audience and really add to its greatness. Can you walk us through the process of finding the perfect illustrator and how you collaborated to bring the characters to life on the page?

Thank you so much! Mark Nathan Hurry is an incredible illustrator, isn’t he? He’s ridiculously versatile. The two of us have a synergy that makes our collaboration such a joy and makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. I discovered Mark serendipitously, and we both love that story. Two years before he took on illustration for the series, I had encountered a piece of his fan art by chance. His fan illustration was so wonderful that I thought it had to have been the work of the artist herself!

Remembering Mark and his talent years later, I felt certain that he’d bring the right fun, skill, heart, and vibrancy to the project, which he did––and so much more. Mark and I both think of Sunny and Starr as our children. He and his wife have three daughters of their own, and my husband and I have a daughter and a son. Thinking of “the girls,” as we call them, as an extension of our own families helps us to craft experiences and emotions for them that ring true.

What a fantastic story! It was obviously destined to happen!

Now, given your accomplishments, do you have any advice for aspiring authors who want to follow in your footsteps?

Share your story. It’s the teacher in me, even more than the writer, who says, “Find the courage to put it out there.” I can’t help but think about the times I’d invite my high school students to share their draft fiction. Sometimes the bell would ring before all of their pieces could be read aloud for the group. Other times, students were reluctant to

experience the vulnerability that comes with sharing something that feels so high-stakes, so personal. (Believe me, I get it!) Invariably, there would be nothing but gems in the pile of stories that had yet to be shared. It strikes me that the publishing industry isn’t so very different from that high school classroom. There really are no bad stories. Some are just better developed or polished than others. Keep writing. Keep growing. Keep sharing. Keep letting the proverbial iron sharpen iron. Don’t let anyone dissuade you from the belief that your story is worthy and that someone somewhere needs to read it. Only you can decide that your story deserves to be told, and only you can tell it.

Wow, that’s such an impressive response! Have you considered adding inspirational speaking to your career plans? You would absolutely shine in that role! ;)

So, before we wrap it up, when can we expect the next book in the series, and can you give us any hints about what it will be about? We can't wait to hear more about what's in store for the Shiny Friends Super Squad!

Book Two comes out this fall! In Book One, Starr of the Show, we follow Starr and Sunny, actively at odds over a poor decision Starr makes in the opening pages.

Misunderstanding magnifies the drama at several turns. In Book Two, we follow Sunny as she faces a set of circumstances beyond her control and feels like a passive observer in the events of her own life. The Squad wishes desperately to help her but ultimately find that the best gift they can give Sunny is to be present and to love her through it. As always, I’ve embedded a Social-Emotional Learning strategy that readers can apply in their own lives.

It sounds amazing, we can’t wait to check it out!

Lastly, with such exciting things on the horizon, where can readers and fans follow along with your journey and stay updated on your latest projects and releases?

Readers and fans can join the squad and follow the fun on Instagram (@leighreaganalley, @shinyfriendssupersquad, @piggybankpress, and @mark_nathan_hurry) and on the website: www.shinyfriendssupersquad.com!

Well, we don’t know about you, but that chat left us in awe! What an inspiring author and all- round fantastic person!

Don’t forget to go ahead and join the squad so you can follow along on their journey.

Find the book on Amazon

Thank you so much for reading!

TGW