Interview: Keira Legge

Keira Legge is 9 years old and in 5th grade. She loves reading. Her favorite books are the Justin Case Series and Case Closed Series. In school, her favorite subject is Social Studies. When she is not in school, she plays softball and karate. Keira loves to travel with her family. They went to Hawaii. That was amazing! Her goal is to go to Australia someday.

Keira’s story, “Christmas Countdown,” is part of Little Thoughts Press Issue One: Magical Winter.

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Little Thoughts Press: “Christmas Countdown" has a unique structure where the story is told in small snippets for each day leading up to Christmas. It kind of reminds me of diary entries. Can you tell me about how you decided on this structure for your story? Was there anything specific that inspired you?

Keira Legge: I read a book series called Justin Case by Rachel Vail and it was written in a diary style and I loved reading it so I thought I would write my story in that same style. When I heard the 12 days of Christmas song, the idea of writing a story about the days leading up to Christmas came to me.

Little Thoughts Press: "Christmas Countdown" features a lot of wonderful holiday traditions—decorating, family photos, notes to Santa. What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Keira Legge: I love putting decorations around the house while listening to Christmas music. I also really enjoy driving around with my family looking at all the lights on houses and seeing different light shows. It makes it feel so magical.

Little Thoughts Press: One thing I love about writing stories is being able to imagine experiences that are different from my own, and one thing I find challenging is writing dialogue that sounds natural and realistic when spoken by kids.

What do you enjoy most about writing, and what do you find the most challenging?

Keira Legge: It is fun to create different stories, I love imagining ideas and then being able to bring them to life. It is the best. The most challenging is coming up with ideas and themes. I liked this because I was given the theme of winter which helped me figure out what to write about.

Little Thoughts Press: What are your favorite books, and/or what is the best book you've read recently?

Keira Legge: My favorite books are the Justin Case series by Rachel Vale and the Case Closed Series by Lauren Magaziner. Lauren Magaziner has inspired me to write. I have signed copies of her books and she even wrote me a letter. It was awesome!

I am currently reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and am loving it.

Little Thoughts Press: What is your favorite thing about winter?

Keira Legge: Playing in the snow with my friends. We have had some big snow storms lately and it has been so much fun building snowmen and having snowball fights.

Little Thoughts Press: What inspired you to start writing and do you have any advice for other young writers?

Keira Legge: Other than Lauren Magaziner, my mom and my teachers have inspired me to write. My mom and I worked on a picture book called The Comfy Spot together, which was published recently. My advice is that anything can be a story, it can be big or small, it can really be anything you want. You just have to write it down.

Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked?

Keira Legge: For those that don’t like to write, I want to say that it doesn’t have to be boring. You can write about anything you want, it can be about your family, your favorite game, it can be magical or completely make-believe. There is no end to the possibilities in writing, so just let your imagination go and write it down.

And thank you for having my story be a part of this. It has been such a cool experience. It was awesome to see my story published and with such amazing illustrations.

Snow Up in the Sky (by Henry Austin-Fernald)

by chanphoto via Unsplash

Snow Up in the Sky

BY HENRY AUSTIN-FERNALD

Up in the sky

Sparkles everywhere

Everyone looks

Up at the sky

And the lights went off 

And the moon and the stars brightened up the whole town

And then that was the end

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Henry Austin- Fernald is 5 years old and lives in Maine with his little sister and parents. Henry loves when his mom or dad read to him, especially Magic Tree House books or other stories about magical adventure. He also loves playing dressing up, swimming in the ocean, and making backyard forts with his friends.

Henry’s poem “(Hanukkah) Candles” appears in Little Thoughts Press Issue One: Magical Winter.

Interview: Luree Scott

Luree Scott is a writer and performer from San Diego, CA. She received a BA in Theatre Arts and English from the University of San Diego and is currently an MFA candidate in UCR Palm Desert's Low Residency MFA Program for Creative Writing, where she studies fiction and playwriting. Her previous works can be read in The Alcala Review and Poets' Choice.

Luree’s story, “The Sugar Plum Something,” is part of Little Thoughts Press Issue One: Magical Winter.

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Little Thoughts Press: Your story, "The Sugar Plum Something" deals with complex themes about family and place through the connection between a child and a magical creature she discovers while shopping for a Christmas tree. Can you talk a bit about how this story developed? What was your initial inspiration? And what message do you hope young readers will take away from this story?

Luree Scott: The initial idea for this story came about not long after my mother and I went Christmas tree shopping during the pandemic. It was back in 2020, so it was the first year where traditions were being challenged because of health risks and overall exhaustion, and that trip to the neighborhood Michael’s for decorations was overwhelming to say the least. My mother had decided to "downsize" our tree. The big green one we put up every year wasn't going to be taken out. Instead, we were picking out a lighter tree (both in weight and color). It was pencil thin, covered in white frost (not very green at all), and just didn't look like Christmas to me. I tried to look cheerful and excited, and in some ways I was because we still got to decorate, but that change struck me at my core. I started asking myself questions like: Why does our old tree mean so much to me? Why doesn't this feel like Christmas anymore? What am I missing? So then I started writing "The Sugarplum Something" to answer those questions; to find a deeper meaning within that small, craft store experience. And to make a little more holiday cheer for myself in the process. Through the writing of that story, I reminded myself that love and family are the things that make Christmas feel right, and that anyone can be that family for you. It doesn't have to be traditional to be good. It's the love that's the good part. That's what I'd like readers to take away from it.

Little Thoughts Press: You have a background in theater and are currently studying both fiction and playwriting. In what ways does your performance background inform your writing? Are there similarities to how you approach your fiction and playwriting? What do you think are the biggest differences between these forms of writing?

Luree Scott: What my theater experience has done for me in terms of writing is allowed me to fully embody characters. To become them and understand them, even if they are wildly different or opposite to who I am as a person. I know for a fact that has helped me create unique characters in my prose, poetry, and stage plays. It's been a great help with forming dialogue too. People often say things in their own special way. The way my mother talks is completely different from the mail lady, whose voice is completely different from the manager of the Starbucks down the road, and so on. The Wicked Witch of the West has different words and ideals than Mary Poppins (and I felt that very physically and emotionally when I played these characters on stage).

Fiction and playwriting are also both very character driven. Without a main character or characters who the audience is connected to, there's not much of a story to experience. But here's the main difference I've found: In fiction, you get to describe the setting, the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and the actions to the very finest detail. In playwriting, as we've studied in my MFA program, most of what you can use is dialogue. You get a little bit of time to describe action and setting, but you're mostly focused on what your characters say. Writing in both mediums has helped me learn how action and dialogue can work together; how much or how little can be used to create different tones and plotlines. I definitely recommend writing in multiple forms and genres (especially the ones that seem the hardest for you), because that allows you to gain techniques that help all aspects of your writing.

Little Thoughts Press: What initially drew you to writing kid lit and what do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for a young audience?

Luree Scott: This is a very interesting question for me, because I don't usually write with an audience in mind. I just write the story and trust that the audience for it will find it someday. And "The Sugar Plum Something" did find its way eventually, but in an even more fantastic way. I originally sent this to another magazine, where you, Claire, were a reader who read various submissions. I wasn't accepted into that magazine, but you told them to mention the submissions for Little Thoughts Press as a potential home for my story. So, I submitted it again to you this time, and my story found its audience in kid lit in a way I had never expected, which is in itself a true kind of magic! I feel this is important to mention for the writers who are just starting out. This experience let me know that rejection is not the end of the world, and even if some readers don't understand your story, or have a place for it yet, there is always someone out there who will.

What was challenging about writing for a young audience was how I used language. I often write with long sentences and descriptions. I can't help it sometimes. I’ve got a lot to say! So going back to make it more accessible for younger audiences involved a lot of revision, cutting, rearranging here and there, and finding ways to rephrase some ideas so they were simpler. But I loved it! Getting that awesome feedback about where to trim up my story helped me realize that I could still accomplish quite a lot with fewer words. The rewards for writing for a younger audience are many, but I think my favorite is that it can inspire their imagination, and encourage them to see the world in different, even impossible ways. Reading when I was young inspired me to become a writer myself and make up my own stories.

Little Thoughts Press: Which kid lit authors and books were your favorites growing up?

Luree Scott: I had so many authors and books when I was young that truly ignited my passion for a good story. Some of my favorites are The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, the Avalon: Web of Magic series by Rachel Roberts, and Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George.

Little Thoughts Press: What is your favorite thing about winter?

Luree Scott: That's so tough! The long sweaters and blankets, and hot tea, and Christmas movies are all so much fun and comforting. But I have to say, I really do love wrapping and gifting presents. It feels like making little reminders for everyone in your life of how much they mean to you. The smiles and laughter when you exchange them can't be beat. And you get some reminders yourself of how much you mean to others in return. Yeah, gift giving is pretty special.

Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers?

Luree Scott: To all the young writers out there, I give you permission to write what you want to write, not what other people want you to write. You may look at your story and think it's too silly, too weird, too fantastical, too realistic, too anything. It's not. Like I've said before in this interview, there is going to be someone out there that loves your story and believes in it, just like there are people who love and believe in you. Take it from someone who has a published story about a tree-elf-gremlin-creature in a fake Christmas tree. No story is off limits. What matters is that it makes you happy and means something special to you.

Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share?

Luree Scott: These questions were so thoughtful and well said. I can't possibly think of another that could have been asked. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my work and process! I'm just back in school now and hope to graduate from UCR Palm Desert's Low Residency MFA program in the Fall of 2022! I also usually share updates on my publications on Twitter when they come out, so if anyone is interested, I'm over there at @luree_s.

A Magical Winter (by Issy Mooney)

by @aaronburden via Unsplash

A Magical Winter

by Issy Mooney

I woke up, the sound of crackling logs making me smile. The buzz of my family arguing about  whether we should have bacon and egg or sausage sandwiches made me laugh a little. I got up,  pulled on my jeans and checked shirt and went into the kitchen. My family seemed to have reached  a decision to have sausage because there were sausages sizzling in a pan in the corner and Lilly (my little sister) was watching the TV over by the sofa. I went over and sat with her and saw that (to no one’s surprise) she was watching Malory Towers, a show that she had become addicted to a few weeks ago.

Mother said “Sausage ok for breakfast? I’ve got some sausages on but I can do bacon if  you want.”  

“Sausage is perfect Mum,” I called back across the kitchen.

I looked out the window and a glorious day was out the window. The snow was coming down in gentle flakes that rested on the lawn and the trees in the forest outside the log cabin we were staying in. I couldn’t wait to get out in the snow and go exploring.  

“Mum,” I called across the kitchen, “Can I text Mollie and see if she wants to go to explore the  woods?”

Mollie is my best friend from school and she had come away on holiday. She was staying in the next cabin along from us. She was there with her little brother and parents. I knew she was just as excited as I was about seeing the woods that surrounded the cabins we were staying in. 

“Sure,” called back Mum. “Just don’t be late back for tea because your father will kill you if you are!” 

I ran back to my room and grabbed my phone. Mollie replied within seconds and soon we both had our boots and coats on and were by the edge of the trees we were about to enter. 

The snow glistened on the trees like powder, the frosty path calling to us as we ran into the woods. 

“It looks magical,” said Mollie “I can’t wait to see what’s there!”.

For some reason the trees seemed  to whisper in a language that I didn’t understand.  

“Can you hear that? The trees seem to be calling to us!” I said to Mollie.  

“ I can hear it too!” replied Mollie, turning back to me. We walked further into the forest, marveling at what we were seeing. It felt like something amazing was going to happen. We walked for what felt like forever when I thought I saw something silver whip out of sight.  

“What was that?” I asked Mollie.  

“I think it was an animal,” replied Mollie, “Let’s see what it is!” 

We walked on, looking around for what we had seen. We only had to search for a few minutes before we found what we had seen before. It was so bright we had to wait for a second for our eyes to adjust. When they did, I saw something I never thought I would see: A unicorn, its silver mane swishing down its neck. Its glossy coat shining in the dancing light of the snow. 

“It’s so beautiful,” I said to Mollie. “I never thought I would see one!”.  

“No one will believe us if we tell them though,” replied Mollie. We both wished we had our phones with us, but we had both left them at the cabins. We approached the unicorn and touched its mane. We both exclaimed in delight. We wished we could take it back to our cabins but we knew that we would have to leave it back in the woods.  

I looked back down at my watch, which I had put on earlier. “We should be getting back to the  cabins! It’s nearly time for tea!” I called over to Mollie.  

“Oh yes we had better be off!” she called back. We stroked the unicorn’s mane in farewell and said  we would return tomorrow (or as soon as we could) and left. We walked back through the forest,  but we didn’t notice where we we going because all we could think about was the glorious sight we had just seen. 

When we got back to our cabins, I saw that my father was putting the dinner on the table.  “You’re just in time,” he said to Mollie and me. “Mollie, your parents have just got here with your  brother.”  

We rushed inside and took off our coats and boots and put on our jumpers and sneakers. The smell  of the cooking tickled our nostrils. We all sat at the table and ate, eating until we felt like we would pop. After we had all finished our food, we (me and Mollie) made hot chocolates and we curled up by the fire for the rest of the evening. We were so cosy that we even forgot to try to convince  everyone that we really had seen a unicorn, but we knew that we would tell everyone in the  morning. All cosy by the fire, everything started to blur and I fell asleep, warm and dry by the fire of our log cabin. 

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Isobel Mooney is 12 years old. She has been inspired to start writing by her Aunty Ree, who is writing poetry again after a break. She loves the Harry Potter series of books and anything that has a magical twist to it. Isobel’s poem, “A Christmas Fair,” appears in Little Thoughts Press Issue One: Magical Winter.

The Winter Gosling (by Elijah Pierrou)

by Diana Parkhouse via unsplash

The Winter Gosling

By Elijah Pierrou

They were coming. Cracking. Breaking. Opening up to reveal the gosling inside. But then there was a chit-chit…human chatter, advancing, getting closer to mother goose - she ran toward the human. Just then, the first egg opened. The newborn watched as the first living thing she saw was at battle. There was a loud hammer  hitting the primer, and mother did not return. The echo of the gun caused no other eggs to hatch. 

Daydreaming…but it was real. Her mother and siblings were no more.  Her poor little baby eyes and head couldn’t understand. And the only thing she knew how to do was swim and eat berries. This was all life was. Right?  

The tree shapes and the ground were her only landmarks. Exploration was a good thing right? Either way, this goose was to have a bigger map. About an hour later, the little gosling heard a familiar Squawk!  Honk! Quack!

“Run to the pond!,” she thought, but it was another way. The little goose waddled on over to a river she had never seen before. On this particular river, everything was moving: the birds, the  fish, the clouds, and even the water, but the geese were in a big  flock heading in one direction. Last week, when the gosling hatched, the leaves and ground were a whole lot different. Now they were a  yellowish orange. There was a chilled breeze over the mountain forest.  

There were less and less animals in their habitats. She stayed at the river for a few weeks and hung out with the river animals. The owls slept, the stellar jay taught her how to get acorns, the hawk taught the gosling to fish, the mouse told her about winter, hibernation, migration, and the fox taught the young goose how to stay away from  predators - they’re all around. This was going to be a great winter! 

Three months later, December came, and the first snow was upon the forest. The fish were quiet. The acorns were all collected and the mouse’s stories came true. The predators were were gone and owls kept on sleeping.

Our gosling was waddling along to go see what hawks did in the winter (a strange thing to see a winter hawk). She hadn’t been to Hawk’s perch in a few months, too much winter preparation. But then, almost past by the gosling in the snow was a barge of mouse footprints. Mouse was active! On her way to the mouse burrow, the  gosling’s feet were starting to feel the winter cold.  

When the gosling arrived at the mouse hole, she was surprised.  Mouse seemed to have multiplied! One of them, (probably the original  mouse) stepped up and said, “Welcome, young goose,” that was  Mouse’s name for Gosling. “Meet my brothers, my sisters, my first and second cousins, my nephew, my nieces (pant, pant), my Mum, my Dad, their mums and dads, and my great grandfather who goes by Pop.:

Goose blinked twice with her mouth open in awe. 

“Ummmm…” awkwardly croaked the goose, “Nice to meet all of  you!” 

The mice and the goose barely get along. Mouse’s brothers and  sisters were very connected to birds and pulled off stray feathers and put them on their heads as if to pretend to be Robin Hood. The wee ones (the nieces and nephews) made a slide out of the gosling’s neck and upper back and tried to jump the last part. They all needed an extra social skills class except for Pop. The young goose was observing so  she didn’t notice the cheese crumbles she was about to slip on.

Our gosling had always thought that owls just slept. Except for today (to the future, this is just a part of the story). Today the mission was to bravely wake the owls and wreck their sleep—only for today.    

She made her young, annoying, juvenile, immature loud honks directly toward the owls’ nest. The mission was a success! A little owl came out, and said, “Hooo woke us up?” 

“It was me. I woke you up,” said a squeaky voice on the ground. The owl hopped from branch to lower branch until she was face-to-face with the goose.

“Why have yooou woken us up?” said the little owl, gloomily again. 

“Why do owls have to sleep all day?” 

“We doooon’t. And I’ll show you!” The owl hobbled onto a dry  spot on the ground where there was a small twig. 

“Watch,” said the young owl with pride. She put one of her  talons lightly on one side of the twig, and with a violent down press, the stick went flying into the air. The owl caught it with her beak.     

“Tricks,” said the owl happily.

The goose tried a few times, and always missed because of the way her beak was shaped. By the time the goose completed the twig trick, the owl was in her perch.  “Tricks,” thought the gosling. 

The seller jay was trying to find squirrel’s nest to steal acorns - while  goose was at the moose party, the squirrel was blocking Jay’s food and stealing the final acorns for himself. So revenge was strongly believed in the stellar jay nest.  

Meanwhile, the gosling was looking for the stellar jay. She was  practicing flying for next winter. To hangout with the other geese and  fly over the pond, like the other birds. Like the hawk. 

The stellar jay saw Goose. Goose saw the stellar jay. Said the stellar  jay, “You must be cold on the snowy ground.”  

“Yes,” said the goose, “That is what I came here for. Would you be  able to teach me how to fly?” 

The jay was starting to hatch a plan. “Okay. I’ll teach you. We’ll team up  on the squirrel.” 

“Why?” asked the goose. 

“Cause he steals food. Even food he doesn’t eat! So we start now,” said the jay. Let’s go!”

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Elijah Pierrou is 11 years old and in the 6th grade. He is homeschooled and has a love for birds and the wild. He also enjoy designing cars, art, drumming, and a newfound hobby: taekwondo. He would definitely go to Italy as soon as the opportunity presented itself.