WRITE 😉 ACROSS THE POND!

Take my hand as we step across ‘the pond’, and meet fellow children’s author – the lovely Christy Burbidge from Massachusetts!

Hi Christy – thank you so much for joining us today!

Christy: Thank YOU! I can’t remember the last time I’ve been interviewed. Actually, yes I can… NEVER! This is my first one. I am honored! 🙂

Lois: What is your background?

Christy: I have a MSW (Master of Social Work) and a PhD in Expressive Therapies. Expressive Therapies is a broad field, divided into different modalities, such as art therapy and music therapy. The modality I studied was creative writing. That’s my academic background, but I find my work background as a school social worker with high school students much more layered, meaningful, and relevant to my life. I’ve learned more about human resilience by working with these inspirational young people than I ever could learn by taking a class.

I’ve worked with all ages over my career, but most enjoy the high school level, where I have been for the past 13 years or so. For privacy reasons, I tend not to share details as to where I work or what I do exactly – but I can say that I love what I do.

Lois: Was your focus always to be a school social worker?

Christy: When I was in college, I started out as a nutrition major; then I switched to a dual major in philosophy and psychology. But I always knew I wanted to work with children (of any age) in a helping profession. Working as a school social worker, I get the ‘best of both worlds’ in that I’m able to combine my interests of learning/education and mental wellness.

Lately, I’ve been finding myself becoming interested in veterinary sciences. While I don’t have the time or the stamina to pursue this any time soon, it’s an idea I find myself flirting with for the distant future. I could see myself working as a veterinary assistant in a non-profit setting… maybe, someday! There’s a relatively new field called ‘Veterinary Social Work.’ I sometimes wonder where that might have taken me, had it been more prominent when I was younger.

Lois: Alongside your career, what inspired you to start writing children’s books, teaching children empathy, and understanding through the human-animal bond?

Christy: I can’t think of one pivotal event that inspired me. I have always loved to write. Working in a public school setting has afforded me with summers free to explore other pursuits (for which I have always been grateful), and writing is I would say my main secondary pursuit. I would love to write a dog-centered novella or even a novel someday, but I don’t see myself having the time until I retire from education. I don’t think writing children’s books is easier than writing adult books by any means, but I do think the revision process may be less time-consuming and easier to complete in sporadic bits – such as over a series of odd weekends or a school vacation week.

There are so many homeless pets on the planet, AND animals make us feel better… So focusing on the human-animal bond is a ‘win-win situation’ for everyone.

Lois: Have you always had a love of animals and an interest in animal welfare? Did you have animals as a child?

Christy: As a child, I had guinea pigs and other small animals, along with a cat or two. Given how ‘dog crazy’ I am as an adult, one would think I was raised with them. But I didn’t wind up with my first dog, a rescue beagle until I was in my early 30s. Now, I could never imagine living my life without at least two (rescue) dogs! We also foster dogs whenever we can.

Animals are healing. The unconditional love they give is boundless. I once read somewhere something to the effect of “dogs’ lives are so short because they don’t need as much time as humans do to learn the important stuff”. And how true it is! Although that statement was about dogs, it really can be applied to any animal.

Lois: What do you love most about being a children’s author?

Christy: I love the challenge of adapting language to best fit the mental and emotional lens of a child as much as humanly possible. It’s a daunting undertaking, and I hope I’m getting a little closer to achieving this with every book I do; though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to achieve it perfectly. I thrive on the challenge of presenting the values of mindfulness and other features of mental wellness in unique ways, and of combining it all with the promotion of animal welfare.

Most of my books are written about animals that generally aren’t thought of much, or are thought of and written about in neutral or even negative lights (piping plovers, coyotes, and I’m working on a book about a squirrel now). So, I spend a lot of time thinking about the parallels between human and animal disenfranchisement. In doing this, my goal is also to bring more awareness to the plight of animals as a whole.

Lois: Thanks so much Christy. You are certainly inspirational in the difference you are making in so many ways! But just before you go, can you tell us a little bit about your next book coming in 2021!

Christy: My next book is called, “If Memory Surfs: A book for healing.” It’s about a seal recovering from an injury, who finds strength in meeting human friends who are going through similar (and different) traumas. This book is due out before the summer.

I’m also co-editing an anthology of short stories with my publisher, Who Chains You Books (www.whochainsyou.com). The book is called, “Don’t Look a Gift Couch in the Mouth: and Other Guffawingly Funny Stories of Animal Rescue.” This is the first anthology I’ve co-edited, and I’m excited! This book also includes my first published short story. It will be out sometime later this year.

Lois: And that’s not all folks! Christy’s latest book ‘Claire’s Coyote Friends’ is out now and available on Amazon!

I read Christy’s book, and the thing I loved most about this book, is how it educates within the gentle flow of the writing. The information is not ‘in your face’ but comes across to children in such a way that they don’t realise how much they are learning. It is so down to earth in the way how Claire reacts to her Dad. Exactly how a child would react, only to see as the story moves along, why her Dad was right. Claire is able to pass her knowledge on to her best friend, who in turn would pass the knowledge on to others. This book teaches empathy, nurturing, friendship and caring, how to be unselfish and the ability to see another point of view even if it differs from your own. Invaluable life lessons. The illustrations are lovely. And a bonus for children this side of the pond – learning about an animal we don’t have here in the UK!

You can find Christy and her books & short stories at christyburbidge.com.

Claire’s Coyote Friends
Burbidge, Christy, Helchowski, Mary Jo: 9781946044839: Amazon.com: Books