Have you ever had a dream that felt impossible to achieve?

Brittany J. Thurman is the author of the picture books Fly and Forever and Always and the middle grade mystery Opal Watson, Private Eye,and the coauthor of the middle grade novels Fearless: Boulevard of Dreams and Fearless: The Takeover, both written with Mandy Gonzalez. She is a former children’s specialist, dedicated to ensuring children’s literature truthfully reflects the world in which we live. Brittany holds an MFA in dramatic writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in theater from Kingston University, London, England. She is an avid traveler and has lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now resides in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or BlueSky.

COME CATCH A DREAM is a picture book about a young child that dreams of being an amazing ice skater. It feels like an impossible dream (especially with a past experience of falling), but this child longs for more and Momma says nothing is impossible. It is the epitome of chasing every dream through this very specific child and specific dream. That in and of itself is a remarkable feat to accomplish!

Welcome Brittany!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? When did you start writing picture books? How has that brought you to writing this picture book?

Brittany: I love to show kids that my writing journey began on October 6^th, 1993. During school visits, I share one of the first stories I wrote circa 1^st grade. Going for a Walk is about a little girl, a cow, a country stroll and the dialogue exchanged between them. Even though I loved to express my imagination and unleash feelings through writing as a kid, I didn’t necessarily have the tools to piece together that little ole me from Louisville, Kentucky, could be an author.

During middle and high school, I became obsessed with theater. My grandmother gave me Ragtime tickets, and I was hooked on the stage, performers, music, dialogue and live storytelling. It wasn’t until undergrad as a study abroad student living in London, England that I recognized I could be a writer after a professor offered words of encouragement. I came back to the States, attended graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University where I studied Dramatic Writing and I started to merge my theater and writing background with early childhood education.

As a children’s specialist at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, I read hundreds of books to thousands of kids across the city. My story ideas took the shape of picture books. During outreach visits, I made notes of when kids laughed at a story, where the dialogue and narrative captivated them, when it lost their attention and I held on to their voices each time they asked me to read more. It was at this point that I made a firm decision to not only write for kids, but to make writing my career.

Oddly enough, it was after back-to-back rejection when the words to Come Catch a Dream came to me. My debut picture book, Fly, was months away from being published, and I had a handful of projects out on submission. I took a leap of faith, left my day job and I was confident that those submissions would turn into yesses and contracts. They did not. Out of that heartbreak and rejection, I wrote the story that would become Come Catch a Dream. I had to find a way to turn failure into success. In many ways, I wanted to say that we should never give up on our dreams, especially when it seems that all is going wrong. During difficult moments is when breakthrough happens.

Me: I love that and I love that you are talking about chasing a dream through ice skating! What gave you the idea?

Brittany: I remember having one of my birthdays at a local ice rink. Beyond the celebration, I loved ice skating and rollerblading. I was so much better at standing and gliding on a blade than 4 wheels on a regular skate! I distinctly remember never being able to spin. The instructor told us what to do, they demonstrated the move, but for some reason I could not do it. I also remember that even though I didn’t quite get one move, I never let it stop me from continuing to skate, fall after fall.

I relate this memory to life, from leaving a job without options lined up and having the faith to submit a manuscript never knowing the outcome. My idea for chasing a dream came out of knowing that I am not the only one who has experienced failure. It is so important for kids to realize that we must get up again to reach our goals.  

The idea was also inspired by one of my favorite poems. Georgia Douglas Johnson was a Harlem Renaissance poet and I say her poem, Calling Dreams, almost daily.

The right to make my dreams come true

I ask, nay, I demand of life…

Me: Your text is short but really nails home longing for something in such a kid friendly way. Did it undergo a ton of revisions to get to its finished state? Or was this story a gift from the muse that was good from the first draft?

Brittany: A little bit of both! I wrote the first manuscript in one go when it typically takes a few writing sessions for me to get a draft down. I distinctly remember sitting at my desk, looking out my window in Old Louisville (a neighborhood full of historic homes), seeing tree limbs sway, hearing the rustle yet also hearing quiet. This was during the height of 2020, when we were stuck in our homes.

The first draft was super long, about 16 ish pages in word due to spacing! It mentioned the character’s name (Remi), and where the name came from, the city (Pittsburgh) and so much more. But during the editing process, my editor helped me to trim the story. Sometimes less is so much more and all of those added details were getting in the way. Come Catch a Dream went through 3-4 revisions, but it still is very much the original story I intended to tell.

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Brittany: This is a story that flowed out of me with voice, plot and structure. Typically, with a first draft I struggle with at least one of those elements! What was most surprising is how those were not challenges when writing this story. It took less than an hour and I guess that is the gift from the muse!

Me: The illustrations by Islenia Mil are perfect! They absolutely capture your main character’s joy and energy. Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?

Brittany: Oh my gosh! Honestly, I love them all. Illustrators fascinate me and Islenia Mil has captured so much joy, love and passion within the pages. I cried when I received those first illustrations. It is continuously surreal to witness my words paired with art and how an illustrator can take my story and make it their own. Many people don’t know that often the illustrator and author do not interact much during the illustration process. There is so much trust involved, and I always want the illustrator to create their own story out of the text.

First, I love that the protagonist is not slim. I struggled with my weight as a child, and it is refreshing to see this represented in a positive way on the page. The little things that surprised me were the Olympic posters on the wall. This detail shows how big Remi’s dream is. I’m so in love with the spread of Remi laid back, smiling, feet in the air with ice skates on! It’s such a joyful, fun, jokey, full spread. I love how we see the struggle depicted as Remi falls, but later there’s a similar spread where Remi is up on their feet.

I love all the art, but the spread I adore the most that was a complete shock is Remi wrapped in Momma’s arms, Momma kissing Remi’s head and Remi dreaming of skating, leaping, turning, while Momma says, “Nothing is impossible” This entire spread is dreamlike, yet realistic, magical, and full of truth. It is worry turned into ambition and I hope the reader loves it as much as I do.

Me: You have multiple books published and more on the way. Any other projects we can look forward to reading from you?

Brittany: I am so excited to share the first of three picture books inspired by the podcast, Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures. E is for Easter Egg Hunt, written by me and illustrated by Derick Brooks. The story follows Alfie and his babysitter Quentin as they go on alphabet adventure to find a coveted golden Easter egg. This is a story that demonstrates the true meaning of winning while incorporating literacy elements. January 13th, 2026!

Mystery lovers, I hope you’re reader for the sequel to Opal Watson: Private Eye! Opal Watson: A Case Most Foul will be out on February 10^th, 2026, and it follows super sleuth Opal as she solves one of her biggest cases, a mystery of endangered proportions.

I am super excited about my upcoming nonfiction picture book, The First Library: The True Story by and for Black America. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, this story depicts the Western Branch library located in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. This library sits blocks away from my home and it was the first library in the United States ran by and created for Black Americans during a time of segregation and discrimination enforced through Jim Crow laws. Thomas Fountain Blue and Rachal Davis Harris were not trained in librarianship, yet they turned the branch into a community center where the neighborhood could receive so much more than books. They even created a program for librarians across the country to learn, thus allowing others to open branches in various states.

This story is such a vital part of library history, and I cannot wait to share it with the world within the next year.

Me: Any advice for new picture book writers?

Brittany: Read as many picture books as possible. Read nonfiction, fiction, poetry picture books, any and everything you can get your hands on. If possible, read those books to kids and see where their energy gravitates.

I also think it is so important for new picture book writers to not become obsessed with how the illustrations will look. Yes, you should think about pictures. Yes, you should include a few illustration notes if those notes are vital to the story, but it is so important to allow the illustrator to create the story based on your words. When this is done, magic happens, and two stories emerge within one book. As my friend Daria Peoples says, picture books are picture stories. As an author it’s always good to know when to step back and let the illustrator do their job.

That is great advice. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Brittany.

But wait, dear readers! There’s more! Brittany has agreed to giveaway one copy of her book (US contestants only). You can enter the giveaway here. Good luck!