When a tidy little boy meets a whirlwind of chaos at school, will he be able to cope?
Joanna McIntyre lives in Vancouver, Canada, with her husband and three kids who, like their mom, will drop everything for a good storytime. She has spent countless hours with her nose in a book, or her pen on a page, before eventually combining these two loves by writing for children. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys getting her hands dirty in the garden, walking in the woods with her dog, and spending time with her family. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.
TIDY TED MEETS JESS THE MESS is a picture book that’s perfect for back-to-school season and it’s Joanna’s debut! It tells the story of a little boy named Ted who loves everything to be tidy. So much so that the loves to organize his books by color and his toys by height. But when he starts going to school, he meets a girl he dubs Jess the Mess because she is full of surprises. She knocks over his toys in a surprise attack trying to play with him, but Ted doesn’t understand. He’s never met anyone quite like her. Will he learn to adjust his expectations and accept her? Will he see her overtures of friendship? (You’ll have to read the book to find out!)
Welcome Joanna!
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?
Joanna: I’ve always loved writing. It helps me make sense of the world. I wrote little books when I was a kid and journals off and on throughout my life, and a blog once when I was travelling. But I never took it too seriously, even though my mom always told me I should be writing kids books. I hit a bit of a vocational wall when I turned 30 though, and ended up taking some picture book writing classes. One of the teachers ran a local publishing company and he had such great insights around the industry, it made it all feel real and possible. I actually wrote the first draft of Tidy Ted in that class all those years ago, though he didn’t have Jess to contend with till I picked that draft back up 7 years later and felt it was missing something.
Me: I relate to Tidy Ted so well! He feels so real. So does Jess the Mess. What gave you the idea for this story?
Joanna: I’m so glad you relate to them! I love these kids, they both live inside of me, though Ted was my starting point. My first version of this story had Ted starting school on his own and dealing with all the chaos of the other children, but something about it wasn’t working. It was watching my toddler destroy several of my preschooler’s projects one by one that made things click into place. Jess was introduced not long after.
Me: I love how well defined you made these characters (and that ending had me laughing). Did this story 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?
Joanna: I did quite a few revisions, initially with the solo Ted version and then once I picked it up again. I knew the characters well, but it took a bit of work to get the right scenarios for them to interact. I have had the same critique group since 2022, and they helped me piece it together into what it was. Shout out to the J Crew!
Me: Can you talk about how you came to publish with Clavis Publishing? Did you send the story out to multiple publishers? Or were they your first and only choice?
Joanna: Funnily enough, I got a rejection letter from an agent a couple weeks ago for my Ted query I’d sent them in 2024! I didn’t send Ted out to as many places as some of my manuscripts, but there were at least a dozen or so queries to a mix of agents and publishers. I tend to have a few manuscripts on the go, and try to find the best fit for each publisher or agent. Clavis has such thoughtful, beautiful books, I knew they’d be a good home for Ted.
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?
Joanna: Making friends is one of my biggest challenges in life (I’m a hardcore introvert and can be pretty awkward in new settings), so there’s a certain irony to the fact that I wrote a book on how to make friends.
Me: The illustrations by Nina Podlesnyak are wonderful! I love the way she used color vs black and white to great effect here. And the characters are darling! Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?
Joanna: Clavis was such a wonderful first-time experience as an author for me. I’d always heard that in publishing, the author will have no part of the illustration process, that they only see the end result. But Clavis let me be involved from the start and connected me with Nina, who was so gracious and kind (and beyond talented!). She let me brainstorm with her in the beginning and would show me snippets and get my thoughts. She even put my dog Alfie into the story, for which she will always have my heart! My favourite page is the jungle scene where their imaginations come to life and the page is filled with animals and colour. Nina made it so magical. I also love the class hamster, kicking around on the pages and all the little classroom details. Nina’s an animator too, her work is always so fun and joyful.
Me: I love that. Do you have any advice for aspiring picture book writers?
Joanna: Ugh, just keep at it! Eat rejection for breakfast, don’t take it personally. Read, read, read and pay attention to the books that you love and what makes them work. Keep writing! Write down every silly idea, every fragment that pops into your head. And join a critique group. Sometimes the truths are hard to hear, but I always leave those sessions feeling fired up and ready to write. Plus, it’s so nice to have people going through it alongside you, people who are facing the same challenges and will help you stay afloat.
That is great advice. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Joanna.
Dear readers, this book actually published in April. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, this is the perfect time to do so. Going to school and making new friends is sure to be a wild success with young readers. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it.