Some authors don’t like to reveal the intricacies of their creative process. Not me. When kids ask me where ideas come from, I tell them straight out: the bathroom at Big O’s restaurant. It was a long line at Big O’s here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So I thought, I’ll just pop into the restroom. As I was washing my hands, what did I see but a framed vintage postcard that said something like, “Tillie the Terrible Swede Rides Past the Pantlind Hotel.” Being a curious sort, I thought to myself, ‘Who would have a name like Tillie the Terrible Swede?’ So I started doing a little research. That was in 2005. I got so excited about this lady that I made a scrapbook of all the old news articles I found (you can see it in an album on my Facebook page–Sue Stauffacher Books) and sent it to my editor, Nancy Hinkel, in New York. Six years later (in January 2011), Tillie will debut in picture book form.
Sue, I read Tillie the Terrible Swede this weekend and it was delightful! I do love children’s books, and buy them often for myself-ahem- I mean, for my grandchild and other young visitors to our home! This book is especially dear to me because I know Tillie as “Moster Tillie”- my grandmother’s sister (Moster means mother’s sister in Swedish) How I would have loved to have read this book when I was a little girl trying to envision this old gray haired lady who lived in a cabin down the hill from my house actually riding a bicycle… and my Daddy said she RACED them???!!! Good work, Sue, thank you! I would love to look at the album of old articles about Tillie on your Facebook page but can’t seem to find it.
If you click on the tab that says, ‘The Woman,’ and scroll to the bottom, you can see Alice Roepke-Olsen’s pdf of her talk when Tillie was inducted into the bicycling hall of fame. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’m so glad you found me and, more importantly, the book. It’s wonderful to honor such a great figure and bring her ‘back to life’ for young readers. Best, Sue