Today’s podcast episode is a Book Award Winner episode, where we get to know a writer who won the NAIWE Book Award.
Sherry Roberts won the 2024 Book Award for her book The Galaxy According to CeCe in the Middle Grade category.
Sherry is an award-winning author of children’s picture books and middle grade novels. Her debut middle grade book, The Galaxy According to Cece, launched February 24, 2024, and received a Get It: Recommend review from Kirkus Reviews. This book was also featured in the August 2024 list of 40 Indie Books Worth Discovering from Kirkus. Book two of this three book series, The Galaxy According to Cece: The Mysterious Dr. Pruitt, launched August 19, 2024. Book three of the series, The Galaxy According to Cece: The Stars Align, launched February 27, 2025.
Here is a preview of today’s discussion:
When did you first have the idea for this book?
I got the idea of writing this book when I was brainstorming book ideas. It became clearer to me because I am Cece. I’m the girl who moved from North Carolina without much notice to Missouri. I’m the girl who was not really told what the house the university was allowing us to rent, while we looked for a home, was really all about. I was the girl who was in shock when we drove up the driveway. Me riding in the U-Haul truck with my father asking where the house was. I was the girl who heard her dad say, “The house is on the left, the classroom is in the middle, and the observatory is on the right.”
No, my father is not an astronomer but rather a classical musician who was to be the Dean of the music school. Yes, things I describe about the house are from my memory and looking at the blueprint of the observatory online. Yes, it is truly an observatory that is part of the property of the university in the small town.
Many of Cece’s feelings are mine from my multiple moves but as a former middle school teacher and dance team coach, I pulled from that knowledge for much of what else goes on in the book.
What is something you learned while working on this book?
The funny thing about what I learned is that I was dance team coach and two of my nieces played softball throughout middle school, yet I had the characters play soccer. The choice of team was based on friends who have children playing soccer. I didn’t want it to be dance because that was more limiting for readers. I learned so much about soccer while writing this book.
I loved learning more about astronomy as I was writing but this was not challenging. I found it fascinating.
I also learned that I say “just,” “okay,” and “that” often! As a writer we often write like we talk and then realize this might not be the best thing when writing.
Please share your writing process.
I like to brainstorm. I find participating in StoryStorm in January is always a good time to brainstorm story ideas for picture books or even chapter books. I have several topics of interest that I would like to create a story about but need to decide the exact genre.
Once an idea begins to ‘grow’ in my head, I begin to write the idea down. It will go through multiple edits at the beginning before I even let anyone look at it. I might talk about it but not let it be seen until it is a more solid story. I don’t have a designated time to write. When the “mood” strikes, I write. Sometimes that is several days I a row and sometimes it is maybe several days before I write. I find I’m not one who can write because I have carved out time each day to write. It just doesn’t work that way for me. If I tell myself, it is time to write, I can guarantee that I won’t be able to write a word. If I wait to let the idea or thought evolve naturally, I can take off with an idea. I wish I could be more disciplined about the process.
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