Stacia Deutsch
Photo provided by author.
Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon have written and published more than twenty-three books. In addition to their award winning creative chapter book series entitled Blast To The Past, they have also written junior movie tie-in novels for summer blockbuster films including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Stacia lives in Irvine, California with her three children. Rhody lives in Tucson with her three kids.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
I was always a huge reader. Any writer needs to read. A lot. You have to find out what kind of stories you like and then you know what kind of stories you want to write. I LOVE time travel. That’s why Rhody Cohon and my first series, Blast to the Past, is about four kids who time travel and meet famous people in history.
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
I am honored to be good friends with several great authors. Alyson Noel writes Young Adult books and Robin Glasser, the illustrator for Fancy Nancy, is also a dear friend. They have both influenced me greatly. There are other authors, who I don’t know, who’s work I like to read over and over. I like Madeleine L’Engel, Meg Cabot, and Andy Griffiths.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I didn’t start out as a writer. I was a rabbi. But I always had a lot of stories in my head. One day, I told my best friend, Rhody about a story I was thinking about. Three kids would time travel into the past and meet famous historical figures. Blast to the Past was our first book series. After that, we just kept on writing! We love it.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Read, read, read. Find out what kind of stories you LOVE and then, try to write one of those. I’d never write a horror novel, because, well, I get scared easy. So write the kind of book that you would like to read.
