Naomi asked Eileen Cook:

Hello! I have always loved fairies and tried to make my own little books about them but never seem to be able to get my pencil on the paper. I am wondering how you came up with the idea of the fourth grade fairy series. Did you ever think fairies were real when you were young and thought you might write about that? Or did the idea just come to your head? I love them all and are hoping you write more!

Eileen Cook I was a total believer in fairies and all sorts of magic growing up! I remember poking around my grandmother's garden trying to surprise one as it seemed to me if they were going to live anywhere her garden would be the perfect spot.

The idea for the Fourth Grade Fairy series came to me when talking to someone who felt like they never fit in - a feeling I had too. I thought it's likely everyone feels a bit of that- and then I started thinking that wouldn't it be funny/interesting if someone who would be fascinating to us (a fairy) felt like she didn't fit in to her world.

Writing is hard. I understand how it can be difficult to get a story from your head to the page. One thing I learned is to get past being disappointed. Any idea in your head is BRILLIANT. Once it is on the page it usually falls short of what we want. But the truth is- everyone has ugly first drafts. The trick is to keep working on them. Get the story out and then fix it until it is much closer to what was in your head. Happy writing!

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