I love to write stories.
Meet Megan Hoyt, Children's Book Author
What was your favorite thing to do when you were little?
When I was a little girl, I used to spend long, lazy days sloshing through puddles, climbing trees, and looking at the stars. And I loved to READ! My favorite spot was a low-hanging tree branch in my back yard. I used to love tumbling headlong into the plot of a great book, all curled up in that tree. Once, after I finished reading Peter Pan, I tried to leap off that branch and fly! (It didn't work -- not enough fairy dust.)
What inspired you to write children's books?
The principal at my school believed we should get to meet our favorite authors—mine were Elizabeth Borton de Treviño (I, Juan de Pareja), Zilpha Keatley Snyder (The Witches of Worm), and Marguerite Henry (Misty of Chincoteague). Meeting them was AMAZING! I still have my autographed copies of their award-winning books.
What inspired you to write your first book, Hildegard's Gift?
My mom and dad were both symphony musicians. Mom played violin, and Dad played viola. (Do you know the difference between those two instruments? The violin is smaller and plays higher notes than the viola.)
My parents used to host big parties. Cellists, trombone players, violinists, and conductors all gathered to eat piles of lasagna and fill our house with loud conversations about music and composers. I used to sit on the stairs and listen. Sometimes I went to work with them. While they were rehearsing with the rest of the symphony musicians, I used to wander backstage at the Music Hall or listen to the resounding voices of opera singers as they shook the rafters. I sure LOVED music! Still do! When I grew up, I learned about the people who wrote my favorite music. Their lives were very different from mine because they lived so long ago. I wanted to tell children what I learned about these composers.
My mom and dad were both symphony musicians. Mom played violin, and Dad played viola. (Do you know the difference between those two instruments? The violin is smaller and plays higher notes than the viola.)
My parents used to host big parties. Cellists, trombone players, violinists, and conductors all gathered to eat piles of lasagna and fill our house with loud conversations about music and composers. I used to sit on the stairs and listen. Sometimes I went to work with them. While they were rehearsing with the rest of the symphony musicians, I used to wander backstage at the Music Hall or listen to the resounding voices of opera singers as they shook the rafters. I sure LOVED music! Still do! When I grew up, I learned about the people who wrote my favorite music. Their lives were very different from mine because they lived so long ago. I wanted to tell children what I learned about these composers.
Who was Hildegard? Tell us about your book?
Combining my love for both books AND music, I created a book about a Medieval composer named Hildegard of Bingen. (Bingen is a city in Germany.) My book is called Hildegard's Gift. The cool thing about Hildegard is that she was even able to "be" anything. Most women in Hildegard's time didn't write music. In fact, most Medieval women didn't write at all! Most of them couldn't even read, and they rarely went to school. But not Hildegard. She learned to read and write in Latin, and she wrote music, drew pictures, came up with herbal remedies, and taught popes and princes. She did things no woman had ever done before, and she got away with it. She was not like anyone else who lived back then. Because she was daring enough to do those things, in time, other women were able to do them, too.
What was so special about Hildegard?
Hildegard believed her music and art was divinely inspired by God. Wherever your heart says your gift came from, never forget -- it is yours to treasure forever. Your heart is a secret garden, filled with hidden flowers waiting to blossom and bloom. It's YOUR gift to the world!
Hildegard’s Gift, was released in 2014 (Paraclete Press). You can purchase it here. Or here.
Megan Hoyt's first picture book, HILDEGARD'S GIFT, came out in 2014. Her poem, "Thanksgiving by the Lake," will appear in the Lerner anthology THANKU: POEMS ABOUT GRATITUDE (2019) and her chapter book, CLARA O'HARA: PRIVATE EYE (TCM) also comes out in 2019. Her newest picture book (not yet announced) is scheduled for publication in early 2021. When she is not writing for children, Megan tutors child actors. She has worked on the sets of Showtime’s Emmy award-winning Homeland tv series, Steven King's Mr. Mercedes, and Warner Bros' Wonder Woman 2, among others. She also speaks at conferences for authors and teachers in the US and Canada. Megan has a BA in English and History (double major) from Southern Methodist University, and an MA in Theology from Regent University in Virginia. She lives in Charlotte, NC, where most days she is surrounded by three furry pups and piles upon piles of picture books. Although she still sloshes through puddles and climbs trees, she also enjoys playing classical guitar and going on nature walks with her husband.
Megan Hoyt is a children's picture book author represented by Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency.
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