Author Spotlight: Theresa Trinder

Jan. 29, 2021

We are excited to feature author Theresa Trinder and her debut picture book, THERE IS A RAINBOW, illustrated by Grant Snider (Chronicle Books, Jan. 26, 2021). Enter to win a copy!

Tell us about your background and how you came to write for children.

Thank you for having me! I’ve had all sorts of book-ish jobs throughout the years and done all sorts of writing and editing, from Scholastic Book Clubs to Hallmark Cards. But I’d always managed to have children’s books in my life. When my three-year old was born, I made the decision to stop working fulltime and, eventually, to start writing just for myself. It took me about three years to make that happen, but here I am!

Congrats on your debut picture book, There is a Rainbow! T Tell us about it and what inspired you?

The rainbows! And the kids who drew them, all over the world. When I wrote the story, my family had just begun sheltering in place. My children were really struggling. And there were so many suffering so much more. But then, kids everywhere started making these beautiful rainbows—reminding everyone that even though we’re apart, we’re in this together. Children were able to see things differently, somehow. So I started thinking about how I could do that, too. That exercise turned into an idea. And that idea turned into a book.

Was your road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between?

I’d written dozens of works for hire over the years, and this is my very first trade publication. But once I actually got this idea and finished the manuscript, things moved pretty quickly. So . . . both, I guess!

What projects are you working on now?

Right now, my kids are home from school, so they’re my projects. I have some pre-pandemic picture books that I need to dig back into, but it’s such a weird feeling. Everything looks so different now.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

It’s funny. After this book got rejected a few times—from personal referrals!—I was about to give up. But this little voice just kept telling me I wasn’t ready. So I did some research and queried one more. The book sold a few weeks later. So those clichés “never give up” and “trust your instincts” . . . they’re actually really good advice.

What is one thing most people don't know about you?

Many may not know that my older son has a rare disease and special needs. I make sure that doesn’t define him. But it does help define me. Watching him work so hard for things that come so easily to others—and the joy we feel when he succeeds—gives me so much perspective. Every day I think about how to make the world a better place for him. Because that would make the world a better place for everybody.

Where can people find you online?

I’m on Twitter and Instgram @ttrinder, FB @theresatrinderwrites, and my Web site is theresatrinder.com. Drop me a line!

Theresa Trinder is the author of THERE IS A RAINBOW (January 26, Chronicle Books). In a previous life, Theresa made books and gifts for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO, literacy curricula in Cambridge, MA, and all sorts of things in between. She earned an MFA in Poetry from Emerson College. Now, she lives on Long Island, NY, and cares for her two boys full time. Sometimes, they let her write. :)

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