Nutmeg Lit Fest Podcast
Where stories speak. The Nutmeg Lit Fest Podcast features conversations with authors, poets, and creatives, highlighting the voices and stories that shape our literary community on and off the festival stage.
Nutmeg Lit Fest Podcast
Mysteries of the Deep, Nature, and Nonfiction with Elaine M. Alexander
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In this episode of the Nutmeg Lit Fest Podcast, we dive into the fascinating world beneath the ocean’s surface with author Elaine M. Alexander.
Elaine is the author of Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea and Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep, two captivating nonfiction books that introduce readers to some of the most mysterious creatures in our oceans.
During this conversation, we explore
• The inspiration behind writing about deep-sea creatures
• How nonfiction storytelling can bring science to life
• The incredible adaptations of cuttlefish and anglerfish
• The importance of curiosity and nature education for young readers
If you love science, nature, and learning about the hidden wonders of the deep ocean, this episode will take you on a journey beneath the waves.
About the Author
Elaine M. Alexander is an author known for her engaging nonfiction books that introduce readers to remarkable ocean creatures. Through vivid storytelling and fascinating facts, she helps readers discover the mysteries of the natural world and the incredible animals that live within it.
Featured Books
Giant Cuttlefish: Chameleon of the Sea
Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep
Welcome to the NutMek Litfest Podcast where Story Speak. This is a space that celebrates authors, storytellers, poets, and creatives from Connecticut and beyond. Here we are lifting voices, sharing stories, and spotlighting the creativity that brings our literary community to life. Whether you're a writer, a reader, or simply someone who loves a powerful story, this podcast is for you. Get ready for conversations that inspire, connect, and celebrate the magic of storytelling. This is NetMag Litfest Podcast.
SPEAKER_02Hello, hello, hello. Some stories take us inward, others take us somewhere unexpected, beneath the surface, into the unknown, and closer to the natural world around us. And that's what today's conversation is about. This is NutMeg Litfest Podcast where Stories Speak. I'm your host, Janae Hernandez, and each week we sit down with authors to explore the stories they tell, the questions that guide their work, and the curiosity that brings their books to life. Today I'm joined by Elaine, author of Giant Cuttlefish and Angular Fish Notific Nonfiction, works that explore the mysteries of the deep and invite readers to see nature with wonder, clarity, and respect. Elaine, welcome to the Nutmeg Lit Fest Podcast. Please introduce yourself.
SPEAKER_00My name is Elaine Alexander, and as you mentioned, I am the author of Angler Fish, The Sea Devil of the Deep, and my next book, Giant Cuttlefish, Chameleon of the Sea, will be out in April. I am a children's librarian, so books are super important, play a big role in my life. But I also am an author of a teen book as well, but it's kind of old at this juncture. So I write for children of all ages.
SPEAKER_02Really? What's your teen book called?
SPEAKER_00It's called Death at Deacon Pond, and it's a murder mystery with uh about a young girl who's trying to solve, or not young, she's a teenager, but she's trying to solve her um father's unexpected murder. Really?
SPEAKER_02So these were totally different than these two. I have a question right away now. So how did we get from there to the two books that we have now? Please let our readers know.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um, so uh I do everything a little late in life. I went to school and finished my college degree later. So while I was getting my undergrad degree, um I was taking some great classes on writing. Uh, one was an independent study where I wrote Death at Deacon Pond. Um, so that one required me to do, it was, I think it was worth six credits. I had to exchange the manuscript back and forth, back and forth, and get it into shape. Um another class I was taking um with Dr. Lisa Frostino, who was also an accomplished writer, she had us writing for all ages and genres. She wanted us to stretch as much as we can. So I, you know, I didn't think I was like, oh, I'm just a teen writer, that's all I do. Um, but she was the one who kind of put it in my head, well, oh, I I might be able to write for different age audiences as well. Um, so I just tried it out.
SPEAKER_02I I I love that. Like you that is a journey. So you shared with us that you are a children's librarian. What town and how has that been supportive in your your author journey?
SPEAKER_00Um, I am currently working at the Deep River Public Library. I've worked at a number of libraries around. Um, I've worked at Cragen and Colchester, Acton and Old Saybrook, Weathersfield Public Library. I feel like I'm forgetting one. I think I am, but um, but um it has been supportive because one of the things you can see when you're ordering books for the library, for example, is you can see um where there might be room for you to create something that is not on the shelves.
SPEAKER_02True, yes.
SPEAKER_00So that's a great way to kind of kind of get used to um or or notice what is in the marketplace already, and maybe you could fill some holes in that marketplace.
SPEAKER_02That's genius. That is a genius idea. Um do you participate in like readings? Uh you know, one of the things that I've being an author myself that I hear, like it's very difficult to get into the library and just you know, be able to share your story. Like how how has that evolved and helped you out? And you know, now that you found your niche, um, how is the community, you know, taken to your stories? All three of them for that matter.
SPEAKER_00Well, it's different for the different markets. So when I had my teen book was out, I decided um to take it upon myself to provide a free program for the library. And how I did it was I pulled in anybody who had a book that was kind of a similar theme. Um, I think I kind of spread it out a little bit. So, like there was one that was a mystery, but it was true crime, another one that was a uh Regency romance, and a couple others in there was, you know, either uh for the specific teen audience. And then I pulled it in, got all these authors to participate and agree to raffle off a book. Oh wow, it was yeah, it was a lot of work, um, but it was kind of successful. Um for my newer books, my picture books, it helped tremendously that um Anglerfish was on the nutmeg list um last year. And so I had people reaching out to me. Would you come and do a like a story time with your book? It's a younger age audience, so I could do that. And of course, as a children's librarian, it is in my wheelhouse to do story time. So that's how I kind of worked with that one and got into live other libraries other than my own. Libraries are tricky. Uh the budgets for libraries are all different. And one of the things I feel terrible as a you know children's librarian myself is I often I cannot offer anyone much in the way of payment. And um, that's tough because I always feel, you know, you know, that this is their their livelihood and they want to get paid to do a uh you know presentation or reading. Um, but it can be tough. So if you're out there and you're trying to reach uh a library to be able to do those things, either know in advance that they're not going to be able to give you much, maybe an honor am or something, or um, you know, maybe try to do what I did and offer them something that um you know gives them an opportunity to say, okay, we we can dip a little into our budget to do this because you're having this wide array of authors come. Something like that might be able to help. That's great.
SPEAKER_02Now you went, we we we dabbled in the mortar mystery, you know, you excited us with that. And now we're now we're here deep diving in the sea. Um, you know, how difficult was it to switch gears? Uh like what like walk us through like I I feel like you know, teens, especially older teens, that audience is a very like young adult is a whole nother, you know, world to tap into. But to write for children to entertain has to be difficult. How did you find that that push and uh how challenging was it to find it?
SPEAKER_00Well, um honestly, it is kind of funny. Again, I I go back to that class I took with uh Lisa Rofrostino, and um that is where Anglerfish started out there. It was actually one of my homework assignments, and we were um asked to write a nonfiction piece that would be suitable for either a picture book or at the time magazines were more prevalent because this was a while ago, and I was like, oh, okay, I'll try to do that. And um, my teacher said, Yeah, you know, this is a good manuscript, you need to try to do something with this. So over the over time, I had been, you know, I always had been working on teen or middle grade novels, and I attempted, I I entered some contests with it, and I tried to submit it out to publishers, and I got a lot of interest, but I didn't quite get over the finish line. And then I decided to do the Rutgers, um, they do a one-on-one, um, so it's Rutgers the University, does a one-on-one conference, and you have to give them a writing sample, which at the time was another teen sample for me. But um, and then they let you into the conference, and then you get an opportunity to hear um from editors and agents and things that they are looking for, etc., and opportunities to submit your work. And when I did that, um they passed on my older material, but I thought I'm gonna say, I'm gonna give one more shot. Would you look at this one? And she said, Okay, but I'm gonna tell you, I don't, I don't work with manuscripts like this, but somebody else here does. Oh wow. And she passed it on to someone else who I, you know, I I had been close before and I had never sold it, so I didn't, I got it a little happy, but not too crazy because it happens all the time that you get ultimately a no. Um, but then I got an email saying we love this, and we don't have anything like this. Um, so I guess I'm going back to the original question with you know, how do you transition? I just I read a lot, and um I think that's one of the things you have to do if you're gonna write for different genres and ages, you have to familiarize yourself with what other people are putting out there. Um, so that's one of the things I did, and um, and I I still continue to do it. I read, um, I do read adult books, but I also read in every area of the children's department, including teen, um, because it's really important to familiarize yourself um with the market trends, how are other people doing it, and what can I do that might be a little bit different to make my work stand out? Um, so that's kind of how I I let it roll.
SPEAKER_02You know, that's that's actually really good advice. One of the things that stood out in your answer is that you didn't stop at the no. How do you find the motivation to not stop at the no? Because we hear we I don't think people realize, you know, social media can be quite deceiving. So, you know, we show our wins a lot on social media, so you know, people don't understand the no's. How did you where do you find the motivation to push by so that you got your yes and look at your now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I get it. Um sometimes I think I'm a glutton for punishment. Um, but I will say, um, it I did get a lot of such positive feedback, even though, even with the no's, that I knew I had something good. And when it gets, sometimes it gets a little much hearing the no. So I I need to put something aside, take care of yourself a little bit, and then go back to it. Um, anytime anybody gave me um feedback that I could make the manuscript better, I definitely took it. Um, so one of the things I did with Anglerfish that um I almost sold it to a different company. They brought it to like an editorial meeting, which is always a really exciting thing. That's where they decide if they may or may not take it on. She gave me some feedback and said that this reminds me of a different book. You should look at it. And I did. And I I I think it was um I oh gosh, I want to say it was either Coyotes at Night or Wolves at Night or something. I I I'm sorry, I don't remember the exact title, but I went and I did look at it. I'm like, okay. So one of the things I was missing was the back matter. I didn't have a lot of back matter. I had a little, but not enough. So before I resubmitted it, I added back matter with more facts and um, you know, just enough to, you know, get into the like, you know, all the little facts that the kids will want to know about the grave cycle, but maybe some interesting ones in there too that they weren't expecting. So I did that before I submitted it again. So when someone gives you, it takes the time to give you that really um specific feedback, do it.
SPEAKER_02Yes. I agree. Yes, I agree. I I definitely agree. How are the children receiving? Like what has been the feedback from the from the little guys? Because they they are you know tough critics.
SPEAKER_00They can be, yeah. They can really be tough. Um, honestly, unless a kid is very squeamish um and you know is freaked out by uh creatures like the anglerfish, it's been very positive. Kids who like nonfiction or they like to read about you know creatures or various anything of the natural world, they just suck stuff like this up. And I have to say, it does not hurt that it has such beautiful artwork. Um, Fiona Fogg is the illustrator, and she just made this fabulous cover, so appealing um that that helps getting people to like pick it up in the first place.
SPEAKER_02Oh, your covers are amazing. What came first, the pictures or the words?
SPEAKER_00Words first. So I have to start the process, and um, and hopefully, if I've done my job right and the the um the publisher wants to buy it, after I've done significant work uh with my editor, then they hire an illustrator. And um, I'm very fortunate. Kendallwick is so kind in letting me uh have a say in which illustrator. They usually give me like five different samples, and um, hopefully, me and my editor are aligned on the same ones. Um, so far we have been.
SPEAKER_02I mean, it's an amazing, amazing, amazing job. What advice do you have for authors trying to get to the next step?
SPEAKER_00Oh, um, read, read a lot. Um, uh make sure, like whatever genre of the story that you are interested in telling, make sure you look at what other people are doing before you. Um, it can be really beneficial to have someone else look at your your work, someone who can be really honest, not like your mom. Although maybe your mom can be really honest. My mom, but someone who can give you positive feedback, constructive feedback. Um, and and by that I don't mean like, oh, this is nice. You know, it they have to give you something like, hey, I love um, you know, X character in this, but I didn't think when they did X, Y, and Z that it didn't feel natural to me. Something like that, they can give you really good direction so that they can make your story better. I always say feedback should either feed the work or feed the writer. Oh, I love that. Thank you. And it's important um because you got to encourage each other along the path. So that can be really helpful for these manuscripts that are scientific based. Um, I actually do have an expert, sometimes more than one, look them over um for feedback, you know, feedback on mostly on like whether or not it reads at you know, factual. Am I wrong about anything? Um, you know, if they think I'm wrong, I I need to know that um because I'm not a scientist and um, you know, I do read a lot of material to make these books come to life, but I find their feedback super important too. Um, I used to have a critique group and they can be really great. Um, and I, you know, I still have fellow writers who will read work and I will read them and give them feedback. That can be really helpful, so helpful. Um, as long as it's not, like I said, it's gotta be either making the work better or helping the writer move that story along.
SPEAKER_02Well, I have gotten my hashtag for the day, which I love. Um, you know, if you as you listen to the Nutmeg Lipfest podcast, I'm all about a hashtag. Love it. That's how, you know, something to remember, you know, remind you of this of this segment. So feed the work or feed the writer love. Um so we are going to feed the audience right now because one of our favorite moments on the Nutmeg Lipfest podcast, it's a segment we call from the page. Um, and this is where we invite our authors to share a short passage that captures the heart of their work. So the moment where information meets imagination, and your books are perfect for that. So, Eileen, whenever you're ready, we would love to hear from the page.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I am going to read the beginning because I feel like it really sets the tone for the story. Although I will say personally, the last line is my fave. But I'm gonna read the beginning. Far, far below the ocean's surface, where no trace of sunlight can reach, Anglerfish makes her home. She glides slowly through the dark water, always on the hunt. Her jaw protrudes, bearing razor-sharp teeth. She is a fearsome creature. She is the sea devil of the deep.
SPEAKER_02I mean, it it's soothing. Like, even for adults. I I just happen to have a my daughter loves the sea, like it's just one of her favorite things. So we will definitely be picking up both of these, uh these adventures. And if anyone wanted to join me in picking up these uh wonderful books, how can we locate them and how can we find you if we want to have a sea adventure in our school or in our library or head out to deep river? How can we find these items?
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um, Anglerfish and Giant Cuttlefish of the Deep are available uh like at any of your favorite um bookshops. I personally am closest to the riverbend books in Glastonbury, and they are fabulous. Um, but they usually, if you go to like bookshop.org, if you want to buy independent, which I encourage you to do, um, they will tell you where's the look look the closest one to you. Of course, big retailers like Amazon and Walmart and all those others, you can buy them online as well. Um and me, I have a website. Um, so it's I think it's www.elanealexander.com. And I think on there you can like if each book is up, they'll have links of where you can buy them as well. So that if that helps. Um and I I do get called for school visits and such. I'm going to one in February and I'm kind of nervous. Why?
SPEAKER_02Why? What why are we? I mean, you're around children all the time. What share with us? Maybe we can help. Listeners, we have to help Elaine. Why are you nervous? I know.
SPEAKER_00Um, sometimes uh school visits, um, because they're on such a like a strict schedule, I I get nervous that I'm gonna like uh might like not be timed. It's like an actor on a stage or something. So I'm on a strict schedule. I'm like, oh no, what if I, you know, I blab on and on?
SPEAKER_02Forget your lines. Yes, yes, for your little audiences.
SPEAKER_00I under what it's I I love being around the kids though. They are always Have they have fabulous questions and that much? I love answering their questions. Even if it's like you get a lot of the same questions, I still love it.
SPEAKER_02I can't, you know, I'm excited for you. Uh, I know that you'll do well. And what do you hope readers feel when they encounter these creatures through your writing? What would you like to leave our listeners with?
SPEAKER_00I hope it sparks their curiosity. And um, you know, you know, all these creatures live in our, you know, in a natural environment. Obviously, you know, humans sometimes have a negative impact on the environment. So I'm hoping that they learn like um to be a part of nature, to be curious about nature, and maybe to be good stewards of nature if at all possible. I really see a lot of hope in our future generations, our young people, in um, you know, keeping the earth uh, you know, everything cleaner and better. So I if they have curiosity about this, I think they'll care more about um the environment and um all of the living beings inside of it. That's what I hope.
SPEAKER_02And I hope the same. Elaine, thank you for sharing your insight, your curiosity, and your work with us today. Your writing reminds us that natural world is full of stories waiting to be explored, understood, and protected. For our listeners, if today's conversation sparked your curiosity, we encourage you to spend some time with Elaine's work and let these stories take you deeper. Thank you for listening to the Nutmeg Lit Fest Podcast or Story Speak. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Until next time, keep reading, keep wondering, and keep letting stories speak.