The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Elayne Crain + Book Giveaway

Elayne Crain is a proud writer of childish things.

When Elayne is not reading or writing, she loves walks in the woods with her sons and partner, photography, and karaoke. Elayne serves as a regional volunteer for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – Western Washington and is active in several writing communities.

Elayne’s debut picture book (with illustrator John Ledda), There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter, was released on June 3 and selected as a Summer 2025 Kids’ Indie Next List pick.

Welcome Elayne,

Hello, hello! So nice to ‘meet’ everyone.

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing?)

Since we’re likely all writers (if not writer-illustrators) here in this cozy circle, I feel safe saying: “I’m Elayne. I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil, but in November 2019, things took a serious turn, and I joined SCBWI. The next year, I joined 12x12, and the year after that, Inked Voices. I guess it’s fair to say now I’m a full-blown children’s literature-writing fiend, and I’m afraid it’s a hopeless case.”

Ha! Welcome to the club! What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve created a manuscript?

Interesting question—alas, my creative process (sitting down at either my desk or kitchen table, typing, and muttering to myself #creatureofhabit) is not that exciting! The only exceptions I can think of were retreats. I did luck out and got to attend Milkwood during its inaugural season (super, super lovely and fun!)—so, if pressed, I would have to go with that!

That is an amazing opportunity to get to Milkwood! Congratulations. That must have been so fun to work with Sophie Blackall. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter?

Both my parents worked, so I was frequently babysat by a hodgepodge of people. When my middle brother was born, I was 7—and I think I was helping care for him at age 9? My mom had me watching him at first for a quick emergency errand or two, and then it just gradually became a more regular thing. (The 80s, amirite?) By 10-11, I was babysitting him fairly regularly, and by the time I was a teen, I also had a second brother, as well as babysitting jobs most weekends (my mom would set up for me babysit for neighbors—not great for my social life, but good for learning about what entertains/doesn’t entertain kids, plus I had spending money for books, and even a PW magazine subscription). So, maybe it was inevitable that this is a topic I felt I “got.” Funny enough, the one time my mom got my middle brother to watch my younger brother, she came home to find police cars in the driveway, because the youngest one had convinced the middle one that he’d seen a snake in the house, and 911 had been called. So, the moral is: call 911 during your first babysitting gig, and you won’t have to do it ever again.

The oldest of three, I feel you. I even got babysitting duty for any and all kids that accompanied parents to dinners. Your poor brother! What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter? And what was the most fun?

The most challenging part was when my (now-editor) Kat was interested in the story, but her team felt (correctly!) that both the humor and the emotional core could have been pushed further. As a pre-published, unagented author with my clown-shoe-shod foot perched comically over the threshold, I had to marshal every tool—and critic—in my toolkit to get it to the level where it was finally too good for them to pass on. That was a stressful, if very exciting, time!

The most fun part was seeing John’s illustration work—John infused the story with so much visual joy, and it was a real treat to see that evolution!

Oh my, what a great description of teetering on the edge of acceptance. How many revisions did There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter take from first draft to publication?

Oh, oodles. Trench-coat-loads. The main gist/plot was always the same, and the title and main characters were always the same, but motivations and causalities were AlL oVeR tHe PlAcE. This was the third manuscript I ever wrote, so yeah…it was a LOT of revision. Too many to count!

Congrats on seeing it through and fighting for the story! When you first saw John Ledda’s illustrations, did anything amaze or surprise you? Which is your favorite spread?

It’s been a genuine joy to have “stacked up” with him to make this Oddly satisfying story!

Early on, I was very lucky to get to share a few possible illustrators (including John!) with Kat for consideration, and also to see the illustrations from roughs onward. So, I think that first batch of sketches was when it really hit me: the overwhelming gratitude for his visual storytelling and how he built off my words in such an engaging and energetic way. In fact, that energy was my biggest surprise: when writing it, I kind of saw this story as being sort of—well, wry (which it is!) but also a bit more wink-wink? Thank goodness, John brought such riotous-yet-warm energy to it and played each scene up, instead! As rounds progressed, I cut unnecessary verbiage and shared joke ideas when I thought of any, but mostly, I was just able to watch this magical thing transform from a distance, like a weird little raccoon-packed flower bud blooming. 

Text © Elayne Crain, 2025. Image © John Ledda, 2025.

My favorite spread is the one where we see from inside the trench coat, out (though it’s genuinely hard to choose!)

Sounds like a wonderful experience. I also love John's illustrations. As a debut author, what is something you wished you’d know about the publication process?

Well, I don’t want to sound too Pollyanna, but the truth is: most of what came was a series of wonderful surprises! I had heard a few horror stories, so when my editor asked for input on illustrators, and everyone was so open and warm, I was floored. Then, I saw firsthand the care each team member put into their part of the book-making process—art direction, design, production, sales, marketing, and PR—and my respect for these professionals has only snowballed since. It’s true that it takes a while, but that’s how good things get made.

Luckily, there are also things I genuinely enjoy doing myself—such as legwork like talking with booksellers, putting together event proposals, and creating marketing materials—that I've been able to build some proficiency in through this process. I’m happy that the next time I have a book launch, thanks to that experience, I will now have a book marketing toolkit (both metaphorical and literal) to draw from!

That's a big bonus! What's something you want your readers to know about There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter?

I guess that it’s not just silly: it’s SERIOUSLY silly. HA! Though there’s no wrong interpretation of the story, in my mind, Freddie is entirely “in” on the situation from the first glance, yet expects ANY babysitter to have a certain level of competence that this one, at least initially, seems to lack—so he’s conflicted, to say the least. (I love a conflicted character, whether a kid, or a stack of raccoons.) I also really loved stories that made me feel smart as a kid—like Miss Nelson is Missing!, for example. So, that was definitely something I thought about when plotting it out. Anyhow, I wrote it with kids (and inner raccoons) I’ve personally known in mind, and I hope it connects with many, many of them.

You definitely succeeded in creating something "seriously funny." Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

Ooh, great question! As you know, picture book writers must always have new projects up their trench coat sleeves! In my case, I have one that I am enjoying revising, very, very VERY loosely based on an O. Henry story I adore. I really hope it (eventually) gets bought because it would be very fun for an illustrator to work on.

Best of luck with it! Last question,  what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

Oh, I love visiting parks! I have several of those U.S. Parks Passport stamp books, and I’ve been trying to fill them out ever since I was a teen. In the U.S., I really love Olympic National Park, which we are lucky enough to live quite near now! Further afield, New Zealand’s North Island has some gorgeous natural sites, including the Waitomo Gloworm Caves, and the Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula—it’s geothermally heated, so you dig a little hole for yourself on the beach, let it fill with seawater, and relax your little natural hot tub.

This looks like the most amazing beach ever. I added it to my bucket list. Thank you, Elayne, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your debut picture book.

Thank you for letting me visit! 😊 

To find out more about Elayne Crain, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.elaynecrain.com/

Blog: https://elaynecrain.substack.com/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/elaynecrain.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elaynecrain/

Twitter (X): https://x.com/elaynecrain

🎈🎉 There's Something Odd About the Babysitter Giveaway 🎉🎈

Elayne Crain is offering one lucky reader a book!

- Simply comment below to be entered in the random drawing on June 27th.

- Be sure to say where (if) you shared the post (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Bluesky), and I'll add additional entries for you.

- Sorry US residents only.