The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Heather Pierce Stigall

Maria Marshall
Aug 17
9 min read

Updated: Aug 22

Heather Pierce Stigall uses her experience with children and her degrees in Child Development, Psychology-based Human Relations, and Social Work to create stories that speak to kids. She writes stories about children’s interactions with themselves, others, and the world, and she hopes they will inspire, entertain, and connect with her readers.

Photo of author Heather Stigall sitting with the dog in front of purple lavendar.

When she's not writing, you can find her connecting local children's writer and illustrator friends to critique groups, helping plan Eastern PA SCBWI events, reading, running, chasing five children and one pup (sometimes on the beach), baking, sewing, scrapbooking, or playing with her friends and family. While doing all of those things, she's still dreaming up story ideas that she turns into books for others to enjoy.

Book cover - a bunny with a bow at the base of one ear and a tutu holding three balloons and a popper shooting confetti.

Heather is the author of Paisley’s Big Birthday, illustrated by Natallia Bushuyeva (2023).

Her newest picture book, Gilbert and the Ghost, releases on August 19^th.

Welcome Heather,

Thank you for having me on your blog, Maria!

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? What is your favorite book to write?)

My path to publication has not been linear, but I have always loved children and picture books. I spent years jotting down ideas for stories before I decided to get serious about a writing career. That was twelve years ago! I started out slowly by learning about writing picture books and children’s publishing, joining SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), joining a critique group, and doing a lot of writing and revising. When my children were younger, I could only write in those tiny spaces of time between carpool and naps, so I wrote anywhere and everywhere. Now that they’re older, I have some larger chunks of time I devote to writing, which I prefer to do on my back deck if the weather cooperates or at the beach when I’m there. But I still write anywhere and everywhere! As for my favorite thing to write, I write chapter books, but my heart is, and will forever be, in picture books.

It's wonderful to meet you Heather. What helps you to be inspired? (perhaps a certain place, music, activity, etc.)

Engaging with children keeps me inspired! But when I’m working through a story, whether it’s before I put pen to paper or I’m on the 16^th revision, walking or running outside opens my mind like nothing else. There’s something about moving about in nature that lets the creative juices flow.

I totally agree with you. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Gilbert and the Ghost?

Book cover - a boy stands, with a backpack on, looking a tan and black, multi-story, spooky-looking house, with the curtain blowing out of an upper window.

Gilbert and the Ghost began with two things – a title idea and a childhood memory. The title came about during Tara Lazar’s 2020 StoryStorm challenge. Because I like wordplay, I thought “ghost writer” had potential for a picture book title. The childhood memory came from my happy place – the beach.

When I was a child, my parents and aunt and uncle rented the same beach house for a few weeks each summer. One year, before we left our rental for the season, my cousins and I hid a note somewhere in the house, hoping to find a reply when we returned the following year. Surely someone would want to be our pen pal! The next summer, we checked our secret hiding spot. Did anyone reply? No. But our note was missing! Someone must have read it, right? Maybe they did reply, but another renter received the note before us. So, we tried again, for several years, believing that eventually we would become friends with another beach lover, even if we never met.

With that memory in mind, I wondered if I could write a story about a child who wrote notes to a ghost he believed lived in his neighborhood, even though no one else believed. A friendship story between a child, who understood what it felt like to be invisible, just like a ghost, and a ghost, who might want a friend too. So, I did!

That is such a fun memory of summers with your cousins and a great premise for the book. What do you like to do outdoors - either by yourself or with your family and friends?

As I mentioned above, my happy place is the beach! I grew up about 20 minutes from the Jersey Shore, so I spent a lot of time there. I loved when my family rented a beach house those few weeks every summer. It meant swimming, digging in the sand, crabbing, exploring, building sandcastles, playing arcade games, and having fun with my cousins, 24 hours a day. I also enjoyed daytrips there with family, friends, and the children I cared for when I worked as a nanny. Now it takes me two hours (or more) to get to most NJ beaches, so I don’t do a lot of day trips. Lucky for me, my mom loves the beach as much as I do, so she still rents for a few weeks each summer at the same beach near where I grew up. I visit whenever I can so I can feel the sand between my toes and hear the waves crashing on the shore.

What great summer experiences and memories. I loved spending any possible time with my grandparents on the Oregon Coast. Every summer sounds heavenly! How long did it take from the first draft to publication for Gilbert and the Ghost?

I wrote the first draft of Gilbert and the Ghost in May 2020. After several revisions, I subbed that manuscript to my first agent in October 2021. We got the book deal in May 2022 with an expected publication date of fall 2024. The publication date changed to fall 2026, then to fall 2025, and finally, an official publication date of August 19, 2025. That’s a long way to say it took a little over five years from first draft to publication.

With a couple of fun twists & turns. Glad you didn't have to wait until the fall of 2026. What was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Gilbert and the Ghost? And what was the most fun?

Hmm…I wouldn’t say the following was “challenging,” but it was the most nerve-wracking thing about revising the story: Before I started querying this manuscript, I received critiques with two different agents. Each had different suggestions for how to improve it and very different opinions about the ending. One thought the resolution was “sweet and satisfying,” while the other thought editors might shy away from the story because the ending wasn’t “decisive” enough. I incorporated many of the first agent’s suggestions and a few of the second agent’s notes but left the ending as it was. My intention was to offer a satisfying resolution while leaving room for reader interpretation, so I didn’t change one word. Luckily, I signed with an agent who also loved the ending. Then, after the editor at Beaming Books brought the manuscript to acquisitions, she came back with questions from the rest of her team. They wanted to know about the ending! I was nervous because, of course, I wanted an offer! I explained my vision for the story and crossed my fingers while waiting for a response. I was thrilled to receive a book deal, and the ending remains just how I wrote it in the very first draft.

As for what was the most fun – dreaming up the idea for the story. I enjoyed imagining a world for Gilbert and all the things he might do to try to become friends with a ghost.

I am glad you stuck to your guns and that it worked out. I love the questions that the ending raises and the room you leave the reader to form their own conclusions. When you first saw Jess Mason’s illustrations did anything amaze, excite, or surprise you? Which is your favorite spread?

Internal spread - young boy lying on his stomach drawing a picture of a house with a ghost in front of it. Surrounded by six other picture of himself and the ghost, the ghost, and the house.

Text © Heather Pierce Stigall, 2025. Image © Jess Mason, 2025.

Aren’t her illustrations amazing?! I love the way she gives the book a mysterious tone that’s not too scary. Two spreads that stood out to me were the opening spread, where Gilbert is lying on the floor drawing pictures, and then almost at the end, where Gilbert and a girl are similarly posed drawing pictures together. Those two spreads show an important change in the story that isn't mentioned outright in the text.

End pages - scattered about the page are chocolate chip cookies, pictures of a ghost, crayons, friendship bracelets, and fall leaves.

One fun surprise: I have been able to view the digital version of the story for a while now, but I only recently saw a hard copy of the book. The digital version did not show any end papers, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jess included illustrated end papers in the book. They’re so fun!

I love the pictures that Gilbert draws and the end pages are awesome! What makes you passionate about being a children’s author?

I think one of the main reasons I love picture books is because they are meant to be shared, so they foster a connection between reader and listener. Some of my fondest memories of books are not just about the stories themselves, but of the time spent on the lap of a loved one or with a loved on my lap. So, while I hope my stories connect with the children who need to hear the stories I want to tell, I also hope they play a part in a child’s connection to their loved ones.

There is something very special in that one-to-one time reading, snuggling, and talking with a child. I think this will be a favorite book for a number of families. Is there anything you want your readers to know or hope they discover about Gilbert and the Ghost?

To the grownups who read Gilbert and the Ghost: After you’ve read the last spread and closed the back cover, ask your listeners what they think about the ending and why. You might be amazed at what they say!

P.S. If you’re not sure how to lead a discussion about the book, there is a free educator’s guide on my website that has some sample questions you could ask.

I can just imagine what some of the responses might be. By the way, your educator guide is amazing, Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

I always have a few projects in various stages from early drafts to submission-ready, including ones about a misunderstood bird, a wet dog, a wolf in disguise, a child with FOMO, a bedtime story with a twist, and a frustrated pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Fingers crossed you’ll see one or all of these on a bookshelf someday!

These sound really intriguing. We will have to keep our eyes open for your next release. 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?

Photo of Fiordland National Park in New Zealand.

I’ve been fortunate to visit several U.S. National Parks and would love to visit more, but one of the most magnificent parks I’ve visited was Fiordland National Park in New Zealand. My husband and I took a small plane tour of Milford Sounds and saw snow-capped mountains, lush rainforest, and crystal-clear arctic lakes nestled in the mountains. Then we did a ferry tour where we saw (and felt!) thunderous waterfalls, towering cliffs, and stunning landscapes. It was the trip of a lifetime!

Thank you, Heather for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new book.

Be sure to come back Friday for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF review of Gilbert and the Ghost.

To find out more about Heather Pierce Stigall, or to contact her:

Website: https://www.heatherpiercestigall.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherpstigall

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_stigall7/

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

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/heatherstigall7.bsky.social

If you're in the area, be sure to stop by and meet Heather and/or get a signed book:

booked. - Chestnut Hill, PA (8511 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia PA 19118)

Philly Bookstore Crawl

Book Signing with Middle Grade author of Haunting at Bellingtion Cottage, Laura Parnum