Sara Shepard is best known as the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book series Pretty Little Liars, which was turned into a television series starring Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale and Shay Mitchell. Recently, she has been writing a middle grade series, Penny Draws, the most recently of which released a few weeks ago—Penny Draws a Crush. The series follows a girl who draws to deal with anxiety—a character Sara says was inspired by her own two sons.
We asked Sara to share more about Pretty Little Liars and Penny Draws in this week’s Meet a Mom Interview.
Congratulations on your new book. But let’s backtrack for a moment. What inspired Pretty Little Liars?
Pretty Little Liars was (kind of) inspired by the area I grew up in outside of Philadelphia, and the characters’ struggles were some of what I’d faced in high school as well. (Not all of their struggles, as they go through a lot, but some.) It was so much fun to write and incredible to see someone translate it into a TV show. It’s hard to wrap your mind around the characters that you came up with in your dark little extra bedroom in a basement apartment in Brooklyn are suddenly larger than life.
What lead to you writing for middle grade readers after doing YA for so long?
I was always a little afraid of middle grade as it seemed like a difficult audience—that was, until my two boys became middle grade readers themselves. When I came up with the idea for Penny, my boys were in 2nd and 4th grade and going through a lot of what Penny goes through. It was definitely a shift to write for a younger audience, but with Penny I get to show off my sillier side—that shines through sometimes in my YA and adult novels, but in Penny it’s front and center. I also draw all of the pictures for the books, which is a lot of fun. I secretly love drawing—I had plans to go to art school back in high school but then was afraid I wasn’t talented enough. It’s kind of my favorite thing that I’m now illustrating my novels.
Love that! Who is Penny Draws aimed at?
Penny is for readers anywhere from 1st to 6th grade, though she herself is a 5th grader. A lot of the story is just about fun, silly school stuff and friendships, but I wanted to write a series for kids who suffer with anxiety. Penny worries a lot, and I wanted to normalize that for kids and show how she grows and learns. Throughout the series, Penny is navigating different challenges that come up in middle school—fractured friendships, speaking in public, not feeling “good enough,” and the fear of letting people down.
In Penny Draws a First Crush, Penny notices that some kids in her grades are starting to develop “crushes” on people…and she’s worried about not having crushes herself. Should she be this age? What if she gets left behind? What if people think she’s a baby? A secret admirer note adds another complication—Penny doesn’t feel ready! I think readers will relate to that. Not everyone is ready to have crushes on people, and that’s okay!
Absolutely. Do you have any tips for encouraging reluctant readers or writers?
I guess my tip would be to give the book a try. If it’s not for you, that’s okay—you can try another one. Also, I think some kids get intimidated by books with a lot of pages or small print—maybe start with something shorter, or a book with a lot of pictures (like Penny) or even a graphic novel. With writing, I think a lot of reluctant writers have “writer’s block” where they can’t get started. That happens to me, too! The best thing to do is just start writing—even nonsense words—just to get going. If you’re writing at home, sometimes the best thing to do is get up and walk around for a bit, or even go outside. I often have my best ideas when I’m not seeing in front of my screen.
What has been a career highlight that sticks out for you?
I would definitely say seeing all of “Rosewood” (my fictitious PLL town) created in the Warner Bros Studio backlot. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over that. But even on a smaller scale, seeing my name on the cover of anything. I always wanted to be a writer, even as a kid, but I never thought it would happen for me. It took a lot of practice and perseverance, but I still can’t believe I’ve written this many books.
What would you tell yourself as a kid that you wish you knew then?
I feel like the stock answer is “Don’t worry so much!” but honestly, I think a little worry is good. If I didn’t worry so much or didn’t push myself so hard, I might not be where I am today…and also, how would I have come up with Penny’s character? I would tell myself not to worry about getting to sleep, though. You always fall asleep! Staying awake wondering if you’ll ever fall asleep again just makes it worse!
What’s next for you?
I have a new graphic novel series coming out called “Stevie!” It’s possibly sillier than Penny but so much fun.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I love connecting with readers and parents. The best place to DM me is on Instagram at @saracshepard. (That’s my name on TikTok, too, though I don’t read the messages there as much!)
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