Congratulations, Colleen Paeff, on Firefly Song: Lynn Frierson Faust and the Great Smoky Mountain Discover!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of FIREFLY SONG: LYNN FRIERSON FAUST AND THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN DISCOVERY (illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim) with us! Young readers love STEAM books and I’m sure yours will find many happy readers. Can you share with us a bit about the inspiration for this book? What was your initial spark? I’ve wanted to write Lynn’s story since 2014, when I first read about her in Mental Floss magazine. At the time, I had no agent, no book deal––just an SCBWI membership and a whole lot of enthusiasm––and I worried that wasn’t enough to get Lynn’s approval. So, I put the article aside and worked on becoming a published author. In 2021, my debut picture book, The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem, was released and six months later I emailed Lynn, introduced myself, and asked if I could write her story. She said yes!

Writing STEAM books requires a substantial amount of research. Often it is the most fun part of our writing process. Did you meet any challenges in your research journey?

You are so right that the research is often the most fun part of the writing process! In fact, conducting the research for this book led to one of most magical experiences of my entire life––my husband and I met Lynn in the Smoky Mountains when the synchronous fireflies were at their peak. The Light Show, as they call it in the Smokies, was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. Even though many people had told me what it was like to see their courtship display, it wasn’t until I saw the fireflies myself that I understood how to write about it. So, describing the Light Show was one challenge that was solved when I saw it myself, but probably the most challenging aspect of my research was understanding the science of fireflies––the language, the life cycles, the habits, and the differences between species. I almost always found the information I needed in Lynn’s book, Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs, but sometimes there was something I just couldn’t grasp. Thankfully, in those instances, Lynn was happy to help. Having my very own firefly expert on call was a huge bonus! Often one of the most difficult parts of crafting our books is not deciding what to include, but deciding what to leave out. What did you choose to leave out of this book and why? Lynn has led an incredible life. I wish I could have told ALL her stories! I left out childhood stories related to her time in the woods. I left out stories from when she was in her early twenties and she and her husband sailed around the world with two friends. In college, she studied forensic anthropology under William Bass, founder of the Body Farm. She even worked at the farm, a research facility where dead bodies are placed in different environments to study how they decay. I left out some wonderfully visual (and exciting!) stories about her firefly research. She’s studied fireflies by horseback and canoe. She’s camped out in caves. She’s nearly been run over by cars and attacked by alligators, and she’s traveled the world meeting other firefly experts. In the end, I decided to limit the book to the story of Lynn’s discovery of the synchronous fireflies because it created clear parameters that would keep the word count under control. Hopefully, she’ll write a memoir someday, so everyone can read about the incredible places Lynn’s curiosity has taken her!

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? I love to think about the qualities Lynn possesses that make her such a great scientist–– curiosity and the power to observe tiny details come to mind––because they’re qualities many children have in spades. Teachers might encourage their students to look for these qualities (and others) in Lynn and in themselves, as a way to empower the children to think of themselves as scientists. Follow up with some hands-on, observational activities (check the Xerces Society and my website for ideas) to give students the full Lynn Faust experience!

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching? Thank you! My next book, PUFFLINGS FLY FREE: A RESCUE TALE FROM ICELAND (illustrated by Linda Ólafsdóttir) took me to a small island off the coast of Iceland where I got to rescue some baby puffins (!!) and I’m taking a trip to Corfu this summer to research a certain naturalist who spent part of his childhood there. (Fans of “The Durrell’s in Corfu” will know who I mean!)

About the author: Colleen Paeff is the award-winning author of The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem. A lifelong Californian, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in set design for theater from California State University Fullerton, before becoming a bookseller, preschool teacher, and newspaper columnist. (She never did become a set designer!) Eventually, she figured out how to roll books, kids, and writing into a career as a children’s book author, and now she gets to share her enthusiasm for books and learning by visiting with students both at home and abroad. Colleen is a Robert F. Sibert Honor recipient and winner of the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction Text for Young Readers. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Learn more at www.colleenpaeff.com.