This month, we’re thrilled to feature Sarah Hovorka in the OPB Author-​Illustrator Interview series!

Sarah is a versatile creator with a knack for weaving heartfelt and imaginative stories that resonate with readers of all ages. From her touching picture books like Unicycle Dad to her love of speculative fiction, Sarah’s work reflects her curiosity and passion for exploring human experiences. A homeschooling mother of three, she juggles writing, family life, and living with Crohn’s Disease, all the while infusing her stories with authenticity and heart.

Let’s dive into her world, learn about her process, and explore the stories that have shaped her—and those she’s yet to tell.

• Sarah’s website
• Sarah’s Bluesky
• Sarah’s Facebook
• Sarah’s Instagram
• Sarah’s Twitter/​X

RVC: Let’s start with a basic one. Where did you grow up?

SH: A farming, pocket community in the Central California Valley.

RVC: Rumor has it you had an unpleasant interaction with a career aptitude test in your childhood. What happened?

SH: It was a standardized test given by my high school. I had big dreams to pursue the sciences, but the test results said my ideal career would be a Dictionary Editor. Not only was that not science, but it wasn’t even an editor for a fun category like fiction. I was peeved as a teenager, but the test had the last laugh. I would love that job now.

RVC: Me too! Now, speculative fiction seems like a natural fit given your interests. What led you to focus on children’s literature instead?

SH: I found that my voice naturally lent itself to children’s literature. I’ve always had an easier time talking to children and I think that comes through in my writing. I still like to write speculative fiction, though, and I’ve been working on speculative chapter books, middle grade, and young adult stories most recently.

RVC: What’s the story behind your first published picture book?

SH: One day I was doing household chores and reflecting on my son’s difficulty with touch, especially being forced, and my own similar memories from childhood. The story of Hattie Hates Hugs popped into my head. After writing it, I pitched it in Twitter’s #PitMad pitching event where the right editor saw it at the right time.

RVC: What’s the most important lesson that book taught you?

SH: That there’s something extra that infuses a story when it comes from your real personality, experiences, and emotions. If your story starts to feel forced, even if the writing is fantastic, I think that comes through to readers.

RVC: Say a few words about Unicycle Dad, which is just a fun title for a book!

SH: Thank you! Unicycle Dad pays homage to single fathers who strive to provide for their children, even through struggles like poverty and lack of education, and end up teaching their kids one of the most valuable life lessons of all. It’s based on my childhood experiences.

RVC: As you said, there’s something special about a story that comes from your real experiences. What’s your dad’s favorite spread from this book?

SH: His favorite is the spread where Sarah falls on the unicycle and the dad says, “It only takes perseverance, Sarah. Keep trying until you get it.”

RVC: What’s YOUR favorite spread?

SH: My favorite is the spread where Sarah feels that daily unicycle practice and homework is only hard work, not at all like the soaring she sees her dad doing.

RVC: In three words or fewer, describe Alicia’s art style for this book.

SH: Realistic, whimsical, thoughtful.

RVC: Camouflage Mom: A Military Story About Staying Connected is another heartfelt story. What inspired this book?

SH: Like Unicycle Dad, this book is based on my own childhood experiences. I wanted to tell the story of a mother in the military and how that can affect the bond between parent and child.

RVC: What was the biggest challenge with writing this book?

SH: It was difficult keeping the balance between conflicting positive and negative emotions in the main character as she struggles to unite the image of her pre-​military mother with the image of her military mom. Sometimes we have warring emotions which are all valid and I tried to highlight that in this story.

RVC: Have you heard from readers about how these stories have impacted them? Any memorable responses?

SH: Yes! For both books, readers loved seeing a side of moms and dads that aren’t often shown: dads as single fathers and moms as the military parent. Adult readers have also said it was a nice change to see a character pursuing a GED and children seem to find it funny that Sarah hates spaghetti so much.

RVC: Let’s talk about the industry. You’re repped by literary agent Kaitlyn Sanchez—a friend of OPB (here’s our interview with her)! What’s the story of how/​when the two of you partnered up?

SH: It’s kind of funny because the story of my first published book is also the story of partnering up with Kaitlyn. I was very new (and lucky) to pitching and querying, and when I had an offer on Hattie Hates Hug through a Twitter pitch event, I reached out to Kaitlyn, and she connected with my stories. When she quickly sold my second picture book, Same Love, Different Hug, it was like all the stars aligned and I knew she was a great fit for me.

RVC: What’s Kaitlyn’s agenting superpower?

SH: Honesty! Sometimes something just isn’t working in your story, or editors aren’t looking for that type of story, or… or… or. I very much appreciate that Kaitlyn is so transparent with her thoughts and the submission process. Writing and publishing is such a subjective industry it’s extraordinarily helpful when someone can give it to you straight.

RVC: If I asked Kaitlyn what your writing superpower is, what would she say?

SH: That’s a hard question. Possibly that I can bring to life difficult emotions in children without them seeming like problems or something that is bad. Or maybe that’s the writing superpower I hope I have.

RVC: What’s your typical writing routine, and how do you balance it with homeschooling and family life?

SH: Err… routine? Ha! No, I’m not great at holding a writing routine. When I’ve tried to do that, it begins to feel like work for me.

RVC: I often tell my students that if something feels like work, then you should step back and really look at your process. Maybe there’s a more effective way?

SH: I’ve been more productive by ensuring that I can easily jot down inspiration any time it strikes and leaving myself trails of motivation, such as calendar reminders with prompts or finding a writing buddy for longer manuscripts. I do try to balance it with homeschooling by sometimes using my kids’ creative writing time for my own creative writing or using time when they are working independently.

RVC: In an interview, you mentioned keeping a spreadsheet for story ideas. What criteria help you decide which ideas to develop further?

SH: The number one criterion for me is how much the story idea sticks in my mind. I use my spreadsheet of ideas religiously to record, but not that often do I review them. That’s because if an idea takes hold and I start thinking of scenes in my mind or developing character traits without trying to, I know I can keep the inspiration up to complete a decent first draft. The second criterion is whether I can easily think of a natural beginning and ending for the story. I feel a little like a flag in the wind without that.

RVC: How do you handle moments when a story just isn’t coming together?

SH: If it’s later in the writing process, such as after a first draft or after half of a novel is written, then I will step away for a few days. Usually something will come to me when I’m not thinking about it. Doing household chores is a great way to free up your creative mind, in my experience. If it’s early in the process and it’s a big picture kind of thing that isn’t coming together, then I typically will choose not to pursue that idea at that time. That sounds like giving up, but I feel like the more I have to work to make the basic story come together, the more it doesn’t really come together at all. Sometimes that story idea that just didn’t work out will appear as a subplot or side action in another story.

RVC: What’s the most challenging part of revising a manuscript, and how do you tackle it?

SH: I very much enjoy revising. It’s like a logic puzzle trying to figure out what fits in where and what needs to go.

RVC: I quite agree! It’s where the real magic happens.

SH: The most challenging part for me is figuring out a way to reword or restructure something when I’ve received opposing feedback. You can’t please everyone, but sometimes there’s a totally different, hidden solution that can work both ways.

RVC: What’s a specific moment when revising completely transformed one of your stories?

SH: After editor feedback, Hattie Hates Hugs turned from a story only about validating one’s feelings surrounding physical contact into one that directly showed children and the adults who care about them how to actually establish a boundary. It gave the story a practical how-​to element that had previously been too hidden.

RVC: Let’s talk about some of the things that led to your writing successes. How has being part of SCBWI influenced your growth as an author?

SH: They helped provide a community of people with varying levels of experience when I was first starting out. The nice thing about SCBWI is that they provide multiple ways to engage with the community such as local groups, online chats, events, and workshops.

RVC: What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from your critique groups?

SH: Readers will subconsciously put their own spin on what they are reading. It’s something fickle that’s easily influenced by that reader’s personal experiences, feelings, judgements… even sometimes by what that reader has done that day. It is enlightening.

RVC: What’s one misconception about writing picture books that you’d like to debunk?

SH: That writers of picture books are only writing for children. Picture books are read by children independently or with an adult… adults sometimes read picture books without a child, too! The picture book writer must write to both audiences.

RVC: What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received, and how has it shaped your approach to storytelling?

SH: Don’t try to write solely what you think the market wants. For one thing, the market changes all the time and already has stories like that. But more importantly, it’s more fun to write what you want. In my storytelling, I have learned to put in things that I find interesting, fun, or thoughtful. Even if the market may not support certain aspects of a story, such as if a genre is over-​saturated, you never know what readers might get drawn into. If you like it, chances are someone else will, too.

RVC: Two final questions for this part of the interview. How do you handle the highs and lows of the publishing process?

SH: At first, that was difficult for me, and I just pushed on, whether there was good news or bad news. One thing I have learned about myself is that I respond well to personal progress; it’s a highly motivating factor for me. To manage the ups and downs of publishing, I measure my personal progress by outside milestones, such as receiving positive editorial feedback or landing a deal, AND inside milestones, such as trying to write a new genre or attending a workshop. In that way, I’m always succeeding.

RVC: What a great way to think about things! What upcoming projects or goals are you most excited about?

SH: I’m currently writing a young adult novel that blends my usual emotional type of storytelling within a speculative plot. I’m excited to see how it turns out; I think it’s going really well so far.

RVC: Okay, Sarah. It’s time to leap into the fray with…the Lightning Round. Zippy questions followed by zappy answers, please. Are you ready to begin?

SH: Yes.

RVC: Most underappreciated speculative fiction book, kidlit or otherwise?

SH: The Number of the Beast by Robert A. Heinlein.

RVC: Personal chef, personal maid, or personal masseuse?

SH: Personal masseuse.

RVC: Your life is on the line. You need to sing one karaōke song to save it. What do you go with?

SH: “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn.

RVC: Which picture book world would you most want to visit for a day?

SH: The Dragons Are Singing Tonight by Jack Prelutsky.

RVC: Who sets the standard for funny picture books?

SH: Jon Klassen.

RVC: A favorite line from any picture book, classic or contemporary?

SH: “It didn’t even own a proper jacket,” from The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear.

RVC: Thanks so much, Sarah!