Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Wildman.

Hi Stephanie , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

Becoming a grandmother inspired me to write books for children. I took a class when I was 69 years old from writer, now friend, Maxine Rose Schur, and learned so much about the children’s publishing world. I came to the class with an idea for a middle grade book and Maxine said, “It’s a picture book!” I was taken aback, because I am not an artist. But Maxine explained that publishers find illustrators for books from author-only types like me. (I am not an author-illustrator, though many talented people are both!). That book became my first published picture book – Brave in the Water – from Lawley Publishing, illustrated by Jenni Feidler-Aguilar. Lawley is a traditional publisher based in Arizona and a woman-owned company. Perhaps that is why they pay attention to process and encourage the author and illustrator to discuss their mutual vision for a book before the publication process begins. (More on these books below.) I also wrote Miri’s Moving Day (co-author Adam Ryan Chang, illustrated by Dream Chen) from Kar-Ben Publishing, which garnered a Kirkus review and was named one of the best children’s picture books of 2024 by Tablet Magazine. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/best-jewish-childrens-books-2024

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Sometimes I feel like I’m living the line from the musical Hamilton that says, “Why do you write like your running out of time?” I am nearer to the end than the beginning of my life, which is both freeing and a challenge – a challenge to make the most of each day. Writing time is special, but it can be hard to set boundaries to be sure that special time happens. I’m probably the biggest violator of that boundary. But maybe I’m just creatively procrastinating. :-)

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

I didn’t set out to write a series – but I have done that in the picture books with twins Flor and Roberto and their big brother Luis, illustrated by Estefania Razo, from Lawley Publishing. The first book – Treasure Hunt – evolved from a story (about recycling and reusing material) that I had submitted to a “green” writing contest. The story didn’t win, but the ideas stayed with me. The original story involved a grandmother and grandson. Maxine gave me good advice – “Whenever you can take an adult out of a children’s book, you should.” So big brother Luis replaced the grandmother figure. And the twins Flor and Roberto replaced the single child protagonist, allowing for fun interplay with the siblings.
I had long wanted to write a bed time story based on a body scan, a relaxation method familiar to yoga practitioners. Now I had twins as characters, so I could portray a scan involving arms and legs – both sides of the body – using the twins traveling on each side. Breath by Breath became the second book in the series.
A beloved family pet died, and every time I called, one grandson would ask, “Grandma, did you know Julio died?” I understood he was trying to process the loss. Flor and Roberto came to the rescue in Ghost Writer (co-authored with Cecilia Populus- Eudave). Estefania’s illustrations bring this story to life as the twins share fond memories of their pet and their sadness evolves to excitement for celebrating Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.
Book four in this series – Story Power! (co-authored with another grandson, Simon Wildman Chung – will debut in October 2025. Look for it to find out what Flor and Roberto are up to now!
So this series got written one book idea at a time. All the books are also available in Spanish, translated by Cecilia Populus-Eudave.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?

Likes: Writing, reading, spending time with grandchildren, chocolate, constructive criticism
Dislikes: Internet trolls, lemon desserts,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephaniewildman.com
• Instagram: stephanie_wildmanSF
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-wildman/
• Twitter: @SWildmanSF
• Other: @swildmansf.bsky.social

Image Credits

head shot by Russell Jew