21 Jan Lydia Lukidis: UP, UP, HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere plus A GIVEAWAY!

EL: Hello, everyone! I’m happy to welcome Lydia Lukidis back to Writing Outside the Lines. Her newest book, UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere, published by Capstone Editions, is another winner! This book is one I wish I had when I was teaching or even back when I was in school. Her choice of putting the reader into the action is brilliant.  Children will feel connected to the story and relish the feeling of being on an adventure. The book is filled with interesting and important sidebars which enhance the informative lyrical text. Katie Rewse’s beautiful illustrations pair perfectly with Lydia’s text.

LL: Thanks for having me on your blog!

EL: My pleasure! Let’s get started. Lydia, your last few books have beautifully combined nature and poetry. What draws you to this type of writing?

LL: When I began writing DEEP, DEEP DOWN in 2019, I played around with various structures. After watching a ton of videos and footage from the Mariana Trench, I realized that the trench itself is a poem. Everything is slow moving, mesmerizing, and other-worldly. I tried using lyrical language with the text and it worked beautifully. After all, nature is a poem itself.

When it came time to write UP, UP HIGH, which is a companion book, I used the same structure. It worked well since the Earth’s atmosphere is also mysterious and fascinating.

EL: I think the illustrations are perfect for your book. Did you get to communicate with your illustrator? 

LL: I got lucky with Katie Rewse. We initially wanted to go with Juan Calle since he illustrated DEEP, DEEP DOWN, but he was unavailable. That led us to Katie, and her whimsical art worked well for this book.

I tried to keep art notes to a minimum but since this is nonfiction, it was important that the illustrations be realistic and accurate. I confess that I made a 40-page illustrator reference guide. I hope that was useful and not annoying!

Capstone has always been amazing to me and they allow me to be part of the design process. I got to see the sketches as they were being developed and was able to give my input. The whole team was very happy with the results!

EL: It definitely turned out great! Do you have anything else in the pipeline you can talk about?

 LL: I love writing nonfiction STEM. But I also like writing funny! I have a new early graphic novel series coming out in July, Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog, which is a nod to Garfield, slapstick humor, and Seinfeld. All things I love! The first book comes out in July and the second will be released in 2026.

I also wrote two novels in verse on very tough topics. I’m hoping they will get picked up! One is on sub and the other is with my agent.

EL: That’s super exciting! Let’s talk about writing groups. How important do you think they are?

LL:  I think they’re essential. Back in my newbie days, I used to show my manuscripts to friends or family members. But they knew nothing about the kidlit industry, nor the craft of writing. As the years went by, I found a few critique partners who truly helped redirect my manuscripts in positive directions.

But I never had an actual critique group until recently. My critique group is with 5 of my agent sisters (all repped by Miranda Paul). They’re super talented so at first, I felt hesitant to join. Would I have enough material to share? Would I be able to critique their work? I’m happy to say, it’s working out well and helping shape me as an author. These women are so inspiring, and it’s always good to have people on your side since this is a such a tough industry

EL: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring kidlit writers?

LL: My advice is to keep reading, keep writing, and not be afraid to experiment with styles and structures. I throw away most of what I write, which is part of the process, so it takes a ton of writing and revising to get to the magic.

Don’t give up! And don’t be afraid of rejection! It’s also part of the process. Keep following your dream, one step at a time.

EL: Wonderful advice! 

 BIO for Lydia Lukidis

Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024) and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and Cybils Award nominee. A science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

 Social Media Links:

Website & order UP, UP HIGH: http://www.lydialukidis.com/

Blog: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaLukidis

FB: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaLukidis/

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

EL: Lydia, congrats on this new book, and thank you so much for visiting with us.

And now…

Lydia is giving away a 15 minute Ask Me Anything call to one lucky winner! Comment on this post to get in the running! If you are a subscriber or if you share the post, you’ll get an extra chance to win.

On a personal note, I’d love you to check out my school visit section on the website. I’m currently booking visits for both the 2024-2025  and 2025-2026 school years. Also, please check out some of my books here. They’re available wherever books are sold. THANK YOU! 

Until next time, 

Ellen

DEBBIE’S SONG: THE DEBBIE FRIEDMAN STORY

https://bookshop.org/p/books/debbie-s-song-ellen-leventhal/18680277?ean=9781728443027

A FLOOD OF KINDNESS

https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-flood-of-kindness-ellen-leventhal/15150623?ean=9781546034582

DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS

https://www.clearforkpress.com/product-page/don-t-eat-the-bluebonnets