Troy Wilson is best known as the author of the beloved and bestselling picture book Perfect Man, but he has also written numerous kids’ stories for Chickadee, Chirp, and Highlights for Children. Though Troy has written plenty of stories about animals, this is his first to feature a statue.
In this funny picture book, Still Friends, a dog makes a new friend at the park—a statue who doesn’t throw balls or give treats or pets. But he learns over time that she has her own strengths that make her a rock-solid friend.
Interviewed by Tayten, age 13
Tayton (T): This is a unique story about a dog and a statue becoming friends. What gave you the idea to write this book?
Troy Wilson (TW): It was inspired by two Facebook posts of dogs who were trying to get statues to play fetch with them. And not AI dogs or cartoon dogs, either. Definitely real ones. I don’t know how much time passed between me seeing the first Facebook post and the second. Don’t know if I saw the second one days later, weeks later, or months later. But when I did, I thought, “Hmmm, this might be a picture book…”
T: What was the process of getting this book published like?
TW: Back when I wrote it, I had an agent. But there were always other manuscripts of mine that we figured had a better shot. So it never went out. We both underestimated it.
Fast forward 21 months. My agent and I had amicably parted ways because I wanted to fly solo again. I had been revising this story, and it had come along nicely. I decided to send it out at long last. But I was still underestimating it. Had I been more sure of its potential I would have sent it to several publishers at once. Instead, I only sent it to one: Orca. And they said yes. So it never received a single rejection.
T: Did you have any creative differences in opinion with the publisher? If so, what changes were made from the original draft to the published version?
TW: From the signing of the contract to the arrival of the release date, everyone floated a wide variety of ideas. Some were good and some were great and some were clunkers (yes, I threw in some clunkers myself). I think the best ideas prevailed in every single case.
The title changed from Rocky Friendship to Still Friends. The statue changed from a woman to a girl. The dog’s human companionship changed from several people (the exact make-up of the group was unspecified) to one person (an elderly – but lively – woman). And Mike Deas added tons of visual elements that weren’t in my original conception. The trio of ever-present pigeons is just one of a gazillion wonderful surprises.
Fun fact: when a pigeon poops on the statue, that wasn’t my idea or Mike’s idea. That was editor Sarah Howden’s idea – and a great one, at that. It takes a village.
T: The softness and the colour of the illustrations match the story really well. How did you make sure that was a success? How did you choose the illustrator?
TW: Orca suggested Mike Deas as the illustrator, and I instantly and wholeheartedly agreed.
I had nothing to do with choices around the softness or colour of the illustrations. All of that was left in the able hands of Mike and the art director and others. I did, however, get to weigh in on each round of illustration revisions. I didn’t suggest anything huge. Just little nips and tucks along the way.
T: What got you into writing kids’ books?
TW: I’ve loved books and reading and writing for as long as I can remember. In grade one, I wrote and drew a little book of my own as part of an assignment. The teacher even read it aloud to the class. And much to my surprise, they really enjoyed it. Laughing in all the right places and gasping in all the right places and just having a great time throughout. Those kids and that teacher planted a seed in me, for sure.
From grade two onward, I wanted to be a writer or a cartoonist when I grew up. But wanting to be something and actually working hard enough to succeed are two vastly different things. Finally, at age 30, I buckled down and focused like a laser on my writing endeavours. I completed and submitted all kinds of shorter works to all kinds of places. Then just one year later, I could point to three big successes: a published opinion piece (for grown-ups), a writing contest win (for grown-ups), and a signed picture book contract (for kids). I continued writing all kinds of things for a while, but the more time passed, the more I fell in love with writing picture books, and the more I fell back in love with reading them. Now they are pretty much all I do, along with illustrated stories in kids’ magazines.
T: As an adult, what is your favorite children’s book?
TW: I could pick a million different picture books on a million different days. Today I’ll choose Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings, a love letter to dogs, dog owners, companionship, and letters.
T: When you were a kid, what was your favourite book to read?
TW: An early favourite was The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin. Fourth-wall-breaking fun with a great twist.
T: I know that you have written multiple books, as well as stories for magazines. Out of all of those, what is your favorite story that you have written?
TW: Still Friends is my favourite. The team has created something really special here. Everyone brought their A-game, but the result is even better than an A. It’s an A+++. This book is as good as any of my favourite dog picture books and any of my favourite friendship picture books. I hope as many readers as possible get to enjoy it.
Interviewer Bio: Tayten loves art in all its forms, particularly painting. When Tayten isn’t painting, she’s reading. Lately, she’s happily caught in the grip of the “Percy Jackson” series by Rick Riordan.