I am thrilled to have interviewed author J.M. Gulmire, who shared with us details of her writing life, her book ‘Monster Camping Trip‘, which was released on 3rd March 2024, and answered a few fun questions. This post contains affiliate links.

J.M. Gulmire is a kid at heart and private educator with a house full of critters and elves. Also a screenwriter and claymation animator, Gulmire is the Amazon Bestselling author of “Kay-9 The Robot Dog,” and “A Vacuum for My Birthday.

I have a big family and that’s kind of rare nowadays so I thought of writing a silly book called “Too Many Kids.” It was supposed to highlight the craziness of large families and the love within them too, but when I finished the work it had become its own beast.

Pen and paper are like magic for me. I jot down ideas and string them together, and “poof” the story begins!

The title was definitely laid out from the start, but of course it changed. As much fun as “Too Many Kids” could have been, the story decided to have a different name.

It’s always fun to see which characters choose their names and which ones I have to decide. Ava and Ant were born for their names and their family just kind of fell in line.

Personal experience is great. In the book the monster is based on a mythical creature from Wisconsin. I’ve traveled to Devil’s Lake where the story is set, but not Rhinelander, where the tale of the hodag truly originated and sightings have been recorded.

Reading through conservation magazines like Missouri Conservationist also helped me fill in some blanks.

The genre chose me. Years ago I thought I was going to be a picture book author, but as it turned out, most of my best influences did children’s chapter books and middle grade. If I could meet Roald Dahl and thank him for giving me a boost, I 100% would!

About a month. When I start a project I get sucked into it day and night. The magic grabs hold of me until the very end.

I already did LOL. The title: Monster Camping Trip

Taking time away from running around and doing things to sit for long periods of time. Sitting still has never been my strong suit. I’d rather be climbing mountains or dancing with elves.

To have fun land maybe learn something! This book is all about exploration and a love of adventure with the right people.

I have five little elves that inspire me every day, and a dog who is highly jealous of my computer!

I cannot write without a spoonful of peanut butter. Blame my dog, he started the tradition.

I write wherever I can. At the foot of the bed. In a tree. Sometimes I like to write upside down, but that doesn’t work for long.

What an amazing question. The idea never once crossed my mind, but I knew the answer right away. I’d be the park ranger’s wife! She’s got a really fun wise-woman vibe that I just loved writing. (She was also a surprise character who entered the story without warning)

I’d like to think he’d say, “It was a hoot!” but he’d probably ask, “Whoooo do I have to hunt down to get a sequel?”