Hello, Everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! (I was going to say “I hope everyone had a wonderful summer”, but really, summer isn’t over yet. We’ve still got a few weeks 😊)

How is it August 25th already??? I feel like July and August just flew by! But I am so glad to see you all! 😊

We have a full week, meeting several debuts that I’m squeezing in before autumn gets into full swing, so lots to look forward to.

As promised, we have a terrific debut today – an author who has lots of great information to share, and a book that I think will resonate with a lot of us, readers and writers that we are 😊

But first, we have a giveaway! Our debut-ess, Suzanne Harris, is offering a picture book manuscript critique (under 1000 words) – can be fiction or nonfiction, prose or rhyming. To put yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner of this fabulous opportunity, please leave a comment on today’s post by Monday August 31st at 3 PM Eastern!

And now, it is my pleasure to introduce you to today’s debut-ess, Suzanne Poulter Harris, sharing her journey to publication with a gorgeous book – THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE: How C.S. Lewis Grew Up To Create Narnia!

Title: The Boy Behind The Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Grew Up To Create Narnia
Author: Suzanne Poulter Harris
Illustrator: Mira Miroslavova
Publishing House: Eerdman’s Books For Young Readers
Date of Publication: October 20, 2026
Fiction or Nonfiction: nonfiction
ISBN: 978-0802855169
age range of your book: 6-12 years

This beautifully illustrated, lyrical biography invites young readers into the childhood of C.S. Lewis, who loved to tell stories and create imaginary worlds with his brother. After his mother died, he was sent to boarding school, where he struggled to fit in. Words and stories were his refuge and would lead him to new friends and his destiny as the much-loved creator of Narnia.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Suzanne! We are thrilled to have you here today to talk about your gorgeous picture book, forthcoming October 20th, about C.S. Lewis! I still remember the first time I read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and I’m guessing lots of other folks here today have equally vivid memories of reading C.S. Lewis’s fantastically imaginative stories. Where did the idea for this book come from?

SUZANNE: Back in 2015, I’d written several fiction manuscripts and wanted to broaden my skills by trying nonfiction. Narrative nonfiction biographies were huge at that time. I took Kristen Fulton’s narrative nonfiction writing class and studied the format by reading widely in that genre. Then I followed the advice, “Write what you know,” or “Write something that only you could write.”

I was born and raised in County Down, Northern Ireland, not far from C.S. Lewis’s childhood home in Belfast. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is still one of my favorite books today. Many people are unaware that much of Lewis’s inspiration for Narnia came from the mountains, rolling hills, and coastlines of Northern Ireland. I wanted to shine a light on this imaginative boy from my home country, who became a world-renowned author. When I started my research, not a single picture book had been written about C.S. Lewis. Of course, between the moment I had the idea and the actual publication of THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE, several picture books popped up. While it’s frustrating that other authors beat me to it, I’m not surprised considering the worldwide interest in C.S. Lewis.

The Searcher, a bronze sculpture in C.S. Lewis Square, Belfast, depicting Digory Kirke, who had the wood from a Narnian apple tree made into the magical wardrobe in The Magician’s Nephew.

SUSANNA: What a wonderful statue! How long did it take you to write this book?

SUZANNE: Thanks to my email trail, I was able to piece together the timeline. According to book order receipts, I started reading and researching in early October 2015. In May 2016, I emailed myself (as a backup) a document titled C.S. Lewis Notes, which contained 30 pages of information that I thought would appeal to children and make a compelling story. By August 2016, I had a very rough, messy, half-finished draft titled The Boy Who Loved Stories. I shared an early manuscript with my critique group a full year after I began research. Nonfiction is not for the faint of heart. You must be passionate about your subject to want to keep working on it for many years.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

SUZANNE: I revised it once before allowing anyone to read the story. Then it went through two revision rounds with critique partners before sharing with my agent. (Side note: My agent and I parted ways about a year after signing the book contract.) By this stage, the manuscript was now titled THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE. I had the basic shape of the story from the beginning, although I originally included sidebar quotes in places where the events or landscapes in The Chronicles of Narnia mirrored Lewis’s real-life experience. I thought this was a clever way to show where his ideas came from. However, the consensus was that the sidebars were too distracting and the story needed to be streamlined.

SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?

SUZANNE: On first read, my agent thought I was trying to cover too much ground. After I tightened the manuscript, she commented that the arc of the story felt more like an adventure, which is important if the book is to appeal to readers who aren’t familiar with C.S. Lewis or Narnia. That’s when we felt it was ready to submit.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

SUZANNE: At the end of November 2016, my agent formatted an initial submission list consisting of five editors, all at big publishing houses. The passes came in quickly. Most editors expressed interest in the celebration of childhood imagination and creativity but felt a disconnect between a middle grade author and the younger picture book audience. I continued to polish the manuscript, focusing on the sense of wonder in C.S. Lewis’s early childhood. It helped to have a critique group that really believed in my story and enthusiastically gave honest feedback on yet another round of revisions.

In Spring 2017, I attended an SCBWI conference and received a thoughtful critique from Melissa Manlove, an editor at Chronicle Books. She asked, “How can you make a point with this story that will change the way your readers see themselves?”

What a great question! I made further edits.

Around the same time, while volunteering with SCBWI at the Texas Library Association convention, I connected with Kathleen Merz from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. In 2014, Eerdmans published a picture book that I used as my go-to mentor text—The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. It’s a lyrical, engaging story and a Caldecott Honor winner. I felt Eerdmans would be a great fit for a C.S. Lewis picture book biography, but my agent had sent them another writer’s manuscript and therefore couldn’t include Eerdmans on our initial submission list. In the process of chatting with Kathleen, I surprised myself and mentioned my manuscript. Her face lit up and she said she would love to read it.

SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?

SUZANNE: It took exactly one year from initial submissions to publishers to the book getting acquired. Specifically with Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, it took almost seven months from submission to a “yes.” My agent sent THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE to Kathleen in early May. We didn’t know the manuscript was going to acquisitions and towards the end of year we were at the point of giving up hope. I think my agent had started sending the manuscript to a couple of other editors. Then on December 1, 2017, we got the great news!

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”?  (Best moment ever! 😊) and how did you celebrate (if you care to share 😊)

SUZANNE: I was living in South Korea at the time and woke up to “the email” from my agent. THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDEOBE had received unanimous enthusiasm from the Eerdmans acquisitions team. They thought the project would be a natural fit with their list, and they’d love to publish my book! I screamed and told my husband and two daughters, as well as my father-in-law, who was visiting us in Seoul. Then we celebrated with breakfast smoothies.

SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

SUZANNE: I got the official offer on December 7 and signed the contract on December 15, 2017. It took another month for the final contract, signed by all parties, to be mailed to me in South Korea.

Signing my first book contract in Seoul, South Korea

SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?

SUZANNE: My contract seemed typical for a smaller publishing house. An advance under $5000, standard royalty rates, 20 author copies with the ability to purchase additional copies at 40% of the list price.

SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

SUZANNE: I knew my manuscript was in the best hands with Eerdmans, and I had complete confidence in Kathleen’s vision for the book. She made several editorial notes on the manuscript, mostly minor. One suggestion was to lean into Jack’s friendships as more of a theme throughout the story, which I loved. This was easily done by adding and editing a few sentences. We went back and forth with three rounds of questions and minor tweaks for clarity and flow between September 2022 and January 2023.

I felt strongly about ending the story with a letter from C.S. Lewis to children, urging them to try to write their own stories. Initially Kathleen was concerned this might restrict the illustrator. She suggested moving it to back matter or that I try to provide more context so that the letter was worked into the story. I agreed to edit the paragraph before the letter to help it flow nicely into the final scene. This made for a more satisfying ending, which Mira illustrated beautifully. It’s a nice reminder that making a book is a team effort. Everyone on the team has the same goal … to produce the best book possible.

When my manuscript went to submission, I had a timeline and source material in my back matter. If I had to do it again, I would also write my author’s note before submitting. I found writing and editing the author’s note for the back matter challenging because I had so many ideas and limited space.

SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?

SUZANNE: This was an exciting part of the publishing process … and very collaborative. Within the first year, I was asked for input on illustration styles. In 2022, Mira Miroslavova was suggested as a possible illustrator. I wholeheartedly approved. Narrative nonfiction requires historical accuracy in illustrations, while allowing for some artistic interpretation, and Mira’s artwork had a lovely balance of imagination and groundedness that was essential for the story.

I was consulted throughout the process from first sketches to final art. Because I’d done extensive research, I had fun digging up and sharing historical photos when Mira asked for clarification on a particular scene or when it was important for a scene to feel authentic, for example the opening spread depicting Belfast and also in the train station spread, which is based on the Great Malvern Station in England where C.S. Lewis went to boarding school. Mira and I were not in contact during this process. All communication came via the editor and art director.

I did include art notes when I felt it necessary to convey something important in a scene. Sometimes Mira used these and sometimes she surprised me. For example, the following scene included an art note about a telescope, which turned into a stunning masterpiece that I could never have imagined!

When Jack was six, his family moved to a big, brick house at the edge of Belfast.

The brothers spied on ships in the bustling Lough, (Through a telescope)

                        hid in secret attics in their higgledy-piggledy home,

and reached the nearby hills by bike.

text copyright Suzanne Poulter Harris 2026, illustration copyright Mira Miroslavova 2026, Eerdman’s BFYR

There were a few other spreads that totally surprised me. When I saw the final art for the wardrobe scene, I gasped. Mira brought so much whimsy and wonder to the story, but she also contrasted darkness and light to convey difficult moments in C.S. Lewis’s life. She completely re-drew the scene where Lewis’s mother died, capturing both the weight of his loss and his feeling of isolation.

text copyright Suzanne Poulter Harris 2026, illustration copyright Mira Miroslavova 2026, Eerdman’s BFYR

SUSANNA: The telescope illustration really is a marvel! Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

SUZANNE: Yes, my publisher shared an advanced review from Booklist (American Library Association). THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE got a starred review! It took me a few days to fully digest that incredible news.

We also received a positive review from Kirkus, and SLJ described the book as “stunningly illustrated … A magical addition to any biography collection.”

It feels great when people “get” your book. As an educator, I appreciate the extra credibility of strong reviews for approaching the school and library market.

SUSANNA: Congratulations! A starred review on your debut! Well done! How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

SUZANNE: I might hold a record for this! I received the offer in December 2017 and held the first copy in my hand in July 2026! However, this is no ordinary picture book. It’s a biography, which tends to take longer to illustrate. At 56 pages, it’s almost twice the length of a standard 32-page picture book and the illustrations are gorgeous. I’m excited about that! I was also aware from my initial research that a new Narnia movie was coming to the big screen. Eerdmans was tracking this as we worked on our book. The original movie project dissolved. Then Netflix acquired the rights to develop the Narnia universe. The Magician’s Nephew, directed by Greta Gerwig, is scheduled for a theatrical release in February 2027, followed by its Netflix streaming release in April.  Excellent timing with THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE publishing on October 20th this year.

SUSANNA: We might be tied 😊 I had a 9.5 year manuscript too 😊 What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

SUZANNE: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers publishes about 18 books a year, including a few translated stories from other countries. As a smaller publishing team, they are deeply invested in every project acquired and they produce stunning books. They create buzz by sending books in for trade reviews, often resulting in starred reviews. Eerdmans does an excellent job displaying these stars at the American Library Association conferences. This year they made postcards, bookmarks, stickers, and posters for THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE and they included Mira’s artwork on the publisher’s banner. They have a really helpful marketing and publicity manager who has been reaching out to buyers and bloggers. She has plans for media coverage tied in with the movie and has already secured a book reading and signing for me at the Marion E. Wade Center for Wheaton College’s Family Weekend. This is where C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe, believed to be the inspiration for Narnia, is housed today! How awesome is that!

I was so excited to receive all these goodies with my advance author copy.

SUSANNA: That is SO awesome! It would be amazing to see that wardrobe! Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

SUZANNE: THE BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE is for older elementary grades, and with my background in education I’m focusing on reaching out to schools and bloggers for now. I’m preparing curriculum guides and book presentations, while trying to stay active on social media. Thankfully, I still have several weeks until the book comes out. As we come closer to the release of the Narnia movie, I’ll pivot to reach out to more bookstores and libraries.

SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?

SUZANNE: About five years … but as a military spouse, there were frequent, lengthy interruptions on my writing journey. During this time, I moved from Rome to Stuttgart to Texas to Seoul. Since signing the contract, I moved to Pyeongtaek in South Korea and have finally settled (for now) in Northern Virginia. I switched from teaching to writing children’s books as a mobile profession I could take with me no matter where we lived. It allowed me to stay at home to provide stability for my daughters through all the transitions and deployments.

SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up and coming writers?)

SUZANNE: Find community. This manuscript would never have been submission ready without my critique partners. (Shout-out to Andrea J. Loney, Cheryl Kim, Frances Kalavritinos, and Catherine Friess!) Join online communities like 12×12—I learn so much from the webinars and the Facebook Group. Put yourself out there by attending a conference in real life even if you don’t know a soul. I’ve done this several times as I moved around the world. Through SCBWI, I’ve met writers and illustrators and connected with editors and agents. You never know where those connections might lead.

SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?

SUZANNE: When I started my research back in 2015, there were no picture books about C.S. Lewis. Now there are several. This is a situation that happens to many writers, both with nonfiction and fiction manuscripts. I came across an interview mentioning an upcoming C.S. Lewis book around the time I was going on submission. I could have easily given up, but I was confident I had a different angle. This motivated me to push harder to get my book in front of editors before the competing book was announced. If you discover a book similar to yours, don’t count yourself out. Think about why you chose to tell the story, what unique perspective you can bring, and keep working on that manuscript. Even if it doesn’t get published right away, there may be room in the market for it to be acquired years later … and that’s okay!

SUSANNA: That is great advice! Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Suzanne! We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from your experience, and wish you all the best of luck with this and future titles!

SUZANNE: Thank you for sharing the publication journey of The BOY BEHIND THE WARDROBE!

Readers, if you have questions for Suzanne, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond! And remember, your comment below by Monday August 31 at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a picture book manuscript critique (under 1000 words) – can be fiction or nonfiction, prose or rhyming!

Website: suzannepoulterharris.com
Instagram: @suzannepoulterharris
Illustrator’s Instagram: @miramiroslavova
Publishers Instagram: @eerdmansyoungreaders

You may purchase Suzanne’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)

Indiebound/Bookshop.org
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:

– purchasing their books

– recommending their books to friends and family

– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians

– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores

– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries

– sharing their books on social media

– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.

Thank you all for stopping by to read today!  Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday!  Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊

Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts?  Check them out HERE!