Q&A with Margaret Aitken

Debut authors, I have a special place for them in my heart. I love to do all I can to get the word out on who they are and their work. It’s fun to travel alongside their journey and glean any wisdom for all of us pre-published authors. 

Allow me to introduce Margaret Aitken, children’s picture book author. Enjoy!

Can you share with us a bit about your writing process?

“Sure! My process varies depending on the project.

For picture books, I tend to brainstorm in my head and write out a complete first draft. There are usually some revisions I can make immediately, and then I file the manuscript away for a while. When I return, I revise with fresh eyes and then share it with my critique partners. Then revise, repeat, revise until I feel it’s ready to show my agent. She usually gives me more comments, and I revise some more (do you see a pattern here!). Hopefully, by that stage, the story is ready to go on submission to editors.

Not every story makes it all the way through this process, though!”

What inspired OLD FRIENDS?

“One morning, an idea came to me about a child who was an “old soul”—someone who liked doing things commonly associated with older people e.g. gardening, knitting. I thought it could be a great opportunity to address the stereotypes of older people we often see in books and the media.

From my reading, I knew there were lots of picture books about the grandchild/grandparent relationship but not as many about friendship between a child and a senior. I had experienced first-hand the benefits of young children socializing with seniors through my son’s preschool trips to the local care home (pre-COVID, of course!) It was a message I thought was important and underrepresented in picture books.

As I wrote my first draft, I remembered my brother who, at eight years old, dressed up as an elderly lady for Halloween one year (he won first prize!) It sparked the idea for Marjorie, my main character, to disguise herself as a senior. My story idea was born!”

I read that you studied medicine and were a doctor. Are you still a doctor, and what pushed you into the writing world?

“Yes, I’m a qualified General Practitioner (Family Physician) in the U.K., but I haven’t sat the exams in the U.S. to be able to practice here. With three sons under the age of nine, I am kept busy looking after them.

After years of reading picture books to my three boys, I was inspired to try writing one myself. I loved the humor, sophistication, and incredible art. It took me several years before I had the courage to sit down and attempt to write a draft, but as soon as I did, I was hooked.”

What is your favorite part of OLD FRIENDS?

“My favorite part of Old Friends is when the main character, Marjorie, first visits the Senior Citizens Friends Club. Lenny Wen did an incredible job of creating varied and vibrant characters, and I desperately want to join as a member myself!”

Are there any projects in the works for you?

“I am working on several projects, including a couple of picture books that are at the polishing stage and a middle-grade fantasy novel set in Scotland.”

Any words to encourage young authors?

“I would say to write what you love. Think about what excites you and bring it into your work. Do you love video games? Tennis? Pugs? Smores? Whatever it is, see if you can combine some of your favorite things to create a story that makes you happy. When you write with genuine enthusiasm, it shows on the page.”