Welcome to my fellow Winged Pen Critique Partner, Kristi Wientge! I’m going to dive right in with questions about your upcoming middle grade release on June 4th, 2019, entitled Honeybees and Frenemies from Simon and Schuster.

When did the seed of this story germinate? How was it pollinated?
Way back in 2014 I had this idea for NaNoWriMo that really excited me. I dropped my younger two kids at childcare and drove to one of my favorite writing spots. About halfway there, this interview about honey festivals came on the BBC radio and it took me back to second grade when I was in a honey festival in my town. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and as I sat down to write, Florence’s story poured out. By the end of the month, I had my 50,000 words and that’s how it all started. I didn’t really expect to pick it up again after Karma, but my agent loved Florence’s voice and encouraged me to keep with it.

What can you share about your revision process? What if you have two queens in the hive and you love them both?
My revisions for Honeybees was really a lot of replotting and rewriting. I don’t think we cut anything. The bare bones of the story were there from NaNoWriMo, but revising it was more about developing it further and figuring out what the story was really about. The first draft was still very exploratory and semi-autobiographical.

I found the sisters’ dynamic, Flor and Fran, very realistic. They were caring with the perfect amount of stings. Do you have siblings, or do you watch your own kids’ relationships for research?
I love playing around with sibling dynamics, but since I have two brothers I ended up relying a lot on my children for Flor and Fran’s relationship. I always wanted a sister, but after having daughters, I wonder if I had it pretty good with brothers.

While trying to avoid spoilers, at one point in the story the mom character gives what Flor, the main character, perceives as a bribe. Have you ever presented your own children with enticing flowers?
Ha ha ha! This is funny. Real life does have a way of seeping into our stories. I’m definitely the mean one who always says “no”, according to my kids. But, without pointing fingers, let’s just say I’ve seen this kind of thing happen enough.

Similes! I love good ones and there’s a field of them in HONEYBEES. What makes a simile buzz for you? What’s your process for harvesting just the right one?
I’m a very visual person and I often throw out random comparisons in conversation, but I definitely spend a lot of time condensing my ideas and thoughts to make it as poignant as possible. I’ve learned from my CP’s, agent and editor that keeping it simple is best.

Have you, or anyone you know, ever participated in a honey festival?
So, little known—and embarrassing—fact: I was Little Miss Honeybee 1987 of Lebanon, Ohio. Like in the book, it rained during the parade and I rode in my grandpa’s restored car with hand cranking windshield wipers my mom and grandpa took turns rotating.

Have you ever owned a recorder? Or have you had the privilege of a screechy one played in your ear?
I did play the recorder in fourth grade, but it was my kids’ who were playing recently that inspired the idea for the book. They could all play Mary Had a Little Lamb and Happy Birthday on piano, violin and recorder and spent weeks in all forms of annoyingness mixing it up with their instruments.

What do you think makes the best frenemy? Someone who doesn’t jive with your hive? What was your inspiration for Candice?
Villainous characters are my favorite to write. I love creating someone who is complicated and relatable. There isn’t one character who is always good or always bad and I love making characters do bad things for their own justifiable reasons. And I think that’s the key to creating a villain or frenemy is to make them relatable and have believable motivations.

Were there any surprising takeaways by readers from your last book, Kharma Kuhlar’s Mustache? Any reactions that surprised you? And are there themes from Honeybees you’re excited to see out in the world?
Having Karma out in the world really opened my eyes to the number of people who feel self-conscious of their body hair—and not just girls! There are so many boys who are embarrassed. I think the number of boys who responded and related to Karma continues to surprise me. As far as what I hope to see come from Honeybees, I think I’m eager for kids to relate to Flor’s family—the ups and downs we have with the people we live with.

I haven’t mentioned them yet, but what about bees? They added fascinating mystery and tension to the book. What did your research involve and how much was hands-on?
I loved researching bees and I only scratched the surface of what’s out there. In 2016 I went to a farm near my parent’s place to watch the beekeepers check the hives, but the weather wasn’t cooperative. The good thing was, I was still allowed to hang around the hives and get a sense of the smells and sounds. Youtube was where I got to watch the actual bee bearding. I’m still debating whether or not I should find somewhere to attempt a bee beard myself or if having Florence do it was enough…

My amazing sense of smell detects a giveaway. How would our readers get an early copy of HONEYBEES AND FRENEMIES?
Yes, you have a keen sense of smell! I have 2 ARCs (advanced reader copies) to give away if you comment below with the number of bee stings you’ve had. This isn’t a competition for the most number of stings. 2 names will be chosen at random!

Lightning Round:
a. Hardcover or paperback? Paperback (I take public transport)
b. Grow and cook your own food or sit back and eat it? Grow and cook
c. Be read to or read to yourself? Read to myself (so much faster!)
d. Saag or aloo prathas? Aloo prathas! (with lots of butter like Flor!)
e. Honey, jam, or kaya? Kaya! (If you don’t know what this is you must Google it! I’ve seriously been scheming a way to import to the US.)

Thanks, Kristi. Readers, order Honeybees now. It’s a wonderful story by a talented writer to watch.