Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Exclusive Interview with
Thea Whitehead
When did you start writing?
I've been writing off and on for about 20 years, but my first books were published in 2025.
What makes writing your passion?
I love telling stories, and now that I am retired, I have time to make my stories a reality.
How long have you been writing?
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
My very first published book is one that had been in my mind for a very long time. The original version was on a floppy drive that was "eaten" by my computer. If you understand that scenario, you know it has been a while.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
I decided that I didn't want to focus on children themselves, but rather cute little bugs that had the personalities of children. My dream is that children and their parents will "see" their child in one or more of the bugs.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
Honestly? The "rules" for submission when querying agents and/or publishers. That and marketing. People who actually get their hands on my books love them, but convincing people to purchase them is a major annoyance.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
I focus on other things. Sometimes something I see a child do, or something that someone mentions makes the lightbulb go off in my brain. Sometimes I get stuck part-way through a book. I just set it aside, and usually the answer will just "come". Often at the most inconvenient times! I've learned to leave little notebooks around the house.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
Even if you do it for yourself, get that book made! You can always put it up on Amazon, and you never know when someone else will find and fall in love with it.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Hey, guess what? You're going to be an author one day.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
Sometimes you just have to not worry about them. I recently had a review where the reviewer marked me "down" due to use of AI. There is NO AI used in my books, but there was no way to refute the review.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Good reviews make me smile, and make it all worth it!
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
I think I'm like Martha Moth. She is shy and tends to stay in the background, but when she needs to, she can come out of her shell.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
My book series all have similar book covers. But I've got another book in the works that isn't part of this series, and I've done a LOT of asking for opinions as I've decided on the cover. It needs to conjure a question that needs to be answered by reading the book.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I have amassed a large following on Instagram that I call my "bug cult". I'm teaching them about real life insect facts by interacting with my bugs on reels. I try to answer as many of their comments as I can, and often base new reels on their questions. Many of these followers will become parents in the future, and I want them to remember me! (Many call me Granny).
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Who is your favorite author? Why?
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
I'd love to see my books and bugs become as popular as Bluey. I've already designed some merchandise and games, but none of it is public yet.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
Perhaps. I have a couple that are more than the "standard" 32 page picture book size. I guess it would be more of a re-pagination.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
What would you say to your readers?
Love you guys! Thanks for becoming part of the Bright-eyed Bugs Club family!
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I live in Brisbane, Australia with my second husband. I have two grown married children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. All live in the Pacific NW of the USA. My husband has 4 children and grandchildren, all of which are in Australia.
What is your day job if you have one?
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
I am an active volunteer for a youth program in Washington State, responsible for approving requests to join the friends and parents facebook group. I also have an Instagram page with 15,000 followers who love learning new things about real bugs with the help of my book characters. In addition, once per week I feature another children's book author on my feed. I've been taking lessons on creating computer visual effects, and am active in the creator's group. In addition to that I take care of my husband who has Parkinson's Disease, and attend church.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
I have one that will be published soon. It's not part of my series, but is about a boy who keeps telling his friends he is "better" even though he loses every challenge. They aren't aware that each day he goes home and records his progress in a little notebook...proof that he IS better.
I'm also working on book 8 of my bugs club series which will have the bugs creating their own silly rhyming scenarios. I have an illustrator helping me create "dream scenes" for each rhyme. For instance, the "spider rider" is my little girl spider dreaming of racing downhill on her two-wheeler at lightning speed with six of her eight legs blowing in the wind behind her.
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
We need to go back to pencil and paper, as well as giving more time for the arts.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
1. Free business class tickets to travel back and forth from the USA whenever my spouse and I wanted to go.
2. That my efforts at writing would leave a positive legacy for my current and future grandchildren.
3. Sounds greedy, but we could really use a car that runs better and is further off the ground. Our 2003 Elantra works, but...
What is your favorite music?
Share a secret with us 🙂
I was a guinea pig in kindergarten and went straight to 2nd grade. This wasn't always a smart move, and sometimes my physical and emotional development was still a year behind my classmates.