An Interview with Katie Estes
Katie Estes is a high school business teacher in Western New York and a proud Millennial. By day, she teaches Gen Z students, often referencing the glory days of Tamagotchis, Napster, and AIM profiles. By night, she’s a bedtime-story-reading mom to two Gen Alpha kids, alongside her husband, who appreciates when a children’s book can make the adults laugh too.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
After reading one too many alphabet books filled with apples and alligators, Katie decided it was time to shake things up. M is for Millennial was born out of a desire to share a little nostalgia with the next generation, one bedtime story at a time. A lover of the late 90s and early 2000s pop, cringy early internet trends, and Blockbuster movie nights, Katie sees this as an ode to her youth and a playful bridge between Millennials and their curious kids.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
If M is for Millennial had a soundtrack, it would be filled with Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, and Spice Girls, just to name a few.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
There are two books in particular that really pushed me to write M is for Millennial. The first inspiration was Go the F* to Sleep. I enjoyed the fact that as the adult reading the book to my child, I could laugh at it. The second inspiration that kicked off my letter list is Y is for Ya’ll. It was teaching silly southern words to kids and I thought about how much I would love to teach silly millennial words to kids.
Where is your favorite place to write?
Some writers love quiet places by themselves to write. I found the best place to write M is for Millennial is through the chaos of my children playing, which would help inspire words from my childhood.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
The best advice to my past self to start writing is to JUST START! Any slight bit of inspiration, write it down in the moment.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I hope the love for the 90s and early 2000s sticks with any reader who reads M is for Millennial.
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