An Interview with Lori Croy

Award-winning author Lori Croy has spent her life creating and telling stories to children. She has six children and thirteen grandchildren who have been the recipients of this creativity and imagination, and now she’s turning those stories into books to share with you. She is a professional communicator and has worked in higher education and government. She is also an avid cook, and she shares her creative inspirations with food on her blog at GrammyCooks.com.

Her favorite stories include real events and memories from her own life as a parent and grandparent. Her family is a never-ending source of great material!

Her first published work, The Hole Story, had long been on her bucket list. She followed up this book with her newest release, The Whole Dollar. Stay tuned and read all the stories yet to come!

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I have always told stories. I am also the queen of puns. I had laughingly told my grown children that one day I would tell their children about their exploits and call the book “The Hole Story!” This plan was never really serious until the pandemic. I have thirteen grandchildren and I wasn’t able to see them, tell them stories, or have the kind of strong bond that I wanted. I decided for Christmas that year I would write a story that was fun and entertaining, but also had an educational purpose. They would be the stars of their book. The title of the book was a pun, but allows the conversation with a child that sometimes words sound alike but have different uses and meanings. The book itself teaches children about spatial concepts. A hole is not just an empty space; it has very important work to do. I gave the book to my grandchildren, who enjoyed it. However, some of my daughters are teachers. They encouraged me to publish the book because of the educational value it represented in teaching a concept that is difficult to explain to small children. I did so, and it was a successful venture. I followed that with another story called The Whole Dollar, which is based on a true story about sharing and sibling relationships.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I am a career communicator. I have worked in higher ed communications and am now in state government. My current role is working for the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. One of my more unique projects is doing communication research about earthquakes and earthquake insurance. It’s usually surprising to people that earthquakes are a thing in the Midwest, but they are! I also have a blog, which I started during the pandemic, too. There were a lot of family and acquaintances who reached out to me for recipes, guidance, and how-tos during that time. I decided to collect much of this into a blog format and make it available to anyone interested.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The title came first; the rest of the book took a little longer, but the story seemed obvious to me based on how many stories about this type of thing I’d told my children and grandchildren over the years. As I mentioned earlier, The Hole Story was at first a bit of a threatened prank, but it seemed like the perfect launching pad for my first foray into book authoring.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

Surreal. Seeing it in my hands for the first time seemed a bit unreal. It had always been a bit of a pipedream—something you wished you could do, but never really thought could happen. Seeing the children in the book was fun as they were inspired by my real grandchildren!

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I don’t think there’s one that comes to mind. I guess I’ll just have to write one. Did I mention I’m also a musician?

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

My perfect reader is a child fascinated by the world around them. They are hungry to learn and possess a busy imagination. I want them to read the book and feel inspired to look around them for other places that used to seem empty, but now they know there is a reason for the hole to be there.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Knowing that “Grammy the storyteller” was leaving a legacy behind for her family to remember. I also love to hear from readers who tell me how much they enjoyed the book!

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

The next children’s book is in process. I’m also working on a management book and am consulting with another children’s book author who is penning her first story. I am also working with the Public Relations Society of America to develop and lead a Public Affairs Certificate Program. My other projects? Well, with six grown children and thirteen grandchildren, I never have a problem filling my time!

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.