But I’m always excited about the newest books and the projects I’m working on at the moment, so today, I’d tell you that one of my favorites is my newly released novel, Chirp, which is a mystery set on a cricket farm, as well as a coming-of-age story about summer, friendship, family and finding your voice. “It’s a little like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. “That is always such a tough question for a writer to answer,” she said.

She doesn’t know how to answer when asked what her favorite book is. I talk to strangers and ask a lot of questions.” Mostly, I tell aspiring writers that the best way to court ideas is to be curious about people and the world around you. “I’ve had inspiration strike on airplanes and in museums, on school field trips and in line at the grocery store. “That is why I always carry a writer’s notebook,” she said. Ideas for her books come from all over the place, Messner said. Messner’s husband, who is from Rochester, is chief meteorologist at WPTZ, the NBC affiliate in Burlington, Vt., where she met him when she worked there. In 2012, I transitioned to writing full time, but I still love that time I get to work with kids in school systems as a visiting author.”

“It was while I was teaching that I started writing more seriously, mostly to share stories with my students and model writing and revision,” Messner said. “Teaching was something that was also calling me.”Īfter getting her teaching degree, she taught middle school English in Plattsburgh for 15 years and earned National Board certification in 2006. “Both of my parents were educators, my dad superintendent of schools, and my mom an elementary school art teacher,” Messner said. She spent seven years working as a television news producer and reporter at NBC affiliates in Syracuse and Burlington, Vt., before going back to school to get her master’s degree in education.

Messner graduated from Medina High School in 1988 and attended Syracuse University, where she earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the S.I. She has 12 books for children scheduled to come out this year. “My favorite titles were Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, but I also loved reading nonfiction, especially about natural disasters and dangerous animals,” said Messner, now living in Plattsburgh with her husband Tom.Ī daughter of former Medina school superintendent Tom Schirmer and his wife Gail, Messmer has become an award-winning author, who has published 50 books for children and educators and sold more than 3.5 million copies. MEDINA – Kate Messner’s love of books goes back to growing up in Medina, when she spent a lot of time visiting Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. She has written 50 books for children and educators and sold more than 3.5 million copies. Kate Messner is a Medina native won now lives in Plattsburgh.

How to write a story by kate messner