Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is Baxter Bramatti, the author behind Shadow Songs

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Baxter we loved Shadow Songs. What was your inspiration for this?

Baxter:  Thank you so much for interviewing me and I’m glad you enjoyed Shadow Songs. The inspiration for the story was fireflies. They’re rather magical in how they light up, aren’t they? Okay, maybe not magical in the sense that they do magical things as I’m sure an average scientist could explain to me how they glow at night. Or probably Google, too. But I’m not interested in all that science stuff (where fireflies are concerned). Let them be magical. Fireflies light up. It’s cool. I can’t do that. Actually, I never really tried. Hold on…no, I can’t do that. And kids love to chase catch fireflies. I love to catch them and observe them (if only for a moment; I always safely release them, of course). And one day I thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if they were these mystical spotlights for some secret concert in the woods?” Add in the light and shadow tricks with a few critters in their forest environment and I had an idea for a story.  

Lily:  I love that! Fireflies were always magical for me as a kid, and even as an adult, and knowing there’s a science-y explanation, they’re still kind of magic. The illustrations were so cute! How did you find your illustrator?

Baxter: The illustrations are so cute! I love them. Taylor did a brilliant job again. He did the illustrations for my first book, Moon Puppets, as well. I could never have created even one mediocre drawing for the story. Taylor’s masterful with his art. He comes up with so many solutions to issues we had. But also I can ramble on about an idea to the point where I don’t think I’m making any sense anymore (me? I know, right?), and then he turns around and sends me a drawing that was exactly how I pictured my idea in my head, as if he CAT scanned my imagination! I can’t praise him and his work enough.

As for how I found him, well, it was more like he found me. You know the tired old story: a stranger messages you across the internet to ask you a random question, then the next thing you know you’re making books together. 

Lily:  That’s wonderful! Out of all the animals included in the story, are any of them your favorite animal?

Baxter:  I love them all. It was an absolute treat to get images from Taylor as he worked on each animal. I guess if I had to pick one, perhaps the raccoon. He looks so sweet, but he’s got a serious vocal range that could rival Prince or Freddie Mercury. If you ask my daughters the same question, they’d answer “the bobcat” without hesitation.

Lily:  I have to admit I loved them all too. Would you go in search of the music in the woods like Flora did?

Baxter:  Would I go it alone in the creepy, dark woods with only the dim light of sporadic fireflies to guide me as I stumble across sleeping predators like bobcats and bears? Absolutely not. Too many mosquitos.

Lily:  That’s actually an excellent reason not to go into the woods at night – mosquitos are never fun. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. What’s your favorite part of writing?

Baxter:  The spark of ideas and the brainstorming. I love putting together the early stages of anything I work on. I feel I thrive with the potential that an idea has before I come along and ruin it with self-doubt and self-discouragement.

Lily:  Sounds like that initial spark is really full of a magic of sorts. Do you have a time of day you prefer to write?

Baxter: Not really. If I had control over my day, I think I would prefer mornings when my mind is fresh. But sometimes nighttime brings tired, loopy thoughts that turn out to be fun. Having kids, a spouse with a full-time job, and a full-time job myself means I try to write when I have the opportunity (and the energy) and rarely do I get to choose when that is these days.

Lily:  Totally understandable, and I’m glad you find time to write. How do you keep track of inspiration when it strikes?

Baxter:  I repeat it in my head over and over again, almost obsessively, trance-like even. Then, as the idea grows, if I think it’s anything to consider later, I use a notes app on my phone, like Google Keep, to save the highlights. That way I can come back to it later and type out more coherent thoughts.  

Lily:  That’s a great way to keep track. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. Pancakes, waffles, or french toast: which is better, and what’s your favorite topping?

Baxter:  I was about to quickly answer, “waffles,” but you threw French toast in there, bless your heart. French toast for sure. You get the added protein with it having been dipped in eggs, so it’s healthier, right? And, if done well, you can still get the edges crispy (not so much like a waffle, but definitely more than a pancake–unless the pancake is burnt–if it is, you’ll need a new pancake). Add some pecans and cinnamon, and maybe even a little powdered sugar to that French toast, and I’ve got myself a delicious day of sugar-crash-induced lethargy.

Lily:  I had to add french toast, it’s my favorite out of the three, and waffles and pancakes are tied for second hehe. Sounds like delicious topping too! What’s one place you’d love to visit for a weeklong vacation?

Baxter:  Anywhere I haven’t been. But also some places that I have been to. Yikes, this is a tough question. I love to travel. More than writing. Of the two, these days I’m not exactly sure what I do, or can do, more of. Okay, I’ll split my answer. Out of all the places I have been, I’d love to visit Florence, Italy for a week. I’ve been there twice already and a third time wouldn’t hurt any. For a place I haven’t been, I’d go somewhere in Montana like Glacier National Park or Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada; a place where lush pine forests line huge mountains and deep valleys, and all of that surrounds those beautiful glacier lakes. But while I’m there taking in the gorgeous nature for the week I want all the food Florence, Italy has to offer.

Lily:  They both sound like they’d be amazing vacations. Is there a book you could read over and over and never get tired of it?

Baxter:  Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The storytelling and narration is superb. It’s a fun, quick tale, and no media adaptation does it justice (although, the Muppets version might be best as it uses a lot of fantastic quotes from the book well). And who doesn’t like a bad guy turning good in the end? There’s hope for humanity, after all!

Lily:  I think the Muppets are how I was first introduced to it, and I remember seeing a stage adaptation shortly after reading it for the first time. Are you a picky eater? Have you ever eaten anything ‘adventurous’?

Baxter:  I’m not really a picky eater. I’ll try most things if it was cleaned or washed properly. There’s some stuff I wouldn’t eat, fermented fish for instance. As far as adventurous goes, I once ordered steak tartare at a restaurant in Paris. But it was kind of out of stupidity. At one point, I knew what steak tartare was but for some reason when I ordered I had forgotten. It was more like, “oh, I heard of that. It’s steak, it’ll be fine.” So there was a bit of shock when memories came flooding back as I was given a plate of raw, minced meat. Honestly though, it was one of the tastiest things I’ve eaten and it wasn’t the last time I had it. I couldn’t finish the amount they gave me though; it was too rich. But I think the most adventurous thing I ever ate was cotton candy spun around foie gras. And it was exquisite.

Lily:  I’m not sure I’m quite adventurous enough to try steak tartare but I am curious about how it tastes. I’m a sucker for cotton candy so I’d probably try almost anything it was spun around. Would you rather have your only mode of transportation be an elephant or a giraffe?

Baxter: An elephant for sure. Seems sturdier. I’m not sure what the benefit of the giraffe would be. I mean, they could both pick fruit off of trees for me. And I don’t need the fruit at the top of the tree, anything the elephant can reach with its trunk is fine. Plus, I’d rather the elephant hand me the fruit with its trunk than the giraffe with its mouth. Apparently I would only be traveling around fruit trees in this scenario, but yes, still an elephant.

Lily:  Could be very handy during apple picking season up where I am, I imagine. What’s one piece of advice you love to give, but don’t always follow?

Baxter:  Go to bed. I tell my daughters this at least once a day. Yet I always find myself staying up way too late, sometimes falling asleep on the couch even. It’s good advice, but they seldom listen and I rarely put it to practice myself.

But also, keep a journal/diary. I don’t regularly but wish I did. I think it’s important, not only for writing practice but to log the day’s events, ideas, and emotions as you venture through life.

Lily:  Both are great pieces of advice, and both are ones I always struggle to follow. How can readers discover more about you and you work?

Baxter:  Interact with me on social media! I’m @bbramatti on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. I stress “interact” because I don’t want people to simply follow me. I want to interact with all the beautiful and brilliant people in the world…that means everyone!

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