The year was 2018 and Prospect Ridge Academy High School english teacher Heather Preusser was sitting at a crossroads. Preusser had the idea for what would become her latest book, Hedgehog Whodunit. But she was conflicted on how, or even if, she’d pursue it.
That was until a timely thunderstorm provided the opportunity for Preusser to sit in the home of friend, and critically acclaimed children’s author, Jane Yolen. An experienced picture book author, Preusser was hesitant to try her hand at chapter book writing. Yolen’s response was simply, “What are you scared of?”
“I thought this was a picture book, but I had received a lot of feedback from my peers that it should be a chapter book,” Preusser said. “I resisted for three years until I ended up at Jane Yolen’s house after a storm. I was telling her, ‘I have this picture book idea, but it’s not working. People think it should be a chapter book.’ I told her I was a little scared because I knew nothing about writing chapter books. But she has this mantra, ‘BIC!’ It stands for ‘Butt in Chair!’ She told me to go sit down, put the hours in and just write the book. So, I did.”
Yolen’s persistence and Preusser’s vision came to fruition this week as the first of three books in the Hedgehog Whodunit series was officially released to the public on Tuesday, October 8 by Andrews McMeel Publishing.
The 96-page first installment is recommended for children ages 6-10 and available online through multiple retailers, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target. The plot follows the main character, Hitch the Hedgehog, and his informant, Vinnie the Rat, as they try to solve the mystery of the City Zoo’s missing panda. With hardboiled humor, fun animal facts, and a plethora of puns, Hitch and Vinnie’s detective shenanigans are full of hilarity and heart while complimented by the black-and-white illustrations of renowned illustrator, Gal Weizman.
“I’m happy I took Jane Yolen’s advice and just finally sat down, learned how to write a chapter book, and wrote it,” Preusser said. “This project came at the perfect time because I was revising and working on it during the Covid-19 Pandemic, when we were all stuck at home. It was great to be able to escape into this fantasy world with punny animals creating chaos. It was just a lot of fun to write.”
In effort to keep up with the “voracious readers” of the 6-10 age demographic, Preusser said that the writing process for the second and third books of the three-part series has already been completed. The second book, The Carousel Caper, is due out this upcoming spring, while the third book of the series is currently in illustration.
To celebrate the launch of the Hedgehog Whodunit series, Preusser has organized a few local events this fall where she will provide a short reading from the book, followed by a “detective” scavenger hunt and hedgehog craft. The events are free and welcome to all ages.
The first of the three fall events is at 11 a.m. this Saturday, Oct. 12 at Second Star to the Right Children’s Books in Denver.
Those interested in attending one of the community events can also join Preusser at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 at the East Simpson Coffee Company in Lafayette or on Saturday, December 10 at the Lafayette Public Library (10:30 a.m.).
“I would love for the PRA community to come! The books are geared toward 6-10 year olds, but I have read it to my 5-year-old and I’m going to try to accommodate all ages at the events,” Preusser said.
As for future projects? Preusser said she will take a little time off from writing to focus on teaching this school year, and to assist in the marketing efforts of the Hedgehog Whodunit series.
But, thanks to some sage advice from Jane Yolen, she thinks she has found her new niche.
“I’ve written everything from picture books through middle school and young adult, but I’ve often received the feedback that my writing style is a little older than the picture book demographic,” Preusser said. “Chapter books seem to be the sweet spot for me. I seem to have the humor of a 6–10 year old and I was able to tap into that fairly easily.”
Ms. Preusser Local Storytime Events
- Saturday, October 12th at 11am: Second Star to the Right Children's Books (Denver)
- Sunday, October 27th at 10:30am: East Simpson Coffee Company (Lafayette)
- Saturday, December 7th at 10:30am: Lafayette Public Library