Interview With Author Jennifer Licate

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? Working as a high school counselor, I ran a small counseling group for students struggling with anxiety.  When I was running this small counseling group, I had a model group member who was comfortable opening up and being vulnerable about her experiences with anxiety.  Her sharing helped to set the positive and supportive atmosphere for other group members to share.  I wanted to create a resource counselors and also parents could use to teach preteens and teens about anxiety in an engaging way. I thought a story that showed characters who struggled with anxiety in different ways would be a great way for preteens and teens to learn about anxiety and learn how they can apply this understanding and strategies to their own situation to make positive changes.

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?  My book is written for children ages 9-14 to learn about anxiety in an engaging way.  The book tells the story of Oscar who is struggling with anxiety which creates problems for him.  A caring teacher notices and encourages Oscar to join a small counseling group run by the school counselor.  Oscar is reluctant to join the group but through the group he learns he is not alone in his struggles and learns positive coping strategies to deal with his anxiety. 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  I hope readers will learn what anxiety is and positive coping strategies to deal with anxiety.  I hope this book normalizes anxiety, it's normal to experience anxiety in situations that make you nervous.  I hope readers will remember how the characters used healthy coping strategies to create positive changes in their lives.  I want readers to apply this to their lives and know there is hope to improve any situation they are struggling with.  It's important to talk to those who care about you and use the resources available. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? I chose the title, "My Anxiety is Messing Things Up" because I wanted the title to sound like a phrase a child would say.  The title is very descriptive of the main character's situation, his anxiety was making relationships hard for him and reducing his self-esteem.  I wanted the illustration on the cover to show the feeling the main character had when he felt anxious and the frustration of the effects his anxiety caused.

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? My advice to fellow writers is to start writing.  Even if writers don't know what they want to write about, getting words on the paper...or in the computer will help the ideas flow.  Once the ideas start flowing, writers can commit to writing a story they are passionate about telling.

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I see the book publishing industry heading in the direction of audiobooks being a more popular format for readers than traditional books.  With most of us leading such busy lives, audiobooks are easier to listen to while accomplishing another task, such as driving or taking a walk.  I often hear adults share they read a book and not clarifying that they listened to the book.  I always ask the clarifying question but it's interesting how common it is to share you read a book when the book was listened to, or read to you through the audible version of the book.  This is what I always share about my books being geared to preteens and teenagers, everyone loves being read to.

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?  My experience as a school counselor helped me to write this book and all the books in my series of social-emotional learning books.  I draw from my training as a school counselor and my experiences working with children and families.

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?  I would describe my books as written in the language of preteens so they can learn about complex topics in an easy-to-understand format.

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?  The challenge I overcame when writing this book is reducing such a complex topic to a short book that is easy for preteens and teens to understand.  The story needed to progress quickly from understanding how Oscar experienced anxiety to managing his anxiety well through practicing coping skills.  I wanted to develop the character of Oscar so the young readers cared about him and rooted for him throughout the story.  It was a challenge to tell this story and include essential information about anxiety because anxiety is such a complex topic.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? People should read "My Anxiety is Messing Things Up" because anxiety affects all of us.  Not everyone has problematic anxiety, but everyone would benefit from learning healthy coping strategies to deal with anxiety when it presents in their life.  When people understand anxiety and how to use coping strategies, they do not need to fear anxiety.  If people fear anxiety it will prevent them from stepping outside of their comfort zone which is often necessary to grow and achieve their individual goals.  It is a gift for children to learn about anxiety at a young age so they are well equipped to deal with anxiety in a healthy way throughout their life.

 

About The Author: Jennifer Licate's award-winning books focus on growing-up topics children struggle with, from friendship struggles to anxiety to study skills. The books are geared toward children ages 9 through 14. Young readers learn strategies to work through their challenge and give them the comfort of knowing they're not alone in their struggle.  Jennifer received her Master's Degree in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling and has worked as a school counselor for over a decade. Through working with children of all ages, she has seen the benefits of social emotional learning books firsthand. Children lose themselves as they're immersed within the stories. They're able to understand complex issues from so many different perspectives by seeing the story through the eyes of the characters. For more info, see: https://www.storiesbyjennifer.com/ 

 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum