Howdy readers! Get ready to gobble up a Birth Stories for Books interview that's stuffed to the brim with helpful info and inspiration. My guest is Alayne Kay Christian, author of the fabulously funny picture book, TURKEY ON THE RUN! (illustrated by Neha Rawat, published by Flamingo Books, Penguin Random House, Sept 29, 2026).
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| by Alayne Kay Christian and Neha Rawat |
Alayne's interview includes heaps of behind-the-scenes details (she even shares some 'before and afters' of the text she originally put on the page and the text that made it into the book). So let's get to it!
Dawn Prochovnic: Welcome to the blog, Alayne. As I recall, we first "met" via a picture book launch group back in 2021, and then we collaborated on a few educational posts for your excellent blog. I learned back then that you have an affection for weeds (The Weed that Woke Christmas), and I have an affection for dandelions(Lucy's Blooms) AND NOW you have a new book baby: TURKEY ON THE RUN! I'm eager to learn more about your path to publication for this very fun book.
I'd like to start by learning about the inspiration that sparked the idea for this story, and the process and timeframe between your initial idea for the book and the story that was formulated fully enough to submit to an agent or editor. (I especially love the hilarious refrain, "Run, run, run as fast as you can. You won't catch me for your roasting pan!" and I'd love to hear if there was a memorable moment when that line came to you!)
Alayne Kay Christian: First, thank you for inviting me to your blog. And congratulations on your forthcoming book Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!). It sounds and looks adorable.
Now for my first answer: The inspiration for Turkey On the Run! came to me over twenty years ago. I used to have a hobby where I made and sold greeting cards. I had a Thanksgiving one where it had a turkey running around frantically trying to convince people to eat ham or pizza. Or maybe think of their health and start a vegetarian diet. I always thought that was so funny, and it stuck with me.
Now, that I look at the card, I kind of wish I had added pizza as a food—perhaps veggie pizzas only, since the story inadvertently became perfect for vegetarians and pescatarians.
When I looked back at my first sh***y draft, I found that the fun refrain was there from day one, so I’m thinking it might have played a big role in my inspiration. I initially had “Run, run as fast as you can” and Claire Tattersfield, my editor at Flamingo, added a third run. “Run, run, run as fast as you can.”
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| Interior image from Turkey on the Run, by Alayne Kay Christian and Neha Rawat |
From what I can find, the first draft was written on November 28, 2014. The final draft, before the offer, was written around June 5, 2024. So, I worked on it on and off for nearly ten years!
DP: Wow! That's a story of devotion. I'm so glad you stuck with it. It's such a fantastic read-aloud!
AKC: The process/timeline went a bit like the following:
First draft Nov. 2014
Worked on it several times in 2015 and went through a few rounds with my critique group. I also got a positive response from agent Stephen Fraser, which I found encouraging.
I only worked on it once in 2016 and then didn’t touch it again until December 2019 with a file name “still working on it Turkey Trot.”
It sat there until April of 2022 when I revisited it with a new critique group.
I stepped away from writing in 2023 because of health issues. But in 2024, once the health issues were resolved, and I had regained my strength, Turkey Trot called to me once in again.
On February 22, 2024, I pitched the story on #PBPitch Twitter, and my now agent, Jackie Kruzie, who I happened to also know, emailed me and asked to see it!
Following is the pitch:
“Reimagining THE GINGERBREAD MAN a clever turkey escapes the roasting pan & runs from one establishment to another trying to convince patrons to eat anything but turkey. But when a growing parade of pursuers corners Turkey, he needs more than words to save his neck. Humor #PBPitch”
Jackie loved the story and asked to see more of my work, which she also liked. Finally, in March of 2024, fourteen years after I parted ways with my previous agent, I got an offer of representation! It was meant to be.
In June 2024, Jackie mentioned my TURKEY TROT SURPRISE story to Claire Tattersfield, the editor at Flamingo Books, and she said she would like to see it. By July, the offer had been completed and a contract was on its way.
DP: thank you for sharing this, Alayne! What a story of persistence, dedication, and a dash of good fortune!
When you compare one of your earliest drafts of this story to the version in the published book, what stands out for you in terms of what is most different? Likewise, is there anything in particular that stands out that was included in your earliest drafts and survived the revision process?
AKC: The difference between my first draft and final draft are night and day. The first draft was VERY wordy with a more traditional storytelling style. I think one of the huge things I noticed going back to the first draft was there was a great deal of stage direction and extensive detail. Following the original Gingerbread Man story, there were other refrains that took up a lot of word count. And there wasn’t really any rhyme, and what rhyme I did include was not good. One thing that changed along the way, was that I added the rhyme, but not until after I took Renée M. LaTulippe’s Lyrical Language Lab course in 2015. It took me until recently to really start getting the hang of this rhyme thing. But had I not taken her course, I never would have even tried. Or I would have tried and not realized how bad my rhyme was.
I think the best way to show how much the story changed from first draft to final story is to share the beginning from the first draft and the beginning from the final version. Any errors are left intentionally, since it was a first draft. The first draft took 180 words to get to the refrain. The final version took only 51 words to get to the refrain. Oh! And the first version talks about killing the turkey . . . what?!
FIRST DRAFT
Once upon a time, there were a little old woman and a little of man who lived in a condo in a great big city. The little old woman planned a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. She decided to roast a tasty turkey. But only the freshest turkey would do, so the little old woman sent the little old man out to the country to trap a great big turkey.
Later that day, the little old man returned with a plump, perky turkey. But who would kill the turkey?
“It is my job to stuff it and roast it,” said the little old woman. “I’m not killing it.”
“It is my job to trap it,” said the little old man. “I’m not killing it.”
And while the two of them squabbled, the turkey gobbled and wobbled away shouting, “Don’t eat me!”
“He’s getting away!” shouted the little old woman trotted after the turkey with the little old man following behind. But the turkey ran too fast for them.
“Stop, stop!” cried the little old woman. But the turkey ran even faster, chanting,
Run, run as fast as you can
You can't catch me
For your roasting pan!
DP: How kind and helpful of you to share this first draft alongside the final version (below), Alayne. It's so beneficial to see what it looks like to simply get words on the page, and then to see what a meaningful difference revisions can make. (And wowza-- not only did the first draft make mention of killing the turkey ... it was a key discussion point! Talk about stakes! ; )
FINAL VERSION
Turkey was out for his morning run when—
BAM!
He trotted right into a trap.
“You’re just what my wife ordered,” the old man said.
[Puts Turkey in the truck. Cut from country to city and a welcome sign]
WELCOME TO GOBBLE GROVE
“What a perfectly perky turkey,” the wife said. “We would like to invite you to—”
Before she could finish, Turkey zoomed away faster than a lightning bolt.
“Run, run, run as fast as you can.
You won't catch me
for your roasting pan!”
Things that remained from the first to final versions are the basic plot line, many of the original characters and establishments. Though, some got cut and some got added. Of course, the “Run, run, run” refrain remained from beginning to end. However, I did try several bad variations before settling on it. Following are just a few. As you might have noticed the first draft said, “You can’t catch me.” But the final version says “You won’t catch me.”
Chase me and run as fast as you can,
but you’ll never get me in a pan.
Chase me and run as fast as you can,
you can’t catch me
I’m the turkey man. (Turkey man? What was I thinking?)
Chase me and run as fast as you can,
You can’t get me
In a turkey roast pan
Run, run as fast as you can
You can’t catch me
For your big roasting pan
Run, run as fast as you can
You won’t get me
In your turkey roast pan
I must have loved the line, “They zipped into the dining room, zig-zagged around tables, and darted out the door.” because it is one of the few things that was in the first draft and the final.
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| Interior image from Turkey on the Run, by Alayne Kay Christian and Neha Rawat |
DP: What a fun detail (and how rewarding to go back to the beginning and uncover that detail!)
AKC: Originally, the ending had an appearance made by the Gingerbread Man himself when all the character’s attention turned to him from a bakery scene, which allowed Turkey to escape. Eventually, the ending ended up being similar to what it is in the published book. But I have to say, I was thrilled when my agent Jackie and I sat down and brainstormed a new ending and made some other fun tweaks. I think we added even more humor, and we created a nice “must watch the illustrations” twist that I love.
DP: OH my goodness, Alayne. What a helpful montage this is with before and afters. Thank you again for sharing this!
I'd also love to learn more about how you went about infusing this story with humor--and if you have tips and/or resources for other book creators that want to lean into humor (me!!), I'm all ears!
AKC: That’s a tough one. I’m still trying to figure out the humor thing myself. I think the basic concept alone is funny. A turkey working so hard to get people to eat anything but turkey? Pretty funny in my opinion. But I think Turkey’s misunderstanding is funny. And the part where the reader gets to see why each character is joining the chase in the illustrations is funny. So, kids are in on the secret. The idea that the little old lady isn’t carrying around turkey parts in her bag is funny. Turkey’s misreading of the Turkey trot is funny. Readers know what Turkey doesn’t know. Also, there is a bit of tongue-in-cheek at the end when Turkey’s place of honor looks a bit more like a dinner platter than a seat. And of course, Turkey’s imagination related to his demise is funny, too. I could go on and on, but I won’t. I will add that I think Neha Rawat’s fantastic illustrations amped up the humor tremendously. I am very grateful for the pairing.
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| Interior image from Turkey on the Run, by Alayne Kay Christian and Neha Rawat |
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| Interior image from Turkey on the Run, by Alayne Kay Christian and Neha Rawat |
DP: The book is very, very funny. Text, illustrations, and the magic of the pairing! Brava, brava!!
Reflecting on the journey from idea to published book, are there any individuals, experiences, or opportunities that you credit with opening the door for you to bring this story to publication? (I'd especially love to hear about your experience submitting to/working with Sylvie Frank -- I don't think I'm alone in saying she's top on my list of editors I dream of working with!)
AKC: Sylvie is one of my dream editors as well. But Sylvie is not the editor for Turkey On the Run!. She moved to Flamingo around the time that my editor, Claire Tattersfield, moved fulltime to Viking. Claire used to be editor for both Flamingo and Viking. Claire has been the absolute best to work with. She is super approachable. But most of all, I think she might be even more excited about our book than me, ha, ha. If that were possible. And she gets excited about each step of the journey which I love. She has championed it from day one and continues to do so.
DP: I'm so glad you CLAIRE-ified things for me! ; ) I'd thought I'd read somewhere that Sylvie had acquired the manuscript--Claire sounds like a dream to work with as well!
AKC: I definitely credit my agent, Jackie Kruzie, for opening the door to publication. I truly believe that without her, this story would have never achieved publication. And of course, Claire for falling in love with it and convincing the acquisitions team that it is a winner. I don’t think any of my stories would have a chance without my fabulous critique partners and friends. Pardon me as I list a few names, Donna Congelosi, Carrie Finison, Diane Tulloch, Hannah Holt, Tina Cho, and Vivian Kirkfield.
DP: That sounds like a dream team of critique partners, too!
Who do you see as the ideal reader for this book and/or what would you love to hear a bookseller or librarian say as they hand-sell this book?
AKC: Oh, that’s another tough one. Most of all, I believe the ideal readers are children. But then parents, teachers, and librarians because they are often the ones that help get fun books in front of children. I don’t think the bookseller would have to say anything about the vibrantly active and fun illustrations. The cover alone speaks to that. I think beside stressing what a fun read it is, I think a bookseller might talk about the subtle message that things aren’t always what they seem. They might also talk about the opportunities the book offers to practice observation skills and open discussions about why Turkey and the other characters in the book might be thankful in the end, which could segue into discussing what the readers are thankful for. I think the vegetarian and pescatarian possibilities might be an interesting angle for a bookseller. I really didn’t see it until my writing friend Donna Congelosi and her daughters noticed it (they are vegetarians) and then some reviews on Goodreads have already mentioned it. So, that one took me by surprise because as I mentioned earlier it wasn’t done intentionally, but I kind of like it.
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| Interior image from Turkey on the Run, by Alayne Kay Christian and Neha Rawat |
I love all the text in Penguin Random House’s promotional text, but I would love to hear booksellers say, the following which is part of that text. “Told in bouncy, rhyming verse that fans of The Gingerbread Man will gobble right up, this spirited twist on the traditional holiday tale is stuffed with humor, heart, and holiday cheer.”
A hilarious and wholly original Thanksgiving book, destined to become a holiday classic!
DP: What a delicious feast for young readers!
What would be your dream review for this book? Who would this review be from? And where would this review be published or posted?
AKC: How about the New York Times as part of it being a New York Times best seller? A woman can dream, right?
DP: Indeed!!
One of my favorite parts of being an author is connecting with young readers at school, library, and bookstore visits, and I’m always looking for fresh tips. Do you have any pro tips or suggestions for fellow author/presenters in terms of planning successful (in-person and/or remote) book-related events?
AKC: That is not something I have focused on as of yet. However, I can recommend a Facebook group that I think is valuable in getting started and learning more about school visit, called: Create Engaging School Visits.
DP: That's a great resource, Alayne. Thanks. It reminds me of another FB Group resource: Kim Norman's Cool School Visits.
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your pre-published self? Or, said another way, what do you know now, that you wished you would have known a bit earlier?
AKC: I have so many things. One thing that always comes immediately to mind is don’t be in a hurry. When I look back at work I submitted years ago, I realize I needed much more time to mature as a children’s author. On the other hand, you do need to submit at some point. That’s how we learn. In preparation for submitting, I would say good critique groups are a must. Not only to help you learn more and more about your craft, you also get to develop a tough skin. The tougher the skin, the easier the submission path. I’ll just add one more and then stop.
When you read picture books to learn about picture book writing, it is important to do more than read them. I spent my first couple of years reading around 100 – 200 picture books a month. The problem was that I didn’t know why I was reading them. I truly thought I was going to pick it all up by osmosis. It didn’t happen. I could tell which ones I liked and which I didn’t like. But I couldn’t tell you why. Taking Susannah Hill’s Picture Book Magic course gave me enough information that I started understanding the parts of the stories I needed to study more. Doing critiques also helped me see what I needed to study more because I was driven to explain what I was seeing that wasn’t working in other people’s manuscripts, and I couldn’t do that without clear examples and understanding it myself. The more you can dissect picture books as you grow as a writer, the more you will understand. It takes a long time to “get” it all. I’m still studying and probably always will. It is amazing how something so seemingly simple as a 300–500-word book is so extremely complicated, but there are a lot of important components to making it all work. Sometimes, the less words, the harder. There is a reason it can take ten years to get some picture books submission ready.
DP: Yes, and yes! Such important insights, Alayne. Thank you!
Do you have anything you’d like to tell us about what you’re currently working on?
AKC: I am patiently waiting for the announcement of my next book, which is 100% rhyme. I can’t wait!!!!
DP: How exciting! I can't wait to hear more about it!
AKC: I am a prolific writer, so I always have a lot of pans in the fire. Since I joined a rhyming critique group, I am forced to always have some rhyming stories on hand for my turn to submit a story. And I love that. Rhyming is heaven to me! I have a million ideas in my Storystorm files, but what I find interesting is when I am struck with an idea that I must write, that is where I always go. And I seldom have to search my list for my next idea. I also like to pull out old stories to consider through my more-experienced author’s eyes and then see what I might turn them into. Finally, I have been trying my hand at graphic novels, which is interesting and a bit scary.
DP: It sounds like your hands are indeed full!
What is the best way for readers to get in touch with you or learn more about your books?
AKC: You can find links to many of the places you can buy Turkey On the Run! on the Penguin Random House website here.
It is available for preorder and will be released on September 29.
For An Old Man and His Penguin and The Weed That Woke Christmas, if you want a more affordable option, you can get the softcover on Amazon. The hardcovers are available through most online book stores.
DP: Thanks so much for sharing your Birth Story for TURKEY ON THE RUN! with us, Alayne!
AKC: Thank you for having me! I’m super excited. After big disappointments with a small publisher, I am over the moon to be working with Flamingo and Penguin Random House. I can’t wait to hold the book in my hands. To see Neha’s illustrations and my words will be a dream!
DP: I'm so happy for you!
AKC: You can find downloadable classroom companion teacher guides for Turkey On the Run! here . There are questions for students related to comprehension, observation, inference, etc. There are vocabulary worksheets and puzzles, contrast and compare Venn diagrams and T-charts, writing and drawing exercise, sequencing worksheets, crafts and much more. I am gradually adding more companions to the web page, so teachers should keep checking back. I expect to get some worksheets and coloring sheets for the youngest readers in the near future.
DP: Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
And now, dear readers, you know what to do. The best way to thank an author whose insights have been helpful and/or inspiring to you is to support their work. Buy their books. Request them from your library. Read and share them with others. TURKEY ON THE RUN! is available everywhere books are borrowed and sold, including your own local, indie bookstore, or online at bookshop.org. *Disclosure: As an affiliate of Bookshop.org I may earn a small commission from books purchased through links on this post.
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Alayne Kay Christian is a former acquisitions editor, an award-winning children’s book author, and a picture book writing mentor/teacher. Her top published picture books are . . .
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| Image supplied by the author |
An Old Man and His Penguin: How Dindim Made João Pereira de Souza an Honorary Penguin
The Weed That Woke Christmas: The Mostly True Story of the Toledo Christmas Weed.
Born in the Rockies, raised in Chicago, and now a true-blue Texan, Alayne’s writing shares her creative spirit, the kinship to nature and humanity that reside within her heart, and a bit of her funny bone.
Alayne is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She has studied picture book and chapter book writing under some of the top names in children's literature. Alayne teaches a picture book writing course Art of Arc: How to Analyze Your Picture Book Manuscript (deepen your understanding of picture books written with a classic arc). In addition, she shares her knowledge with writers through free and affordable webinars and she is available for school visits and speaking engagements.
To learn more about Alayne visit her websites and blog at . . .
https://alaynekaychristianauthor.com/
Art of Arc http://www.alaynekaychristian.com/contact.html
Blog https://alaynekaychristian.wordpress.com/
You can find Alayne on social media at . . .
X @alayne_kay
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alaynekay.christian
Blue Sky @alaynekaychristian.bsky.social
My Facebook Author’s Page: https://www.facebook.com/AlayneKayChristianAuthor/
My Amazon Author’s Page: https://amazon.com/author/alayne_kay_christian
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1933927.Alayne_Kay_Christian
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6yndWtpXwX6CIRoFi7X4g
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alaynekay/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alayne-kay-christian/12/168/525/
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Birth Stories for Books is an occasional feature of of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including, Lucy's Blooms, Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series, and the forthcoming title, Mama's Home (and Baby Too!). Dawn is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud, and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com. Subscribe to Dawn's newsletter and never miss an update.
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