Bestselling author Lisa McMann reflects on her childhood in Holland ahead of 29th release

HOLLAND — Throughout her childhood in Holland, bestselling author Lisa McMann had no shortage of access to the written word.

"I would go to Herrick District Library every Saturday with my mom," McMann told The Sentinel during a recent interview about upcoming book parties in Holland and Grand Rapids.

"That was our big day. We'd load up our arms full of books and check them out. I'd take the max allowed and read them all, especially during the summer. I didn't really own a lot of books as a kid. We didn't have a lot of extra money for that. The library was where I found them."

In her teen years, McMann had a paper route.

"Our whole family delivered papers for The Holland Sentinel," she said. "There are four kids and I'm the third. My oldest brother started the route in his early teens and passed it down to another brother. I took over when I was 15."

In high school, she began a decade-long relationship with Baker Book House in their children's bookstore: Pooh's Corner. This continued through college, when she'd travel between locations in downtown Holland and Grand Rapids.

It was only a matter of time, it seemed, before McMann wrote a book of her own. But her first foray into publishing didn't go as planned.

"I tried to write picture books right out of college and I failed," she said. "I got so many rejections. I just decided I wasn't good enough. I quit writing for 10 years."

McMann became a real estate agent — and devoted herself to the job.

"One day, my boss asked me, 'Don't you have any hobbies? You spend an awful lot of extra time working. I know you don't play golf. What do you do?' And I honestly didn't know. I thought about that a lot, and I thought maybe it was time to start writing again."

She began reading her old stories.

"I realized they were pretty bad," she said. "One was alright, but they were bad because I didn't get feedback from others. I didn't have anyone to help me turn them into better stories."

McMann joined writing groups online and began penning short stories. In 2004, she entered one of her stories into a contest and won $10,000.

"That was right around the time we were moving to Arizona," she said. "I used that money as a fall-back fund and started work on my first novel. My first two novels didn't go anywhere. I wasn't able to get an agent with them. But I just kept writing, and I finally got an agent in 2006 and my first published book came out in 2008."

This year, McMann will celebrate her 29th published book: "The Invisible Spy." The book is the latest edition of "The Forgotten Five" series, following its debut "Map of Flames," released in February. "The Invisible Spy" will hit shelves in early November.

The middle-grade adventure/fantasy series features a character with cerebral palsy.

"It was really important to me to include a disabled character in the story," she said. "We meet her at the end of the first book. I actually asked a good friend of mine to be my sensitivity reader, because she has cerebral palsy and I thought, who better? That's so important, when we're writing about something we don't have personal experience with."

That friend, Stacy McNeely, has known McMann since her days at Pooh's Corner. McNeely still lives in the Holland area, and works as a therapist.

"She was the manager at Pooh's Corner, and I met her when I was in middle school," McNeely said of McMann. "It was a huge honor to be asked to help with this project, and it was also really cool to be able to help bring some awareness.

"There's not that type of inclusivity for kids with disabilities, especially in middle school books. I've been an avid reader my whole life, and I don't know that I've ever read a work of fiction with a character who has cerebral palsy."

McNeely and McMann hope the character will give children an opportunity to see themselves on paper.

"The character is exceptionally comfortable in her own skin and really alright with educating other people about her limitations," McNeely said. "I love that. She's not ashamed or afraid or timid. Sometimes we don't know how to talk with or about people who are different, and (McMann) really didn't want to offend or hurt anybody. It's so important to learn and ask."

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During the pandemic, McMann has spent time visiting Michigan schools virtually, including all six Zeeland Public elementary schools and both West Ottawa middle schools. Later this summer, she'll host back-to-back book parties in Holland and Grand Rapids.

The first will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 28, at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids, 2660 28th St. SE. The second will be at 6 p.m. Friday, July 29, at Barnes and Noble in Holland, 3050 Beeline Road.

"Whenever I'm in town, I try to do something there," McMann said. "I just hope to see a lot of fans and readers, and I'm really looking forward to visiting."

Learn more at lisamcmann.com.

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Author Lisa McMann reflects on childhood in Michigan