Real Talk with Mary Pope Osborne

Imagine traveling around in space and time: visiting ancient Egypt, walking on the moon, and riding a flying dinosaur. Author Mary Pope Osborne brings these fantasies to life in the Magic Tree House books, her beloved series about siblings Jack and Annie. The two discover a strange tree house filled with books. The tree house whisks them away to different places and times.

Osborne published the first Magic Tree House book in 1992. There are now more than 100 books in the series, with the latest released this month. But it took her a while to figure out her professional path. She told TFK that she wants her readers to find what interests them, too. “Be curious, keep reading, and find out what makes you happy,” she says.

Below, you can read part of Osborne’s interview with TFK to learn about her career in her own words.

What does your writing process involve?

No two days in my life have ever been the same. [When I started], I would leave the house every day with my tablet, and I would go to libraries or cafés or coffee shops, or I’d sit in parks. Anywhere I could focus. I could write as long as I was away from home and doing my thing. I did that for the first 10 or 15 years of the series.

If I’m really [excited about] something, I might get up at 5:30 to write—purely out of joy and curiosity. Some other writers suffer from self-criticism and writer's block. I never had those things. Every word I put on paper was a plus. And 80% of what I wrote never saw the light of day, but I was always thrilled.

Your books involve a lot of history, with settings ranging from the Cretaceous period to Shakespeare’s. What do you find inspiring about history? 

It’s so fascinating. I love research. I’ll order 10 or 15 books on any subject. Then I look at the Internet; then I look at videos; then I talk to [experts]. But I spend half my time researching. When I take facts from history, there’s usually a constellation of information you can turn into a story. It is so thrilling.

What makes you feel creative?

I really make an attempt to fall in love with words. I keep so many notebooks with simple words in them—words that come alive for me. [In the past] I’d take notecards in my back pocket and walk all over New York City. [Editor’s note: Osborne lived in New York for many years, but now she lives in the Berkshires, a mountainous region of New England.] I’d stop to write notes about things I observed and words I liked. I called them “living words”: words of the senses, mostly. The weather, the light.

You didn’t always know what you wanted to be when you grew up. What would you say to someone who’s still trying to decide?

Learn to read. Because if you love to read, you will be curious, and you will keep reading, and you will find out what interests you the most. Then discover what makes you happy. Is it science books? Is it reading stories from long ago? Is it reading about animals or insects? Find what makes you feel excited, what gets your heart pumping.  

What do you love most about your job?

Writing for kids. I love my readers, whatever age they are.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.