The books shown on the left are by L.S.. Lentz. Click on the cover to order.

This interview was conducted by Teri Davis Takle on January 7, 2024.

L.S. Lentz is our guest today, and I’m pleased she’s agreed to this interview in which you’ll learn about the amazing friendship between Stella and Shell.

Teri Davis Takle:   Do you plan on writing a sequel to Stella and Shell, perhaps finding more friends and friends for Brother Beaver, Mrs. Owl, and Mr. Fish?

L.S. Lentz:  Yes! I am in the process of writing the sequel, Stella and Sarge.  It’s about Stella and our duck Sarge. A couple years after we moved, we had chickens and ducks.  My son, Alden, had named him Sergeant Frederick Fluffington Jr, and we called him Sarge for short.  Sarge was a beautiful mallard looking duck with a dark green head and blue tipped wings.

Stella did not know what to make of him at first.  Sarge would actually chase her around the yard, but they eventually became friends as well.  Shell, Brother Beaver, Mrs. Owl and Mr. Fish will make appearances too.  

Teri Davis Takle:   Your illustrations are beautiful. What medium(s) do/did you use or prefer?

L.S. Lentz: I cannot take any credit for the illustrations.  My illustrator was amazing and really captured the true essence of Stella, our home and the river’s edge behind our house.  I wanted a water -color look and the technique, style and colors she used are soft, inviting and warm adding to a beautiful setting to the heart-warming story of Stella and Shell.

Teri Davis Takle: What do you teach? 

L.S. Lentz: This is funny.  I teach high school chemistry.  It’s ironic that I actually hated chemistry in high school.  It was very difficult for me and I had to work really hard.  I took a lot of chemistry classes in college and used it in my jobs before I became a teacher.  Now I can’t imagine not teaching chemistry.  I appreciate how the content builds upon itself and there are a lot of fun hands-on labs.

Teri Davis Takle:  What challenges/surprises did you personally face with your move?

L.S. Lentz: Wow thinking back, I can’t believe it has almost been 11 years since we moved.  We moved into our house in April, but we wanted our kids to finish out their school years in our former town until the end of June.  That meant a lot of commuting and long days for all of us.  

Both kids had to change schools and I changed jobs to be closer to our new house.  There were a lot of adjustments which meant meeting new people and braving new experiences.  My son Anthony was just entering his freshman year of high school and my son, Alden, was starting 5th grade.  They both eventually did well with the transition, but it wasn’t easy.  Change is difficult, but now we can’t imagine living anywhere else.  

Teri Davis Takle:  What other adventures have involved Stella at the new house?

L.S. Lentz: Stella has been involved in everything at our house!  Since she is such a big dog, she’s hard to ignore.  She loves to sleep on our kids beds or the couch. During the day she roams outside in our field or by the river sniffing new smells.  In the summer, she likes to lie in the driveway catching rays like a sun goddess and in the winter, she loves sticking her whole head in the snow to eat it, then rolls around in it like a polar bear.

We also have a lot of get-togethers in our barn.  She is always with us, greeting everyone with her tail wagging.  Her favorite spot is underneath the food table hoping for scraps to fall. 

Teri Davis Takle: Which children’s book(s) or author(s) have most influenced you?

L.S. Lentz: I would have to say that the books that most influenced me were the ones I read with my kids when they were younger.  What Are You Doing Maisy, by Lucy Cousins, The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, the classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, and the Henry and Mudge book series by Cynthia Rylant.  We have always had mastiff dogs and Mudge was big and goofy like all of our dogs, Simba, Lucy and Stella. 

Teri Davis Takle: Where does Shell live? In your yard? Does Shell ever bring friends?

L.S. Lentz: Shell mainly lives in the river and river beds behind our house.  Shell makes the slow climb up to our house every spring to visit Stella.  Sometimes he will bring other turtles. 

Teri Davis Takle:  What other art have you shared publicly?

L.S. Lentz: This is my first artistic project.  I used to be artistic when I was younger and wrote and drew a lot, but thought I lost my artistic spark when raising my kids and working. I didn’t have enough time. Now that my kids are older, it’s refreshing to get back to being creative and investing time in writing. It’s something I truly enjoy and will continue with Stella and Sarge and the graphic novel I wrote, titled The New Adventures of Bacon McBean. I am looking forward to publishing both of them.

Teri Davis Takle: What lessons did you learn about the book business from publishing your first book?

L.S. Lentz: There’s so much to learn.  That’s why it took me ten years to publish!  I was really intimidated by the publishing industry, a space where I knew almost nothing about.  It is much more intricate than I could have imagined especially when illustrations are involved and it takes a long time from submission to publication.  Stella and Shell took a year and a half to publish, but I am so happy with the way it turned out. My publishing company, Gatekeeper Press, was very supportive, helpful and professional. 

Teri Davis Takle:  How have your family, friends, and community responded to Stella and Shell?

L.S. Lentz: Everyone has been amazing and truly supportive.  I have had so many favorable reactions from friends, family and my community.  A local bakery asked me to do a reading which is coming up later this month.  They are even making Stella and Shell themed cookies for the event.   I’m scheduling a book signing at a local restaurant, readings at schools and libraries and our local mini mart is carrying my book.  

I owe a lot to my publicist, aka, my husband, he knows a ton of people and likes to talk so he has been great about spreading the word and selling books!

Teri Davis Takle: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview for Bestsellersworld.com.