The Backstory: GILBERT AND THE GHOST

I am thrilled to welcome Heather Pierce Stigall to the blog today. She is here with her latest picture book, GILBERT AND THE GHOST (Beaming Books, 2025) illustrated by Jess Mason. Keep reading to learn all about how this sweet and heartwarming story of friendship came to be.

AH: Welcome to The Backstory and thank you for joining us and sharing the inspiration behind GILBERT AND THE GHOST.

First off, please tell us a little bit about your story.

HS: Thank you for having me on your blog, Andrew! Gilbert and the Ghost is a ghostly tale of overcoming obstacles and finding friendship in mysterious places. It’s about a boy named Gilbert who often feels invisible, just like the ghost at 632 Savannah Street. Despite his family's disbelief, Gilbert leaves gifts for the ghost and when each disappears one by one, Gilbert finds that believing and friendship are worth the effort.

AH: I LOVE this story. You develop Gilbert's personality in such a subtle and beautiful way. I love how gentle he is and his hopeful perserverance despite his families disbelief. Gilbert makes a great role model for kids and shows actionable ways for kids to help build friendships.

What’s the story behind the story? What was your inspiration? Where did the idea come from?

HS: Gilbert and the Ghost began with two things – a title idea and a childhood memory. The title came about during Tara Lazar’s 2020 StoryStorm challenge. Because I like wordplay, I thought “ghost writer” had potential for a picture book title. The childhood memory came from my happy place – the beach. When I was a child, my parents and aunt and uncle rented the same beach house for a few weeks each summer. One year, before we left our rental for the season, my cousins and I hid a note somewhere in the house, hoping to find a reply when we returned the following year. Surely someone would want to be our pen pal! The next summer, we checked our secret hiding spot. Did anyone reply? No. But our note was missing! Someone must have read it, right? Maybe they did reply, but another renter received the note before us. So, we tried again, for several years, believing that eventually we would become friends with another beach lover, even if we never met. With that memory in mind, I wondered if I could write a story about a child who wrote notes to a ghost he believed lived in his neighborhood, even though no one else believed. A friendship story between a child, who understood what it felt like to be invisible, just like a ghost, and a ghost, who might want a friend too. So, I did!

AH: What a childhood memory! I can just imagine the anticipation you and your cousins had each year arriving back at the beachhouse hoping to discover a note. It is so fun knowing the inspiration now and seeing how those sparks found there way into the book as well as how the book evolved from those initial inspirations.

AH: How did you approach going from this seed of an idea to what is now GILBERT AND THE GHOST? Was it something undeniable you had to write immediately or did you need to sit with this idea and let it grow for a while before it found its way to the page?

HS: As I mentioned, the seed of the idea began with a title idea (which is no longer the title of the book!) during the January 2020 StoryStorm challenge. I didn’t do anything with the title until spring 2021 when I knocked out a first messy draft. It’s typical of me to let an idea marinate for a while before it actually becomes a written story, if it becomes one at all. After that, I often let it sit for several (or more) months before I do any revisions. Sometimes it sits in the virtual drawer for years (or forever). But Gilbert called to me, so I began revising it about a month after I wrote the first draft and consistently after for several more months.

AH: You have such restraint to let those ideas and drafts sit. I know how beneficial it is, but also know it can be hard to do.

AH: Did GILBERT AND THE GHOST undergo any major changes/revisions from the original version? If so, what led you to make these changes?

HS: The basic plot structure for the story stayed consistent through all its versions, but I experimented with a few variations to the middle scenes. I felt strongly about my beginning and ending, but figuring out the best way to get from one to the other took a few attempts. I relied on my critique partners to help me forge the best path. Then, before querying (I was unagented at the time), I submitted the manuscript to two different agents for critiques. They had suggestions for how to improve the story and, interestingly, had very different opinions about the ending. One thought the resolution was “sweet and satisfying,” while the other thought editors might shy away from the story because the ending wasn’t “decisive” enough. I incorporated many of the first agent’s suggestions and a few of the second agent’s notes, but I left the ending as it was. My intention was to offer a satisfying resolution while leaving room for reader interpretation, so I didn’t change one word. I believed in my ending and hoped someone in the publishing world would too. Luckily, I found an agent who also loved the ending. Then, an editor at Beaming Books brought the manuscript to acquisitions! But she came back with questions from the rest of her team…about the ending! I was nervous because, of course, I wanted an offer. I explained my vision for the story and crossed my fingers while waiting for a response. I was thrilled to receive a book deal, and the ending remains just how I wrote it in the very first draft. 

AH: Good for you for staying true to your vision and having the courage to advocate for it. We get LOTS of opinions from LOTS of people in writing and it can be hard to know what advice to take, especially when it is coming from industry professionals and the gatekeepers of the publishing world. You and Gilbert are a great example of knowing when to hold true to your idea.

AH: Are there any books/authors that you feel influenced your work?

HS: I wouldn’t say there is any one author or book that influences my work. I have read many, many,  MANY picture books (if you follow me on Goodreads, you know!), so they all play a role. 

AH: Where do you tend to find your inspiration or your sparks for ideas?

HS: Engaging with children keeps me inspired! But when I’m working through a story, whether it’s before I put pen to paper or I’m on the 16^th revision, walking or running outside opens my mind like nothing else. There’s something about moving about in nature that lets the creative juices flow.

AH: So true! I think there is something to be said about the subconscious work that happens on a book as we engage in activities like these.

AH: Do you have any upcoming projects or news you would like to share with us?

HS: I wish I could share happy book news with you and your readers but, as you know, publishing is an odd business. I’ll just say that I am working on multiple projects in various stages, from ideas to early drafts to advanced stages of revision to being on submission. Stay tuned!

AH: I completely understand. We wish you the best of luck on all of your current projects and hope you will have news you can share soon!

Where can people connect more with you?

HS: You can connect with me in a few ways:

Website: www.HeatherPierceStigall.com. There you’ll find information about my books, FREE educator’s guides, my school visit programs, where I’ll be, and how to sign up for my newsletter.

You can also find me on social media here:

Instagram: @heather_stigall7

Blue Sky: @heatherstigal7

Facebook: @HeatherPierceStigall-Author

AH: Readers be sure to connect with Heather on social media and check out her website so you don't miss any of her exciting publishing news. And while you are at it please consider supporting her books in any way you can.

This could include:

- ordering from your favorite indie

- marking as want to read on Goodreads  

-leaving a review

- making a library request

Heather, thank you so much for sharing all about GILBERT AND THE GHOST with us. I loved learning how it came to be.

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GIVEAWAY!

Heather is happy to offer a 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” virtual call to one lucky winner..

Ways to enter:

1. Comment on social media post about this blog post. Additional entry for tagging friends!

or

2. Leave a comment on this post. Leave a social media tag where I can contact you if you are selected as the winner.

or

3. Post about this interview on social media and tell me in the comments that you did.

Each method earns an extra entry!

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ABOUT HEATHER STIGALL

Heather Stigall uses her experience with children and her degrees in Child Development, Psychology-based Human Relations, and Social Work to create stories that speak to kids. She is an active volunteer for the Eastern PA Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, a member of the 12x12 Picture Book Challenge, and a wife and parent to five children and one pup. When she’s not writing, you can find Heather hanging out with her kids (hopefully at the beach), reading, eating chocolate, baking, or creating all sorts of treasures. She is the author of GILBERT AND THE GHOST (Beaming Books, 2025) which Kirkus Reviews praised as “a surefire hit for readers looking for seasonal fun.” Her debut picture book, PAISLEY’S BIG BIRTHDAY (Clavis Publishing, 2023), was a 2023 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award nominee and is available in six languages. You can connect with Heather through her website, HeatherPierceStigall.com, and her social media links at https://linktr.ee/HeatherStigall.

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ABOUT ANDREW HACKET

Andrew Hacket  is a writer, second-grade teacher, and father of three. He is the author of Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea, Curlilocks and the Three Hares, and Hope and the Sea. 

His next book, IN THIS CLASSROOM illustrated by Arthur Lin, hits shelves next spring!

Andrew recognizes that being a kid is hard and he writes to create ways for kids to see themselves in stories and characters, to accept and overcome their insecurities, or to escape for just a little while through the power of their imaginations.