The Backstory: INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN

Hurray for more agency siblings on The Backstory. Today, Melody Sumaoang Plan stops by with her Kirkus starred, INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN with illustrations by Rong Pham and Vinh Nguyen. You do not want to miss this informative and gorgeous book. Keep reading to learn all about Melody's inspiration and for your chance to win a signed copy.

AH: Welcome to The Backstory and thank you for joining us and sharing the inspiration behind INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN.

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

MP: Sure! Inside the Compost Bin is about taking what seems like trash– moldy food, old newspapers, a dirty sock– and turning it into the treasure that is compost. It’s also about teamwork in a lot of ways, there’s so many unseen and unsung heroes beyond the composter turning the pile, and it follows their story too.

AH: This story is beautiful, both in the words and illustrations. You have packed in a ton of information in an easily understandable and digestible way that will have loads of families ready to give composting a try.

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

MP: Five years ago I read a headline about a little girl who fit all her trash for an entire year in a single mason jar. It seemed crazy to me and I dismissed the story at first, but for some reason that story stuck with me for the whole day. Finally, I thought to myself, maybe I can’t do a mason jar, but maybe I can fit my trash for the entire year in one waste bin. So that became my New Year's resolution. First I had to do an audit of what I was throwing away, and found that over ¾ of what I threw in the waste was organic matter, so I knew I had to learn how to compost if I wanted to reach my goal. I signed up for a Master Composter course, and fell in LOVE with it. Something about watching these things return to nature felt like a kind way of putting them to rest. Compost, working in the outdoors, I find all that very inspirational.

I’ve always enjoyed creative writing since I could put pencil to paper as a child, and I think it was only a matter of time that I would eventually write about compost, with the idea that I was writing it for the child that I was. 

AH: Wow! I love how this headline inspired you and now, INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN is going to inspire families around the country. I also commend you for seeing this idea and putting in the effort to give it a try. Many of us are quick to say, "That is too hard" or "I don't know how" and let the new idea fade from our mind. This is even further inspiration for all us reading to not be afraid to try new things.

How did you approach going from this seed of an idea to what is now INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN? 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?

MP: You know, I actually wrote about a different method of composting before I wrote INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN. I can’t talk about it here because it might be a book in the future, but I wrote INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN with the idea that it would be a middle book to a series. The first story of the series I had in mind I had to write down immediately, like it felt almost like it was leaking out of my ears as I was thinking it and if I didn’t write it all down right away it would seep into the ground into nothingness, forever forgotten, and I’d regret it. I wrote that story in a day. INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN was different, since it was a follow up, kind of, to that manuscript, it felt more like there was a template already– I knew what voice I wanted her (INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN) to have, I knew already what she would sound like, because of that first manuscript. So I was able to let the story grow and breathe and it was a much less frenetic process than her older sister.

AH: That is fascinating that your intended order of books has been rearranged. I hope very much we all get to see that first manuscript in the form of a book in the future.

Did INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN undergo any major changes/revisions from the original version? If so, what led you to make these changes?

MP: Yeah, it probably went through one or two major revisions. The first version was more process-based. Less about why we should care about this, and more about just showing the reader what happens. Kind of like when you were a kid and you’re just watching a tiny sparrow outside preening his feathers under the shelter of a leaf while it rains. You just sit there and watch and see what happens with no expectations, just out of pure curiosity of life around you. But I think because of that choice I made for unfolding my story, it resulted in my ending feeling abrupt, or unfinished. Like as if that sparrow just flew away, you don’t really know what to do next, just move on and look somewhere else. I guess what I’m trying to say is, the hook and line was there but the sinker, maybe not so much. So I worked with Dan, our mutual agent, on tweaking it and tweaking it to what it eventually is now.

AH: This is the wonderful thing about having trusted partners on our writing path to help us see and puzzle through those sticking points. Shoutout to our agent, Dan Cramer!

Are there any books/authors that you feel influenced your work on INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN?

MP: Probably Locomotive by Brian Floca. His word choice made me really hear the train in a way I didn’t think was possible in a book. Also the way he pulled the reader from page to page. I wanted to do that for INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN too. I wanted the reader to really feel the activity of a compost pile.

AH: Mission accomplished. Your words as well as Rong and Vinh's detailed illustrations bring the action of the compost bin to life!

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

MP: I’d say it’s whenever it’s least convenient for me, haha. Like if I’m driving and I can’t write the idea down. Or right when I feel cozy in bed, and the idea suddenly strikes so I have to get un-cozy, turn on the light again, and write it down too. 

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

MP: I’m a beekeeper also! Eventually I’d like to write a story about pollinators, but I don’t really know what that looks like yet. There’s so many great books already about bees. I’ve also had multiple stories about Filipino mythology brewing in the back of my head.

AH: All of these ideas are books I would love to read, so here's hoping we get to see them from you in the future.

Where can people connect more with you?

I don’t use social media very much, but you can check out my journal at https://melodyplan.com/! I write about composting, my animals, and other little things.

AH: Readers be sure to check out Melody's journal at her website to stay updated on her latest happenings.

Also, please consider supporting Melody and INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN 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

Melody, thank you so much for sharing all about INSIDE THE COMPOST BIN. I loved

learning the inside scoop on how this book came to be!

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GIVEAWAY!

Melody is generously offering one winner a signed copy of Inside the Compost Bin + a small surprise compost tool to help you on your composting journey (open to the US only)

Ways to enter:

1. Retweet my tweet about this blog post. Additional entry for tagging friends!

or

2. Leave a comment on this post.

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 MELODY SUMAOANG PLAN

Melody Sumaoang Plan is an author and activist who cares deeply about the environment. She is a certified Master Composter through the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation in San Diego, CA, and practices and teaches three types of composting methods: traditional backyard composting, vermicomposting, and bokashi. She lives in Hawaii with her partner, one fluffy dog, six chickens, two bee colonies, and thousands of vermicomposting worms.

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ABOUT ANDREW HACKET

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