The artist continued: “Although Nat was originally based on my childhood self, her character has taken on a life of her own. It is amazing to watch her grow and evolve throughout the series. So many of the stories in the books are based on real feelings and experiences from my childhood, viewed through the lens of humor. I’m so excited to be working on the sixth book in the series, and that the books have been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Russian, Hebrew, Greek, Turkish, and Korean. Whenever I [visit] a school or library, I always encourage students to write and draw their experiences and share their stories. So often, we feel alone in our feelings only to discover that someone else is having the same experience we are.”
We were wondering how, with five graphic novels now under her belt, Scrivan keeps her creative process fresh. The book author told us: “The Nat Enough graphic novel series is for ages 8-12, which gives me a wide range of memories and experiences to draw from. So far, Nat has experienced friend drama at school, crushes, summer camp, creating a comics club, and a class trip to Philadelphia. I am currently working on the sixth book in the series, which will be released in 2025, and I can’t wait to see what Nat will be up to after that. I am inspired [by] my own childhood, as well as what is going on in the world today. There is always a fresh supply of ideas to draw from.”
We were guessing that the artist must have faced some challenges while working on the new book, and she admitted: “It seems in every book, there comes a point where part of the story isn’t working. This part of the creation process often feels like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle when you don’t know what the pieces are. If I am ever stuck on any part of the story, I go for a walk or a run. Movement is great for stuck ideas, and, sometimes, just being in a different environment helps motivate my creative process.
Doodling is often where I get my initial ideas for the book and where I learn about the characters and where the books want to go. I then write an outline to give me a general idea of the story. This is very much like having a road map, and although I know where I’m headed, I never know what I might find along the way as the story unfolds. From there, I do a rough sketch of the book to figure out the dialogue, the story, and the details. After a series of edits and rewrites, I ink and color the book.”
Lastly, Maria told us more about specific elements of her new book that she’s particularly proud of and excited for her readers to experience: “In All is Nat Lost, Nat’s class is taking an overnight school trip to Philadelphia. It’s the first time she’s ever been to a big city. They visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Mütter Museum, and the Liberty Bell when, suddenly, the class trip becomes a bigger adventure than Nat ever imagined!
When I went to Philadelphia to research the book, there was a sea of class trips happening while I was there, and I met a wonderful teacher who shared what her students were doing while they were there. This, along with my own experience of a childhood class trip to Philadelphia, ignited so many ideas for the book. I also love to travel, and [I] get so much creative inspiration from experiencing new places. It was so interesting to visit Philadelphia through Nat’s lens and write and draw about what I saw.
Just like every Nat book, each chapter opens with a comic from Nat’s pets, Cat and Treat, along with a mini-comic at the end of the book from Nat’s sketchbook. All is Nat Lost will be published on March 5th, 2024 and is available for pre-order now.”
