When Carol Fisher Saller graduated from the University in 1974 with a degree in Latin language and literature, she had no idea there was a career in writing children’s books waiting in her future.
Now, Saller is a successful author of a collection of children’s books and a retired copy editor and fact-checker who will offer a reading for Champaign-Urbana locals at The Literary on April 30 at 6 p.m.
Midway through pursuing a graduate degree in Latin at Cambridge University, Saller pivoted. Despite a love for studying the classics, she discovered a new passion for the publishing industry while abroad.
Saller returned to the United States and started her first full-time job as a fact-checker at TV Guide Magazine. There, she fell in love with the Chicago Manual of Style.
“I went home and couldn’t put it down,” Saller said. “I think that’s a good sign because not that many people are cut out for copy editing. If you find that reading the Chicago Manual of Style is as good as reading a mystery novel, then that’s a good sign that maybe it’s right for you.”
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Saller spent her early professional career in a variety of editorial positions. However, she didn’t explore writing as a career until she had children.
New motherhood led Saller to weekends spent at the library picking out books in the children’s section with her sons. It was in these book-filled aisles that she realized just how far children’s literature has come since she was its target audience.
“I had no idea they could be so smart and subversive,” Saller said. “You think of them as kind of saccharine and with lots of moral lessons because, when I was a child, that’s what a lot of them were. By the time I had children, it had really evolved into something completely different, and I wondered if I could write one.”
Saller published her first book, “The Bridge Dancers,” in 1991. Since then, she has built a repertoire of children’s books in genres ranging from mystery to historical fiction.
“I haven’t written that many books, and each one arose from something that I felt passionately about,” Saller said. “That’s the reason why I think all of my books are really special. They’re from the heart.”
“The Time-Jinx Twins” is Saller’s most recent project, and the first book in the projected trilogy was released on April 15.
The middle-grade novel depicts two estranged identical twin sisters who are accidentally thrust back in time to 1970 Chicago.
Stuck 50 years in the past, Kat and Ellie Gray set out to fix the faulty time machine. They explore iconic Chicago landmarks like the Goodman Theater and Grant Park before hitching a ride to the one and only University of Illinois.
The twins remember that their mother’s mentor was a professor at the University, and they brainstorm until they find a way to get down to C-U. With the help of the particle physicist, Kat and Ellie are able to return home safe and sound, but not without learning a piece of information about their mother that leaves the book on a cliffhanger.
“In all my books, I try to inject some awareness of social issues,” Saller said. “In this case, I have tried to celebrate logical thinking, fact-checking and women in science.”
For Saller, writing isn’t just about creating a page-turning story — it’s about how her story will be received by young readers and the ways it might positively impact their lives.
“I think children deserve to read fun books without a lot of heavy lessons in them, and so I’ve tried to make this a fun read while still making it of value and a source of good discussion questions,” Saller said.
“The Time-Jinx Twins” is unique in the way Saller aimed to create an educational reading experience that teaches middle-grade readers about history and interpersonal relationships.
Preparation for writing consisted of many hours spent diving back in time to research accurate historical contexts. Saller’s favorite part was all the nostalgic fact-checking opportunities it offered her.
“I was able to get things like a map of campus in 1970, maps of the Chicago L trains, things like that that I wouldn’t have known,” Saller said. “Every time I would think I remembered something, I would definitely go online and check the facts … The research is fun.”
When it came to marketing “Time Jinx Twins,” Saller took a more conventional approach than she had previously.
While she did most of the marketing for her previous books remotely, Saller wanted to reach larger audiences with her newest novel. She envisioned “The Time-Jinx Twins” in schools and libraries across the country, and that called for a publicized debut.
After hiring a small marketing firm for guidance on a launch that would reach a wide number of readers, Saller started to plan launch events and book talks.
“I gave a talk to a group of professors I belong to that do a monthly talk,” Saller said. “I talked to them about writing time travel for children, and some of (the professors) were physicists. It took a lot of nerve for me to talk to them about it, but they loved it.”
Looking forward, Saller’s book launch takes place next week in downtown Champaign. There, she will read excerpts from “The Time-Jinx Twins” and talk more about her newest novel.
“Time travel is interesting to everybody, children and adults, and you can talk about it on so many different levels,” Saller said. “I’m naturally kind of shy and reluctant to put myself out there, but I’m not shy to do this. I can’t wait to actually talk to people about time traveling for children.”
