There were no jobs that actually come from having that degree. So I came out with a degree in medieval religious history. At that point the classes I was most interested in were medieval history classes. Then I realized how much chemistry I would need to know. Since that was my goal, I transferred to UC Berkeley. I decided I wanted to be an art conservator. Then I found art history and that was fantastic. We started out by reading Spenser’s Faerie Queene and I thought to myself, I hate this. I passed out of English 1A and 1B, so the first class I took was Renaissance Poetry. I had loved English classes and went to UC Santa Barbara thinking I would become an English scholar. When I started out, it seemed obvious that I should be an English major. Medieval history was actually my third major. How did you land in publishing after majoring in medieval history in college? I would just have a relationship with other people’s fictional characters. What storybook characters still resonate or linger in your mind?Īll of them! They felt more real than most people I knew.ĭid you write stories as a child or make up characters? It’s about a girl who goes up in an elevator in her apartment building and goes back in time. My favorite book of all time was Time At The Top. I would say my greatest reading experiences were Edward Eager’s books like Half Magic and Magic By The Lake. But I also had a huge affection for books where magic happened. So, obviously, what we’re talking about here are stories about girls living their lives. I loved the Betsy-Tacy series, Little Women, the Little House On The Prairie series. What were some of your favorites as a kid? You obviously loved books from a young age. Both Clio and her younger sister Esme are now in their early twenties, but Annie continues to explore childhood while writing her bestselling book series, including Ivy & Bean, Iggy and The Magic Half. We’re a family now, and that’s really good.”Īnnie shared her observations about motherhood in Laurie Wagner’s Expectations: 30 Women Talk About Being A Mother, shortly after giving birth to her first daughter, Clio. It’s harder than everything else I’ve ever done by about twenty times… On the other hand, when it’s good it’s never been so good. For bestselling author Annie Barrows, “Being a mother is more courageous and so much harder than writing or working or being a good partner.

The magic half by annie barrows