Bryan Beaunoyer: Crafting Middle Grade Stories with Heart and Humor

Meet Bryan Beaunoyer, the author behind the middle grade fiction series that brings humor, adventure, and heartwarming themes to young readers. From his unique approach to crafting characters to his dedication to celebrating diversity and individuality, Bryan shares insights into his writing process and the inspiration behind his stories. Join us as we explore the imaginative world of Bryan's books and the magic of storytelling for children and adults alike. 

Could you share a little about yourself and your current middle grade novel?

Sure!  I’m a 40-something year old kid-at-heart that always had a wild sense of imagination and always loved a good story.  This particular story has been living rent-free in my brain for over thirty years and has been through several iterations before I finally landed on this one.  Book One of my Welcome to Wendtmurhoefen series, titled Long Days, Short Knights, tells the origin of my protagonist - the misenchanted knight, Sir Gilderlilly - and introduces you to his best friend and adventuring partner, Horace, who is a very unusual unicorn, unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

What inspired you to start writing middle grade fiction?

Honestly, I have a limited amount of space in my brain and needed to free up some of that.  So, I put pen to paper and got this story out of my head.  It’s like clearing your sinuses, really.  You have no idea the relief I feel… or maybe you do?

How do you approach crafting characters that resonate with middle grade readers?

The main character was created at the age of twelve.  So, naturally, I wanted to stay true to that age group and keep the story attention grabbing for kids in that age range of 9 to 13.  So, when I wrote the story this time, I made sure to think about what twelve-year-old me would enjoy reading about, but I also wanted to make it something enjoyable for the adults that like reading with their kids.  I think showing your child or children how much YOU enjoy reading, as an adult, can play a big role in how your kid or kids will look at reading.  And if they see you enjoying it, they might pick up on that themselves.

Do you have a favorite middle grade book?

I don’t know if you’d call It middle grade, but I absolutely loved the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, and I would read anything written by Terry Pratchett.  It could be a Yelp review about a truck stop bathroom, and I’d still probably give it a five-star rating if it was something he wrote.

Can you describe your typical writing day?

I write in intervals.  I have never just sat down and wrote it all in one sitting.  I can’t do that.  And I don’t do it every day.  I let the story get written as it wants to be written, and when it wants to be written.  Sweating the small stuff just makes you compromise on quality to meet a deadline.  And I’d rather have a good story that took time to write than a rushed one that is only written to sell more copies of the previous one.

What do you hope young readers will take away from your books?

That’s such a good question… I think that, if they take anything away from this particular story, it’s that we’re all different and no one should be looked down upon because they don’t fit a particular ideal.  We should celebrate the individual diversity in every living being because that’s a pretty cool thing when you think about it.

Can you share any tips or advice for aspiring middle grade authors?

I think the best thing I can tell any aspiring author is this: whatever it is, write it down as you’re thinking it in your head.  You can always fix it later.  If you spend too much time trying to figure out how to word something, you’re going to lose the magic in the moment.  Trust me.  I’ll also add that often used trope: the moment you put pen to paper, you are no longer an aspiring writer… you are a writer.  And don’t let sales, or lack of them get in the way of enjoying what you’re doing. Just relax and have fun.  Your readers can tell when you love what you do.

How do you incorporate humor and adventure into your middle grade stories?

I think they go hand in hand, honestly.  Adventures are supposed to be fun, and fun usually generates laughter.  And the more laughter there is, the fonder the memories of that adventure will be when you look back on them.  Can you imagine how boring a book about, say, a mountain climber would be if nothing bad, or interesting, or even FUNNY happened on that journey?  Would you even be able to call that an adventure?  Adventures are meant to be eventful, in my opinion.  And my favorite personal adventures always had something funny happen.  Those are the ones I reflect on the most when I write.

What upcoming project can readers look forward to from you?

Well, I’m seven chapters into Book Two, right now.  I’ve got a few pages of Chapter Seven already written, and I’m not sure how long this book is going to be, but I feel like it’s going to be longer than the first one… there’s just more to tell in this story, though, so it makes sense.

Is there anything else you’d like to share that I haven’t covered in the interview?

This first story is so very near and dear to me.  Creating the idea of Sir Gilderlilly all those years ago (then known as Sir Buckethead) left a lasting impression on me.  Over the years, I designed and created all sorts of interesting (to me) characters with minimal or minor backstories, but this was the one character that I never gave up on and was also revisiting with ideas and stories.  I think my main hope is that people just find a way to read my story and enjoy it so much that they share it with their loved ones throughout the years.  I’ve donated copies to several libraries and other educational institutions, and I’ve even just given copies away to kids that really wanted to read it but couldn’t afford to buy it. When I think about it, writing this story really had a life altering effect on me, as it made me want to be more kind to people.  And wouldn’t that be great if it had the same effect on everyone that read it?

Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me and listen to what I had to say.  I’m truly grateful for the opportunity for people to get to know more about me and my book.  I hope you and all of your readers remain happy, healthy, and safe.  Take care!

Bryan Beaunoyer