I’m so excited to have Megan Woodward with us today. She is the author of the hysterical interactive picture book THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY NOT CURSED and will talking about her newly released picture book NO IFS ANDS OR BUTTS, which was published today.
Welcome Megan and thank you for taking the time to chat with me. And happy book birthday to NO IFS ANDS OR BUTTS!
Me: Do you have any special plans for the fall? Do you have a favorite season?
Megan: This fall I will likely be participating in a lot of bookstore events, school visits, book festivals, and other literary events due to the release of my book. My fall traditions mostly revolve around food. I’ll start making hearty soups, casseroles, pies, and lots of pumpkin baked goods. I also have tons of family birthdays in the fall (including my son’s), so we’ll be celebrating those, as well as Halloween, of course, which is one of my favorite holidays. However, I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather. So summer is my favorite season, hands down.
Me: How long have you been writing?
Megan: Well, really since I was a kid (my parents still have a novel that I started in the 3rd grade!). But I didn’t discover I wanted to do it professionally until I took my first screenwriting class at college in the early 2000’s. After undergrad, I got an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA and pursued that for many years, before having my son in 2015 and rediscovering my true love: kid lit. That’s when I started writing picture books. So short answer: I’ve been pursuing writing for about 23 years, and writing kid lit for a little over 10.
Me: What or who inspired you to write this book?
Megan: For this book, the title came first. I was playing around with puns and idioms as titles —which is a method I sometimes use to come up with new story ideas. And the phrase “no ifs, ands, or buts” came into my head. And then I was like well, what if it was “butts” like the body part. And that really tickled me. So, I imagined that there was a narrator in charge of having a nice wholesome book (with no butts allowed!) And of course, the characters were going to be difficult about it, even if it was somewhat unintentional on their parts. I love a good, hilarious misunderstanding, especially when it comes to wordplay. So this is sort of my ode to “who’s on first” in picture book format… featuring lots of butt jokes. I also was inspired by the current horrific issue with book banning… and how ridiculous it is that some books have been banned because the illustrations showed a character with a bare butt. Not to mention all of the even more important diverse books that are currently under attack. So even though this book is pure silliness, it has a subtle message about the problems of censorship.
Me: Tell me a little bit about this book’s journey to publication, were there any bumps and bruises along the way, obstacles you had to overcome, aha-moments? You can share the good, bad, ugly lol, or not.
Megan: I wrote this book several years ago, when I was with my first agent. She was planning to sub it in early 2024, but then… we parted ways. I queried agents with this a LOT in 2024, and most of them replied that it was hilarious but not right for their lists, or whatever. Basically: we love it, but we don’t want to rep it. Ugh. Then I queried Amy Nielsen at Purcell, and she loved it AND wanted to rep it. She wrote me this wonderful email about how it was the funniest thing she’d ever read and how it made her and her family laugh out loud during a time they all really needed it. She made an offer for rep in the fall of 2024, the same time I got another offer from another agent for a different manuscript. I, stupidly, went with the other agent, who turned out not to be a great fit for my body of work. So after 6 months with that agent, we parted ways and I emailed Amy again, asking if she was still interested. Thankfully, she was. Anyway, she subbed NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTTS in October 2025, and we had an offer by December. I should have known all along that someone with my same immature sense of humor was the perfect agent for me, and for this book.
Me: What is one piece of advice you can give to writers who are just starting out, or who are still in the query trenches?
Megan: Have thick skin. Rejection is a HUGE part of this industry. Just take it and use it as fuel to keep writing. If you let it get you down, you’ll never get anywhere.
Me: What are your plans for the future? Writing or otherwise, traveling, hobbies, etc.
Megan: Mostly writing more kid lit. I have another picture book (unannounced that should be out within a few years), and I’m rewriting a middle grade novel, which will hopefully be submission ready later this year. I’m also working on getting more copywriting, editing, and critiquing work. So, if anyone is interested in those services, contact me through my website! www.meganwoodward.com
Me: I’d love for you to share a recipe with me, I have a collection of recipes from friends and family that goes back many years. I would love to include yours, as well as share it with my readers.
Megan: I am mostly vegetarian these days, but do occasionally eat chicken and fish. As an ode to my Taco character in the book, here’s my favorite taco recipe:
2 lbs poblano peppers
6 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
1 TBS chili powder
3 tsp cumin seeds (toasted and ground)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 TBS brown sugar
2 lbs free range skinless boneless chicken thighs
2/3 cup heavy cream
16 corn tortillas (I actually prefer corn/flour blend if you can find them)
Arugula
Queso fresco or cotija
1. Halve peppers lengthwise, removing seeds and stems. Arrange peppers skin side up and (unpeeled) garlic in a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with vegetable oil. Broil 4 inches from heat for 8-10 minutes or until peppers are blackened. Wrap in foil or seal in container to steam.
2. Stir together spices, sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Rub over chicken. Arrange in the baking pan and broil 10-12 minutes, turning once. Remove and slice.
3. Add cream to the hot baking pan. Peel and slice peppers and garlic and add them to the cream in the pan with 1/2 tsp salt. Broil 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add sliced chicken back in and mix around. Broil again for 1 minute if necessary to reheat. The cream should be mostly absorbed so it’s not liquidy.
4. Heat tortillas in slightly oiled pan. Top with chicken and pepper mix, arugula, and some crumbly Mexican cheese like queso fresco.
Thanks so much for your time, it’s always fun getting to know writing friends. I love tacos and have never made them with chicken thighs. I will definitely be trying out your recipe!
You can connect with Megan here:
