Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Scott Rothman!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Scott Rothman
Scott Rothman is the author of Attack of the Underwear Dragon and Blue Bison Needs a Haircut, illustrated by Pete Oswald. He received his MFA in dramatic writing from NYU, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, and McSweeny’s. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. Visit him at ScottRothmanWriter.com and follow him on Instagram @ScottRothmanWriter.
About the Book: Kittybunkport
Lighthouses, lobster rolls, two silly scaredy-cats, and one uproarious seaside adventure!
Chowder and Crackers live in the quiet, coastal town of Kittybunkport, where they pass their time sitting in the sun, napping, scratching stuff, and of course, catching lobster. Until one day the town’s lighthouse—rumored to be haunted—suddenly goes dark. When Chowder and Crackers are sent to fix the problem, will the two scaredy-cats be able to save Kittybunkport?
With playfully purrfect text by Scott Rothman and riotous illustrations by New York Times bestselling illustrator Zachariah OHora, Kittybunkport is a story young readers will want to visit again and again.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
My son Maxwell. We were on a special family vacation in Kennebunkport, Maine and he said it would be funny if the town was called Kittybunkport instead. I immediately thought it was a great idea because it was very silly – which is very VERY important to me – but it instantly made me think of a coastal town populated by cats and it was just a matter of finding the right story for them all to fit into.
YABC: What research did you do to write this book?
For this book I needed to do a bunch of research on lighthouses because, as it turned out, I knew nothing about lighthouses. Also, this book has lobster ghosts in it, so I ate a bunch of lobster while thinking about their ghosts.
YABC: What came first, the concept, landscape, characters, or something else?
The title definitely came first and then it was all about reverse engineering a fun, funny story that would make sense and be appropriate for the title and the setting that came with it. Once I had the setting, and knew I needed two main kitty characters, I knew I had to name them Chowder and Crackers. I mean, obviously.
YABC: If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Is silly-funny-smart a genre? If so, silly-funny-smart.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
I hope my readers can always find humor, imagination and warmth in my books. I always try to tell stories with a clear beginning, middle and end and I hope that whoever reads my books out loud has as much fun doing so as whoever hears them.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing?
My favorite snack when writing is banana pudding… which I never eat because it’s not as excellent for my health as it sounds. I mainly snack on nuts and fruits and boring stuff like that. Maybe an occasional piece of dark chocolate. I drink coffee when I get sleepy and I get sleepy A LOT.
YABC: If you could time travel what would you want to see?
I mean, dinosaurs would be cool. Everyone must say dinosaurs, right? Well, I’m not gonna say dinosaurs now that I think about it. Too scary. I’m gonna say I’d go back to medieval times. It would be cool to see knights and castles and that kind of stuff. But now I think about that, it might be too scary too. What about if I just went back to the restaurant Medieval Times? Man, I love that place. Guess I wouldn’t need a time machine for that though. Let’s just go with hanging out with F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920s. Final answer.
YABC: What other age group would you consider writing for?
I would consider writing for all age groups. I actually have my first board book coming out from Viking called Halloween Trampoline which was something I never imagined I would take a crack at. I would love the challenge of a middle grade or young adult book and would love for someone to actually explain to me what the difference is. I also enjoy trying to entertain adults from time to time as well.
YABC: What daily thing do you see that brings you joy?
The blank page and blinking cursor on my computer.
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
What don’t I do? I am one of the great procrastinators of all time. I check ESPN no less than two million times a day, watch a lot of cooking and behind the scenes restaurant videos on YouTube, watch movies, watch TV, walk my dog, drive around in my car pretending to do errands, take day trips, call friends… keep going? I can keep going if you want.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
For kids books, I loved X. Fang’s WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN. For old people’s books, I loved Simon Rich’s GLORY DAYS.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space or routine?
My office is my favorite place to write. Sometimes I write in libraries for a change of pace, but I can’t procrastinate as much there so I usually don’t go. My routine is basically the same every day. Once my kids are off to school, I drink coffee, make a breakfast I’m not happy with, then go up to my office and stare at my computer until I get inspired. When that doesn’t happen, I start procrastinating. About 5 minutes before everyone gets home, I start furiously writing so as not to think I wasted the day.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I have a picture book I love called WARM AND FUZZY, illustrated by the amazing Brian Won, coming out this spring from Tundra and he and I also have HORIZONTAL CROCODILE coming out from Simon & Schuster next year (I think). After that, it’s JUDGY BUNNY & THE TERRIBLE BEACH illustrated by Linzie Hunter, from Sourcebooks and I am very grateful to have a bunch of others publishing after those. Other than that, just trying to be a halfway decent Dad/husband/person.
Title: Kittybunkport
Author: Scott Rothman
Illustrator: Zachariah OHora
Release Date: 5/6/2025
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers; Viking Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780593622063
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Ages: 3-7
~ Giveaway Details ~
One (1) winner will receive a copy of Kittybunkport (Scott Rothman) ~US Only!
