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Lori Polydoros is the author of Quake Chasers: 15 Women Rocking Earthquake Science, a YA nonfiction book, which is part of a series called Women of Power with Chicago Review Press.
Lori Polydoros has been writing for children for over twenty years and educating for almost thirty. She currently teaches high school and community college English while writing for children. She is the author of books, articles, and short stories for newspapers, magazines, small presses, and educational publishers such as Capstone Press, Houghton-Mifflin, Reading A-Z, Highlights, and the Los Angeles Times Kids’ Reading Room. She lives in Orange, California.
Quake Chasers: 15 Women Rocking Earthquake Science explores the lives of 15 diverse, contemporary female scientists with a variety of specialties related to earthquake science.
Dr. Debbie Weiser travels to communities post-disaster, such as Japan and China, to evaluate earthquake damage in ways that might help save lives during the next Big One. Geologist Edith Carolina Rojas climbs to the top of volcanoes or searches barren deserts for volcanic evidence to measure seismic activity. Geophysicist Lori Dengler works with governments to provide guidance and protection against future tsunamis.
With tenacity, intellect, and innovation, these women have crushed obstacles in society, in the lab, and out in the field. Their accomplishments leave aftershocks as they work toward revealing answers to the many riddles that lie behind earthquakes, saving lives by teaching us how to prepare for these terrifying disasters.
Let’s get to know Lori as she talks about choosing writing as a career path, favorite book, the process being putting together Quake Chasers and much more!
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
In fourth grade, Miss Fielder, my favorite teacher, encouraged me to enter a writing contest. I was extremely shy, but with her as my cheerleader, I entered a story about a cat who’d lost her family. The winners were chosen…and I (drumroll please) DID NOT WIN. I was sad, sure, but I realized something BIGGER. I had won something else. Something intangible. I understood that it didn’t matter if the judges liked my story, or even if my teacher did. It mattered to me, and I knew I wanted to keep telling stories for the rest of my life!
My best friend and I (who is still one of my BFFs,) planned to do it together. She’d illustrate our books, and I’d write them! Well, she became a park ranger instead, yet my dream continued. I majored in journalism and minored in creative writing at Cal State, Long Beach… and pretty much never stopped writing.
Explain your path into writing.
After I got my multiple subject teaching credential, I taught 2nd/3rd grade for a while. When I had my son, I started getting serious about writing for kids. I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (an AMAZING international organization that supports and connects kid lit writers https://www.scbwi.org/.) I attended workshops, classes, participated in critique groups, and volunteered. I met SO many incredible people in the industry and fellow writers. I knew this was the world I wanted to live in! I continued writing, revising, & honing my craft. As I developed my voice, I realized I was more of a novelist than a picture book writer. My voice hovers somewhere around upper middle grade and early young adult. I realized that I wanted to write the books that I fell in love with when I was about 10-12, those books that taught me that my imagination could rule the world and that people could be strong enough to face their biggest fears.
What have been your biggest struggles as a writer?
Oh gosh, rejection, I guess. Maybe not enough hours in the day. I’ve been at this a long, long time. My life is full as a full-time English teacher, a mother, and all that goes along with having a family and supporting them as much as I possibly can. Writing often takes a back seat, though over the decades, it truly has become my therapy as well. Writing allows me to create worlds where I can make my characters face and conquer humongous challenges with bravery, compassion and empathy. I am very proud of all that I have published, but nowhere near where I wish I was. Every day, I must remind myself that the journey is the gold at the end of the rainbow. The expression, the art, the community. That is what I value most. That is what helps me through the beautifully painful world of publishing.
Biggest successes & favorite book you’ve written?
Over the years, I’ve been able to write a lot about my family. The Los Angeles Times had a really cool serial story in the kid’s page, and I was able to highlight short stories featuring my parents, grandparents and even my dog! I’ve written a middle grade historical/Greek myth blend novel loosely based on my father’s childhood—five Greek kids orphaned in the projects of East Los Angeles in the 1950s. It combines mythology and coming-of-age themes, offering readers an exploration of identity, sacrifice, and the eternal power of family. Finding a home for that novel would make me prouder than just about anything. It’s the book of my soul. A way to honor my father and my aunties and uncle and especially, imagine the yiayia and pappoús I never knew.
Book that you learned the most from?
I think I’ve learned so much from each book I’ve written. I’ve published over 80 freelance or work-for-hire projects, and with each one of them, I learned how to research, pitch ideas, write to a word count, focus on my audience, revise with editors and find the joy in whatever I was writing about. I’ve written about nine novels, and within each one, I think I’ve come to see the magic that happens in creation. Creative people tap into something else, somewhere else. Call it a muse or the subconscious, I’m not sure. But each time I create a character, serendipity happens. I find some connection to real life or another work of art, or something deep inside me that I never knew was there. I’ve dreamed in my character’s voice (and scribbled it down frantically in the middle of the night.) And sometimes, writing can lead you to the most unbelievable things right here on earth! Writing is magic. Art is magic. Creativity is magic.
Explain the trajectory of Quake Chasers?
I was listening to a NPR podcast called THE BIG ONE about earthquakes and episode 8 was about women in earthquake science. I was fascinated with the story of these incredible women who were fighting desperately to keep us safe during a quake, yet still facing discrimination in traditionally-male dominated fields. I thought a book for young readers that starred these incredible scientists would be amazing, so I pitched it to my agent. After working on a proposal for about a year (and interviewing a few of the women in person,) we started pitching the book. Then Covid hit, and we actually found a home with the Women of Power series @ Chicago Review Press. But, that meant all of the interviews from there on out would be on Zoom. So after signing the contract in Dec. of ’19, I interviewed and wrote the book by June of ’20. I spent hours researching the science, interviewing them virtually, and then researching and developing more questions from there. It was a fascinating process, and the sixteen of us became kindred spirits. I found out that these incredible women were not only brilliant, but hilarious, creative, adventurous and so much more. They became my true superheroes and what an honor it was to tell their stories.
What did you learn from this book?
I learned so much about earthquake science, geology, physics (UGH it was my nemesis in high school and college, but these professors helped me finally grasp so much I had never known!) I also became fascinated with their unusual paths into earthquake science and how now, there are so many different ways to into these fields. As a kid, I wanted to be a biologist and an archeologist and a veterinarian, but physical science and advanced math often kicked my butt and derailed me. If I would have had mentors like these QUAKE CHASERS, who knows, I might be off in the Amazon somewhere right now…
What advice do you have about doing a successful interview?
Know your stuff! Research, research, research, and develop questions that allow your subjects to go deeper. Always ask follow-up questions, and then do more research and ask more questions! Make your subject feel comfortable. Start with questions that allow them to talk about what they love. Be silly! Laugh. Find the quirks and the unusual things about your subjects. Show their humanity and tell a good story.
What advice do you have for writers?
I hate to be cliché, but don’t give up (I am telling myself this as we speak.) Write because you CAN’T NOT WRITE. Write because you believe in highlighting unknown heroes. Write because you believe in magic and the value of your own voice. Find community. Become an armadillo and get some tough skin so you can take feedback and roll with it. Never say ‘no’ to opportunities, and most importantly, write what you love to read.
Your heart knows what that is.
