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Q&A with K. O'Neill, Author of March/April Kids’ Indie Next List Top Pick “A Song for You and I”
- By Zoe Perzo
Printer-friendly versionIndependent booksellers across the country have chosen A Song for You and I (Random House Graphic) by K. O'Neill as their top pick for the March/April 2025 Kids’ Indie Next List.
When Rowan, a young ranger in training, makes a mistake that leaves their flying horse injured, they are paired with Leone the sheep herder while their horse heals. Initially frustrated by Leone's carefree attitude, Rowan ultimately finds an unlikely friend.
“K. O'Neill’s new graphic novel is another winner. It speaks to anyone who has ever second-guessed themselves or lost who they are. Two young people, both uncertain in their way, manage to find the answers they seek with each other’s help,” said Amber Brown of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Here, O'Neill discusses A Song for You and I with Bookselling This Week.
Bookselling This Week: Nature tends to play a huge part in your work, and A Song for You and I is no different. There are so many breathtaking panels of the landscape as Rowan and Leone travel. Was there a setting or creature in this story that you particularly enjoyed drawing? (I saw your note in the back matter that you “still don’t understand how horses work,” and same, but you managed to capture them beautifully!)
K. O'Neill: Horses are beautiful and mysterious to me. I drew them as intuitively as possible after a lot of study and have more or less forgotten everything. Every page of this book includes something I enjoyed drawing. These days I approach developing a graphic novel from the angle of what I’m most interested in drawing, and let that set the stage for the story. It usually involves landscapes, weather, plants, animals, and lively, emotional characters.
BTW: A Song for You and I asks “what happens when the hero fails?” And rather than just telling us to get up and try again — as many tales do — it tells us that sometimes you need to step back, rest, and reconnect with yourself and others before trying again. Can you talk more about finding strength in connection, even in times of failure?
KO: I think failure is often seen as an either/or outcome, when it’s actually quite a dynamic state. There’s a lot to learn from failure, it’s very humbling, and those humble times are when we are open to connecting with those around us, even though the embarrassment of failure may make us want to hide. We can show a more vulnerable and honest side of ourselves and receive the kindness of others who see us at our low ebbs. It can make our bonds stronger.
BTW: Rowan and Leone are on very different journeys but are both hindered by fear and shame, though they find strength and encouragement in each other. Would you tell us more about the development of these characters?
KO: The two characters existed side by side throughout the entire development of the story, and I always wanted to show the strength and loveliness of simple mutual acceptance between them. That was the driving force of the story for me, beyond anything else — how easy and how wonderful it is to take someone seriously, take them at their word, listen to them, and see them as they really are.
BTW: Since BTW interviewed you in 2023 for The Moth Keeper, you’ve already talked to us a bit about the importance of indie bookstores in your life. Do you have a favorite indie bookstore memory you’d like to share with us?
KO: Absolutely! Every event I’ve done at an indie bookstore has been a delight, and I remember especially fondly a Tea Dragon — making workshop for children at the excellent Scorpio Books here in Ōtautahi, where I live. It was very energetic and creative, with wonderful Tea Dragon lore being made by the kids. Indie bookstores are perfect for events for children like that, providing a safe and inspiring space to share their ideas.