Meet Tom Tracy

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tom Tracy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tom, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

As a children’s book author, creativity is king! Like anyone else, however, there are times when I find myself with writer’s block (aka Creativity Block). I know myself well enough to know that this typically means that I’m working too hard at something – I’m forcing it. The best output is when creative energy flows naturally and is not forced or cajoled. So, when this happens to me, the first thing I do is step away and try to find a place of objectivity. Doing so allows me to ask the important questions – What am I hoping to accomplish with this? What’s the essential message that I want to convey? Have I strayed too far from the original goal/purpose? This helps me recenter and refocus.

I also am very affected by my physical environment. Sometimes just changing my location helps to “unstick” myself. For instance, just the other day I found myself anxious about a deadline to write a new chapter for an upcoming book. The words just wouldn’t flow and the days to get it done were quickly disappearing from the calendar. So, I dragged myself, with laptop and notes in tow, out of my office and onto my backyard deck. There, the sun was bright, the breeze was cool and the sounds of nature were all I heard. In just a few hours, I had completed the first draft of the chapter. A simple change in environment was enough to re-ignite the creative energy.

Lastly, I’m inspired by others. Attending in-person events allows me the opportunity to hear other families’ stories. They motivate me to keep writing. Whenever I’m feeling stuck, I think about one of those families who has shared how important one of my books has been to them. Their voice pushes me to keep going.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am not a career writer. It is a passion hobby that brings me tremendous joy. In many respects, it is like my own version of self care. I started publishing during the pandemic and now have five published children’s book under my belt, many of which are award-winning, and a sixth on the way. I’ve had a great opportunity to be featured on CBS-Philly, and in South Jersey Magazine and Gay Parent Magazine. I’ve also been a frequently invited guest on national podcasts, including the two-time People’s Choice Podcast Award winner, The Queer Family Podcast. I am humbled to be able to share my stories with others and represent diverse families in the process.

My books are all part of a collection I call the “Scoochie & Skiddles Inclusive Kids Books Collection.” I began writing children’s books to help increase the visibility of LGBTQ families in children’s books – I wanted my daughters to see families like theirs in the pages of the books they were reading. Here’s a fun fact for those who don’t know – the name “Scoochie” is actually the nickname of my oldest daughter. In addition to being inspired by my own family and being an adoptive dad, I also draws inspiration from my experience as a former foster parent and from the countless families and children with whom I’ve had the privilege to serve as a licensed clinical social worker. Throughout my career, I’ve proudly partnered with families to help build resilience, heal as a family system and discover their own family’s unique strengths.

My stories help fill a significant representation gap of diverse families in kids’ books. Despite great progress in recent years, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ themes and characters continue to be under-represented and, in some cases, are the target of book banning. In fact, nearly 50% of all books targeted for censorship in 2023 represented voices of LGBTQIA+ or BIPOC individuals.

My newest release, “Jazmyne’s Big Emotions”, is a book that helps children identify and cope with big emotions, featuring a protagonist who is in foster care – a significantly under-represented group in children’s books. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, I was able to donate $1,275 in new books to a foster care agency who distributed those books directly kids impacted by foster care. My upcoming work, “Wonderfully You – An Ode to Adoption,” showcases an LGBT family growing their family through transracial adoption. This book will have an exclusive book cover available only for a limited time through Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scoochiebook/wonderfully-you?ref=1q78wi ).

My husband, our two daughters and I live in the NJ suburbs of Philadelphia. When not chasing after my three-year-old or being used as a model for my seven-year-old’s make-up practice, I enjoys reading adult fiction, working in the garden and being surprised by 5 minutes of quiet. We love to travel, especially when that travel includes widening our own cultural awareness aperture. Earlier this year, we visited Peru for a two-week experience, staying with a host family and spent many days with local Andean villagers.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Our lives take us on wonderful journeys that allow us to be lifelong learners about the world around us and ourselves. What we bring to that journey shapes our perspective of it. For me, the three biggest qualities/characteristics that I bring to my journey are:

1. Humility & Gratitude. I try to appreciate everything, no matter how small. I recognize that where I am today is only partly my own doing – it is also through the kindness, graciousness and and generosity of spirit of others that has brought me to this place. So many people have come before me and, if not for the road they paved, my journey would have looked much different. I always try to take time to be grateful for others.

2. Relationships. I guess it is no surprise then that my next characteristic is the value of relationships. Our connection to others is powerful and dynamic. In today’s world, the importance of building relationships is often overlooked or worse, devalued. Yet, taking the time to invest in relationships has tremendous long-term dividends. My husband often tells me I have a gift for small talk, but, to me, it isn’t small talk – I create space for people to share and it is through that sharing that our relationship can flourish.

3. Dreaming. Yep, I’m a dreamer … and I dream big. I don’t have delusions of grandeur, but I do let my mind engage in big ideas. It is from these dreams that I’m able to then create realistic goals, which encourages forward momentum. I guess this also ties into my prior answer about what helps with Creative Blocks – I never let myself stop dreaming. My dreams keep me smiling and create an unsatiable need to keep going.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Always! And, given the value I place on relationships, you’re not at all surprised by that answer, are you? Partners/collaborators bring each other renewed energy. When those partners have a shared passion and mission, then greater good becomes the output of that partnership. Some of my most fun work has been when there has been a mutual commitment toward a common goal that achieved by lifting up one another. I’ve done events where a portion of books sales have been donated to a not-for-profit. I’ve partnered with other authors on larger charity projects. I’ve partnered with an organization that put book vending machines in pediatrician offices to promote literacy. Oh my goodness, I’m getting re-energized just talking about it.

Since I author children’s books that advance the representation of diverse families (especially LGBTQIA+ families), I’m would love to collaborate with schools, teachers, LGBTQIA+ organizations, libraries, foster and adoption agencies and anyone else who believes that diverse books for kids is a good thing and that may align (even loosely) with their organization’s mission.

I can be easily reached by email at tomtracybooks@gmail.com or via my website at www.tomtracybooks.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.scoochieandskiddles.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomtracybooks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authortomtracy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomtracy/
• Other: Substack: https://tomtracybooks.substack.com/
  Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tom-Tracy/author/B09MSQ9C95?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
  Join my email list: http://eepurl.com/ix8Yy2