1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,120 Speaker 1: Hello, Good morning Christy. How are you? 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:02,879 Speaker 2: Good morning air? 3 00:00:03,879 --> 00:00:07,519 Speaker 1: Well, I'm very excited because you're the one that invented Yeah, 4 00:00:07,519 --> 00:00:11,080 I would say you invented the way of writing that 5 00:00:11,199 --> 00:00:13,759 takes me deeper into the storyline to see how you 6 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,160 use authentic plants to help share a story while educating 7 00:00:18,199 --> 00:00:20,679 those that are reading that. And I'm always going to 8 00:00:20,719 --> 00:00:23,239 credit you for this because I love me some Millie. 9 00:00:23,359 --> 00:00:26,600 And the very second that a milliflower saves the night 10 00:00:26,679 --> 00:00:28,760 came to my house, what did I do? I went 11 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:30,800 in there looking for the plants. 12 00:00:31,399 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 2: That's great. I'm a love to hear. 13 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: That you've got me so trained in the way that 14 00:00:36,039 --> 00:00:38,359 it's going to be more than just an adventure. It's 15 00:00:38,359 --> 00:00:40,560 going to be more than just, you know, just a book. 16 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,000 That there's something in here that I can now become 17 00:00:43,039 --> 00:00:45,840 more aware of what's going on in my own forest. 18 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,079 Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah, it puts you on a mission to 19 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:53,399 pay attention to the world around you. 20 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: That Millie is really becoming that character in my life. 21 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,159 And my wife is a school teacher and she feels 22 00:00:58,159 --> 00:01:00,159 the same way that this is going to be one 23 00:01:00,159 --> 00:01:03,359 of those characters that's going to become a very popular, 24 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,840 ongoing character. I'd like to start seeing how many people 25 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,879 are going to dress up like Milly in school. And 26 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,120 there's gonna be movies, there's gonna be TV shows. Because 27 00:01:10,159 --> 00:01:12,480 Millie seems to be in touch with who we are 28 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:13,480 as real people. 29 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,719 Speaker 2: That makes me so happy to hear. And I won't 30 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,079 argue with you if that's what you want to happen. 31 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:20,959 I am totally on board with this. 32 00:01:21,719 --> 00:01:24,719 Speaker 1: Well, you're creating a sense of wonder here, and isn't 33 00:01:24,719 --> 00:01:26,680 that a human need wonder? 34 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,159 Speaker 2: Yes? Being curious about our world, yeah, I think is 35 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,439 the first step in developing empathy for our world. 36 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,439 Speaker 1: Wow, that's a big word because a lot of people 37 00:01:37,439 --> 00:01:39,359 go empathy. What are you talking about? Well, you know what. 38 00:01:39,359 --> 00:01:41,120 You need to talk to my friend Christy, she'll let 39 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:42,000 you in on that subject. 40 00:01:43,239 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 2: He would say, be curious, not judgmental. That's what they 41 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:47,120 say on ted Lasso. 42 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,519 Speaker 1: So was it odd to be able to put a 43 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,239 book together that features so much night? And I bring 44 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,280 that up because I'm somebody who's got to be in 45 00:01:57,319 --> 00:01:59,879 a room that has too much light, and so to 46 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,640 get onto these pages, I'm going, oh, we're going into 47 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:03,599 a dark place here. 48 00:02:04,879 --> 00:02:07,079 Speaker 2: So you like the big light arrow, do you turn 49 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,599 the big light on. Oh no, I am anti big 50 00:02:10,719 --> 00:02:15,680 light all day long. Yeah. So this book, yes, every 51 00:02:15,719 --> 00:02:18,120 bit of it, from start to finish. It starts with 52 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,759 the sun setting and it is you are put squarely 53 00:02:21,879 --> 00:02:25,280 in the night time, so you have to get comfortable 54 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,759 real quick. And this book was being in the dark. 55 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: I'm relying on this book to teach me how to 56 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:31,960 walk in my own force that I've been a part 57 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:33,919 of for thirty three years. And I won't go out 58 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:35,960 there at night because it scares me, and you know, 59 00:02:36,039 --> 00:02:37,879 and so and so I'm going to I'm not gonna 60 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,000 lie to you. When I was going through milli Flower 61 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:41,960 Saves the Night, I was thinking of my own force, 62 00:02:42,039 --> 00:02:44,000 thinking what is out there that Millie would go out 63 00:02:44,039 --> 00:02:46,280 there and she would just find it so entertaining and 64 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:47,319 she would giggle at me. 65 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,199 Speaker 2: That's right, because you know, this book was actually inspired 66 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,000 by a book of a bug that I stumbled upon 67 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,120 him the daytime, and he was just kind of a 68 00:02:56,159 --> 00:03:00,520 boring looking bug. But because I'm insufferably curious, I did 69 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,439 some research on him because she was a new to 70 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,240 me book, and I found out that at night he 71 00:03:05,319 --> 00:03:09,240 creates his own bioluminescent headlights, but I would have never 72 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,120 known that if I just saw him in the daytime. 73 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,199 He was actually kind of boring looking. So there's stuff 74 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,159 out there that the night can offer you that's really cool. 75 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,280 But just to be brave enough to venture out into it, now, 76 00:03:21,439 --> 00:03:24,919 there's ways to be safe doing that. You know, we 77 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,919 don't drive with our headlights off. There's sometimes we need 78 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,000 the light, but also there's sometimes we need to turn 79 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,840 the light off because we're missing out on a whole 80 00:03:33,879 --> 00:03:34,919 other world. 81 00:03:35,039 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: Well, Milly does exactly that, and I would love to 82 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,120 see the research or go for a nice long walk 83 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:41,960 with some of the young people here in the neighborhood here. 84 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,319 And when you see a dark house while we're taking 85 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,560 that late night walk, don't be thinking that there's ghosts 86 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:49,599 and goblins in there or think evil of them they're 87 00:03:49,599 --> 00:03:52,360 sleeping or something. They're in there like Milly, because Milly 88 00:03:52,479 --> 00:03:54,639 respects darkness. 89 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah. And also the thing that you're afraid 90 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,280 of might actually be afraid of you, ah, And so 91 00:04:00,759 --> 00:04:03,479 you have to consider that you may be the threatening 92 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,759 thing in the environment. So it all comes down to 93 00:04:06,879 --> 00:04:09,159 being curious enough to get to know each other. 94 00:04:09,919 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: Don't you think that Millie's connection to a lot of 95 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,599 readers is because we accept weird. 96 00:04:16,319 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so. She has kind of turned that 97 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,199 word on its head. It's wonderfully weird. It's wonderful to 98 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,279 be weird, because, like we discussed last time with Poison Garden, 99 00:04:29,639 --> 00:04:35,920 the people that are weird move us forward. Astronauts, inventors, scientists, musicians. 100 00:04:35,959 --> 00:04:39,560 All new ideas are weird at first until they're repeated 101 00:04:39,879 --> 00:04:43,199 and then they become normal. But everything is weird when 102 00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:46,480 it's new. So and we need that because it would 103 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,519 just be so dull if we were all the same. 104 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 1: Please do not move. There's more with Christy Manden coming 105 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:56,360 up next. The name of the book Millie Flowers Saves 106 00:04:56,439 --> 00:04:59,439 the Night. We are back with Christy Manden. Now there's 107 00:04:59,439 --> 00:05:00,839 gonna be some people that are going to look at 108 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,959 look at the book and go moon pies. Moon pies 109 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,600 are kind of weird. But I don't know if you 110 00:05:05,639 --> 00:05:07,879 know this or not, but moon pies are huge here 111 00:05:07,879 --> 00:05:10,639 in the South because back in the forties and fifties, 112 00:05:10,759 --> 00:05:13,199 I mean, it was moon pies and Doctor Pepper that 113 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:15,720 was a lot about dinners and lunches. I mean, so 114 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,120 when you brought it up I laughed out loud. Christie 115 00:05:19,959 --> 00:05:20,800 well Er, you. 116 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:27,759 Speaker 2: Know I live in rural Georgia. Oh no, moonpie, Yep, 117 00:05:27,879 --> 00:05:28,360 that's right. 118 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: Wow. And then and then to plant a moon garden. 119 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,360 I thought you gave me memories of my grandmother. I mean, see, 120 00:05:34,399 --> 00:05:37,040 you see how you're affecting the different generations. This isn't 121 00:05:37,079 --> 00:05:38,680 just a kid's book. We're all gonna be sitting there 122 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,040 thinking about my grandmother's moon garden because she had moonflowers 123 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:43,800 that only opened up at night. 124 00:05:44,959 --> 00:05:49,079 Speaker 2: That's right, because we because your grandmother probably had a 125 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,680 garden and she understood the importance of the beneficial pollinators, 126 00:05:52,759 --> 00:05:55,920 and we often forget about the ones at night. Moms 127 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,360 and things like that. Are bats are extremely important. So yeah, 128 00:06:00,399 --> 00:06:04,079 and also a moonnguarden just smells so nice. 129 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: They do they? Yeah, it's so funny you say that, 130 00:06:07,439 --> 00:06:09,519 because I mean here in Carolina, we actually had somebody 131 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:11,560 try to plant some of those. They didn't do too 132 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,079 well because of the heat, and I think it just 133 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:15,120 kind of dried up the buds and it didn't allow 134 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:17,680 them to spread open at night. But my god, when 135 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:19,480 you would walk by there when they were spread open 136 00:06:19,519 --> 00:06:22,319 at night with that full moon. Oh, it's so sea, 137 00:06:22,439 --> 00:06:25,879 you know. I just I'm so jealous of MILLI I. 138 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:31,079 Speaker 2: Know me too, I know her stuff grows so well 139 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:33,399 with magic. 140 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: So now, how did you get Millie to fall in 141 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,519 love with the odd? Did it start with you? 142 00:06:38,959 --> 00:06:39,199 Speaker 2: Is it? 143 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: You? Are you the muse in all this? 144 00:06:42,319 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 2: You know what I am because when I was a kid, 145 00:06:45,199 --> 00:06:48,959 I didn't fit squarely into any one thought. Yep. I 146 00:06:48,959 --> 00:06:51,120 don't know that my peers would have called me weird, 147 00:06:51,519 --> 00:06:55,079 but I felt weird on the inside because everybody was 148 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,399 picking a thing and sticking with it. You know. You 149 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,279 had your horse girls, and you had your you know, 150 00:07:01,639 --> 00:07:07,920 softball players, or your you know, nerds, jocks, goths, all 151 00:07:07,959 --> 00:07:11,639 these labels, and I was interested in all of them. 152 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,040 And I didn't fit squarely in one Marx and so 153 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,439 I felt a little weird. I felt like I needed 154 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,720 to pick a thing and stick with it. And I 155 00:07:21,079 --> 00:07:23,279 got to the end of Poison Garden and realized that 156 00:07:23,399 --> 00:07:26,120 I had written the book that I needed as a kid, 157 00:07:26,199 --> 00:07:29,439 that says, whatever thing that you're feeling that makes you 158 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,800 feel weird is probably that thing that the world needs, 159 00:07:34,079 --> 00:07:37,399 you know, So for me, it would being interested in 160 00:07:37,519 --> 00:07:41,480 too many things was what made me feel weird, but 161 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,439 that ended up giving me such a rich life, Like 162 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,439 I love to love things. So yeah, really just kind 163 00:07:50,439 --> 00:07:53,360 of gives people permission to be weird. 164 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: One of the things that I really want teachers to do, 165 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:58,720 and because I don't know what it was called when 166 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:00,839 I was a kid in school, but it would be 167 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,040 like a black sheet of paper and if you scratched 168 00:08:03,079 --> 00:08:05,560 it off, there would be colors underneath it. That's what 169 00:08:05,639 --> 00:08:08,439 I challenge teachers to do with this book is to 170 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,600 find your favorite part of the story and recreate what 171 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,279 you did as an illustrator, just by scratching off the 172 00:08:14,279 --> 00:08:17,120 black stuff, so they could they could discover they could 173 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:17,600 sit there. 174 00:08:17,519 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 2: It's a great idea because. 175 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: I mean, you set me totally up for this there, Christy. 176 00:08:23,079 --> 00:08:25,759 Speaker 2: Well that's a great idea, ar Yeah. Where you draw 177 00:08:25,759 --> 00:08:28,319 a picture and then you color over it with black crayon, yes, 178 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,000 and you put it in the night and then you 179 00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:32,240 that's a great idea. Then you scratch it off and 180 00:08:32,279 --> 00:08:34,080 reveal I love it. That's perfect. 181 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,639 Speaker 1: Wow. So now what did you get out of writing 182 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,840 this story? Because you're somebody you go into it as 183 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:40,840 a student. I know you do because I can tell 184 00:08:40,879 --> 00:08:41,639 by the research. 185 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:48,679 Speaker 2: So I found out that they're not everybody has fireflies, 186 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:53,480 So I do I get I know? Now, fireflies do 187 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,360 exist all over the world, but not every region has 188 00:08:56,399 --> 00:08:59,480 been so our West Coast friends they have them, but 189 00:08:59,519 --> 00:09:03,000 they don't so they don't get the same experience that 190 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,759 we get here on the East Coast. But there are 191 00:09:07,759 --> 00:09:11,720 glowing mushrooms. And so I learned that no matter what 192 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,320 in your area, there's something cool to be discovered in 193 00:09:15,399 --> 00:09:18,399 the night time, you know, so you may not have 194 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,000 fireflies the way we have fireflies. Also learned arrow that 195 00:09:22,039 --> 00:09:25,600 in Jamaica they're called peeni wallies. They're called something different 196 00:09:25,639 --> 00:09:30,559 all over the world. Lightning bugs, fireflies, peeni wallies. Really cool. 197 00:09:30,919 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: Wow, I would love Millie to do an investigation. You 198 00:09:34,639 --> 00:09:37,120 brought up mushrooms, and I have learned over the past 199 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,759 few years how important mushrooms are because people like to 200 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,720 chop them up and get rid of them, when in fact, 201 00:09:41,759 --> 00:09:44,840 you are creating a major communicator between all plants that 202 00:09:44,879 --> 00:09:45,960 are connected to that soil. 203 00:09:46,039 --> 00:09:48,879 Speaker 2: That's right. Oh, don't get me started on the then 204 00:09:49,279 --> 00:09:52,399 my dalium network. E. We don't have time. That's an 205 00:09:52,399 --> 00:09:57,159 ahole other segment. But yes, it's fascinating. We grow mushrooms, actually, 206 00:09:57,159 --> 00:09:59,639 my husband grows them in buckets in our woods. 207 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:01,519 Speaker 1: You've got to come back to this show anytime in 208 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:03,480 the future. You know, the door is always going to 209 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:04,440 be open for you. Christy. 210 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 2: Thank you Erro. It's so fun here. 211 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:08,639 Speaker 1: Will you'd be brilliant today? 212 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:11,039 Speaker 2: Okay, you too, Thank you.