In Amy Timberlake’s newest book for young readers, two roommates navigate both a new addition to their home and a wintry landscape inspired by western Wisconsin.
“Rock Paper Incisors” is the third book in the heartwarming Skunk and Badger series by Timberlake, a native of Hudson in northwest Wisconsin.
Badger is a dedicated rock scientist on deadline for a major article. He must focus! When is it due? Hmmm. Badger’s memory becomes fuzzy when his world is turned upside down by two adorable orphaned rat pups that come into his and Skunk’s care.
This latest story explores the complexity of friendship and the give-and-take of family life when a big change rocks everyone’s routine.
The setting was a natural one for Timberlake, who loved winter while growing up in Wisconsin.
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“People got out and did stuff,” she told “WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “You had spaghetti dinners. You went sledding and cross-country skied with friends.”
Timberlake talks about how she crafts winter scenes and centers the state’s unique glacial topography in the plot of her latest book.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Kate Archer Kent: Skunk and Badger are easy breezy roommates. How do they divvy up home life?
Amy Timberlake: Badger does his important rock work. Skunk is a cook and a whirlwind. In this third book, they are raising two orphaned rats.
Badger’s whole idea of raising rats is: food, shelter and then, you know, good luck to you!
Skunk is like, “I’ll provide food, I’m good at cooking, I’ll get the provisions, Badger will watch the rats because he’s used to watching rocks.” Anyway, it does not go well.
KAK: Wisconsin’s geological beauty is on display. Can you talk about the geological aspects of the plot and how they tie into your home state?
AT: I grew up in Hudson, Wisconsin, a river town. The St. Croix River is there, and it widens out into this beautiful lake. It’s also a glacial spot. When you’re in that area, you see moraines and kettle ponds. I was able to put some of that into the book and get Badger talking about glaciers.
But for an important rock scientist like Badger, glaciers are kind of your enemy because basically what a glacier does is roll over like a big bulldozer. It pushes land in front of it, then it rolls it. The layers in the rocks get all mixed up. So Badger has a love-hate relationship with glaciers.
KAK: There are so many weeees and whooshes and pad-pads of little paws on creaky stairs. Why do you put so much sound into your writing?
AT: I grew up in a family that told lots of stories. My dad would make up stories every night when he put us to bed. My mom would read to us. My grandfather also liked to tell stories.
Growing up around that, I grew to love stories that could be shared with all ages. I might not get everything, but I would enjoy just being with them and hearing a story together.
Also, I’m married to an actor and I really like a story told with sound effects. My challenge was to see if I could write a story that you could read out loud from beginning to end, and sound like the world’s best storyteller!
KAK: Badger types on a Picidae Portable Typewriter. And you tap away on a typewriter too. Why do you use one?
AT: When I was finishing these books, I realized I was using more and more analog tools in my writing process.
I had gone from one notebook to two. I was using three-by-five cards everywhere. I would print out the drafts, and I would write on cards by hand.
I realized that the more I could get away from my laptop, the better it was for me as a writer.
