Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Melissa Stoller, "Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart" (Gnome Road, 2025)
Date: January 17, 2026
Host: Mel Rosenberg
Guest: Melissa Stoller

Episode Overview

This episode of the New Books Network's Children’s Literature Channel centers on Melissa Stoller’s new picture book, Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart. Host Mel Rosenberg and Melissa engage in a lively, insightful discussion about the book’s inspiration, creative process, and themes of friendship, change, and creative connection. The conversation also explores Melissa’s broader writing journey, her comfort zone as an author, industry experiences, and how real life inspires children’s literature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Book Presentation

• [01:38 – 03:27] Warm welcome; Mel introduces Melissa and Gnome Road Publishing, noting her previous focus on Jewish-themed books and joking about the book’s title being “Hegel and Maisel” or “Hazel and Mazel”.
• Quote:
  “Why not Mazel? We could all use good luck, for sure.”
  —Melissa Stoller [02:48]

Book Inspiration & Artistry

• [03:08 – 04:52] Melissa describes her excitement about the book, praises publisher Sandra Sutter and illustrator Anita Bagdi, and details the cover and interior artwork.
• She highlights recurring heart imagery and the motif of writing/storytelling integrated visually.
• [05:01 – 06:14] Melissa reads the opening spread, setting the emotional tone of lifelong friendship, change due to moving, and the thread of written letters.

Themes & Emotional Arc

• [06:14 – 09:55]
  • The story follows Hazel and Mabel, two friends separated by a move. Their friendship faces the strains of distance and change, but connection continues via letter-writing.
  • When they reunite, they don’t immediately reconnect—their preferences and routines have changed. Creativity, storytelling, shared memories, and seeing “two hearts” in clouds help them rediscover their bond.
  • Quote:
    “They know their hearts are always connected in the end...how do they get the heart of their friendship beating again?”
    —Melissa Stoller [09:40]

Letter Writing as a Throwback

• [09:55 – 11:11]
  • Mel commends Melissa for using letter writing, a “throwback” not often seen in contemporary books.
  • Melissa affirms she still loves sending and receiving letters, sharing a personal anecdote about writing to her college-aged daughter.

Unique Positioning & Market Insights

• [12:32 – 13:42]
  • The editor was drawn to the book for focusing on what happens to a friendship after a move—rather than the move itself—distinguishing it from most “moving” stories.
  • Quote:
    “She said…she hadn't really seen a story about what comes after the move, with the friendship and how the friendship shifts and changes and kind of comes back at the end.”
    —Melissa Stoller [12:42]

Publishing Journey & Collaborations

• [13:42 – 15:38]
  • Melissa shares her connection with publisher Sandra Sutter, their shared history at the Children’s Book Academy, and the process of querying Gnome Road.
  • Describes the nerves and excitement of giving up creative control to editors and illustrators, but that the finished books often exceed her imagination.
  • Quote:
    “You have to give up control...But what I have found in every one of my books is that it comes out way better than you could have ever imagined.”
    —Melissa Stoller [15:38]

Reader Response & Interpretations

• [16:50 – 18:48]
  • Mel reflects on how books leave the author’s hands and become shaped by readers’ interpretations.
  • Melissa agrees: “It’s like when you’re looking at a piece of art…people interpret it and bring their own life experiences to a piece of art or to a book, to a story.” [17:46]
  • The book resonates in numerous ways—kids experience shifting friendships not only because of moves, but in day-to-day interactions.

Real-life Inspiration

• [19:25 – 20:49]
  • Melissa shares that living in Manhattan, she and her children often experienced friends moving away, sometimes at very young ages—this reality inspired the book.
  • Mel adds that, like stories about dragons, children can imagine experiences even beyond their years.

Career, Research, and Comfort Zones

• [22:10 – 24:01]
  • Melissa had a career as a lawyer and legal writing instructor; skills like research and analysis inform her children’s writing process—even for animal protagonists!
  • Mel notes that Melissa’s past books focused on Jewish themes (e.g., Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah). They discuss “comfort zones” and how Hazel and Mabel marks a venture into universal, not specifically Jewish, stories.

Broadening Horizons: Universal and Jewish Stories

• [26:43 – 27:31]
  • Mel encourages Melissa to write more universal stories:
    “You can write stories for the universe…you’ve just proven it.” —[27:30]
  • Melissa expresses that she’s actively submitting universal and Jewish manuscripts.

Agents & The Querying Process

• [27:57 – 29:05]
  • Conversation about the difficulty of finding literary agents—Melissa is back in the “query trenches” after her agent switched careers.

On Co-Authoring a Book Inspired by October 7th

• [30:07 – 33:46]
  • Brief mention and sensitive summary of a recent co-authored book based on the family of returned hostage Omri Miran and their dog, Mojo. The book uses the metaphor of a storm and aims to be a hopeful, universal story about resilience and waiting for loved ones.

School Visits, Publicity, and Writing Tips

• [34:09 – 35:56]
  • Melissa enjoys school/library visits and online readings—these are largely self-organized.
  • Quote:
    “The pleasure of seeing your book in the hands of children…is really kind of the joy of writing.”
    —Melissa Stoller [35:13]

Idea Generation & Writing Inspiration

• [35:56 – 40:58]
  • Melissa shares her process for finding ideas:
    • Observe everything: conversations, billboards, life moments.
    • Use “What if?” as a creative prompt.
    • Draw on childhood memories, family rituals, and personal passions (e.g., snow globes inspired a time-travel story).
    • Incorporate misunderstandings or puns (e.g., “seal walks”).
  • Quote:
    “I’m always, literally always thinking and always observing and always wondering and bringing curiosity.”
    —Melissa Stoller [36:28]

Gnome Road Publishing & Submission Advice

• [41:04 – 42:00]
  • Gnome Road Publishing occasionally accepts direct submissions, but only during specific windows—follow instructions closely.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On creative partnerships:
  “We have no bloody idea what the book is gonna look like.”
  —Mel Rosenberg [15:29]

• On book reception:
  “There’s no such thing as misinterpreting because they have their reader response, you know…”
  —Mel Rosenberg [16:57]

• On authorial expansion:
  “You can write stories for the universe…you’ve just proven it.”
  —Mel Rosenberg [27:30]

• On hope and resilience:
  “…the family, the mother, the daughter, the two daughters and their dog are waiting together, petting Mojo the dog, with hope in their hearts for a new sun kissed day to arrive.”
  —Melissa Stoller [32:02]

• On writing inspiration:
  “Observe everything…say, what if that happened?”
  —Melissa Stoller [36:04]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:38] Introduction and welcome
• [03:08] Book’s inspiration and illustration
• [05:01] Reading from Hazel and Mabel
• [09:55] Discussion: Letter writing and changing friendships
• [12:32] How the book differed from market and how it sold
• [13:42] Publishing journey with Gnome Road
• [15:29] “Losing” your story to collaborators
• [16:57] Reader interpretation
• [19:25] Real life inspiration for “loss”
• [22:10] Melissa’s legal background and research in writing
• [26:43] Moving beyond comfort zones; writing for universal audiences
• [27:57] Literary agents and querying
• [30:07] Book about resilience after October 7th
• [34:09] School visits and outreach
• [35:56] Tips for generating story ideas
• [41:04] Advice about submitting to Gnome Road Publishing

Conclusion

Melissa Stoller’s Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart is a thoughtful, beautifully illustrated exploration of lasting friendship across distance and change. The episode offers both a heartfelt introduction to the book and a candid look at the realities of children’s publishing, inspiration, and perseverance. Melissa’s openness about moving out of her comfort zone, as well as her practical writing advice, make this episode a treasure for writers, educators, and book lovers alike.

Final Thought:
“The world needs more stories about connected hearts, resilience, and empathy—stories for everyone.”