I’m so happy to feature my writing friend Lydia Lukidis on the blog today! She discusses her second graphic novel in the adorable Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog series: The Terrifying Turnip Takeover, releasing April 28, 2026 (illustrated by Tara J. Hannon, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing). Lydia chats about her inspiration, as well as about stories, creativity, and connection. Welcome, Lydia!
1. STORIES – Discuss the inspiration for your ideas and stories, and share the process about your latest projects.
This is a reminder to everyone that sometimes we have dreams early in life, but they can still come to fruition later. It’s the case with my graphic novel series, Groucho the Grouchy Groundhog. I started creating comics in grade 5, but never had the confidence to continue. But many years later, when I became a professional kidlit author, I decided to revive my initial idea which was heavily inspired by Garfield. And that’s how Groucho was born! As an author, I know it’s very difficult to sub graphic novels with no visuals, so I asked one of my favourite illustrators, Tara J Hannon, if she liked the project. To my delight, she said yes, and made samples and then we were off on sub. Cut to today, and the second book in the series is releasing on April 28. It’s called THE TERRIFYING TURNIP TAKEOVER. Never give up on your dreams!
2. CREATIVITY — How do you showcase your creative side through writing/illustrating and other pursuits?
I usually write nonfiction so it’s been really fun to work on a fiction project, and it was a great way to showcase my creativity and unique sense of humor. I can be a pretty funny person, but it’s an organic thing, I can’t be funny on demand, so I wondered if I would be able to write funny. But because Groucho is inherently funny in his personality of extremes, it was quite easy, to my surprise! Once you built a compelling cast of characters, the writing tends to flow better. I got to channel my weird quirky, sense of humor, my love for Seinfeld, Garfield, and slapstick comedy. It all came through in the series. And of course, my hope is that it makes children laugh!
3. CONNECTION — How do you connect to your young readers through your writing/illustrating, and how do you stay connected to the KidLit community?
I love the kidlit community and I stay connected in many ways, including through my blog where I showcase kidlit authors and illustrators on the regular. I believe in giving back. I’m also a volunteer judge on Rate Your Story, as I love to help aspiring writers perfect their craft. I think it’s also important to keep connected to young readers as well, and the best way to do this has been through my workshops. Those are precious moments where I get to talk to kids, see what they’re reading, and chat about what they like and dislike. Children are really interesting and intelligent! It’s an honour to have a discourse with them whenever I can. That’s the reason why I write at the end of the day, for the kids.
LYDIA’S BIO:
Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 60+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere (Capstone, 2025), DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023). She won numerous awards such as the Crystal Kite Award for the Canada and North America division, a Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and multiple Cybils Award nominations. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from Aevitas Creative Management. For more information, please visit www.lydialukidis.com.
CONNECT WITH LYDIA:
Website: http://www.lydialukidis.com/
Blog: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaLukidis
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaLukidis/
Book links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235991708-groucho-the-grouchy-groundhog-volume-2
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/groucho-the-grouchy-groundhog-lydia-lukidis/1147556324
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Groucho-Grouchy-Groundhog-Terrifying-Takeover/dp/B0FCDBY2HV/