Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

I too am enamored with the view of the Rocky Mountains. Along with the wonder they inspire, somehow, they anchor you. In writing the story of a piece of land, Stacy Jensen faced the challenge of finding the heart of a story about something that’s not human. Here she shares the process of writing BEFORE I LIVED HERE, the beautiful book which tells the story of the land where she lived.

GIVEAWAY! Just leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of BEFORE I LIVED HERE!

Congratulations to, Elise Derstine, winner of THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST from Lynn Street!

Digging into the Heart of the Land by Stacy S. Jensen

When I arrived in Colorado Springs, the view of Pikes Peak and the Front Range anchored everything in my new life. Directions — the mountains are in the west. A house with a view of the mountain —that could increase the cost of a house. History — Did you know Katharine Lee Bates wrote the first lines of America the Beautiful while on top of Pikes Peak?

The mountains open and close my story in Before I Lived Here, but the neighborhood growing and changing is the heart of the story. I knew that with every draft, but I had to create multiple versions to arrive at the version you see today with Victo Ngai’s beautiful illustrations. 

When we stumbled on the neighborhood of Banning Lewis Ranch, the housing market was not kind. We liked the house, amenities, and the neighborhood leaned into the history of the cattle ranch that once operated there. Fun, right?

Fast forward a few years later and it’s a thriving community with more houses, parks, people, schools, etc. There was a lot of change. 

I eventually joined neighborhood boards. I poured over development documents, attended meetings, and met even more neighbors. 

The idea for the book arrived in the middle of all this new life in a thriving neighborhood and a community that would grow even larger. I found the spark of story in the growing neighborhood.

Where is the children’s story in all of that? 

Well, I wrote a story about the neighborhood kids seeing all the changes around them — more houses, more roads, and the antelope were less visible in the east as the development expanded. There was a lot of work that took place before the first scoop of dirt created a basement or the skeleton of a house rose from a lot. 

A few scenes came from the stacks of development documents I read. 

I threw in a bunch of children playing in the cul-de-sac. Talked about animals on the undeveloped prairie. 

Then, added some historical information. It didn’t work. 

I shared this story at the Colorado Springs SCBWI meetings. Multiple times. I listened to their feedback. 

I eventually tried going back in time. With each page turn featuring a new era of the land, the story took shape. I researched new periods of time with each version. When I added in the word before, that version of the story — focusing on the land — worked. 

While I thought the story was ready, agents didn’t always agree. It’s a quiet story. My critique partner Ana Crespo championed the story every step of the way. Years later when she became my agent, she sold the story to Neal Porter. I’m grateful he wanted to publish it and Victo Nagai illustrated it. 

While the heart of Before I Lived Here is the story of this land, it wasn’t that obvious when I first wrote it. I thought I had to add the children in the story. Through lots of revision, it worked to use a boy’s curiosity to launch the story, and everyone can follow along as the story unfolds. 

I was cheered on by many different people while writing this story —especially educators, who saw the potential to use the book in the classroom. A few weeks after the book published, I received feedback some elementary school students will use the book for a local history project. How wonderful is that? I’m loving these stories. 

Don’t forget to leave a comment below to get in the drawing for a copy of BEFORE I LIVED HERE! (US addresses only, please. Winner announced 9/19/25)

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