Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)

Storystorm 2024 Day 4: Courtney Pippin-Mathur Thinks On It

January 4, 2024 in STORYSTORM 2024 | Tags: Courtney Pippin-Mathur, Flurry the Bear, IT'S HOLI | 630 comments

by Courtney Pippin-Mathur

Hello Storystormers!

When Tara approached me about doing art for STORYSTORM, I was thrilled. I have been a participant and an occasional guest author, but this was different. I was excited. I was determined. I was nervous.

I started with a few sketches. I love drawing gnomes, fairies and elves, so thought I would try that. I added some carrying or thinking of lightbulbs.

But it didn’t feel quite right.

When I wasn’t sketching ideas, I thought on it. Thinking on it is one of a writer’s greatest tools. You can do it anywhere. Doing dishes—Think On It. Drawing an elf for a monthly challenge—Think On It. Take a shower—Think On It.

During my Think on It sessions, I came to two conclusions:

I wanted the character to be an animal.
I wanted the “storm” part of STORYSTORM to be a blizzard.

So I started sketching animals. I filled up a page of various animals with lightbulb ideas.

Two stuck out to me: the lion and the bear.

When an idea or sketch is appealing to me, I draw it again.

The little lion was really appealing to me; I loved his wee raincoat. But as I sketched him more, I realized I liked him BUT he wasn’t right for the STORYSTORM blizzard idea. So, I put him aside to use sometime in the future. Maybe as a picture book idea?

I went back and sketched the bear in different positions and ideas. (For the participation badges, winner badges, banner, etc.)

Then I sent it to Tara to see if she liked the idea. She did, so I started on the color. Actually it was a week or so later. My art creation process is usually a series of scribbly twists and turns instead of a simple line. It used to frustrate me, but now I accept it as part of the process and look for any extraneous sketches or ideas that I can use in the future.

When I came back to start the final art, I decided I wanted the bear to be a full sized bear instead of a little guy. So I did drew it again.

I played around with compositions and finally came to the ½ view you see in the “Participant” badge.

Added color…

Tara and I hopped on a Zoom to find the perfect font. (Which Tara is better at than me.)

And ta-da…

I was very happy with him. So much so, that I added color to the earlier sketch-version and have it on my website for my winter welcome page. (And as stickers!)

I love projects that inspire other art or illustrations and since STORYSTORM is all about inspiration, it seems perfect.

P.S. While all of these revisions were happening, I WAS THINKING ON IT. In the banner, there are several ideas (lightbulbs). Some are easy to find—like on the trees, some are closer to home, some are half-buried in the snow—you just half to go look for them. See how many you lightbulbs you can find in the banner. And good luck on finding your 30 ideas!

Courtney Pippin-Mathur is giving away one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom plus a pack of stickers from her Etsy shop to one lucky Storystorm winner.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Courtney Pippin-Mathur is an author/illustrator of picture books. IT’S HOLI, written by her sister-in-law, Sanyukta Mathur, will be released February 2024 from Holt BFYR. When she’s not teaching at Highlights Foundation, writing, or making art, she’s playing with clay or working her local bookstore. Visit her at PippinMathur.com.

Storystorm 2024 Day 3: Lisa Katzenberger Mines Her Emotions

January 3, 2024 in STORYSTORM 2024 | Tags: Lisa Katzenberger, SEL | 783 comments

by Lisa Katzenberger

In my nine years of writing picture books, I’ve been most drawn to (and most successful at selling) Social Emotional Learning (SEL) picture books. Storystorm is about inspiration and idea generation, and I can share what I have learned over the years and through oodles of ideas: dig deep and share your authentic self.

I have had story ideas about everything from talking skyscrapers, to mounted police officers, to orchestra conductors. But I am none of the above, and I don’t know much about them. It was only when I started writing stories about authentic experiences with my own emotions that my stories blossomed and my work became acquired.

As an example, I wrote IT WILL BE OK: A Story of Kindness, Empathy, and Friendship, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, about my own experience with anxiety—although I didn’t know I was doing that at the time. It wasn’t until I my publisher asked me to do a Book Talk about where I got the idea, and I spent time reflecting on the story development and revision process, that I realized what I had written: a story about how some of our emotions (like fear) can look really small to others on the outside, but still feel really big to us on the inside. Once IT WILL BE OK was published, I heard from many teachers that they used it as part of their SEL curriculum, and this story led to helpful discussions about identifying our emotions, listening to others, and being a good friend.

While I kind of stumbled upon writing an SEL story for IT WILL BE OK, I challenged myself to be more intentional with my future stories. I wanted to continue writing SEL books that could serve as a conversation starter for kids about their emotions. I certainly had some false starts—not every concept was a winner, but that’s OK! But I eventually found success with an idea that came straight from a therapy session. This picture book is I CAN DO IT EVEN IF I’M SCARED: Finding the Brave You, illustrated by Hannah George.

In this story, I talk about a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tool I learned: Acting “As If”. The gist of this tool is about acting as if you already are the person you want to be. After it helped me, I thought kids could relate to it this way: playing pretend. So I took a very deep, emotional, private moment of my life and poured it onto the page.

So, how can you mine your own life for stories with an emotional heart? Here is an exercise to try:

Think of a time you felt a strong emotion—as a child or an adult. It could be a joyful moment, a scary moment, a sad moment. Anything goes.
What were you like when you first felt that emotion? This defines the character and establishes the story beginning.
What did you do as that emotion washed through you? This describes the action and is your story middle.
How did you feel afterwards? This presents the emotional shift and serves as your story end.

As an example, in my picture book IT WILL BE OK, the emotional shift looks like this:

When it comes to writing SEL picture books, I advise you to look deep into your heart, and mine your emotions for experiences that kids can relate to and grow from. I’m not going to lie, this is all VERY scary for me to write and share. But when I think about a kid sitting in circle time, listening to my story and thinking, “Hey, I feel that way too. Maybe I can talk about it with someone,” it’s all worth it.

Lisa Katzenberger is giving away a fiction picture book critique to one lucky Storystorm winner.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Lisa Katzenberger has been writing stories since she was a kid. Books have been a part of her life since her mom took her to the local library each week and let her roam around the children’s section, picking out whatever she wanted to read. She loved escaping into stories, and she still can’t believe she gets to write them for kids now!

She’s on the faculty of The Writing Barn where she teaches picture book writing courses including Perfecting the Picture Book, Writing Social Emotional Learning Picture Books, and Write. Submit. Support.

She lives near Chicago in La Grange, Illinois with her husband and two children. Visit her website at LisaKatzenberger.com and follow her on Bluesky @lisakatzenberger.bsky.social, Instagram @lisakatz17, and X @FictionCity.

Storystorm 2024 Day 2: Julie Falatko Digs Deep

January 2, 2024 in STORYSTORM 2024 | Tags: Julie Falatko | 970 comments

by Julie Falatko

Welcome to Day Two of Storystorm! If it hasn’t happened yet, soon your world will be full of stories. You walk down the street and every bird, every dog, every odd-colored car seems like they could be the star of a picture book. I love this. Yes, the sparrow, the puggle, and the car the color of pineapple juice are there every day, but there is magic in suddenly seeing ideas, and seeing that they are everywhere. I get such a thrill from writing down all of these possibilities and figuring out what their stories might be.

Here’s how writing usually works for me:

Write a persistent idea into a draft.
Revise it a few times.
And then: A significant amount of future-tripping. I imagine my agent telling me it’s the best thing she’s ever read. I picture what the book will look like when it’s done. I think about how I’ll feel when I get a call from an award committee. I dream about how it will feel to get a high five from Oprah.

While I do like the writing process, I also really like the part where I send the manuscript out and it’s no longer my problem. I like checking things off my to-do list. But I have learned I can’t rush it. Creativity isn’t an item to check off. I need to give the manuscript time. How much time? As much as it needs. Sometimes that’s a few weeks. Sometimes it’s years.

It’s like stories are artifacts we’re unburying, and some are fairly clean and close to the surface, and for some you have to dig for miles and clean off a lot of dirt before you even know what you’re looking at.

It’s a magic trick to take your invisible brain thoughts and form them into real words and stories. Of course it takes time.

Time lets me see what’s working and what’s not in a story. It’s only by letting a draft sit for a day, a week, a month, that I can understand what it’s trying to be and shape it into that thing. There are always parts that helped me get the story to where it needs to be, and then, three drafts and some time later, it’s obvious that part can be cut away. There are also always parts that stick out somehow, that take me out of the story, or just bug me. Often it takes a few drafts (and time) for me to realize that part is poking at me and needs to go. Time is what takes a manuscript from good enough to great.

At some point, the changes I’m making to a draft are small and insignificant (adding a comma, say), and there aren’t any more pointy bits that poke me when I’m reading or thinking about it. And that, finally, is when I send it out and (at least temporarily) get it off my desk.

I have a picture book coming out in June called HELP WANTED: ONE ROOSTER. I wrote the first draft of this book in 2012. It’s about a cow who is interviewing roosters for the rooster job at the farm, and they’re all terrible candidates. After many revisions, it got a book deal in 2014.

This is easy math. The book is coming out twelve years after I wrote the first draft, ten years after the book went under contract. When people say publishing is slow, they’re not kidding. So, listen: TAKE YOUR TIME. There is truly no rush.

As the years went on, I deleted characters who didn’t seem quite so funny to me any more, and replaced them with better ones. I worked and reworked why they were looking for a new rooster in the first place. I didn’t really figure out the ending until 2021—years after it was originally supposed to publish.

It took ten years from the first draft for the story to get fully unburied. I wasn’t working on it nonstop during that time—years would go by when I wouldn’t work on it at all—but it was always simmering, and the full plot of it didn’t really come to me until three years ago.

I never would have expected this book to take so long when I first got the idea. But I know that some books just take longer. And it’s always right to give them the time they need. So go forth! Write up those ideas! Some will flow right out of you, and some will take much longer, which is, frankly, fascinating. Why are they buried so deep? We’ll never know. But we are so lucky to be the ones who get to dig them out.

Julie Falatko is giving away a seat at her picture book revision class to one lucky Storystorm winner.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once below.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Julie Falatko writes books for children. She is the author of several picture books, including SNAPPSY TTHE ALLIGATOR (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book), THE GREAT INDOOORS, RICK THE ROCK OF ROOM 214, as well as the TWO DOGS IN A TRENCH COAT chapter book series. Julie lives with her family in Maine, where she maintains the Little Free Library in front of their house. Visit her at JulieFalatko.com and subscribe to her Substack newsletter.

Storystorm 2024 Day 1: Tara Lazar Picks a Winning Word

January 1, 2024 in ABSURD WORDS, STORYSTORM 2024 | 968 comments

Words—if you’re a writer, you love them. You NEED them. They’re our story building blocks.

I love the sound of certain words, the way they slide off the tongue. My book ABSURD WORDS began when I ran across the word “archipelago”. I stopped reading, transfixed by the exotic and lovely term for an island chain. I wrote it down…and my “favorite word list” began.

Whenever I read a fantastic word, in a crossword puzzle, novel, or news article, I wrote it down. When I heard it in a movie, TV show, or YouTube video, I wrote it down. I wanted to keep the good words close.

Since the Internet loves a list, I slapped the words on this website. Then when the list became the most heavily-accessed page on this site, I pitched my agent the concept for ABSURD WORDS.

I know, it’s not a picture book. A picture book brimming with substantial words isn’t fit for the age group. However, a wondrous word on its own can conjure up ideas for marvelous picture book stories!

Let’s go back to “archipelago”. This word was featured in the Christmas stop-motion classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to describe the location of The Island of Misfit Toys.

Toys! Misfits! On an island far away! Longing for a child to love them! Did all these ideas originate with the word “archipelago”? Maybe???

I don’t shy away from using difficult words in my picture books, as long as I use them sparingly and in context so their meaning can be sussed out. But I’m not suggesting you just slip “labyrinth” into your story—I am encouraging you to begin with “labyrinth” to discover where it leads. What ideas spring forth? Children love secretive places about which adults are clueless—so where does your “labyrinth” story go?

I’ve got more words to love!

zhuzh
scrumble
derring-do
sardoodledom
swellhead
finicky
pareidolia
gravitas
moonbow
fiddlesticks
galactico
jimberjawed
shackbaggerly
soliloquy
nonuplets
cahoots
sticktoitiveness
againwend
flipperling

Plus, of course, the entire original list!

But you don’t necessarily need my lists. Think of your favorite word as a jump-start. Thumb through a dictionary. Devour a thesaurus.

Words can take us (and our readers) anywhere we want to go!

Tara Lazar is giving away a fiction picture book critique to one lucky Storystorm winner.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once below.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Storystorm 2024 Registration IS CLOSED

December 27, 2023 in STORYSTORM 2024 | 1,922 comments

Storystorm 2024 registration is now closed. You can still participate by reading the daily blog posts and jotting down ideas, but you will not be eligible for prizes.

Welcome to STORYSTORM 2024 Registration!

Seven years ago I changed the name and month of my annual writing challenge, from Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) to STORYSTORM. Why? Answer’s here.

Although this challenge began as a picture book writer’s event, any writer interested in brainstorming new story ideas in January is invited to join the STORYSTORM challenge of 30 ideas in 31 days. Any genre, any style; student, amateur, hobbyist, aspiring author or seasoned professional.

How does STORYSTORM work? It’s simple…

Register (instructions below).
Read the daily posts right here on this blog, beginning January 1st.
Write down one (or more) story idea daily. (Do not share your ideas with anyone.)
At the end of January if you have at least 30 new ideas, you can sign the STORYSTORM PLEDGE and be eligible for PRIZES.

So are you ready?

To register, follow these steps:

Register ON THIS BLOG POST by signing your name ONCE in the comments below (you have to scroll all the way down for the comment box). Full name or nickname—whatever name you’ll use for the entire event.
Please leave ONE comment ONLY. Do not reply to say “hi” to a friend. Do not comment to fix a mistake. ONE COMMENT. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Registering makes you eligible for prizes. Teachers participating with a class can register under the teacher’s name.
Visit this blog daily (taralazar.com) in January for inspirational essays by guest bloggers—authors, illustrators and publishing industry professionals.
Instead of visiting the blog directly, you can receive the daily posts via email by entering your address and clicking the “Follow Tara’s Blog” button in the left column—look under my photo for it. (You must do this if you want to receive emails. Emails DO NOT come automatically by signing your name in the comments.)
At the end of January, if you have at least 30 ideas, sign the STORYSTORM PLEDGE (to be posted on January 31) and qualify for prizes.

Prizes include agent feedback, signed books, original art, writerly gadgets and gizmos.

Remember, do not share your ideas publicly in January. They are YOURS. No need to prove that you have them at the end of the month. The pledge you will sign is on the honor system.

Are you in? Awesome!

Other OPTIONAL activities:

You can pick up an “Official Participant” badge (with art by Courtney Pippin-Mathur) below and affix it to any social media account or personal website you wish. (Right click to save to your computer, then upload it anywhere.)

You can also opt to join the STORYSTORM Facebook discussion group. Everyone needs writing friends!

The Facebook group remains a year-round source of writing information and support, mostly focused on picture books, I admit, because that is where this all began.

STORYSTORM registration will remain open through JANUARY 7th.

In the meantime, head over to the STORYSTORM ZAZZLE SHOP to pick up your official journal. All proceeds from sales will be donated to The Highlights Foundation. I’ll be adding more items, like mugs and t-shirts, throughout the month.

Thank you for joining!

I wish you a creative and prolific month ahead!

Gifts for Writers, Holiday 2023…Plus Gifts of 10 Holidays Past

December 17, 2023 in Writing | Tags: christmas gifts, gifts for writers, hanukkah gifts, holiday gifts | 14 comments

Gifts for Writers Holiiday 2023 Image

Phew! It’s that time of year already! Since I was pressed for time, I only have TEN new gifts to peruse, but the bonus is I’ve linked the ghosts of gifts past at the bottom of this post! So much to choose from, you may get decision paralysis for the holidays this year! (More exclamation points: !!!!!)

First up: therapy dough. Why, you ask? If you’re truly a writer, you don’t have to ask. I’ve always said picture book writing is 99% thinking and 1% writing, so while you stare out the window in creative frustration, knead on this. It also may be helpful for revisions, rewrites, rejections, and the myriad challenges we writers face.

Therapy Dough, $15.00, Uncommon Goods

Next, a gorgeous leather journal. Because we like practical AND pretty. Oberon Designs offers various colors and motifs in their collection.

Large Portfolio Notebook, $143.00, Oberon Designs

The holiday season gives me a giant appetite. But fahgettabout honey hams and stuffed turkeys. Give me CHOCOLATE. I’m sure other writers agree—I guarantee it.

Chocolate Lover’s Gift Box, $49.95, Boston General Store

In the winter, I like to be cozy while I write. If the cat’s on my lap, she’s on my laptop, too. So I’ve got to stay warm another way if I want to keep typing. Enter the personal fireplace. Yes, you read that right!

The XL Personal Concrete Fireplace, $150, Bespoke Post (Sorry, whiskey sold separately.)

Speaking of cats and coziness, this tea infuser is sure to give any writer the purrfect cuppa. (Also speaking of our feline friends, have you snagged a copy of my new book FLAT CAT yet???)

Purr Tea Infuser, $12.00, Fred

When I do school visits, I like to wear fun and kitschy stuff that catches the students’ attention. You, too? Well, designer Betsey Johnson must have heard!

Charm School Pencil Jewelry (Pink/Gold), $14.99 and up, Betsey Johnson

How would your writer friend like to exchange notes with Edgar Allen Poe? Have Ernest Hemingway as a pen pal? Receive creative inspiration from Jane Austen?

Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they’re all dead.

However, Letter Joy has brought them all back to life with their collection of missives from “some of history’s greatest wordsmiths”. They send a total of 26 literary letters over a six-month period.

Letters About Writing Subscription (Part I), $99.99, Letter Joy

Writers support other writers! And yet everyone can adorn their lapel with this beauty.

I’m with the Banned Pin, $14.95, Dissent Pins

I’m obsessed with book nooks, but I’m not talking about cozy crannies crammed with favorite reads…I’m talking about miniature 3D scenes you build yourself and tuck into a bookshelf! Some literary mice may move in!

DIY Book Nook Kit, $65.00 and up, Book Nook World

Let’s finish up with the pretty-and-practical again, shall we? This combo is ingenious—magnetic bookmark AND pen all-in-one! Why didn’t we think of this sooner?

Bird Magnetic Bookmark Pen, $4.95, MochiThings

Need more writerly gift ideas? Check out the ghosts—err, I mean gifts—of holidays past:

Do you have gift suggestions for writers? Please leave them below in the comments!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Making of JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED by Ronni Diamondstein, Illustrated by Bats Langley

December 15, 2023 in Picture Books | Tags: Bats Langley, JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ronni Diamondstein | 39 comments

by Ronni Diamondstein

Writing JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED was a journey and a labor of love. I was eight years old when John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. Jackie did so much to change the role of the First Lady. I remember Jackie for the White House restoration and especially how she led the country in mourning her husband when he was assassinated in 1963.

I was always fascinated by her style and grace and admired her for becoming a book editor. After she passed away, I had an idea for a novel about her and started researching her and interviewing people who knew her. I interviewed Ted Sorenson, President Kennedy’s speech writer and counsel and had a correspondence with her cousin, John Davis.

When I spoke to Margot Datz, the illustrator of Carly Simon’s children’s books that Jackie edited, she suggested that I write a children’s book. I then wrote a long chapter book that got no traction. There were several adult books written about Jackie as an editor that I read. Having researched her for decades, I knew that she loved to read as a child and saw how books influenced her life. It was something that I had in common with her.

Then about five years ago, I thought about how reading and writing were a thread through her life. I knew that picture books bios were a great genre and began to work on this book. Emma Walton Hamilton once said, “I think you have to have a personal connection, and that’s what I am always looking to try to create: a personal way into a story.” I knew this was the story about Jackie that I wanted to tell.

I was thrilled when I signed a contract with Sky Pony Press in August 2022. JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED is my first book and I feel very fortunate to have worked with my editor Nicole Frail. It was a collaborative relationship. We were very much in sync regarding the revisions that needed to be made. The original manuscript was much longer and in collaboration with Nicole, the extra material was incorporated into my author’s note, back matter and a timeline.

In order to include the poem “Sea Joy” that Jackie had written when she was 10 years old, I needed permission to reprint it. I contacted her daughter, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy in Australia and two days later I heard from the Executive Director of the Kennedy Foundation that Ambassador Kennedy was happy to give me permission. I was thrilled and thought that I hope this makes Caroline Kennedy happy to know that a new generation will learn about her mother and read her poetry.

I also had included a lot of books Jackie read as a child and authors Jackie worked with and titles in the narrative. When we started to edit it, most were moved to the author’s note. And Bats Langley included them in the illustrations which was wonderful! Interestingly, at a sales presentation the team asked about references to the books that either Jackie read or edited. We already had some titles she read in the author’s note, so we decided to include a list of books. Narrowing it down to 18 titles was a taunting task; she edited nearly 100 books!

I was very lucky to be involved in the illustration process from a say in the choice of the illustrator to collaborating with him on the art. I gave illustration notes to my editor, but since I have quite an extensive collection of books about Jackie and the Kennedys with great photographs, I was very much involved with the illustrations. I shared many photographs with Bats. For example, the horse statue on the cover is just like the statue she had on her piano in her New York apartment.

One day Bats asked what Jackie’s favorite birthday cake was. Of course, I had a book called “Cooking with Madam” in my collection so I could send him pictures of Jackie’s birthday cake that you’ll find in our book!

I even had a say in the endpaper design! I love quotes and had many of Jackie’s quotes that I wanted included that couldn’t fit in the narrative so I suggested we use them on the endpapers. I knew her personal stationery was powder blue, so that was the color we chose for the endpapers.

I was also very fortunate to have a virtual book launch with the Chappaqua Library Children’s Room, my local library, and I was honored to be invited by the First Ladies Library to do a virtual “Legacy Lecture” about the book.

Jackie said, “If you produce one book, you will have done something wonderful in your life.” I hope I have done this. It truly has been an adventure!

You have done it, Ronni!

Thank you for sharing the story of your book’s creation.

Blog readers, you can win a signed copy of JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED.

Leave one comment below to enter.

A random winner will be selected in January. Good luck!

Ronni Diamondstein has spent her life surrounded by books and immersed in the world of children’s literature. An avid reader since childhood, libraries, books, and writing have been her life’s work. As a school library media specialist and teacher in the United States and abroad, Ronni has nurtured her students’ creativity by sharing her love of reading with them. She is also a freelance journalist and have published many articles and my dog Maggie Mae Pup Reporter had a column in a local magazine. She has always been fascinated by Jackie Kennedy’s love of books and her career as an editor and was inspired to tell her story. Ronni lives in Chappaqua, New York, with her toy poodle Maggie Mae. Visit her at RonniDiamondstein.com and follow her on Instagram @maggiemaepupreporter and BlueSky @ronnidiamondstein.bsky.social. Personalized, signed copies are available from Scattered Books, Chappaqua, NY.

Storystorm 2024 Update!

December 7, 2023 in STORYSTORM 2024 | 38 comments

Thank you to everyone who applied to guest blog for Storystorm 2024 next month! Bloggers have been randomly selected and will be informed soon via email!

Every year for Storystorm, I’ve sold merchandise and donated the proceeds to charity, but I had always neglected to finalize the logo and artwork far enough in advance to sell the journal in December.

Last year I managed to get it done, but for unknown reasons, CaféPress’s journal was “temporarily out of stock.” Actually, it never went back in stock, and such is still the case! I spent some time with customer service, but they could neither tell me what the issue was, nor could they promise an “in stock” date.

So, I’ve moved to Zazzle! And with artwork by the talented Courtney Pippin-Mathur, there is a beary adorable journal for you to purchase now, in time to arrive for the January festivities.

This year’s Storystorm proceeds will be donated to Highlights Foundation!

Registration will commence after Christmas, right here on this blog, so stay tuned!

Many thanks to Courtney Pippin-Mathur for her whimsical Storystorm art. I will add more things to the Zazzle shop in the coming weeks, and if there’s anything specific you’d like, please leave a comment.

Happy Holidays,
Tara

Twist and Shout for THE TWIST-A-ROO! (plus a giveaway)

December 6, 2023 in Picture Books | Tags: Kathleen Doherty, Kristyna Litten, THE THINGITY-JIG, THE TWIST-A-ROO | 70 comments

I love wordplay, and after I featured THE THINGITY-JIG by Kathy Doherty and Kristyna Littten here, I was thrilled to learn about their fun follow-up, THE TWIST-A-ROO! (Which is of course what a child would call a kaleidoscope, because what child can even pronounce “kaleidoscope”?) More wordplay and imagination—sign me up!

Kathy, this blog focuses a lot on inspiration for picture books. Where did this story idea originate?

My Peachtree editor wanted a companion book to THE THINGITY-JIG. We talked about another book STEAM- related based on a fable or folktale. We agreed upon a badger for the main character. Then I checked out all the fable/folktale books from the library. I poked around Pinterest for STEAM ideas and came upon a kaleidoscope. I knew that would make a gorgeous picture book. After searching through the books, an idea popped to put a modern twist on The Ant and the Grasshopper using a badger who was so obsessed with a kaleidoscope that he wasn’t preparing for winter.

Peachtree even provided an activity sheet on how to make a kaleidocope.

Oh, and here I was so obsessed with the kaleidoscope and the luminous illustrations by Kristyna Litten that I didn’t even realize the story featured STEAM elements! But I did recognize your delightful wordplay that extended beyond the title. Have you always been a wordplay lover? How did you develop that skill?

What’s STEAM-related is the use of patterns and shapes in art.

As a former classroom teacher, I read to students every day. I especially enjoyed reading THE BFG by Roald Dahl. My students would laugh themselves silly. I loved Dahl’s made up words such as: snozzcumbers, whizzpoppers, and frobscottle.

I think most picture book authors are playful. I don’t always do adulting well. At family parties, I’m the one who wants to sit at the kids’ table. Making up and silly sounds and words comes naturally. What also helps is using words with letters that have explosive sounds. These letters make sounds that explode off your lips and are funny: B, hard C, D, hard G, K, P, and T. That’s why underpants is funnier than underwear.

Wow, I never stopped to realize why that’s so! Thanks for the tip!

Some of the wordplay in THE TWIST-A-ROO makes use of these explosive sounds: “turny, twisty, tantalizing thing”… “skippy-doodled”…”wiggly, jiggly, gemmy shapes”.

When I’m writing, I like to keep my mind free of any images, because I don’t know what the illustrator is going to do… Most of the time I don’t even know who the illustrator is yet! However, you’ve worked with Kristyna Litten before. Did you have any inkling about how gorgeous she would make badger’s world? What about her approach surprised you?

Kristyna Litten is soooo talented! She draws quickly to give an energetic line quality to her illustrations, sometimes adding color and textures digitally. She’s written and illustrated many books. Her clients include Gucci, National Geographic, and Aardman Animations. I know her work well. So I knew our book would be gorgeous, but I had no idea how gorgeous! Her whimsical illustrations match the text beautifully.

I bought a kaleidoscope to use as I wrote the book. Whenever I looked through it, I saw repeated patterns with many triangular shapes. But I didn’t think Kristyna would stick with symmetrical kaleidoscope images. And I was right! She mixed and mingled shapes asymmetrically splashing them across the page. This was the first review we received from Foreword Reviews: “Bright pinks and yellows jump out from moody teal backdrops that evoke the chill of winter.”

Speaking of bright pinks, can you talk about the end papers? Why are they monochromatic?

Kristyna said it’s actually both an aesthetic and technical decision. It was a design/print request to only use one color plate. So she decided on the bright pink to compliment all the blues throughout the book. She wanted something fun and different on the endpapers…a pop of color and pattern. But nothing that would distract too much from the rest of the book.

I think the pink ends provide a sense of warmth amid the wintry setting.

What do you want children to take away after reading the book?

I want kids to recognize what it’s like to have caring, sharing friends. Badger’s friends come to his aid during a snowstorm…and in return, he helps them shake the winter blues. I hope kids will feel the warmth of community as the animals come together for the common good. Also, I’d like kids to realize there is a time for work and a time for play.

Kathy, I truly love the book and thank you for sharing it with us today!

Blog readers, you can win a copy of THE TWIST-A-ROO!

Just leave a comment below and a random winner will be selected at the end of the month!

Good luck!

The winners of the past few giveaways are:
lynjekowsky, GRIEF IS AN ELEPHANT
Evelyn B, IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN!
Cathy Lentes, MOSSY AND TWEED; Annette Schottenfeld, KITTY AND CAT
Megan Woodward, Melissa Trempe critique

Kathleen loves bringing kids and quality literature together. She’s a reading specialist and an educational specialist in curriculum and instruction. She’s written standardized test items for Pearson Inc. in alignment with the Common Core Standards. Her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities.

Kathleen has taught elementary school for over 30 years. She was first published in TIME Magazine with a letter to the editor about Charles Schulz. Her work has also appeared in The Mailbox, Spider Magazine, Highlights Hello, Highlights High Five, and Highlights for Children. She’s won the Highlights Pewter Plate Award, the Highlights Celebrate National Poetry contest, and a letter of merit from SCBWI’s Magazine Merit Competition. Visit her online at kathleendohertyauthor.com.

Kristyna Litten has written and illustrated several books for children as well as created artwork for book covers and magazines. She lives in Yorkshire, England. Follow her at Instagram.com/kristynalitten.

Cover Launch for LADYBUG LAUNCH by Melissa Trempe (plus a giveaway)

November 15, 2023 in Picture Books | Tags: LADYBUG LAUNCH, Manuela Montoya, Melissa Trempe, Natalia Ojeda | 78 comments

by Melissa Trempe

Thank you, Tara, for hosting me today to share the cover and backstory of my debut picture book LADYBUG LAUNCH: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY OF CHINITAS IN SPACE. It’s a story about a little chica from Chile who dreams of becoming a scientist and a chinita (ladybug) who dreams of flying to the stars. Their dreams seem out of reach, but when they refuse to give up, anything is possible. The story is based on true events and inspired by my coauthor’s high school experience. Back in 1999, Natalia Ojeda, along with her all-girls science class, convinced NASA to send their ladybug experiment to space.

Co-author Natalia Ojeda and her daughters.

When the Universe Sends You an Idea, LISTEN!

It was 2020, and I was turning 40. When the world is shut down, how can one properly celebrate a momentous birthday? By taking a writing retreat to The Highlight’s Foundation, of course! So, there I was in cabin 15 researching insects for a humorous picture book manuscript, when something caught my eye.

Ladybugs had been to space!

Thanks to my years of participating in Tara Lazar’s Storystorm, I knew to take note! This was a picture book waiting to happen, but I had to tuck the idea away because I was busy with another project. The universe did not appreciate that decision. In the weeks that followed, I found ladybug after ladybug in my house. Then one landed on my hand! The universe was telling me to get moving, and I was finally ready to listen.

I’m so glad I snapped this picture of that pivotal moment!

So, I got to work, and drafted a humorous story about a ladybug engineer trying to build a rocket for space. I’m a sucker for backmatter, so I started digging around the internet to learn about the real space-traveling ladybugs.

I eventually discovered that the scientist behind the experiment was an all-girls class from a modest school in Santiago, Chile…You could have knocked me out of my seat with a gentle breeze! I was shocked. And the more I read, the more inspired I became.

Timing is Everything

An article celebrating the 20th anniversary of the launch had just been published in Chile one month before I had gotten the ladybug idea. What timing! Thanks to Google translate, I read quotes from the students (now grown women) who worked on the project. They all shared one common theme: this experience changed their lives.

Attending a university was not common in Chile, and many of the girls were from modest backgrounds. College and prestigious careers felt out of reach. Yet if they could work with NASA in high school, what else was possible?

Out of this small group of students, many of them became first generation college graduates with careers in medicine, law, psychology, engineering, science, and education.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

I scrapped my fictional ladybug manuscript and started rewriting. Now my story was about a very real class of determined Chilean girls!

Finding My Coauthor & Agent

For days on end, I scoured Facebook for the names and faces of the women in the 20th anniversary article. Fate and a bit of ladybug luck led me to find Dr. Natalia Ojeda. She was excited to tell their story and share with the world that little people can do big things, even when the odds are against them!

Melissa and Natalia meet on Zoom.

Natalia ready to help her patients in Chile.

Thanks to San Diego’s SCBWI Mayfest, I had a critique with Karen Grencik from Red Fox Literary. Luckily, I also got a 10-minute Zoom with Karen. Instead of discussing the manuscript she’d critiqued, I told her about Natalia, her amazing classmates, and ladybugs in space. Without even seeing the manuscript, Karen said, “I can sell that story. Send it to me!”

Sometimes a Story Just Isn’t Ready . . . But NEVER GIVE UP!

There was one problem. I had only been working on the manuscript for five months. It was a baby and needed work. Karen thought it was ready to go and off it flew into editors’ inboxes. For eight months, rejections trickled in. For eight months, I kept revising. I sent revisions to Natalia, and we had my poor critique partners read the story again and again and again.

Month after month, I felt the story getting stronger. In January of 2022, I had that tingly feeling that THIS was the story, and THIS was the way it needed to be told.

Our agent was ready to start round two of submissions and we gave her the new version of LADYBUG LAUNCH. Off it flew into editors’ inboxes. Within 24 hours we had interest, and within seven days we had two offers! I was in the waiting room of an appointment when Simon & Schuster’s offer came in. I ran outside, video calling Natalia and crying!

As our manuscript continued to transform, I found dozens of ladybug pupae attached to the tree outside my kitchen transforming into adult ladybugs!

ARE YOU READY FOR A COVER REVEAL?

Illustrator Manuela Montoya created the beautiful art to help tell this inspirational story!

HERE WE GO . . .

Available for PREORDER! (Book birthday—April 16, 2024.)

Isn’t the cover lovely? Please add LADYBUG LAUNCH to your must-read list, and I hope it inspires a little person in your life to follow their dreams!

Lastly, a BIG THANK YOU TO TARA for having me today! She’s the queen of kid lit comedy and an example for us all to follow. Thank you for featuring LADYBUG LAUNCH today!

Blog readers, Melissa is giving away a picture book or chapter book critique of the first 1,000 words (fiction or nonfiction, prose or verse—no art please.)

To enter leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected in December!

Good luck!

Melissa Trempe has swum with sharks and hiked a volcano, but her greatest adventure is writing. She taught fifth and sixth grade for fourteen years, before taking a leap of faith to be a full-time author and mom extraordinaire. If you’re in need of a critique or author visit for your school, she would love to do both! Visit her website for more information at MelissaTrempe.com. Connect with her on Instagram @melissatrempe.author.

Natalia Ojeda grew up in a simple home in the southernmost country of the world: Chile. Her family had few resources, yet her faith, determination, and experience in the ladybug project helped her to overcome the odds and achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. As a mother of four girls, she wants to share her story of strength and hope with children around the world.

Manuela Montoya was born in Medellín, Columbia. She studied graphic design and advertising in her hometown and art direction in Barcelona, Spain, where she now lives. She loves working with gouache, colored pencils, ink, and digital media. Learn more at ManuMontoya.com.