Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)

Pre-PiBoIdMo Day 1: Take Off with Mary Uhles (plus prizes!)

October 25, 2015 in PiBoIdMo 2015, Picture Books | Tags: Kooky Crumbs, The Little Kids' Table | 411 comments

I’m incredibly honored to be included in the run-up to PiBoIdMo 2015. You know how it feels to be in an airplane right before take off? The airplane swings out onto the runway. You look out the window and see the fat white lines of the end zone rotate under the plane. The wings bounce slightly in the turn. The flight attendants tuck the air pressure bags into their armpits and walk away down the aisle. And then, just a for a second, right before the pilot hits the throttle, the entire plane gets very, very still. . . poised to leap into the future. That’s Pre-PiBoIdMo Day 1. For the next 35 days you will be leaping into the future. And, while it may seem suddenly still back in the cabin of the airplane, in the cockpit the pilot is actually going down a very specific checklist for the flight ahead. Let’s look at your checklist for PiBoIdMo:

Commitment? (You’ll need it on Day 1)
Imagination? (You’ll need it on Day 15 when you think “geez am I only half way there?”)
Self Forgiveness? (you’ll need it for day 27 when you think “I’ll never have another good idea ever!”)
Finger on the pulse of your inner child? (You’ll need it every day, that’s what turns great ideas into books)

When I start making art or writing a story I have an external and internal checklist. The external list is the one that helps me procrastinate:

Do I have all my other work done? (No? Oh well, I have to finish THAT first)
Do I have good music or a radio program to listen to? (No? Oh well, I can’t possibly work without proper inspiration)
Do I have time to work right now? (No? Oh well, I shouldn’t even start if I’m going to be interrupted!)

Kooky-Crumbs LKT-cover-for-evite

You get the idea. If I let that checklist run things most of my art would never get off the ground. I worked on THE LITTLE KIDS’ TABLE and KOOKY CRUMBS almost simultaneously for a year. Illustrating two books with a huge cast of characters while balancing my other illustrations, writing projects, and life in general was a turbulent journey (I wrote a post about my time management here.) But even with the best time management, I learned that my illustrations would be ho-hum and my effort wasted if I couldn’t get to the beginning of my own runway. Where everything was very, very still. Where it’s just me and the artwork. Me and my characters. Me and the brush and the paper and the color. In that place the funniest, saddest, angriest, happiest, most memorable ideas and images came out onto my drawing table. While working on both books I developed my internal checklist. It’s a little different. It has only one question:

Can I reach beyond the distractions of now, beyond my brain saying “that’s a stupid idea”, beyond worrying if I’m good enough, beyond worrying if anyone else will like it, all the way to the place where I’m telling the story that only I can tell?

PiBoIdMo-ers, your mission on this flight is to complete that checklist. At your final destination you’ll be greeted by a gaggle of brand new characters.They are your BEST ideas and they are waiting for you. Ready for take-off? Then let’s push that throttle forward.

Mary Reaves Uhles has illustrated THE LITTLE KID’S TABLE by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle (Sleeping Bear 2015); KOOKY CRUMBS by J. Patrick Lewis (Kane Miller 2016); and the adventure series, BEYOND THE GRAVE, by Dottie Enderle (ABDO Magic Wagon Press 2013). Mary has twice been awarded the Grand Prize for Illustration from the SCBWI Midsouth Conference and her piece, EAT was a finalist in the 2014 SCBWI Bologna Book Fair Gallery. Prior to beginning her career as a freelance illustrator, Mary worked as an animator on projects for Warner Brothers and Fisher-Price Interactive. She serves as the Illustrator Coordinator for the Midsouth region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Since creating characters and stories is her favorite thing in the world (even more than mocha fudge ice cream) she feels mighty lucky to do it every day in her hilltop studio. Find her online at www.maryuhles.com and Twitter @maryuhles and Facebook.com/maryuhles.

PrizeDetails (2)

Mary Uhles is giving away an illustrator portfolio critique AND a copy of her newest picture book, THE LITTLE KIDS’ TABLE. These are two prizes for two winners!

Leave a comment for a chance to win. One comment per person, please. (In your comment, please note “CRITIQUE” if you would like to be considered for the illustrator prize.)

These prizes will be given away at the conclusion of PiBoIdMo. You will be eligible for these prizes if:

You have registered for PiBoIdMo.
You have commented ONCE ONLY on today’s post.
You have completed the PiBoIdMo challenge.

Good luck, everyone!

PiBoIdMo 2015 Registration is CLOSED!

October 25, 2015 in PiBoIdMo 2015 | 1,781 comments

Registration for PiBoIdMo 2015 is CLOSED! You can still participate by following the daily blog posts and jotting down your ideas, but you will not be eligible for prizes.

Hop aboard!

dogconga

The first signpost on our journey?

Your PiBoIdMo guest-blogger line-up!

Even Anthony Michael Hall agrees, this club is totally cool.

cool

These authors, illustrators and picture book professionals will provide daily doses of inspiration to help you along on your 30-day idea journey this November.

And don’t forget—there’s Pre-PiBo beginning THIS AFTERNOON, to get you organized and ready. And then in early December, there’s Post-PiBo to help you prioritize your ideas and flesh them out.

Participants who register for PiBoIdMo and complete the 30-idea challenge will be eligible for prizes, including signed picture books, original art, critiques, Skype sessions and feedback from one of the “lucky 13” picture book agents. This year’s agents are:

Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency
Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary
Ginger Harris, Liza Royce Agency
Susan Hawk, The Bent Agency
Teresa D. Kietlinski, Prospect Agency
Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary Management
Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary Agency
Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties
Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency
Kathleen Rushall, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Jodell Sadler, Sadler Children’s Literary
Sara Scuito, Fuse Literary
Deborah Warren, East-West Literary

Need more info about PiBoIdMo before you register? Read this.

And review the PiBoIdMo FAQ.

catreading

So are you ready to register? You need to do THREE THINGS:

Write your FULL NAME in a comment below. Only leave ONE COMMENT. Please DO NOT reply to anyone else’s comments. DO NOT make a second comment if you forgot your FULL NAME. I will contact you. If you don’t see your comment immediately, please read the FAQ.
Follow this blog. Anyway you choose. Look in the left column, under my photo, for the email follow button (“Follow Tara’s Blog”). There’s also RSS in the top menu or you can follow in your WordPress reader.
Place the participant badge somewhere in your social media (blog, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc.). Link back to taralazar.com from the badge if you can. If you don’t have any social media accounts, skip this one.

(Thanks to my LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD illustrator Troy Cummings for this year’s logo!)

Remember, comment below ONLY ONCE with your FULL NAME. This is the most important piece of registration!

Other optional thingamabobs:

Grab PiBoIdMo merchandise, like the official journal. All proceeds ($3 per item) benefit RIF if you use this link: cafepress.com/piboidmo. RIF puts books into the hands of underprivileged children.
Use the #PiBoIdMo hashtag when tweeting about the event….and follow @TaraLazar on Twitter.
Join the PiBoIdMo Facebook discussion group. This is a closed group meaning you must request to join and I will approve you. (Note: the name says “2011″ but it is the current group.)

That’s it. You’re golden!

REGISTRATION REMAINS OPEN THROUGH NOVEMBER 5th. You can still follow along if you’re not registered, but remember, those who register AND complete the challenge are eligible for PRIZES.

Visit this blog for daily inspiration from the guest bloggers, then keep a journal or computer file of your ideas. There’s no need to post your ideas online or send them to me. Do not share them. They are your intellectual property. As Sheena Easton croons: “for your eyes only.”

sheena

At the end of the month, I’ll ask you to sign the PiBo-Pledge confirming you did create 30 ideas. You’re on the honor system.

Finally, I am able to bring you this event for free every year because of my books. I’d appreciate you supporting them in whatever way you can–by purchasing them, giving them as gifts, reviewing them, asking your library to carry them. Visit this page for all my book info and activities: Tara’s Books. Thank you!

I will leave you with a quote that serves as PiBoIdMo’s motto…from Roald Dahl’s THE MINPINS…

roalddahlquotepibo

Lotsa Winners! And PiBoIdMo Update!

October 5, 2015 in Normal Norman, PiBoIdMo, PiBoIdMo 2015 | Tags: Giveaways, winners | 24 comments

Oh boy, I didn’t realize how far behind I was in picking winners to various giveaways. I would say “my bad” but I don’t like that phrase.”My laziness” is more like it!

lazydog

Well, things have been BUSY, though. I’ve got three–soon to be four–manuscripts under submission. And I’ve been editing others on their way to the printer. NORMAL NORMAN, out next March, just got a cover! Isn’t he (and his junior scientist pal) adorable???

There’s supposed to be a giveaway for LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD on Goodreads, but it hit some snafu and I’m trying to get it snafuless. Un-snafued? And don’t even get me started on Facebook ads! I’ve been getting emails “Your ad has been approved” and then ten minutes later, “Your ad has been disapproved” and then “That was a mistake, you are approved” in an endless loop.

Finally, I’ve been firming up the schedule for this year’s PiBoIdMo. I’m almost ready to go with the guest blogging calendar, agent-prizes, 2015 logo and participant badges (all by Troy Cummings). You’ll definitely want to meet our new friend “Bulby”! Please be sure to join our PiBoIdMo Facebook discussion group for all the latest/greatest.

I’m also making PDF hand-outs for PiBoIdMo Kick-Off parties if your SCBWI chapter wants to host a picture book schmooze-fest in late October or early November. I’m available to Skype into your party, too. As usual, I’ll be in my pajamas.

pajamadance

Just email me at tarakidlit at gmail for details. (And dance moves.)

Anyway, here are all the WINNAHS from recent (and not-so-recent) contests. I’ll be emailing y’all shortly! Congratulations!

FGD_1

FIRST GRADE DROPOUT Winner:

KAREN LAWLER!

HI RES BATS & FROGS cover

IT’S RAINING BATS & FROGS Winner:

FRANNYB!

therewasanolddragon

THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON Winner:

SANDY PERLIC!

bearbookwithinbook

FRACTURED FAIRY TALE SKYPE Winners:

KATRINA MOORE
KORBY SAUNDERS
JEN GARRETT
AMY BANSAK
HELENA DRENNAN

Thanks everyone!

Hmmm…I need a clever ending to this post. I always do a clever ending!

Oh, I got nuthin’. Kermit, take over for me, will ya?

Five Reasons NOT to Self-Publish & Five Reasons You Should

September 16, 2015 in Publishing | Tags: self publish, Self-Publishing | 27 comments

As one of the top kidlit writing websites, one that appears first in numerous Google searches, with thousands of followers, thousands of daily hits…

ladee

…I’m here to tell you that this platform doesn’t necessarily yield book sales. It yields emails from writers asking how to self-publish.

(Speaking of my books, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK was just released and LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD comes out next month. Did you get yours yet?)

Listen, I’m not bashing those who want to be their own children’s publisher. Everyone dreams of being an author, don’t they? There are some projects that are close to people’s hearts. Stories they want to share, to inspire others. And everyone has to start somewhere. A lot of people seem to start with me.

But why me? I have no experience in self-publishing. Zero. I don’t know the first thing about it and I’d be lost if I tried to do it myself!

Here are my top 5 reasons for choosing NOT to self-publish picture books:

You prefer the professional backing of a traditional publisher, from production to distribution to promotion.
You aren’t an illustrator. You want a publisher who can attract top-notch illustrative talent.
You realize how difficult it is to sell a book to the public, to bookstores, to libraries, to schools…and could not do it alone.
You welcome input from the creative team and find it invaluable for making your book the best it can possibly be.
You prefer advances over expenses.

These are my personal reasons. Your mileage may vary, but I’m guessing that many traditionally-published authors feel similarly.

Here are my top 5 reasons to choose self-publishing:

The story you want to tell—you MUST tell—isn’t commercial enough to secure a traditional publisher, or it is in an experimental or non-standard format.
You prefer artistic autonomy.
You have capital available to invest in quality contractors to help you with the entire process, from production to distribution to promotion.
You have an established platform/audience via which to promote and sell the book.
You enjoy taking risks. You thrive on it!

If you really want the low-down on self-publishing children’s books, Kidlit411 has put together a marvelous resource list. Also read Chuck Wendig (stop calling it “self-publishing” and get your boomcake on). Check out Will Terry and Dar Hosta, two successful independent author-illustrators.

Me, I’m probably the worst source of information on self-publishing. Unless you’re reading this post. Then I’m okay.

And maybe I’m a better source when it comes to giving advice to on-a-whim-don’t-wanna-do-this-for-a-living writers. Here’s a conversation I tend to have once a week:

“You know, I wrote a little story like Goodnight Moon last year. Now I need to find an agent, right?”

“Oh, that’s great, but I’m going to be completely and brutally honest with you here: it’s not something you’ll want to do unless your heart is set on it as a career.”

ohreally

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. It takes years to land an agent. And then, sometimes, years to find a publisher, if you even find one at all.”

ohreally

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Well, I just wanted to have a hard copy for the kids. Maybe I should try Snapfish?”

“Yes, absolutely. Snapfish is wonderful.”

snap

P.S. I also recommend Storybird, Bueller.

PiBoidMo Success Stories from Catherine Bailey

September 3, 2015 in Uncategorized | Tags: Catherine Bailey, MIND YOUR MONSTERS, PiBoIdMo Success Story, Sterling | 42 comments

by guest blogger Catherine Bailey

You call her Tara Lazar. I call her Dream-Maker-Genius-Lady. And thanks to Dream-Maker-Genius-Lady, and her month-long picture book idea challenge PiBoIdMo, I now have three picture book contracts.

Tara chose this GIF because she always wanted to be Sherilyn Fenn.

I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI.org) in 2010. Soon after I joined Verla Kay’s Blueboards, now accessible through the SCWBI website. That is where I heard about PiBoIdMo.

I’ll admit at first I did not understand all the hubbub. Come up with a PB idea per day? Who would check to make sure I did it? What if I didn’t? Was I supposed to call somebody? What else happened during PiBoIdMo? Then it clicked. I had to work on my writing–even if just for a bit–EVERY SINGLE DAY. Plus there were these motivational, insightful daily posts! I felt like I had struck PB gold.

Suddenly I was focused and taking my writing seriously. I made time to write. I made goals. I made lists. Long, gloriously detailed lists–of ideas, agents, publishers, writing techniques, bookstores, dream editors, dream illustrators…

On one of those lists was idea #17: How Do You Move a Monster? It was something my toddler had asked me. That’s it. There was no plot or character or anything–just that title. When I went back to idea #17 over a year later, I had an answer. You ask the monster to move… politely. Then a manuscript sprouted. After months of polishing, I shipped the story off to a few well-researched publishers.

Lo and behold, Sterling Publishing contacted me. I was plucked from the slush and THERE WAS INTEREST. Of course I just about died. I ate donuts and cried. And I contacted an agent who I had pursued earlier, Kathleen Rushall. Within a few days she agreed to represent me and from there INTEREST turned into and OFFER which turned into a CONTRACT which turned into me EATING MORE DONUTS.

donuts

The title changed to MIND YOUR MONSTERS and the book debuted this August. Here is the fabulous cover and some interior sketches:

black_and_white_01

black_and_white_05

In the meantime, my toddler became an actual kid, we had another baby, and I kept participating in PiBoIdMo. Instead of making a new “Idea” list, I just added to the old one which was (rather optimistically) titled “101 Picture Book Ideas.” Did I have 101 Picture Book Ideas at this point? No. Nope. Nerp. But I knew I would eventually, thanks to Dream-Maker-Genius-Lady and her website of wonders.

Then I turned two more PiBoIdMo ideas into manuscripts. One was simply listed as “Hypnosis/stuck in trance” and the other was “Lucy loves Bobo—maybe Bobo is a lobster?” With time, work, and the input of an amazing critique group, those weird little baby-ideas turned in HYPNOSIS HARRY and LUCY LOVES SHERMAN, both of which sold to Sky Pony Press.

Today my “101 Picture Book Ideas” list includes over 200 entries. And thanks to Tara, I mean Dream-Maker-Genius-Lady, it is pure habit for me to add ideas to this list whenever something pops in my mind. And speaking of lists, here is a very brief recap of what I got out of PiBoIdMo.

Ideas. Okay, so that one is obvious.
A concrete starting place I can go to when I am stumped/motivated/annoyed with a current project. Like an anchor on a little boat in a big sea, this is very reassuring and grounding.
Confirmation that writing is work and deserves the respect and focus of any other job – which for me means planned writing time, specific goals, and occasionally…donuts.

So thank you Dream-Maker-Genius-Lady. Thank you for inspiring and motivating me. And thank you for taking me to what I call Contract-Landia! Now c’mon November–let’s go PiBoIdMo!

PiBoIdMo 2015 registration will begin HERE (yes, I mean right here, on this blog, so there’s no link to click) in late October. I hope to see you then!

How to Write Fractured Fairy Tales (plus Skype classroom visit prizes!)

August 31, 2015 in I Thought This Was a Bear Book, Little Red Gliding Hood | Tags: fractured fairy tales | 33 comments

How to Write (2)

I’ve written a buncha fractured fairy tales and two are available this year: I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK and LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD. (That was totally unplanned! The picture book gods arranged it.)

In the video below, I offer my favorite tips for creating your own fractured fairy tales, whether you’re a kidlit writer, a teacher/educator or a 2nd grader. Below that is a PDF version with more tips and a link to a Pinterest board of more than 100 suggested fractured fairy tale picture books.

It’s a fractured fairy tale flurry of fabulousness! (Interestingly, none of my tips have to do with alliteration.)

How to Write a Fractured Fairy Tale PDF:

$fracturefairytalePDFimage$

Fractured Fairy Tale Picture Books Pinterest:

$fracturedfairytalepinterest$

Teachers, leave a comment about your favorite fractured fairy tale and I’ll randomly select FIVE commenters for a FREE CLASSROOM SKYPE VISIT! I’m in a land far, far away but you’ll remember our Skype visit happily ever after! (Bwaaa haaa haaa!)

Contest ends September 21st and visits will be scheduled for October.

Good luck!

I Thought This Was a Coloring Page…? OH WAIT! IT IS! (plus winners!)

August 14, 2015 in I Thought This Was a Bear Book, Picture Books | Tags: Benji Davies, coloring page, fractured fairytale, winners | 8 comments

I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK, released last week (!!!!!), tells a fractured fairytale only in dialogue…which I wouldn’t normally recommend, because the speech bubbles can obscure illustrations. But if you’re working with the genius that is Benji Davies, you don’t have to worry. Because somehow, he fits it all in! And it’s all gorgeous, dahlinks!

This book took four years to come to print—like a fine bouillabaisse, it simmered long. (Sorry, I just heard that on TV and guffawed, so I had to use it.)

Here’s one of my favorite spreads of the book turned into a coloring page. It’s a quick PDF download. Click it, print it out, share it, make up dialogue for Prince Zilch and Papa Bear! What are they saying? (Is it something about the tourists posting to Instagram? I dunno, they don’t look like millenials to me.)

Enjoy!

And now…onto some winnahs…

First, let me say this to everyone who has bought the book, shared it and otherwise helped spread the word:

Merci Buckets (1)

See, my buckets overfloweth! (Overfloweth = what I think Gwyneth should have named Apple.)

It takes a village to sell a book, and I’m grateful!

Here are the winners of a signed, personalized I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK from my Facebook author page and PiBoIdMo group contest:

JANET DISOTELL
CARISSA MINA
DAMON DEAN

Congratulations! I’ll be contacting you shortly to arrange delivery!

Well, now I must bid you a fair adieu because I’m taking a little blogging break. (Honestly, if I can stay away for three days, I’ll be flabbergasted. Like you were reading the “fine bouillabaisse” line above.)

bouillabaisse

GONE FISHING! (To make this, of course!)

List of 100+ Monsters (it’s monstrous fun!)

August 13, 2015 in The Monstore | Tags: list of monsters, monster list, Monsters | 22 comments

We haven’t gone on our summer beach vacation yet, but retailers are already finito with “Back to School” and onto Halloween. Go figure. They must have missed the IT’S STILL AUGUST memo.

So to jump-start your monstrous season (and to reduce your shock over obscene displays of candy), here’s a list of over 100 monsters. Some hail from local folklore, some from novels. Some are mythological and some have graced (which is totally the wrong word) the silver screen. Some are computerized and some are human. Maybe. I’m not entirely sure. Some are friendly, some EAT BRAINS. (And thus, are not very friendly.) All are MONSTERS.

Enjoy…if you dare! Bwaaaa haaa haaaaaaaaa!!!

listof100monsters

If you like monsters, you’ll enjoy my book THE MONSTORE, where you can buy your own!

Abominable Snowman
Alien (Xenomorph)
Audrey II
Automatons
Bane
Basilisk
Beelzebub (The Devil)
Beetlejuice (Betelgeuse)
Bigfoot
Body Snatcher
Boogeyman
The Blob
Centaur
Champ (Lake Champlain Monster)
Chimera
Chuckie
Chupacabra
Clover
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creepers (from Minecraft)
The Critters
The Crypt Keeper
Cyclops
Damien (“The Omen”)
Demon Possession in “The Exorcist”
Dracula
Dragons
Drakon
The Elephant Man
Elmo
The Fly (Brundlefly)
Flying Spaghetti Monster
Frankenstein
Freddy Kruger
Gargoyle
Ghosts
Ghoulies
Gnomes
Goblins
Godzilla
The Graboids
Gremlin
Griffin (Gryphon)
The Grinch
Grover
Gurumapa
HAL 9000
Headless Horseman
Hobgoblin
Hornswagger
Hunchback
Hydra
Incubus
It
Jason (“Friday the 13th”)
Jaws
Jersey Devil
King Kong
The Kraken
Lākhey
Leatherface
Leprechaun
Leviathan
Loch Ness Monster
Malificient
Manfred, Mookie & Mojo (“The Monstore”)
Martians
Medusa
Mike Myers
Mike Wazowski
Minotaur
The Mummy
Mr. Hyde
The Night Wump
Ogopogo
Oscar the Grouch
The Pale Green Pants (with nobody inside them!)
The Penguin
Phantom of the Opera
Phoenix
Pinhead
Poltergeists
Pumpkinhead
Red-Hot-Smoke-Belching Gruncher
Sandworm
Sasquatch
She-Wolf
Sigmund the Sea Monster
Sirens
The Sith
Skeletor
The Sleestaks
Slender Man
Snozzwangler
Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
Succubus
Sulley
Swamp Thing
Talos
Tar Man
The Terminator
Terrible Bloodsuckling Toothpluckling Stonechuckling Spittler
The Thing
Trolls
Typhon
Vampires
Vermicious Knid
Voldemort
Werewolf
Whangdoodle
Wild Things (“Where the Wild Things Are”)
Wicked Witch of the West
Wolfman
Yeti
Zombies

Thanks to Josh Funk for helping to compile this list…which I’ll keep adding to periodically.

It’s Raining PiBoIdMo Success Stories! (plus a giveaway!)

August 11, 2015 in Picture Books | Tags: Giveaway, Giveaways, It's Raining Bats and Frogs, Rebecca Colby | 303 comments

by guest blogger Rebecca Colby

I like to think of myself as Tara’s biggest fan. Although we’ve never met, she unwittingly got me through a very rough time. She’s also gotten me into the habit of generating ideas every day, and I credit her with three picture book success stories.

The year 2009 was a very bad year for me. By the time I discovered Tara and her month-long picture book idea challenge, I’d spent five months sick in bed. I needed something to take my mind off my misery and PiBoIdMo did the trick. While none of the ideas I generated that first year amounted to much, the challenge helped keep me sane.

The following year I couldn’t wait for November to arrive. Tara lined up another month of non-stop inspiration from published picture book authors and illustrators, and by acting on guest blogger Sudipta Barden-Quallen’s advice, I came up with a few ideas for fractured fairy tales. A story I wrote from one of those ideas went on to win the SCBWI 2011 Barbara Karlin grant. (The details of this PiBoIdMo success story can be found here.)

Then PiBoIdMo 2011 rolled around. I was absolutely giddy with excitement. Tara wasn’t yet a published rock star picture book author but I still worshiped the cyberspace she typed on, and she now had a fan for life. But instead of setting up a fan club (which I’m still considering doing), I decided the best way to show my appreciation would be to share word of her motivational challenge with anyone and everyone who I thought might be even remotely interested. So that’s what I did, and then I got busy generating more ideas.

Going into the 2011 challenge, I knew I wanted to write a story about a witch, but I couldn’t come up with any story ideas for my character. So I did what I often do when I need to solve a problem—I went for a walk. Now I live in England, and November in England is rainy. In fact, most months in England are rainy, but November is guaranteed to be one of the rainiest and while I was out walking, it started to pour down that heavy kind of rain when people say “it’s raining cats and dogs”. But I was trying to think of a story idea for a witch. That’s when the title came to me: “It’s Raining Bats & Frogs”. As I thought more about this idea, another saying came to me, “It’s raining on my parade.” Because I enjoy the use of juxtaposition in my writing—in this case ‘witches’ and ‘a parade’–I knew I had the rest of my idea. I’d write about a witch parade that was being rained on and how the rain made the witches miserable.

I had a lot of fun developing the idea, but it took me a good ten months to write and revise the story. It was nearly time for PiBoIdMo 2012 before I started submitting it, and despite it being Halloween season, no one wanted it. Soon I was in the midst of an intense teacher training course and put further submissions on hold. Then a few months later, one of my critique partners shared a tweet with me from agent, Kathleen Rushall. Kathleen was looking for picture books with little witches. I immediately sent her It’s Raining Bats & Frogs. Within 24 hours, she offered me representation, and within a week she sold the book. I was over the moon! And I’m over the moon again today because that very book has finally released and Tara has generously allowed me to share some highlights from the book on her blog. So here goes:

The main character, Delia, looks forward all year to flying in the annual Witch Parade, but parade day brings heavy rain. Using her best magic, she changes the rain…

…first to cats and dogs,

…and later to bats and frogs.

But neither of these changes work too well, and each new type of rain brings a new set of problems.

I won’t spoil the story for you but suffice it to say that Delia does eventually find a spell to save the day.

And my PiBoIdMo success stories (and consequently my fan girl adoration) don’t end there. Since contacting Tara about this post, idea #43 from 2014 has sold. But that’s a story for another day–and a story that wouldn’t have been made possible without Tara and Picture Book Idea Month. Thanks for having me today, Tara, and roll on November!

Thank you, Rebecca! This is a phenomenal story and I wish even more success stories for you, PiBoIdMo or not!

To show her gratitude, Rebecca is giving away a signed copy of IT’S RAINING BATS AND FROGS, which releases TODAY! (It is a Tuesday, remember!)

Leave a comment below to enter. If you share via social media, leave one comment per share on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, Vine, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

A winner will be randomly selected in about two weeks!

Good luck!

Rebecca is a picture book author and poet. Her books include: It’s Raining Bats & Frogs (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2015) and There was a Wee Lassie who Swallowed a Midgie (Floris Picture Kelpies, 2014).

Before writing for children, Rebecca inspected pantyhose, taught English in Taiwan, worked for a Russian comedian and traveled the world as a tour director. Learn more about Rebecca at www.rebeccacolbybooks.com or follow her on Twitter at @amscribbler.

What It’s Like to be a Picture Book Debutante with Penny Parker Klostermann, an OLD DRAGON, plus a giveaway!

August 4, 2015 in Picture Books | Tags: Ben Mantle, Debut, Emu's Debuts, Penny Parker Klostermann, Random House, THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT | 123 comments

Three [hundred] cheers for Penny Parker Klostermann, whose debut picture book THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT debuts TODAY from Random House!

I’m chatting with Penny about being a debutante—besides the glittery tiara and the boutonnière, what it’s like and what she would recommend to others twirling through the same shindig. It’s a tremendous learning experience. Umm, let me rephrase that…it’s the JUST THE BEGINNING of a tremendously exciting learning experience.

PPK_0615_RGB_HR_01

Penny, what was your breakthrough moment? I’m not necessarily talking about when you got your agent or your debut deal, but when you realized that you had crossed over from TRYING to do this book thing to KNOWING that you were going to get published?

I honestly didn’t KNOW until I was offered a deal. I felt I had a good chance of getting published because of winning runner-up for the SCBWI Barbara Karlin Grant and getting an agent, but I was immersed enough in the kidlit community that I knew how difficult it was to get published. I knew that my manuscript had to land on the right desk at the right moment.

Now one thing I did KNOW is that I was taking getting published very seriously. I listened when people said to read tons of picture books. I listened when they said to learn from critiques and not get defensive. I read blog posts, books, etc. on writing picture books. So what I’m saying is I worked hard and behaved like an author.

What makes you a) most excited about your debut book AND b) most anxious?

I’m most excited about having this dream come true. I can’t wait to see my book in stores and on library shelves. I believe my book will make kids laugh and I’m very excited about that!

I’m most anxious about criticism. I’d like to say, “Well, I love my book so I’ll be able to take all criticism in stride and move on without it effecting me in the least.” But the truth is that I know I’ll be sensitive to negative comments and will have to learn to take them in stride and move on…but it will affect me.

rhfall2015

I noticed that the Random House Picture Books fall 2015 brochure has DRAGON on the cover. That’s got to feel awesome to have a lead title as your debut!

It does feel awesome. I was shocked when they told me it would be a key title…shocked but thrilled. I saw it in the Baker & Taylor catalog. The store where I’m doing my signing gave me a copy. I’d love to have more copies…my sisters want one. 🙂

I was thrilled. I just hope it helps with sales.

I’ve also seen these cute illustrated jokes floating around on social media! What a clever campaign!

dragonslayer

Are you doing anything special to celebrate the launch? Either personal or promotional?

I’m having a signing on release day at a local bookstore/gift store. He promotes books. Has a column in the newspaper. He connected me with the TV station and I’ve done one interview and have a 2nd tomorrow. Then another newspaper editor did a color spread this past Friday.

That same bookstore owner signed me up to be a feature author for the fall book festival, too. I’ll do 10 school visits and 4 talks.

I’m doing a signing in Denver in October. In November my publicist set up 2 school visits in conjunction with a bookstore in Houston.

That’s all for now. I’d like to more events but it takes a lot of money and time away from writing.

I hear ya! I’ve done plenty of events that netted me nothing financially, and that’s time I could have spent creating my next book. It’s very difficult to know which events will be worthwhile endeavors, but in general, it tends to be the ones for which you are paid.

What has surprised you most about the debut experience…and what do you recommend to other authors awaiting their debut release?

What surprised me the most was that there wasn’t a national fireworks display planned in my book’s honor! I mean I felt like there should be plans for fireworks…these are exciting times! Seriously, I have fireworks going off in my head because my book is going to be out in the world, but in the waiting life goes along like it always has: writing, reading, critiquing, learning.

Here are your fireworks, Penny!

But along with that are a lot of things you can do to prepare for the launch. I read a lot of blog posts about launches, launch parties, book signings, blog tours, etc. I digested what others were saying and then started making plans. It was surprising to me how much time I spent on these extra “writing” tasks .They’re not really writing but they needed attention which took me away from my real writing more than I liked. As far as advice to authors awaiting their debut deal? Just be aware that you will have these extra tasks. When you come across information about releases, bookmark it. I just wrote a blog post for Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 about preparing for my launch. In that post I reference Lisa Schroeder’s helpful “Timeline and Checklist” post.

Your illustrator Ben Mantle has two books releasing today–yours and Beth Ferry’s LAND SHARK. How do you think he’s feeling today? Have you chatted with him about this auspicious coincidence?

Ben has got to be thrilled. I’m thrilled for him. He so talented. I can’t wait to read Beth Ferry’s book. It looks adorable. I’ve congratulated Ben but haven’t chatted with him about this. It sure would be fun to have a chat. He’s being interviewed by my fellow EMUs at EMU’s Debuts this week so it will be nice to hear what he has to say.

Oh, and I’m so glad you mentioned the EMUs! For those who aren’t familiar with this flock, it’s a group of debut authors represented by the Erin MUrphy Literary Agency (hence the EMU name). I encourage other debut authors to follow this blog’s excellent example of grouping together for support, promotion and fun!