I’m not very good at multi-tasking. If I’m working on a project—whether it’s a manuscript, a presentation or a website overhaul—I want to focus on it until it’s done. So I marvel at people who seem especially talented at juggling many projects at once. People like Laura Purdie Salas, who recently agreed to an interview over […]
I’ll be talking about the Author-Agent relationship with my own agent, Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary, at the upcoming SCBWI-Carolinas conference. Although we’ve been working together for more than six years, it will be the first time we’ve actually been in the same room since we met in Boulder at the ABLA Big Sur in […]
I recently taught a picture book writing webinar called “Strong Beginnings, Satisfying Endings—and Navigating from One to the Other.” It seems to me that a lot of us get tripped up over that tricky navigating part. With (typically) only 32 pages in a picture book, and the first 3 to 4 pages used for copyright, […]
Over at PictureBookBuilders, I interview my excellent agent, Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary. Stop by to hear her take on picture book trends, her agency, and the Big Sur Writing Workshops. Leave a comment there by April 30th for a chance to win a copy of Ella WHO?, illustrated by Sara Sanchez, just out […]
Working on a picture book? Want some inspiration, instruction, and guidance? Here are two excellent opportunities to hone your skills: The Inland NW SCBWI Picture Book Webinar Series. Four sessions over four weeks with Tara Lazar, Jessixa Bagley, Josh Funk and yours truly. Sign up for a single session or all four. Best of all, you can […]
I get asked this question a lot, and it’s not always easy to answer, depending on whether the book is in print or not, or if you’d like a signed copy or not. So here’s the rundown: In-Print Books These books are available through your local bookstore, although they may not be in stock (the […]
Over at PictureBookBuilders, find out how David LaRochelle challenged himself to use just five words—those in the title of his latest book, This is NOT a Cat—to tell this story of danger and intrigue, and multiple variations on just one word (except for the surprise on the final page, but no spoilers here) in Moo! David also talks […]
The Charlotte Mecklenberg Library Foundation holds its annual EpicFest this weekend starting with Verse & Vino Thursday, November 3rd, a teen event on Friday, and a Family Festival featuring lots of kid lit authors and illustrators on Saturday at ImaginOn (schedule here). I’ll be talking books with multi-talented author-illustrator LeUyen Pham at 11 am. If you’re in the Charlotte […]
Writing a story using only dialogue—no narration, no he said/she said attributions—is a great way of paring a picture book manuscript down to its essentials. I’ve used this strategy for several of my books, including Rain!, Sailing Off to Sleep, No Dogs Allowed!, and, most recently, Hey, Coach!, which is told in the voices of […]
One of the more challenging aspects of writing picture books is the speculative nature of the process. Coming up with a story idea is easy. But is it a good idea? Or, more to the point, is it marketable idea, one that will lead to an acquisition? Unfortunately we won’t know until we actually write the […]