Meet Joyce Uglow and her debut picture book, Stuck! The Story of La Brea Tar 

Guest Post by Suzy Zemel

Joyce and I met in 2022 in a class sponsored by Highlights Foundation. During that time, she was excited about an upcoming trip to the La Brea Tar Pits as research for her manuscript. Her enthusiasm was contagious. I have enjoyed following Joyce’s journey to her debut picture book.  STUCK! THE STORY OF LA BREA TAR PITS came out on March 4.

Oozy, sticky asphalt seeps surprised Ice Age animals that wandered in for a drink (or an easy supper). Stuck instead, predators and prey got mired in the muck! Trapped until unearthed, uncovered, and unstuck – revealing stacks of climate science stories buried at La Brea Tar Pits.

Congratulations Joyce on your debut picture book. Tell about yourself and how you became a picture book author.

I love stories that lift us up and show that no one is too small to make a difference. I write picture books centered on wonder, combined with nature, the planet, and my child-like wow-curiosity-driven interest in bees, trees, fairies, whale families, and much more. I have poems published in several poetry anthologies as well. The latest of which is CLARA’S KOOKY COMPENDIUM OF THIMBLETHOUGHTS AND WONDERFUZZ published by Pomelo Books.

My educational background is in elementary and special education and educational leadership. Early in my career, I worked with students who experienced the need for differentiated approaches in order to learn to read. I studied and used the technique of using writing to teach reading. They grew and so did I. This expanded into using picture books as mentor texts with my second and third graders. My students and I made anchor charts of the text features, word choices, sentence variety, and other writing traits. Their writing skills stretched as did mine.

Having said that, writing picture books is deceptively simple. I needed to study the art of picture books in depth. I did that through coursework with the organizations such as Inked Voices, Highlights Foundation, the 12 X 12 Picture Book Challenge, and Writing Barn to name a few.

I serve as SCBWI Wisconsin’s Assistant Regional Advisor, 2024 round one CYBILS poetry judge, and co-founder of uGROnews on Substack. I am unwaveringly committed to curiosity and wonder. 

I did the same thing with my third graders. The right picture book clearly shows examples of what we are teaching. Where does the love for this topic come from?

I came to write this when I visited Los Angeles in 2018. My son and I toured the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which is right next door to La Brea Tar Pits. Of course, we ducked into and spent time in both museums. I became enamored with Smilodon fatalis that very day. I mean, how can one not fall in love with such a handsome megafauna such as the Saber-toothed cat? Did you know that this Ice Age cat’s canines could grow to 7 inches long? Scientists have discovered many more details about what it ate, its size, and the changes these magnificent cats underwent due to climate change. An astonishing 160,000 bones from approximately 3000 individual Saber-toothed cats have been found at La Brea. 

I remember in class your excitement for researching and writing this story. Why was it important to you to write this story?

Many writers will say that stories call to them or won’t “leave them alone”. I must say that when an idea for a picture book takes hold of me, I dig deep. STUCK! is an important book not only to showcase the amazing work being done there (It’s known worldwide!) but to also call attention to the climate change science stories that the fossil records hold. Paleobotanist Dr. Regan Dunn has found evidence that the megafauna extinctions were connected to a combination of warming and drying periods and associated with human-caused fires as well. Hmmm… 

What would you like your readers to take away from this story?

I’d like readers to be inspired to ask questions, be driven to find out more, and initiate inquiry projects. In this tumultuous climate (pun intended) and our nation’s current state of mind, I want readers to see the value in how the past can inform our present and protect our future for our kids’ planet. We humans are capable of changing our behaviors. 

The unsuspecting Ice Age animals who meandered into hidden pools from the asphalt seeps, did not know better. When they walked though, they got mired in the muck without a chance to turn around. Soap box here… We, humans, can turn things around. Use less plastic. Use and reuse environmentally friendly products. Maintain sustainable forests. Plant hope for the planet. 

 These are great take aways. What research did you do to write it? What challenges did you run into?

Even though I am passionate about reading and researching all I can find about a topic, I am an educator, not a trained paleontologist. I don’t see this as an insurmountable challenge. I see it as an opportunity. I reached out to La Brea to connect with the experts and was fortunate to have had fantastic conversations with them about their research. Know that it is challenging to keep up with the most current findings. In order to do so, a writer has to read widely and deeply.

You thoroughly did your research. I was impressed with the detailed, lengthy back matter. What did you learn that will help you complete a manuscript faster in the future?

Two features in Google Docs make the writing and researching process more efficient. The first comes from an extension called PB Author Tools. https://pbauthortools.wordpress.com/  I don’t know about you, but I used to actually COUNT the words. UGH! Now I designate any art notes and pagination with [brackets] and the PB Author Tools functions. Try it, you’ll like it! The other extension that makes things easier is called “Bibcitation”. It is a Bibliography and Citation Generator that will format your bibliography in MLA and/or APA style. A life saver, for sure! 

What advice do you have for other debut authors about creating a plan to market their first book?

My advice is to network and promote others’ work. I belong to marketing groups with members who want to lift each other up. Along with fellow members in Picture Book Peeps, Kids Book Crew, Picture Book Joy, and Kidlit Kangaroos, I am working to showcase each others’ projects. 

My One Little Word for 2025 is ELEVATE. One way that I am working to keep elevating each other is through my Substack account that my fellow writer, Kathy Groth and I launched together in January of 2025. On uGROnews we showcase authors and illustrators’ projects and their talents. My portion is the Creative Point of View interviews. It is so fun to share this plethora of beautiful projects. 

What are you currently working on?

I have several nature-based projects. They’re polished and ready for publishers to grab. 

What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever received?

It sounds simple, and it’s been said before. Read! Write! Support fellow creatives! My goal for 2025 is to read more, write while I’m waiting to hear good news, and to spread the word about beautiful books by giving positive reviews.

Where can people find you?

Besides being in my garden when it gets warm, at the library, behind a book, or at my computer writing/researching here are other places you can find me. 

Website: https://joyceuglowauthor.com
LinkTree: linktr.ee/jpuglow
Substack:https://jpuglow.substack.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpuglow/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyce.uglow/
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jpuglow.bsky.social