By Carol Ekster I read everything I can about children’s books – the SCBWI Bulletin, Children’s Writers Magazine, kidlit blogs, Publisher’s Weekly, etc., so I
Author: Carol Gordon Ekster
Carol Gordon Ekster was a passionate elementary school teacher for 35 years. Now retired, Carol spends time in writing critique groups, doing yoga, exercising and bike riding, and working on her books. She’s grateful that her writing allows her to continue communicating with children. She is the author of Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? (A Story of Divorce), Boulden Publishing, fall 2008, an About.com Readers' Choice 2012 finalist for Best Children's Book for Single Parents, “The Library Is The Perfect Place”, in the February 2010 LibrarySparks Magazine, and the picture book, Ruth The Sleuth and The Messy Room, which came out in December 2011 on Character Publishing’s debut list. In July 2013 Ruth the Sleuth and the Messy Room was selected to receive the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval. When Character Publishing closed its doors, Mazo Publishers reprinted a paperback large print edition in 2018. Another picture book, Before I Sleep: I Say Thank You, released January 1, 2015 with Pauline Books and Media, and went into its third printing in just two years. Her first e-book, Hip Hopping Books, came out as part of Schoolwide Inc.'s digital library, May 2015. Another picture book, You Know What? came out with Clavis Books, December 2016, first in Dutch, then in English in 2017. The Korean language edition published 2019 and Chinese and Arabic editions are on their way. You Know What? was a CLEL Bell Picture Book Awards Nominee for Talk (2018) and an SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist (2018) for the New England region. Her two newest books are, Some Daddies, Beaming Books, 2022, illustrated by Javiera Maclean Alvarez, and TRUCKER KID, Capstone, 2023, illustrated by Russ Cox.
Pinterest for authors and illustrators? You bet!
By Carol Ekster As authors, we want to spend much of our time writing. But writing work is no longer just creating clever plots and
Declaring my love for writing on this Valentine’s Day
By Carol Ekster When I taught elementary school, Valentine’s Day meant envelopes overflowing with cards, a party complete with treats and games, and very excited
Meet talented illustrator, Hazel Mitchell!
CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I met Hazel Mitchell at the Kindling Words writers’ retreat. What you cannot tell from this interview is that she has the
How one small press got started: Character Publishing
UPDATE: CHARACTER PUBLISHING IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. Some titles have been acquired by other publishers. I first contacted Jerusha Bosarge through the SCBWI Discussion
Author Interview: Jane Kohuth
Jane Kohuth sent me her newest book, Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree, to look at, and in checking out her web site I found out we
