Authors & Illustrators Wild About Kidlit!
In honor of July 4th, I’ve collected a bevy of interesting, informative, and entertaining books to share with the children in your life. Kick back and enjoy!
VERY! That’s my conclusion. I have been reading and writing in both YA and MG for nearly twenty years (where has the time gone). My querying nightmare continues to be comps!
Carol Gordon Ekster: Phaea, more than two years ago Writers’ Rumpus interviewed you about being a debut author when JET THE CAT first came out. Now that you are an established author, what has changed for you?
When I ask writers which word confuses them the most, the most common answer is THAT! There are some complicated grammar rules, but rest assured, I waded through them and strove to make my explanations as clear and understandable as possible. I promise we’ll ease into this slowly, starting in the shallow end and moving progressively deeper.
Whether it’s an agent, editor, or reader, the first page is your first, and sometimes your only, chance to make an impression and convince them to continue with your story.
It’s June, and you know what that means… end of school freeze pops! And, of course, it’s Pride Month. Perhaps we should have rainbow sherbet instead!
Today is a very exciting day here on the blog. I have Ryan Van Cleave here with me, who, if you don’t know, is a bit of a writing and poetry rock star. And some of what he does, you may actually not know, because he has ghostwritten many books (in addition to those under his own name) and coaches and mentors many writers behind the scenes.
It had been about a year since my debut picture book, Counting to Bananas (Flamingo Books, April 2022, illustrated by Estrela Lourenço) had been acquired. My editor, Cheryl Eissing, emailed to say her team was exploring the idea of Banana possibly carrying a picture book series. Was I interested? I had never thought about writing a sequel and, as a debut author, never imagined I would be asked to. But was I interested? Seriously? Of course I was bananas about it!
JAZ: Melissa, I am honored that you agreed to this interview. Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-floor Ecosystem is fascinating! Our readers are eager to learn
Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s YA novel Torch brings 1969 Czechoslovakia to life, a time when the country is living under Soviet tyranny. The novel has won major book awards, most recently, Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature.
A friend of mine, who also happens to be a writer, gave me a book called CREATING CHARACTER ARCS, The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development, by K.M. Weiland, PenForASword Publishing, 2016. (Thank you Tina Oppici). Tina has been suggesting I read it for over two years. She finally handed me a copy and I’m glad she did.
Everyone knows that all CAPS = yelling. So, yes, I AM, in fact, yelling the title of Jenna Beatrice’s debut picture book THE LOUD LIBRARIAN at the top of my lungs. Please don’t shush me because this book (2023, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) is just too darn cute to keep quiet about!
Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Jewish contributions across American society, and there are many to choose from!
Picture book illustrations are almost limitless when it comes to the materials and techniques used to make them. It’s part of what makes them so
WRITERS' RUMPUS 