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I'm the author of fifteen children's books with two more on deck. I'm also a wife, mother, visiting author to elementary schools, cat lover and proud member of the SCBWI. Titles include: Tae Kwon Do! * Mother Goose Rhymes * Pet Jokes That Will Make You Howl! * Goofy Knock-Knocks * Greatest Goofiest Jokes * Two Tales of Hawaii * Hawaii A-Z
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Today on EMUS Debuts, I share some book promotion links that I've found helpful as I move forward in planning events for my upcoming book releases.
Book promotion can be a bit mind-boggling for many authors (including myself!). Each book requires its own special promotional events, so my hope is to share resources and help other writers who are experiencing that feeling of "swirling the drain" as they plan for their book release.
Enjoy!
Over at EMUS Debuts this week, we're celebrating the launch of Elaine Vickers's middle-grade novel, LIKE MAGIC! Author Jason Gallaher asked the EMUS if we had any significant friendships that had changed our lives. Of course, I just had to talk about my husband, Mark.
Read Jason's piece here (and get to laugh at my high school homecoming dance picture!)
Happy Halloween!
I just wanted to remind folks of this terrific Halloween event being put on by
Curious City. What a great way to put stories into the hands of children! Read all about it
here! Or better yet, watch their video!
This week on EMU'S DEBUTS, we're celebrating the release of Elly Swartz's debut novel, FINDING PERFECT.
We have many terrific posts about Elly's middle-grade novel, a story about an OCD girl determined to have a perfect family. I especially enjoyed
today's post, were
Hayley Barrett asks, "What advice would you give your 12-year old self?" I think it's interesting to pause for a moment and think about yourself at a younger age, consider where you were then and how far you've come to where you are now.
What would you say to your younger self?
This week EMU'S DEBUTS has been celebrating the launch of Donna Janell Bowman's debut picture book, STEP RIGHT UP. It's a fabulous picture book biography about Doc and Jim Key and how they began the humane treatment of animals movement. Every day, a new post has been made to give insight into the creation of this wonderful book.
Today, Cynthia Levinson lets readers get to know some of the EMUS a little more closely by sharing stories and pictures of their own pets. I've always said that behind every great author there's a cat (or dog or horse or some furry, finned or feathered creature!). Enjoy Cynthia's post here!
Donna Janell Bowman's debut picture book is out! STEP RIGHT UP: HOW DOC AND JIM KEY TAUGHT THE WORLD ABOUT KINDNESS is a beautiful story about the relationship between a man and a horse and how that relationship began the humane movement.
Read an interview with Donna Janell Bowman here and an interview with her editor here.
Want to buy the book? Visit it on
Amazon.
Fellow EMLA author Maria Gianferrari is giving a free copy of her book, OFFICER KATZ AND HOUNDINI: A TALE OF TWO TAILS on Goodreads. Check it out here!
And check-out Trick or Reaters' terrific alternative to candy giveaways at Halloween---free STORIES!
Wow, the writing business can be full of happy surprises. I am so fortunate to have two books coming out in the spring 2017.
MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN (illustrated by Carol Schwartz, published by Tilbury House) is a rhyming cumulative picture book about insects you'd find in a garden. It has a release date of January 31, 2017.
MAMA LOVES YOU SO (illustrated by Simone Shin, published by Little Simon) is a rhyming board book that celebrates a mother’s love trumping even majestic mother nature. If you know me, you know I'm a huge nature-lover so I used nature metaphors to illustrate the power of a mother's love. Little Simon is releasing this book on March 14, 2017.
Two books with release-dates about six weeks apart. But this week, I saw where both covers appeared online. WOW! Just look at these...
AREN'T THEY GORGEOUS???
I am so lucky to have two amazing illustrators create the art for my words. Thank you, Carol and Simone! If you'd like some more eye candy, please visit their websites:
I think I need to go on vacation more often. Why? Because good things seem to happen when I'm away from my desk. What's new, you might ask? Well...
Upon returning from the annual Erin Murphy Literary Agency Retreat in June, I received a contract from Tilbury House for my picture book manuscript, MOTHER EARTH'S LULLABY. Woohoo! This story was part of my creative thesis at VCFA and is close to my heart so I'm thrilled that I'll see it in print (and more importantly, that young children will get to see it in book form). I've loved working with Tilbury House on my other picture book, MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN (illustrated by the amazing Carol Schwartz, Spring 2017) so I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and start on this project.
The other terrific thing that happened two days ago is that my upcoming board book, MAMA LOVES YOU SO, was listed in Publisher's Weekly "Spring 2017 Sneak Previews." I'm so excited to have this story published by Little Simon and illustrated by the fabulous Simone Shin. As soon as I receive permission to share the cover, I will! (it's gorgeous so you won't want to miss it). Though I wrote this story as a picture book (and my agent pitched it as a picture book), Little Simon wanted to produce it as a board book to include in their new line, Stories to Start (books for parents to share with their babies).
There you have it! With great news like this, I'm not sure I should ever go back to my office! But when I do, I'll probably be moving like this...
I'm thrilled to announce that Tilbury House has acquired my picture book, MY BUSY GREEN GARDEN. Woohoooo! This rollicking cumulative rhyming story has a tentative publication date of Spring 2017. I'm so excited to have the chance to plant the seeds of reading in young people's minds with this story.
The first picture book manuscript I ever wrote was about ocean animals. I hadn’t done any research about children’s writing, much less the specifics of picture books. I just wrote—and in rhyme too! (yikes!) I then attended a children’s writing conference and found myself utterly confused because so many editors kept saying that they wanted character-driven stories, not plot-driven. Hmm…my story didn’t have either of those things! But then, after doing some research at home (studying the craft—which I should have done first), I discovered there was a type of picture book called “concept books.”
Like my story, concept books often lack characters and their problems. They also lack a plot (e.g., rising story arc), instead structured by other frameworks, such as the alphabet, numbers, time, categories or a host of other structures. I was thrilled to discover this wonderful type of picture book! My story “fit” in somewhere. Through the years, I’ve learned more about concept books, which is why I wanted to write this—to help others understand more about these wonderful treasures in the picture book world.
What they are…
Concept books (either fiction or nonfiction) introduce children to an idea, concept or theme such as (but not limited to) the alphabet, counting, colors or shapes.
Sometimes they tell a story using a character or they focus on a concept using some other form of structure (such as the alphabet). A classic example of a straightforward concept book is
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. My own
Blackberry Banquet is a rhyming concept book with a cumulative structure that features forest animals. An example of a concept book that uses a character to drive the story is Kelly Bingham’s
Z is for Moose. The best way to learn more about concept books is to read them. Click
here for a terrific list of books.
So how do you know if you’ve written a concept book? The first thing I tell my writing students is to think about what drives the reader to turn the page. Does he seek information? Is his curiosity driven by the need to learn something? If the answer is yes; then the book is a concept book. Concept books are read by children whose curiosity is information-based. Structures such as a sequence, a journey, a cumulative build-up, a definition, or question and answer (to name a few) will provide the framework for a concept book.
What they are not…
Now, if the answer to the above question is no (the reader is not seeking information); then you must dig deeper and ask yourself again what drives the reader to turn the page. Does your story have a main character with some sort of problem or goal? If so, then the book is a character-driven story. The reader will turn the page because he cares about the main character and wants to see how he solves his problem. Character-driven stories are read by children whose curiosity is emotion-based. These stories use a traditional rising story arc with a beginning, middle and end to frame the story and show how the character resolves his/her problem. Examples are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak or Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller.
So there you have it! Easy as pie, right? Well, probably not. As the picture book market continues to expand with amazing creativity, the variations of stories will grow and more hybrid versions will likely appear. But for now, I hope this helps you to determine if you’ve written a concept book.
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The Ridgecrest branch of the Kern County Library System is hosting an author panel, showcasing local authors. I'm happy to say I'll be one of the panelists! If you're in the area on Saturday, October 17, please stop by--I'd love to see you!
Schoolwide, Inc. has released my latest picture book, WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU?
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This concept picture book is rich in photographs and is meant to teach basics of geography and cosmology. It explores the universal truth that that we are all part of the same place in space. In cumulative fashion, the story takes the reader from the outer reaches of the universe to our galaxy to our solar system to our planet, continuing to the reader's own room.
Way out in space, there is a universe--
an ever-growing universe--
where all of us are living.
Schoolwide, Inc. is the largest producer of educational e-books. Because reading and writing are critical for success in the school, the community, and the workplace, Schoolwide, Inc. has a central mission to improve students' reading, writing, and learning by increasing the tools teachers can use to teach effectively.
Teachers from schools with site licenses can access my book through their account.
I'll be appearing at the KRA Young Author Day on Saturday, April 15, signing books and giving two presentations. Stop by and say "Hi!" if you're in the area!
Rhyming Picture Book Month is just around the corner! For anyone interested in joining the fun, click here. 
PiBoIdMo is just around the corner. Sign-ups have started. Are you in?
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“Show, don’t tell” is a problem with which many writers struggle. We see “SDT” scribbled in the margin of a critiqued manuscript. But what exactly is “show don’t tell?” Simply put, it occurs when a writer tells the reader what’s happening in the story, rather than showing what’s happening. And this creates a problem—it makes for a passive reading experience.
Showingputs the reader in the moment. Showing trusts the reader to interpret what’s happening and understand. On the other hand, when a writer tells the reader what is happening on the page, he’s conveying that he doesn’t trust the reader to figure things out for himself. He’s selling the reader short. Writing that “shows” is richer and more engaging for the reader.
How can you “show” when you write? Here’s one trick that might help: Imagine yourself (the story teller) as a camera, recording the scene. A camera cannot get into the head of the characters and identify their emotions; it can only show what is happening with the action. A camera can’t say someone is sad, it can only show them being sad by their facial expressions and body language. Imagine yourself as that camera, as you write. Here are some other tips for how to “show”…
Specificity
Be specific! Specificity and accurate word choices make for interesting writing. Listen to how Dav Pilkey describes Oscar in the opening of The Hallo-Wiener:
There once was a dog named Oscar who was half-a-dog tall and one-and-a-half dogs long.
Pilkey could have said that Oscar was a wiener dog, or a Dachshund, but instead he found a fun and creative way to describe him. The unique description pulls in the reader and lets him figure out Oscar’s breed.
Writers should also avoid telling the reader how a character feels (which is probably the most common mistake with SDT. I believe that 99% of the time, the words “feels” or “felt” should be deleted from a ms). Declared emotions are vague (like the mayonnaise of writing) so think about what your character is physically experiencing at that moment. Here’s an example from my first book, Two Tales of Hawaii:
The smile left Pele’s face as a flood of waves came up from the sea. The fires were in danger of being put out. “No!” she cried.
What if I would have said “Pele was shocked” instead? No doubt, I would have identified her emotional state of mind, but I would have taken away the chance for the reader to look at the illustration and examine Pele’s facial expression and concluded that she was shocked. In other words, I would have cheated my reader.
Sensory details
Utilizing the senses pulls the reader into the story. And try going beyond the sense of sight (because the picture often shows what the reader would see). Listen to how I showed Pele as she set out on her journey to find a new home in Two Tales of Hawaii:
Her canoe was trapped between the fiery sun and the cool deep ocean. She had to find the perfect place to keep her sacred fires.
Here, I wanted to convey the temperature difference that one experiences when out on the ocean—the heat of the sun striking against the cool water—to put my reader in the moment.
Dialogue
Dialogue reveals character and can move the story along. Listen to how Phillip C. Stead uses dialogue to reveal the character of Amos McGee on page two of A Sick Day for Amos McGee:
He would wind his watch and set a pot of water to boil—saying to the sugar bowl, “A spoonful or my oatmeal, please, and two for my teacup.”
Amos’s speech reveals his character—he’s polite, a bit quirky in speaking to the sugar bowl, eats healthy but enjoys a bit of sugar too (he’s not perfect!). This is also a great example of using specific details to show his character (the watch that he has to wind indicates he’s a bit old-fashioned and his use of a teacup—not a coffee mug—also tells us a bit about him).
Avoid “to be” verbs
“To be or not to be?” To me, there is no question. “To be” verbs (is, was, are, were) weaken writing because 1) they’re passive, and 2) they tell the reader the state of things, and in picture books, illustrations already showthe state of things. Think about this—what if Judy Schachner opened SkippyJon Jones like this?
Skippyjon Jones was a strange cat.
Well, Schachner certainly could have chosen to start her story this way. She could have told us how Skippyjon Jones was, but the problem is that the illustration shows him in a bird’s nest in a tree, so “Skippyjon Jones was a strange cat” wouldn’t be a very interesting opening. Instead, she opened the story like this:
Every morning, Skippyjon Jones woke up with the birds.
Schachner shows us he’s a strange cat by letting us know that he sleeps with the birds—every night!
A final caveat--in all fairness, I should say that sometimes, “telling” is good, even necessary. Can you imagine if a writer showed every single event in a story (especially novels)? It would become mind-numbingly tedious to get through it! Sometimes, writers need to summarize an event so we can move from one relevant scene to the next. However, for writing to absolutely shine and fully engage the reader, the writer must “show” what’s happening as much as possible, particularly in picture books and easy readers.
Has your picture book manuscript been turned down so many times you're considering using it to wallpaper your office?
Have you agonized over every single word in your picture book manuscript and are unable to make one more change--but still don't feel it's ready to submit?
Do you love picture books but long to learn more in a deeper, more meaningful way?
Or would you like to work with like-minded writers in exploring a new picture book story?
Well, I have good news for you!
I've been told there are still a handful of spots left for my upcoming online course, INTERMEDIATE PICTURE BOOK WRITING. Click
here for information. I hope to see your name on my roster!
Enrollment is now open for my online fall course, INTERMEDIATE PICTURE BOOK WRITING, through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. This is one of my favorite courses to teach! We'll dive into the world of picture books, going beyond the basic craft issues as we investigate this fascinating genre of children's books. Students will have the multiple opportunities for feedback on their work. The end goal is a completed draft of a picture book.
For more information, click
HERE.
My upcoming UCLA Extension course, Introduction to Writing Easy Readers begins in one week (on April 9) and there are still spots available! Nowhere else will you receive in-depth education about this vital genre of children's literature. Weekly lectures, personal support, and four critique opportunities will help bring your easy reader idea to a complete draft.
Click here to register.
Happy writing!
Get a kick out of reading!
This morning, I was thrilled to learn that former student Julie Dillemuth has sold her first manuscript! Julie worked on her manuscript with a cognitive-spatial focus in my course, Introduction to Writing Easy Readers. After some declines, Julie revised the story into a picture book format and the story sold! Now, that's what I call having brains and talent!
Congratulations, Julie! I can't wait for 2015, when I can hold a copy in my own hands.
And while we're on the subject, there are still spots available in the upcoming course, Introduction to Writing Easy Readers. Click here for info.
Happy writing!
Greetings Writers!
There are still some spots left in my upcoming online UCLA Extension course, "Introduction to Writing Easy Readers." The course runs from April 9-June 11.
This is a great place to learn about easy readers (leveled readers) and develop your story idea into a complete manuscript. I try to create a safe, supportive, educational environment for all my students.
For more information, please click
HERE or email me!
As a children's author, many things make me smile. Working in my fuzzy cat slippers, being able to do something I truly love every day, seeing kids connect with my books, hearing from parents that my books hooked their child into reading. Oh yes, and let's not forget the big bucks we children's writers make (yes, I'm joking about that one!).
This morning, friend and writer Jean Ann Williams, sent me this photo of one of my books that has been in her family and passed down from child to child. Seeing this love worn copy of Blackberry Banquet just makes me smile from ear to ear, and reminds me that of all things that make a children's writer smile, seeing a well-loved copy of your book is truly at the top of the list!
UCLA Extension Writers' Program just posted this on their blog. I'm so happy for Sushree Mishra, a former student in my course, "Introduction to Writing Easy Readers" who took what she learned from the class and applied it to her picture book writing. She now has sold her first picture book manuscript! Congratulations, Sushree!
And speaking of my easy reader course, there are still spots available for the upcoming online class, scheduled from April 9 through June 11. Click here for information.
Happy writing!
...well, you're right! Writing easy readers--those books that bridge the gap between dependent reading of picture books and independent reading of novels--is not as easy at it looks! But my online writing course offered through UCLA Extension Writers' Program will help you learn the secrets of writing this important genre of books!
The class runs from April 9-June 11. For details about the course, please click HERE.
If you have any questions about the course, just drop me an email and I'll be happy to answer your questions!
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