17 Wednesday Nov 2021
Posted in Ask an Editor
Tags
book categories, categories, MG, middle grade, PB, picture book, YA, young adult
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hi Christine – What determines book categories? For example, how are middle-grade books different than YA books? Thanks. —Jamie, Los Angeles
Continue reading10 Wednesday Nov 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective
Tags
Graphic Novels, illustrator tips, illustrators, LeUyen Pham, picture books, Shannon Hale, writing tips
Southern California author-illustrator LeUyen (pronounced Lay-Win) Pham is the 2020 Caldecott Honor winner and a NYT, Indies, and USA Today best-seller. Her successful collaborations include illustrating Julianne Moore’s Freckleface Strawberry series and Shannon Hale’s The Princess in Black chapter book series. LeUyen was also co-collaborator on Hale’s popular Real Friends middle grade graphics series. And there’s much more—over a million books in print more!
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! You wrote and illustrated your latest picture book, Outside, Inside (Roaring Brook Press, 2021). The book beautifully addresses how weird it was when everyone suddenly had to be inside. Even though the pandemic isn’t mentioned until the back matter, the way we felt during that time is clearly communicated. Was it harder writing this book than some of your others?
Continue reading20 Wednesday Oct 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective
Moni Ritchie Hadley is the author of the picture book, The Star Festival (2021, Albert Whitman). A half-Japanese military brat, she bounced back and forth from the USA to Japan as a child. Daydreaming was a favorite pastime. She received a BA in Psychology at UCLA and later became a home/hospital teacher for the LAUSD, where she taught students with medical needs. Also published in Highlights magazine, The Star Festival is her picture book debut.
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! The first printing of your debut picture book, The Star Festival, sold out almost immediately—wow! Were you expecting that?
MONI RITCHIE HADLEY: I wasn’t even aware of this until I noticed that my publisher’s site (Albert Whitman) listed my book as “sold out.” My book released on April 1st; the second run was ordered on April 2nd. “Sold out” is relative to size of printing, and that can vary greatly between publishers, but it was a pleasant surprise that my book exceeded expectations!
Continue reading15 Wednesday Sep 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective
Erin Dealey is the author of more than a dozen children’s picture books. Today, she shares information about how her journey has evolved over the years.
Continue reading01 Wednesday Sep 2021
Posted in Ask an Editor
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hi Christine — I’m just starting out and keep hearing I need to “build an author brand.” What does that mean and at what stage of my career should I start working on that? Thanks. —Starr, Los Angeles
Continue reading05 Wednesday May 2021
Posted in Ask an Editor
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hello Christine – Does traditional publication require an agent? Thanks.
—Jay, Glendale
Hello Jay – Traditional publication often happens via an agent, but an agent is not required.
Writers who seek traditional publication typically query literary agents. Once they secure an agent’s representation, that agent will submit the writer’s manuscript to publishers.
However, some publishers will connect directly with authors. For example, I pitched my children’s nonfiction picture book idea on a Twitter pitch event called #PitMad. The children’s editor at a midsize publisher contacted me and my book was published without an agent.
31 Wednesday Mar 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools
Tags
alternate reality, Black, Craig S. Phillips, fantasy, Harold Hayes Jr., humor, Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found, magician, middle grade, mystery, Rucker Moses
Rucker Moses is the pen name of Los Angeles authors Craig S. Phillips and Harold Hayes Jr. Together, they have been nominated for three Emmys for writing in a children’s program. Along with Theo Gangi, Rucker Moses are co-authors of the middle grade book Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found (book one of two, Penguin, February 2021).
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! Your new book has three authors. Wow! How did two of you work together, and then how did your Rucker Moses portion coordinate with the sections Theo Gangi wrote?
20 Wednesday Jan 2021
Posted in Ask an Editor
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hello Christine – I think I’m ready to join a critique/workshop group. How do they work now that we can no longer meet in person, and how do I know someone won’t steal my ideas? Thanks.
—Maggie, Los Angeles
Hello Maggie – The information in my June 20, 2018 post with tips for finding a critique group through reputable sources such as SCBWI remains valid. Before the pandemic, critique groups revolved around WHO (writer’s category or genre) and WHEN/WHERE (time and location of meeting). Let’s take a look at what’s happening now. Continue reading
02 Wednesday Dec 2020
Posted in Author's Perspective
Ann Whitford Paul is the New York Times best-selling author of the picture book series If Animals Kissed Good Night and of the definitive children’s picture book writers’ reference book, Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication. She was kind enough to chat with us and share how her series got started, what’s next for her, her advice for other writers, and more
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! With over twenty children’s books published, there’s so much to talk about, but your If Animals Kissed Good Night series is a favorite of mine. The fifth book in the series, If Animals Gave Thanks (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux), is out in time for the holidays. How did this series get started?
18 Wednesday Nov 2020
Posted in Ask an Editor
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hello Christine – I hear the words “story arc” and “story structure” but am not sure I know the difference. Can you explain? Thanks.
—J.R., Los Angeles
Hello J.R. – Arc and structure (hopefully) work seamlessly together. Let me try to explain.
Story arc (also known as narrative arc) is the trajectory that your story takes over its full progression. The arc provides structure—which makes these terms a bit confusing. Some story arcs and structures can be shown on a graph.
Kite Tales 