Category Archives: Author’s Perspective

Kite Tales at Book Con 2016

27 Friday May 2016

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools

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2016-05-13 08.13.52Did you know there is an entire convention dedicated to books? Book Con is the public part of Book Expo of America, or BEA. Professional authors, publishers, book sellers, book buyers, etc. come together to share must-read books, delve into upcoming market trends, and build relationships with other literary professionals. There are panels with authors from all genres and a showroom full of major, indie, and niche publishers who sell or give away their books. (FREE BOOKS!) I went for the first time this year and came home with some amazing advice and insights from bestselling authors, including Naomi Novik, Pierce Brown, and Sarah J. Maas. And I’ll share them with you below! (My paraphrased versions unless specifically quoted.)

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Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Author/Illustrator Perspective

08 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective

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25848922031_fa0bc897ab_zDebbie Ridpath Ohi writes and illustrates books for young people in Toronto, Canada. Her first solo picture book, Where Are My Books?, debuted from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2015. Her illustrations appear in picture books by Michael Ian Black and in Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade reissues, as well as many others. She gave a challenging and insightful keynote at this year’s SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s Day as well as a “master class” on social media for authors. She was kind enough to do a follow-up interview with Kite Tales to share her perspective on being an introverted author, networking, and how to attract that magical publishing lightning.

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Storyteller Antonio Sacre’s Path to Writing Children’s Books

11 Friday Mar 2016

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Meet LA-region SCBWI member, Antonio Sacre, a storyteller and author of four children’s books. Multiculturalism is an important word in the marketplace today. In his three children’s picture books and one YA collection of stories (memoir and traditional folktales), Sacre incorporates this theme using his own mixed ethnicity.

Dean Zatkowsky photo, higher res Ojai festIMG_3348

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Creating a Newbery Honor Book, an Interview with Victoria Jamieson

12 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective

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In honor of Valentine’s Day weekend, we’re going to share the love and offer our readers a chance to win Victoria Jamieson’s awesome book, Roller Girl. Post a comment through February 19, 2016, to be entered in this random drawing.

SCBWI member Victoria Jamieson shares her process for creating the Newbery Honor book, Roller Girl. This middle-grade graphic novel has scored more than a dozen accolades including New York Times best seller, Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2015, and an ALA Notable Children’s Book of 2016.RollerGirlSticker

Roller Girl is Jamieson’s fourth children’s book and her third publication with Dial Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. Her three picture books are Bea Rocks the Flock (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2009), Olympig! (2012) and Pest in Show (2013).

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome! Why did you change your focus from picture books to a graphic novel?

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Robin Reul: How I Write

10 Wednesday Feb 2016

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RobinReul_coverRobin Reul has been writing stories since she was old enough to hold a pen. Though she grew up on movie sets and worked for years in the film and television industry, she ultimately decided to focus her attention on writing contemporary young adult novels. Learn “How she writes” and get some great tips to add to your own writer’s toolbox!

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Coloring Outside the Lines with Drew Daywalt

05 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Community Corner

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FullSizeRenderWe all love a success story. By success, I mean Drew Daywalt’s book, The Day the Crayons Quit, with over 1.1 million copies in print in 17 languages. TIME magazine named this book one of “100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.” It was on the New York Times best-seller list for 100+ weeks (No. 1 in its category for more than half that span) until recently, when bumped from this spot by its sequel, The Day the Crayons Came Home.

It gets better! This talented, amazing author is an SCBWI member who writes, lives, and raises his kids here in Los Angeles. You may have seen him on the cover of this month’s Writer’s Digest magazine.

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Thérèse Makes a Tapestry, Part 2: Author, Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs

22 Friday Jan 2016

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Today, we present Part Two of the series featuring the author and illustrator of the historical fiction children’s picture book, Thérèse Makes a Tapestry.

Alex_gettyAlexandra S. D. Hinrichs, an SCBWI member, is the author of this beautiful book. Set in the time of King Louis XIV’s reign of France (1643-1715), Thérèse’s father is a painter who travels with the king; their family lives at the Gobelins Manufactory where world-famous tapestries are made (and are still being made today!). Although women and girls are not permitted to weave, Thérèse practices at home. The book reveals how Thérèse surprises those around her.

Alexandra’s background includes historical researcher for American Girl, substitute youth services librarian, and children’s bookseller. She has two young boys. This is her debut children’s picture book.

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Talking with Chuck Sambuchino about Reference Guides, Query Letters, Agents, Writing a Synopsis, Word Count—and Clown Attacks

16 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Editor's Perspective

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GIVEAWAY: We’re giving away one copy of the newly-released Writers Digest 2016 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. We enjoy reading your comments! Therefore, on October 30, 2015, one person who has commented (left a reply) attached to this post will randomly be selected for this fabulous prize.

I met up with Chuck Sambuchino on October 10th at the Writing Conference of Los Angeles, where he was the featured speaker. With humor and enthusiasm, Chuck SambuchinoChuck provided current marketplace insight and information. The breadth and depth of his presentations clearly revealed his expertise as a successful writer and editor for Writer’s Digest publications and as an author of his own two books. Read on for Chuck’s tips on reference guides, query letters, agents, writing a synopsis, word count—and clown attacks.

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How I Write: Edith Cohen, author of Spirit’s Key

02 Wednesday Sep 2015

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Edith alone copy

How long have you been an SCBWI member?

10 years

What do you write?

I write middle grade novels. My first published novel is a middle grade mystery fantasy. I’m currently working on a middle grade contemporary.

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Author’s Perspective: Telling the Truth by Tracy Holczer

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

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I wrote a book called The Secret Hum of a Daisy, which is about twelve-year-old Grace who loses her mom unexpectedly and has to move away from friends she has come to love as family. Even worse, she must live with a grandmother who turned her back on Grace’s mama long ago. Grace is prickly, a bit of a troublemaker, and doesn’t know what to do with her pain.

SecretHumOfADaisy_CV

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