19 Wednesday Oct 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, PAL, Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, Danielle Davis, Mags DeRoma, picture book author, picture books, SCBWI members, school visits, theme, To Make, writing tips
by Danielle Davis
The North Star has always been a beacon for travelers, all over the Northern Hemisphere. A barely drifting constant. A guide.
I believe theme functions as that same kind of beacon for every story—and storyteller.
I’m not a mariner by any stretch, and sea sickness prevents me from even wanting to be one, but here goes:
Continue reading28 Wednesday Sep 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, Writers Days
Tags
authors, editing tips, Hope In The Valley, intercultural, middle grade, Mitali Perkins, nonfiction, picture books, plotting, SCBWI events, Writers Day 2022, writing tips, young adult
Joining us as keynote speaker for Writers Day 2022 is Mitali Perkins! An explorer of boundaries both physical and literary, she has written books for all ages of young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for a National Book Award) and Rickshaw Girl (adapted into a film by Sleeperwave Productions) and the upcoming picture book, The Story of Us (Beaming Books, 2022). She seeks to make readers laugh and cry, all while opening their hearts to understanding the mysteries of the wider world.
Jessica Chrysler: Welcome Mitali, and thank you for taking the time to interview with Kite Tales! As an author of picture books, YA and nonfiction for adults, your work crosses categories as fluidly as you explore the theme of crossing borders. What inspires you in your work? And what gives you that spark to take on the next project?
Continue reading14 Wednesday Sep 2022
Posted in #KTChat, Author's Perspective
Tags
#KTChat, brainstorming, career goals, improv, Jorjeana Marie, kidlit, mindmapping, SCBWI members, writing
by Jorjeana Marie
Editor’s Note: On Twitter this Friday (9/16/22) from 12-1PM PST, Jorjeana will take your questions and discuss ways on how to define your writerly goals. Log into your Twitter account during our chat hour and use the hashtag #KTChat or @mention @jorjeanamarie and @SCBWISOCALLA to join the discussion! If you aren’t on Twitter, leave questions in the blog comments before the chat!
Brainstorming isn’t just for coming up with ideas or solving story solutions. If you’re at all unhappy with any aspect of your writing life, brainstorming can help. It can connect you with your deepest desires—and what better way to brainstorm than by playing some fun games with your inner kid.
Continue reading07 Wednesday Sep 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective
Barbara Bietz, SCBWI Central California’s Assistant Regional Advisor, is here today to talk about her journey writing kid’s books. Her latest picture book, Apples, Apples, All Year Round: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays, is co-authored with June Sobel, and illustrated by Ruth Waters(2022, Apples & Honey).
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! Your five books have Jewish themes or characters. Why is this important to your work? Can you please speak to Jewish representation in children’s books today?
BARBARA BIETZ: Thank you so much for having me on Kite Tales. In terms of the books I write, I gravitate toward characters and topics that feel familiar to me. I feel very connected to the Jewish community and I love creating stories that might offer a unique insight for readers of all backgrounds.
Continue reading31 Wednesday Aug 2022
Posted in Ask an Editor, Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hi Andy – I enjoy graphic novels and want to write one but don’t know how to make the jump. (I write YA.) Any suggestions? I’m not an illustrator.
—Will, Los Angeles
Continue reading17 Wednesday Aug 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, PAL, Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, editing, middle grade, publishing, reality TV, TV writing, Twist My Charm, writing tips
by Toni Gallagher
Welcome back to our third and final “episode”! In my earlier articles, I shared how the wild and wonderful world of reality TV can help authors improve their stories, but now it’s time to face two of the toughest challenges of all: editing, and accepting notes.
Continue reading03 Wednesday Aug 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, Central Coast
Tags
Lisa D. Kerr, nonfiction, nonfiction picture book, picture book, picture book author, Wake Sleepy One
by Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison
Lisa D. Kerr is the debut author of Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom, illustrated by Lisa Powell Braun (West Margin Press, April 2022), a nonfiction picture book about the California poppy super bloom. The story includes details such as the life cycle and plant parts of poppies, the desert habitat and its food web, as well as some early California history.
Lisa was a Spotlight Speaker at SCBWI CenCal’s How to Pitch to an Agent event on July 10. She took a moment to answer some questions for Kite Tales.
Continue reading20 Wednesday Jul 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, PAL, Tips and Tools
Tags
Andy Cohen, cliffhangers, dialogue, middle grade, plotting, reality TV, SCBWI members, scenes, writing tips
by Toni Gallagher
Have you ever wondered why you sometimes can’t turn off a reality show? Sure, they have colorful cast members and outrageous premises, but producers need to craft every episode, scene by scene, to hold a viewer’s interest. So what does it really take to create scenes that satisfy?
Continue reading06 Wednesday Jul 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, PAL, Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, character development, comedy, humor, improv, plot, SCBWI members, stakes, writing tips
by Jorjeana Marie
I sat next to a somewhat distracted woman on an airplane recently. As she was settling, she asked me why I too was headed into the desert.
For comedy.
“In the desert?”
Yeah. Everyone needs to laugh right now.
Continue reading22 Wednesday Jun 2022
Posted in Author's Perspective, PAL, Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, indie-publishing, marketing, publicity, publishing, reviews, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, self-publishing
by R.S. Mellette
So was it worth it? Hiring a publicist. Spending $20,000 to promote Kiya And The Morian Treasure, from a traditional publisher that’s no bigger than a self-published author? Let’s look at the numbers.
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