Season’s Greetings from SCBWI L.A.!
20 Wednesday Dec 2017
Posted in Los Angeles
Ask an Editor: Query Letter and Cover Letter
13 Wednesday Dec 2017
Posted in Ask an Editor
Tags
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that
are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Dear Editor – What is the difference between a query letter and a cover letter?
—Marissa, the Valley
Emma Chichester Clark’s TOTO Illustration Process and Her Muse—Her Dog, Plum
08 Friday Dec 2017
Posted in Illustrator's Perspective
Tags
chapter book, Dogs, Emma Chichester Clark, HarperCollins, illustrator, illustrator tips, illustrators, interview, Michael Morpurgo, middle grade, Plum, The Wizard of Oz, Toto
Emma Chichester Clark is the illustrator of the beautiful middle-grade chapter book, Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz. Its 250+ full-color images showcase Chichester Clark’s signature style.
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! In Toto, you collaborate once again with author, Michael Morpurgo. How does illustrating well-known stories differ from working on new fiction? Does having a dog as the narrator change your focus when you work on the art?
EMMA CHICHESTER CLARK: In fact, it’s my sixth collaboration with Michael. We have also done versions of Pinocchio, Aesop’s Fables, Hansel and Gretel, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, and a Christmas story called The Best of Times. Almost all of them were about well-known characters and I had to find my own ideas about that. This is a challenge because the images we all already know so well are imprinted in our heads. With each character, I have to draw and redraw them, over and over again, until I find someone that belongs to me but who is, at the same time, true to the character I’m representing. [In Toto], having a dog as the narrator was the most fun of all because I adore dogs. I have one, Plum, who is not unlike Toto in appearance and I spend a lot of my time trying to interpret what is going on in her doggy brain.
CVZ: You are also an author. Please give us some insight into your process, both as an illustrator and an author-illustrator.
Author Michael Morpurgo on His New Book, TOTO, and Writing From an Animal’s Perspective
06 Wednesday Dec 2017
Posted in Author's Perspective
Tags
chapter book, Children's Laureate, Emma Chichester Clark, Farms for City Children, HarperCollins, interview, Michael Morpurgo, middle grade, Toto, Wizard of Oz
Today, we feature Michael Morpurgo, author of the middle-grade chapter book, Toto: The Dog-gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz. This retelling of the classic is from Toto’s point of view. Each chapter begins as he tells his tale to his puppies—only one of which usually stays awake until the end.
A former Children’s Laureate, Morpurgo has published over 150 books. His novel, War Horse, was successfully adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway play and a Golden Globe-nominated film by Steven Spielberg. Morpurgo’s books include retellings such as Pinocchio by Pinocchio (told from Pinocchio’s viewpoint), also a collaboration with illustrator, Emma Chichester Clark.
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! What influenced your decision to rewrite The Wizard of Oz?
MICHAEL MORPURGO: We all know the original story from the film and perhaps less from the L Frank Baum book. It is a wonderful and magical tale—funny, frightening—and strange and a wonderful film, but I always felt that there was one character who had little part to play in the story. Dorothy we know and love, but her little dog, Toto, does little more than accompany her on her adventures, providing her with comfort and company, but we never know what he thinks of all that is going on. He just gets carried around a lot. So, I thought why not tell the story again, but through Toto’s eyes. But it was really my friend, the illustrator of Toto, Emma Chichester Clark, who originally had the idea of a retelling the story with her own beloved dog, Plum, as the inspiration for Toto.
CVZ: Please tell us about your writing process.
SAG Winner Karen Jameson on Getting Published & the Mentors That Got Her There
29 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted in Author's Perspective, Contests & Grants
Tags
agents, Alexis O'Neill, Ann Whitford Paul, Dianne White, Karen Jameson, Lynn Becker, published, publishing, SAG, Sue Alexander Grant
By Karen Jameson
Sometimes the person who’s about to change your life has been there all along!
Children’s author and friend, Dianne White, and I met way back in 1996 when I joined the teaching staff at Peachland Elementary. A well-respected primary teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge of children’s literature, Dianne pursued her love of children’s writing after hours. Sixteen years later, when Dianne announced plans for an early retirement (and a move to Arizona), I knew that it was now or never. I finally summoned my courage and shared my own secret writing dreams. I never could have imagined what happened next!
Toot Your Horn!
24 Friday Nov 2017
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
It’s Black Friday! Don’t forget that you can purchase books today, and small business Saturday, and cyber Monday! Here are some members whose books have recently become available!
Lint Boy, by Aileen Leijten, Clarion, ages 8-12, Graphic Novel, ISBN: 978-00544-52860-4, released 06/27/2017.
Great News!
22 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted in Great News!
Tags
SCBWI loves celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many to be thankful for as Thanksgiving approaches! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. If you have something to be thankful for, kid-lit-related or otherwise, share in the comments! We here at SCBWI Los Angeles and Kite Tales are thankful for each and every one of you!
Rabbi the Rabbit, by Shireen Hakim, was published in the “Out of Many, One: Celebrating Diversity” anthology. It also won an award by the anthology publisher, Houston Writers Guild Press, on April 5, 2017.
SCBWI Community Corner with Patrice Karst: Learning About Kid Lit After Becoming a Best-Seller
15 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted in Community Corner
By Patrice Karst
I fell into the children’s publishing world by accident.
Doing well with my first two adult books, God Made Easy and The Single Mother’s Survival Guide, I had sold 70K copies combined and was a popular speaker in the self-help, spiritual, New Age world. But I was also a single mom to my special needs son.
Elijah was so sad when I had to leave him in the mornings, I began telling him about an “invisible string” that connected us all day long. It so comforted him that we told his other friends. When I saw the calming effect, I thought, why not “put story to paper?” Continue reading
The LitMingle Minute: San Fernando Valley LitMingle Picks the Brains of YA Readers
08 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted in LitMingles!, Tips and Tools
By Karen Sampson (SFV LitMingle Coordinator) & Jennifer S. Pitts (former SFV LitMingle Coordinator, current LitMingle Meister)
Have you ever wanted to pick the brain of today’s Young Adult reader? The Minglers at the San Fernando Valley LitMingle did, which is why we invited five voracious teen readers to our June LitMingle to share what they read and why. As to be expected, their answers were as diverse as their backgrounds, but listening to them was extremely insightful. It would be impossible to summarize all the insight given by these bright young readers, but here are a few highlights*:
Social Media and Web
- Teens have Facebook accounts but prefer Instagram, YouTube, and Snap Chat.
- Adult discussions (rants) about politics and current events are of no interest to them.
- Popular YA websites include IndieBound (Kids Next), Epic Reads, and others that cater specifically to teen readers
What Draws Them to Particular Books?
Illustrator Gallery with Kat Hubbs: Self-Promotion & Learning New Things
01 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted in Illustrator's Gallery, Tips and Tools
By Kat Hubbs
When you are new to an industry, you have to find ways to promote yourself and get your work out there. I am not naturally inclined to self-promotion, so I decided to start a personal project that I could create and share quickly – something that was tangible, allowing people to interact with my art. To keep myself on track, I knew that I would have to enjoy the process and not have a demanding schedule. I decided a monthly calendar image would be just right for my goals.
I love learning new things, and have spent the last year creating and experimenting drawing digitally. I got an iPad Pro and threw myself into all the apps and tools. I find that the Procreate App is one of the best since it is easy to use and has great pencil brushes available. I am able to draw fast and loose, maintaining the expressive quality of my lines, while giving me the freedom to hit “undo”. I still create on paper, and I know when I draw with my favorite brush pen I am more thoughtful as I work, and I get all the happy accidents that happen when you can’t erase. So I decided that I needed to merge the two: get the look and feel of my favorite brush pen, while having the freedom of digital drawing. Continue reading
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