Tag Archives: illustrators

Interview with Laura Hunt, Winner of 2023 Twitter Banner Contest

28 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by in Community Corner, Contests & Grants, Illustrator's Gallery, Twitter Banner Contest

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Author-Illustrator Laura Hunt

In SCBWI-L.A.’s latest Twitter Banner Contest, illustrators were asked to submit their most creative response to our prompt: KITE NIGHT. The winning contestant’s artwork is featured on the Los Angeles Region SCBWI Twitter profile until the next contest, with a feature article published here on Kite Tales.

We’re excited to announce Laura Hunt as our winner! Laura is an author-illustrator who grew up in Connecticut and now resides in Los Angeles with her college sweetheart, young son, and old Yorkie. Her dummy received an honorable mention from PB Party 2023. Her comedy writing background includes writing sketches on a house team for the Upright Citizens Brigade, and her work has been featured on Funny or Die and HuffPost.

Read on to learn more about Laura, her tools and tips, and what inspires her work.

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Write for Kite Tales!

14 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by in Community Corner, Great News!, Toot Your Horn!

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Be heard.

Whether you’re a PAL member, independently published, or pre-published, Kite Tales wants your stories about your experiences in kid lit. Writers, illustrators, translators, editors, publishers, agents, teachers, librarians, and more welcome!

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SCBWI Serves Up A Slice of Literary Camaraderie at Booth #826

10 Wednesday May 2023

Posted by in Industry Conferences, Industry News, Los Angeles, PAL, SoCal

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by Annelouise Mahoney

Saturday morning booth exhibitors (l-r) Glenda Armand, R.S. Mellette, Annelouise Mahoney, and Janie Emaus get a thumbs-up from SCBWI-L.A. volunteer Jennifer Pitts (r) as they all prepare to greet festival-goers.

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is an annual tradition of literary wonder. It’s the Coachella of book festivals, the largest in the country.

This year, as they do each year, the SCBWI Los Angeles chapter extended an invitation for its PAL members to sell and sign their books at a festival booth. SCBWI SoCal joined the L.A. chapter at the festival for the first time ever, sharing Booth #826. PAL members of the two regions who signed up could choose a two or three-hour time slot for either Saturday or Sunday of the event.

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Down On The Corner At The L.A. Times Festival of Books

14 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Industry Conferences, Industry News, Los Angeles, PAL, SoCal

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by R.S. Mellette

The L.A. Times Festival of Books is back in person—and as in prior years, friendly SCBWI members will be there to welcome you to the event.

Like James Brown said, it’s time to “Get up offa that thing.”

If you are reading this, chances are you are an SCBWI member, quite possibly in Southern California. That means you’re interested enough in writing and/or illustrating books that you’re willing to pay dues, go to mingles, take workshops, and generally give of your time and money to improve your craft. On Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23, you will have that opportunity at the largest book festival in the country, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

Much of this event is FREE, and SCBWI will be there to make you feel welcome.

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Join Author-Illustrator Molly Ruttan for a Walk on the WILD Side

22 Wednesday Feb 2023

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

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Molly Ruttan’s gorgeously illustrated, award-winning picture books often feature gently humorous, fantastical happenings cast within real-life settings. This unique perspective is at the forefront in the forthcoming Something Wild, which publishes next week (2023, Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin Random House). Something Wild is the recipient of a Kirkus starred review.

Judy Faulkner: Welcome back to Kite Tales, Molly! You’ve been super busy since your appearance in 2019, when your illustrator debut, I Am a Thief!, came out. Now your fourth book is about to launch—your second as author-illustrator. Tell us about it!

Molly Ruttan: Thank you so much for having me back! It’s always such a pleasure to connect with my SCBWI family.

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Close Up with #KTIllustrates 2022 Contest Winner: Imelda Hinojosa

08 Wednesday Feb 2023

Posted by in #KTIllustrates, Illustrator's Perspective

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Kite Tales welcomes artist Imelda Hinojosa to share her inspiration and process with the community in creating her work. Her piece for #KTIllustrates2022 displayed a joy for movement and color that best displayed the idea of the prompt: When we begin to play…

Congratulations again to our winner and read on to learn more about Imelda and to view her wonderful work.

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Disability Inclusion 101: Five Tips for Writing Disability “Right”

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Author's Perspective, PAL, SoCal, Tips and Tools, Tri-Regional News

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by Karol Ruth Silverstein

Disability is everywhere, sometimes hidden, sometimes unmistakable. Disabled people make up the largest and most diverse minority group in the world. So—yes—disability should be abundant in our children’s literature as well. But is “bad” (i.e., inaccurate, inauthentic, insensitive) representation better than no representation at all?

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Interview with Author-Illustrator Benson Shum

11 Wednesday Jan 2023

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

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Benson Shum is a Southern California author-illustrator of more than five children’s books. His latest, Anzu the Great Listener, came out January 10. It is the sequel to Anzu the Great Kaiju (2021) and a Kids’ Indie Next pick for January/February 2023.

Kite Tales: Welcome to Kite Tales, congratulations on Anzu the Great Listener! What was the original inspiration for Anzu?

Benson Shum: Thank you so much! I always loved the world of Kaijus, the idea that these monsters tower over cities and are larger than life. But I wanted to know more. What was going through their heads? Did they all want to be destructive? What if they’d rather talk to their city rather than destroy it?

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Attention Picture Book Writers: SCBWI-L.A.’s Mentorship Contest Is Now Open!

04 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Contests & Grants, Mentorship Contest

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by Sarah Gottlieb

About this time last year, I was drowning in “champagne rejections.” I had a wonderful but complicated idea and had spent a lot of time working on a manuscript and query letter. What was causing agents to write complimentary emails but not take the plunge? Or worse, to say, “Call me if someone makes you an offer!” I knew I had a great idea—the agents said as much—but I didn’t know why they wouldn’t bite. 

I thought of all of the writers I’d met and wondered if a mentor could help. I checked SCBWI-L.A. to see if they had any information on mentorships and, to my delight, this very mentorship contest was open for submission. AND the mentor was Joseph Taylor, the editor of MUSE, the children’s science magazine. I couldn’t believe my luck. 

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10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2022

28 Wednesday Dec 2022

Posted by in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective, Tips and Tools

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As calendar year 2022 winds to a close, here are some things I have noticed this season: friends and family gathering together more frequently, people traveling for vacations, and folks going out to the movies again.

Do you sense it, too? That life in general has recovered some of its vivid color? And that our own—and our community’s—creative focus has reawakened?

Call it a holiday gift. (It is!) But renewed spirit has also been a trend all year long. Read or re-read these 10 favorite quotes and stories from Kites Tales 2022 to see—and to get ready for a “trending terrific” 12 months ahead. 

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