Thanks oodles for stopping by, Kara, and  many more thanks for choosing my entry GOT ME A DADDY MAP to be on your 2018 Query Kombat team!

I'm happy to be here!

What did you enjoy about hosting the 2018 Query Kombat Kompetition along with Michelle Hauck and Michael Anthony?

I enjoyed the high level of camaraderie between Kontestants. It seemed like a lot of people made connections either through being on the same team or competing against each other. Getting into the contest is exciting for the month or so it goes on, but making connections with other writers can benefit a writer's career for years. To me, that's the real prize of Query Kombat.

I was truly surprised and delighted when my entry was chosen to compete. There were so many excellent entries across multiple genres, including queries and openings from young-adult and adult novelists. Why did you choose my middle-grade entry to be on your team of twenty-one kombatants?

I chose your entry because it absolutely dripped with voice! I think voice is more crucial in middle grade than any other age category. Others may disagree, but for me a strong narrative voice usually is what makes me pull a middle-grade book off the shelf.

How did you feel about someone from your team (yours truly!!!) being crowned 2018 Query Kombat Grand Champion?

Not gonna lie, having someone on my team win felt pretty good! I was just filling in as a host for Laura Heffernan this year, so to be honest, I didn't care too much about winning when we began. But having so many of my entries make it past the first couple rounds helped confirm to me that I do recognize good writing when I see it. Being in the publishing world for several years has helped with that, no question.

Thanks so much for chatting with me here on my blog, Kara! 

Delighted to be here, and congrats again! Don't forget to let me know when you sign with an agent!

When you first received the manuscript for BUSY-EYED DAY, what did you love about it?

I loved all the SPACE it left for the illustrator! The language is so playful and so unique, but also so open-ended. I knew it would be one of those texts where I would be so delighted and pleasantly surprised to see where the illustrator took it.

Do tell your thought process regarding who should illustrate it, and how did you come to choose Frann?

​Andrea Welch, the book’s editor, suggested we send this manuscript to Frann Preston-Gannon. She’d been a fan of Frann’s work for a long time and had been hoping to find the perfect manuscript to send to her. I agreed, just based on Frann’s style and the samples I saw, I knew I’d love what she did!

What did you appreciate about Frann’s attitude as she worked through revising the illustrations for this story?

Frann is a total pro, so the collaborative part of the process—the back and forth between her, me, and the editor—was productive and FUN (as I believe the picture-book process should be!). I’m a firm believer that books are always better when everyone (author, illustrator, editor, art director) is open to considering a number of different solutions for any one page. Frann had a great attitude about this and was always game for trying new things and pushing existing things a bit further. 

When you saw the text alongside the illustrations, what did you love about it?

Everything! I loved the relationships Frann built within this family, the way the kids played off each other, their mom, Grammy, the nuanced moments between them all. I also just loved Frann’s treatment of the lines of text that left so much room for interpretation, One-eyed Jack/Two-eyed Zach, in particular. 

Why do you hope children will receive a copy this book?

Aside from being a darling, playful, and gorgeous book, I like how this book invites readers to look closely at everyday moments and to play with language. Maybe after reading BUSY-EYED DAY suddenly that dog won't be just a dog, but will be a wide-eyed dog, and maybe a regular trip to the park will suddenly be filled with new detail and language!

BUSY-EYED DAY is a rhyming and richly illustrated picture book that celebrates the act of being observant and enjoying the magnificence found in the everyday world, perfect for the youngest of readers. It is written by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon, and published by Simon & Schuster, with a release date of April 10. 2018. 
Order your copy of BUSY-EYED DAY from an indie near you.  ​​

​When you first received the manuscript for BUSY-EYED DAY, what did you love about it?

Whenever I get sent a text, the way I know it is right for me is that I am immediately hit with  an urge to start drawing. I found the sweet jollity of Anne Marie’s text instantly appealing and all I wanted to do was to start creating the characters of the two siblings. My mind led itself into the oasis of a city park and I wanted to get drawing as soon as I could. 


How did you do to get into the spirit of the story so you could tell it authentically?

This project was the first thing I came back to after my maternity leave for my first baby. For the three months previous, I had spent pretty much everyday pushing around my new-born in our local park. She was considerate enough to be born in June so thankfully my walks were taken through the summer months. 

My local park is huge and is right in the middle of Brixton in South London. If you walk to the top of the hill you can look back over the expanse of the city and see the imposing and impressive Skyline of London, while still surrounded by bird song and greenery. I used this time to take reference photos of trees and other elements of a city park that I could work from later on. Although the park in BUSY-EYED DAY isn’t directly based on my local park, it undoubtedly influenced by it!

Do tell! What was your illustrative process? 

All picture books usually start with a storyboard so you are able to map out the pages before you start the actual illustrations. This is an integral bit at this point, allowing you to nail the narrative, and that makes the illustrative process a lot easier later down the line. I also spent a while trying to get the characters right. After this I would create rough pencil sketches that I would scan into my computer and work on digitally to create a collage layered look. I'd then add textures to achieve my final colour spreads. All of this is done within Photoshop. I used a mixture of scanned in mediums, such as paint textures, and also Photoshop brushes to achieve the end result. 

Describe how you and your art director, NAME, worked together on BUSY-EYED DAY.

Creating a book is such a collaborative project. Often you will send your art director all of the storyboards that they then comment on and there is a lot of back and forth to get them to a place you are all happy with. I then started on the first round of “rough” illustrations. This took me a few months and, when I felt I was in a good place with these, I sent them off to the publisher. This is always such an interesting and nerve-wrecking point as, once they have been shown around to the appropriate people at the publisher, you receive back all the comments. When illustrating someone else’s text, this is also the point where they first see the interpretations of their words and I am always nervous to hear their thoughts! 

What are your plans for launching this book? 

As I don’t live in the States, I am slightly removed from directly launching BUSY-EYED DAY in bookshop events or schools. The book isn’t currently being published in the UK, so my main aim is to support it on lovely blogs like this one and also to make use of social media to get it noticed in the world! 

​Frann Preston-Gannon is a London based author and illustrator of books for children. Her books have been published worldwide and include THE JOURNEY HOME, DAVE'S CAVE, BECAUSE OF AN ACORN, and HOW TO LOSE A LEMUR. In April 2011, she became the first UK recipient of the Sendak Fellowship and spent a month in autumn living with and learning from the great master of illustration, Maurice Sendak, at his home in Connecticut. Fran can be found at frann.co.uk, on Twitter @frannpg, and on Instagram @frann.pg.

When you first received the manuscript for BUSY-EYED DAY, what did you love about it?

I loved the unusualness of it. The language. The wide-open illustration possibilities. The way it explored an important concept—opening your eyes to the wonderfulness in the world around us—in such a fresh, unexpected, and deceptively simple way. The text is very spare, and I think Anne Marie was concerned that it wouldn’t quite make sense to me because she included an explanation of what she envisioned was happening in the story on a second page. But that wasn’t necessary--I knew I was buying this manuscript after reading the first few lines!

Do tell about the acquisition process.

Anne Marie has a terrific agent, Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt, who knows my taste very well. Linda knew I liked Anne Marie’s work, and she had a hunch I would love BUSY-EYED DAY. She was right! She sent it to me, and as soon as I finished reading it, I shared it with my colleagues who loved it as well.

What did you appreciate about Anne Marie’s attitude as she worked through the story’s revision?

Anne Marie is a fantastic reviser. Each time I asked an editorial question, she responded with thoughtful, creative ideas. For instance, at the very beginning of the process we talked about the possibility of adding a refrain to the text to help pull it together, and she came up with the perfect solution. Then, as the artwork began coming in, we found ourselves wondering if we should tweak the wording in a few spots to complement Frann Preston Gannon’s pictures. Again, Anne Marie’s revisions were pitch-perfect and really brought the book to a whole new level.

When you saw the text alongside the illustrations, what did you love about it?

The finished book turned out even more terrific than I’d hoped. Anne Marie’s text is a delightful read-aloud. And there’s so much for kids to discover in Frann’s pictures. I also love how Frann’s illustrations perfectly capture the original tone and vibe of Anne Marie’s text.

Why do you hope children will receive a copy of this book?

I think little listeners and readers will respond to the fantastic language and engaging rhythm of Anne Marie’s text. I think they’ll see themselves in the playful and curious cast of characters Frann created. And I hope they’ll be inspired to get outside and use their own eyes to observe and explore the wonderful world that surrounds us.

Andrea Welch is Executive Editor at Beach Lane Books, a San Diego-based imprint of Simon & Schuster. She has the pleasure of working with a long list of talented authors and illustrators, including Liz Garton Scanlon, Denise Fleming, and April Pulley Sayre. Recent celebrated books she has edited include LIFE by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel; THE ANTLERED SHIP by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Terry & Eric Fan; and the New York Times bestselling LMNO Peas series. 

BUSY-EYED DAY is a rhyming and richly illustrated picture book that celebrates the act of being observant and enjoying the magnificence found in the everyday world, perfect for the youngest of readers. It is written by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon, and published by Simon & Schuster, with a release date of April 10. 2018. 
Order your copy of BUSY-EYED DAY from an indie near you.  ​

When you first received the manuscript for BUSY-EYED DAY, what did you love about it?

I was drawn to the simplicity of Anne Marie’s text that is so beautifully crafted to make for a really fun read-aloud experience. There is such a lovely, joyful rhythm to the words.

What changes did you request from Anne Marie before you started the submission process?

I didn’t request any changes to the text. This was a text that Anne Marie had written when we first began working together. I sent it out to some places, but the thing that both she and I loved about it, i.e. the simplicity and joy of the text, were thought to be too slim at the time. So the manuscript was shelved for a good long while because trying to address that concern would change so much that it would become a different story.

Do tell your thought process regarding which editor you would send it to. Why were you pleased that Andrea Welch wanted to acquire it?

The funny thing is the idea of pairing Anne Marie and her editor, Andrea Welch came before the idea of sharing this particular text.  Andrea had considered a number of Anne Marie’s manuscripts over the years, and she always made clear that she was a fan of Anne Marie’s style even though the right fit hadn’t been found. I had a good idea of what Andrea might respond to at the time we submitted BUSY-EYED DAY. I was on the phone with Anne Marie describing what I thought that was, and it was Anne Marie, not me, who said, “OK, what do you think about BUSY-EYED DAY?”  I immediately thought, “Of course!” so I sent it to Andrea straight away. Andrea got back to me that same day, and she said “I love this!”.

When you first saw the ARC of BUSY-EYED DAY, what did you love about it?

I love that the cover captures the wonderment that is at the heart of the story. I also love the warmth of the family that comes through so clearly in Frann Preston-Gannon’s illustrations. 

What do you hope children will take away from this book?

To use their eyes to notice the small things that we encounter in our day-to-day lives, things that are ordinary and extraordinary all at once.

​Linda Pratt and friend and colleague, Marcia Wernick, established the Wernick & Pratt Agency in 2011. The agency represents authors and illustrators of children’s books with a focus on attending to their long-term careers and goals. Our clients range from award-winners and bestsellers to new and emerging talents. Among Linda’s clients are Richard Peck, Kathryn Erskine, Aaron Becker, Steve Light, Lita Judge, Anne Marie Pace, and LeUyen Pham, among others.  Linda is a member of SCBWI and AAR, and  has also served on the Rutgers Council for Children’s Literature, which plans the annual Rutgers One-on-One Mentoring Conference for five years.  www.wernickpratt.com

 BUSY-EYED DAY is a rhyming and richly illustrated picture book that celebrates the act of being observant and enjoying the magnificence found in the everyday world, perfect for the youngest of readers. It is written by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon, and published by Simon & Schuster, with a release date of April 10. 2018. 
Order your copy of BUSY-EYED DAY from an indie near you.  ​

How did you come up with the idea for BUSY-EYED DAY? Did you have any challenges while writing it?

The original idea came from the initial couplet:  Big-eyed bug/Stalk-eyed slug. I seem to remember thinking it up while driving, so I asked my son to write it down for me on a scrap of paper. I had trouble coming up with enough bug-related verses to fill a manuscript, but when I remembered the fun my family had had on a day in Central Park a number of years ago, I was inspired to broaden my thinking about different kinds of eyes into its current incarnation.

How was writing this story different from some of your others?

Well, for one thing, it’s much shorter. I think it’s only about 60 words. For another, it rhymes. I write in rhyme about a quarter of the time, but this is my first published rhymer (another is coming in 2019!). Rhyming books are so much fun to read with kids, and they’re also good for kids learning to read, since the rhyming creates a structure in which kids are more easily able to predict new words.

Do tell about the revision process for BUSY-EYED DAY.

I think I did less revision on this manuscript than I’ve ever done for any of my other books, but there was still some. I didn’t do any for my agent; we sent it out just as I sent it to her.  After Beach Lane acquired the manuscript, there were a few changes, but they were pretty minimal. My editor Andrea Welch wanted me to add a refrain every few stanzas.  And there were small changes throughout.  For example, we talked some about whether girl and squirrel rhyme. They don’t rhyme in every English or American accent, but we decided to stay with it anyway. And there was a couplet that read Bog-eyed frog/Frog-eyed dog which was revised to read Side-eyed frog/Wide-eyed dog because there wasn’t really a bog; the frog is in a pond. The biggest change was the title, which was originally BIG-EYED BUG, but some people felt that promised kids a bug book and it’s not a bug book, so we went with BUSY-EYED DAY, which does keep its promise.

When you first saw Frann’s illustrations, what did you love about them? Did the end result surprise you in a good way?

Oh, gosh, this is hard because I’m not good at describing art.  I can tell you that as soon as Andrea mentioned Frann’s name and I looked at her website, I was smitten by her style.  I love the bright natural colors and I love the way she uses brushstrokes for beautiful, interesting effects. My favorite spread in the book is the last one, which takes a bird’s-eye view of the park and we can see all the different people and animals that Sammi and her family have seen during their busy-eyed day.

Why are you excited to see this book in the hands of children? 
​
Getting books into the hands of kids is the whole point and I like to see their reactions when they hear the story and see the illustrations. Hopefully, they will like it and not say, “Read a different one, Mom; this one’s not very good.” But that’s always a risk. (Smile!)

​Anne Marie Pace is a children's book author whose titles  include GROUNDHUG DAY (Disney-Hyperion, 2017, illustrated by Christopher Denise); PIGLOO (Henry Holt, 2016, illustrated by Lorna Hussey); and the published and upcoming books of the VAMPIRINA BALLERINA series (Disney-Hyperion, illustrated by LeUyen Pham), the inspiration for the hit Disney Junior animated series VAMPIRINA. New this spring is BUSY-EYED DAY (Beach Lane Books, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon). Find her at annemariepace.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram @annemariepace.

BUSY-EYED DAY is a rhyming and richly illustrated picture book that celebrates the act of being observant and enjoying the magnificence found in the everyday world, perfect for the youngest of readers. It is written by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon, and published by Simon & Schuster, with a release date of April 10. 2018. 
Order your copy of BUSY-EYED DAY from an indie near you.  ​

What inspired you to write ONE DAY IN THE EUCALYPTUS, EUCALYPTUS TREE?

I wrote ONE DAY IN THE EUCALYPTUS, EUCALYPTUS TREE while I was attending graduate school and after I had just gotten back from a trip to Northern California, a coastal land where the eucalyptus tree grows like a weed. In order to help pay the bills, I worked as a janitor at my wife’s preschool. It was during those late hours until 11:00 p.m. and sometimes past midnight that I would make up silly songs to pass the time. As it happened, a silly song bounced around in my head as I was vacuuming up tiny little playground pebbles: “One day in the eucalyptus, eucalyptus tree, hung a scare in the air where no eye could see, when along skipped a boy with a twirly-whirly toy to the shade of the eucalyptus, eucalyptus tree.” And perhaps, as you read that line, you can imagine me moving through the preschool and including into my silly song various, haphazard stuffed animals that were housed on the shelves.

I wrote songs. I listened to music. I think you can see the compost heap of musical influences in the syncopated rhythms and near-rhymes in the book. In music composition, you have rhythm and beats and rests and time. But music is fluid and the tempo can change. There are various symbols in music that prompt me, the singer, to crescendo a line or to soften a phrase. I image these symbols as I write picture books. I choose words with certain syllables and stresses to guide the reader’s tongue. I use commas and periods and line breaks like rests in a line of music. I don’t know if this is called poetry, but when I write, I see music. I can’t help it.

What is one of the biggest challenges you face as a children's author, and how do you overcome that challenge?

One of the biggest challenges is finding the strength to try again even when you fail. I fail a bunch. Just ask my editor and my agent. Sometimes I wonder if they'll ever get sick of me and kick me to the curb. I spend months, even years writing a picture book, and when that picture book doesn’t work, there is an amazing sense of loss. Usually, after a manuscript gets rejected, I can’t write for one to two weeks. I’ve learned that this is okay. I’ve learned that the sting of loss is normal. As social scientist Brene Brown admonishes in her book Rising Strong, a loss must be addressed and emotional wounds must be allowed time to heal. Only when we can acknowledge the pain and allow time for healing can we stand up and try again.

What children's project are you working on now?

I am working on a bunch of projects. Like a musician playing music to soothe his soul, so I write for the love of writing. My graduate instructor, Phyllis Root, called such a lifestyle of writing “play.” I think of her often when I write. When I had the honor of studying under her at Hamline University, she never told me my writing was crazy or stupid, she just let me play and believed something wonderful would happen in that space between my heart and the page.

​This philosophy is important, because sometimes what I think is awesome isn't, and sometimes what I think is stupid is awesome. The best thing I can do is just write and let the chips fall where they may. I never know when a picture book will pop into my head. I always try to write it down. So, of the five picture books I’m writing now, I don’t know if you’ll see one or all of them. I’ve learned, or, I’ve come to learn that such a process of creativity is okay. Artists can’t stop creating. It’s what we can’t help doing. It’s what I can’t help doing.

​Daniel Bernstrom is the author of ONE DAY IN THE EUCALYPTUS, EUCALYPTUS, TREE--a rhythmic tale of a sneaky snake that has no idea his bellilicious delights are planning an escape!. Told In the spirit of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Daniel's rhythmically delightful text is a perfect read-aloud with gorgeous illustrations by award-winning Brendan Wenzel, published by HarperCollins in 2016. Daniel , a visually impaired author, has two forthcoming picture books being released by Harper Collins sometime in 2018. Daniel currently works as an adjunct instructor at Minnesota State College Southeast where he teaches creative writing, English, and speech. He received his MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. Find him at lillylabs.com. 

How did you become the illustrator for SHORT PUMP BUMP! written by Angie Miles?
 
I was one of several illustrators who had been doing freelance work for Angie’s literacy website, HappyReading.org. Angie and I worked very well together from the beginning, and when she was ready to publish SHORT PUMP BUMP!, she made a point of reaching out to me to see if I was interested. She knows plenty of talented illustrators, so I was really quite honored.

Tell us about your process for creating the illustrations for SHORT PUMP BUMP!
 
Angie’s idea was to use photographs for most of the locations she wanted to feature in SHORT PUMP BUMP!, and for me to place illustrated characters in each scene. I opened her pictures in Adobe Photoshop where I was able to sketch the characters on a separate layer, similar to placing tracing paper over a printed photo and drawing on that. (I guess I should mention I use a digital drawing tablet from Wacom that allows me to draw directly in Photoshop.) Working digitally like this was a huge help, making it much easier to have the characters convincingly interact with elements in the photo. For example, one of Angie's poems needed to have characters not just walking down Monument Avenue, but also sitting on the curb or standing behind trees. Being able to work digitally helped me to keep the characters aligned perfectly with the photo during each stage of my illustration process. 
 
Once Angie approved a sketch, I printed a composite with the photo and traced my characters onto art paper using a Huion LED light board. Then I went over the new pencil drawing in ink using a crowquill pen. This process of working both digitally and traditionally is referred to as a hybrid workflow. Personally, I prefer working this way as I feel I have more control over my line-work using traditional art tools rather than drawing entirely digitally. After the inking is done, I scan my artwork and bring it into Photoshop where I place it on a layer above the photo, using my original sketch as a guide. The final stage is to add color, which is so much fun to do digitally. I love having the freedom to experiment with different color combinations quickly and easily. I can also easily make subtle adjustments to help balance out the colors of my artwork with the colors of the photo, which helps the characters fit into the scene better. And the best part is no messy brushes or palette to clean up afterwards!

Did you have any challenges along the way? Any unexpected surprises?
 
Many of the location photos I had to work with presented difficulties in terms of being able to easily place my characters the way I wanted. Angie took lots of pictures so I had multiple angles for each of the locations, but I still often found myself wishing I could somehow slightly change the angle or lighting of the photo in ways that even Photoshop can’t pull off. In the end, it was simply a matter of me pushing my ideas a little bit differently; working with the photograph, not against it.
 
The only unexpected surprise I can think of has to do with the illustration I did of Angie and me for the back of the book. When I first sent the final artwork, Angie asked if I could make an adjustment to her skin tone as she felt what I had done was a slightly off. She had sent me several photos of herself which I used for reference, so I was at a bit of a loss for what to do. In Photoshop, I can lift the color from any image and draw or paint with that color, which I had already done using the reference photos she sent. In fairness to Angie, she did acknowledge that the photos weren’t truly accurate representations of her skin tone in real life. We went back and forth a few times before she told me something like “I’m more caramel than mocha.” The “unexpected surprise” part of this story came when, out of desperation, I used a color sample of a picture of caramel I found online without telling her what I did. When she saw it, she said “That’s it! You got it!”

What do you love about the final product, published by Belle Isle Books, and have you had fun launching it?
 
I feel great joy of seeing something I spent several years working on in print and being read by kids and parents. I have to also say that I am really pleased with the job Belle Isle Books did on the design and layout. The colors they chose complement my artwork so well, and they did a nice job repurposing some of my characters for the non-numbered pages of the book. But my personal favorite was the way the title shows the “M” in Bump kind of jumping. (I’m a sucker for playful typography!)
 
Our initial launch was just before the winter holidays, so I have personally only had the chance so far to share the book with my family and close friends. I also set up my very first online shop on my website where people can buy signed copies of SHORT PUMP BUMP!, along with art prints and greeting cards. Angie has already done several school and library events, and we have plans on making joint appearances down the road. In the meantime, my first public event will be doing book signings at the SCBWI MD/DE/WV Annual Conference in Maryland this March, so I’m pretty excited about that.

Scott DuBar is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Charlottesville, Virginia. His vibrant and humorous work appears regularly on websites and in magazines across the country. In 2016, his illustration Underwater Tiger appeared on a limited-edition drink, Tiger’s Blood, from Mike’s HARDER. Scott’s first illustrated children’s book, SHORT PUMP BUMP!--a lyrical, spherical, rhyming romp through Richmond, Virginia, written by Angie Miles was released December 15, 2017 from Belle Isle Books and is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Signed copies are available from Scott’s website at scottdubar.com.

How did you find your way into illustrating for children?

It was a loooong way. I’ve always wanted to be an artist. I studied graphic design at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest. I started my career as a graphic designer. Soon I became an art director at a big advertising company, DDB. Working in this area was fine, but I missed something. Eventually, I realized that my job as a graphic designer wasn't bringing fun into my life any more, so I started looking for something else. I saw that drawing gave me the best feeling I’ve ever felt, so the rest came quite quickly. One of my friends was developing a children’s magazine application and he asked me to illustrate some of the stories. The three bears were born then. I started to share my work on the Internet and finally an agency found me. Good Illustration Agency is a London based agency and I have a really good relationship with them. If I could start my career again, I would begin as a children's illustrator.

Why do you love creating illustrations for young readers?

Because I can be funny and make many, many children laugh through my illustrations.

​How do you tap into your inner kid when you are illustrating for children?

That’s an interesting question. I don't need to tap into my inner kid because I become kid when I draw! I feel happy and I am very open and creative. I see things as a child. It is very liberating.

What type of books for children do you enjoy illustrating?

My favorites are funny, humorous stories with a hilarious and surprising end. I prefer animal characters, but I like drawing human characters as well. I found that animals are very funny with cute facial expressions, and I use a lot of that in my illustrations. So I love funny stories with animals. My favorites are from Heather Pindar. She is the author of STRICTLY NO CROCS and BEWARE THE MIGHTY BITEY. I love both books very much. It was so much fun to work on illustrating them.

​How does your cultural heritage and/or family upbringing influence your illustrative style/voice?

My mother and my father had really good manual skills. My father loved to draw just for fun. I learned a lot from him. My mother decorated the walls of my room with Minnie and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. I was so happy as a child and this inspires me very much.

​Life in the 70’s and 80's in Hungary was so much fun for me. Growing up, I was exposed to many kinds of illustrative styles. We had fantastic children's books (I still own a few!) and I loved the cartoons. Hungary imported cartoons from everywhere around the world. From the United States, for example, I loved the Flintstones. Plus we had our own cartoons. My favorite was a Hungarian one, Gombóc Artúr (Arthur Chubby--I can’t translate it exactly). Every Hungarian child knew him. He was a funny, plump blue bird who loved every kind of chocolate very much. I've just recently realized that my style is very similar.​

What children's project(s) are you working on now?

I am working on a Brazilian folktale--The Boy and the Violin. The other project is a Spanish book about Mama Duck and her little son who travel for a while. And I have just begun a book about cats--a lot of cats! I love those cats!

​Susan Batori is a Hungarian illustrator, graphic designer and a character design addict. She studied graphic design at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary. As an art director at DDB Advertising Agency, Susan designed many print ads, websites, posters, packages, etc. for years. Than she noticed that drawing hilarious characters was much more fun. She likes to laugh with her boyfriend Robert and her cat Kamilla. They inspire her funny characters. She also loves creating new digital textures, reading, watching great movies, drinking coffee, walking in a forest or pampering herself with a good salted caramel ice cream. Since 2012, Susan has been working as a freelance children’s book illustrator. Humor is the one thing in her studio that she could not live without. She is represented by Good Illustration Ltd., London. Her clients have come to include Maverick Arts Publishing, Highlights for Children's Magazine, Oxford University Press,  I See Me! Personalized Children's Books, and Spider Magazine, an imprint of Cricket Media. Find Susan and her fun-filled portfolio on Facebook, Behance, Instagram, Pintrest, at batori.hu, and susanbatori.myportfolio.com.

Even though you'd never created a book trailer before, why did you decide to give it a whirl with THIS LITTLE PIGGY?

When my debut chapter book Kung Pow Chicken #1 came out, I was on a really tight schedule to get the next three books completed as all four were set for 2014. I never had the chance to do anything for their launch, so I thought this time, with Piggy, I would have some fun with its release! 

What was your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was that I had no idea how to make a trailer! But I had seen two or three really fun fan-made trailers that some elementary school students had made for Kung Pow Chicken and I thought if kids can do it…I probably will fail miserably. :) But I was determined to try! I read some articles on making book trailers and found the two most important things are to make a script first, and to keep it simple. So that’s what I did. 

What was your greatest triumph?

Doing the voice over. I originally hadn’t planned on it because the very idea gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies. But I thought if young kids are watching with a parent or teacher or caregiver, a voice over with the text might be necessary. It was really discomfiting as I had no idea I sounded like that! But I pushed through and even made piggy noises at the end. I’ve been really trying hard to go outside of my comfort zone lately so I’m proud I was able to get through it.

What program(s) did you use to create your book trailer?

When I was researching how to make a trailer, what program to use was of great concern. I couldn’t afford to purchase pro editing software, and some of the free programs seemed too complicated or too limited. I already had an Adobe subscription for Photoshop and Acrobat Pro, so I thought I’d see if Adobe had anything suitable. That’s when I discovered Adobe Spark. It’s free for everyone, even without an existing Adobe subscription. It’s not a movie editor, it’s an online social media tool for creating graphics and memes, web stories, and animated videos.

I also used Photoshop to create the slides I uploaded to Spark. I wanted more control over the fonts and their placement/size/color etc, so I added the text in PhotoShop and made it part of the images rather than use Spark’s text option.

​Had you had experience using these programs? If not, what was the learning curve like?

I’ve had lots of experience with PhotoShop, but this was my first time using Spark. I really liked Spark because like most Adobe programs it’s pretty user-friendly. They have templates you can use or, like I did, you can start from scratch to create your project. It was super easy to learn, and even easier to edit. You can upload images and video, add text and voiceovers, and upload your own music. If you don't have your own, they have a nice little collection of free music. They also have a Creative Commons library with thousands of icons available to use.

Would you recommend the program for to someone who is making a book trailer for the first time?

I think Spark is a fantastic option for someone who wants to make their own book trailer but isn’t experienced with video editing. You don’t even really need PhotoShop. All you need is an idea.

Tell us about the trailer's adorable music, how did it come to be?

The adorable music was composed and recorded by one of my author besties, Larissa C. Hardesty. She has her debut YA come out this month as well, so I approached her about us helping each other with our book trailers. We traded skills. She provided music for my trailer in exchange for me putting together her trailer from a script she provided. It was really fun working together and I think both trailers turned out great considering neither one of us had ever made one before.

Do you think you'll be creating more book trailers in the future?

Absolutely! It was really fun and not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I think a trailer is really great way to let people know what your book is about.