​(c) Yaroslava Apollonova, odnatamyara.com

How did you find your way to becoming a kidlit creator?

I’ve always been keen to illustrate children books. Book sections at stores have always been my favorite places--spending hours by! I've been drawing and illustrating literally half my life, since I was 12-years-old. (I'm 24 now.) Also, when I was 12, my sister was born, which was very inspiring to me. I wanted her to hold a book that I had illustrated! Though she’s 13 now, and not interested in picture books anymore--yet still! 

I'm sure your sister will find it pretty cool when she does hold your first traditionally published picture book! So what do you love about writing and illustrating for young readers?

I really enjoy drawing kids, cute things, and fun scenes with lots of objects, basically all those things are portrayed in picture books, so if one niche fits everything I love, then why not, right?

Makes sense to me! I notice, your illustrative style hints of geometric shapes. What about that style attracts you? Would you call it cubism?

All my artistic life I've loved experimenting and challenging myself, so geometry and forms have been something that keeps my brain working, if I can say so. Actually, I think what really had a huge influence on me was taking geometry in school. It was my favorite class. (I was a “know-it-all" annoying student back then. (HaHa!))

I love simplifying things, adding shapes and pushing forms.

I wouldn’t name my style "cubism" or anything else. To me, my style doesn’t seem to fit into those “artistic” styles represented in art galleries and museums. I would actually love to see more work by contemporary artists in galleries and solo exhibitions!

What types of books would you like to work on?

I would love to work on recipe and cook books! I looove baking, if not drawing I’d definitely be a cook or baker. Haha! That’s always been my dream to illustrate my own recipe book! 
Besides that I’d love to work on any exciting project with interesting narrative story about friendship, parenthood, mental health, or childhood, in general. (I especially love stories with deep physiology meanings.)

How did you and Kelly find each other and why are you glad?

​I was looking for an agent for months, had so many declines, even started thinking something is wrong with my art. Originally, I had queried a different agent at Tobias Literary. Though she didn't offer me representation, she was kind enough to forward my inquiry to Kelly! Kelly was the only one who believed in me! She even seemed happy to sign the contract with me!

So far we have had great conversations. I can ask her anything that bothers me, and we've already begun working on very nice project that I’m very excited about! Working with Kelly feels like a win win for both a us!

​What do you love about creating art for children’s books?

I am asked this question quite often. Honestly, it’s the magic of it. I am very much drawn to fairytales and traditional storybook concepts, as who wouldn’t want an excuse to immerse themselves in a world where rabbits run around with pocket watches, or where crocodiles tick, or where partially clothed bears eat honey at every mealtime! The world can feel a bit devoid of magic and imagination at times and so it’s great to escape into an illustrated story and pretend like that’s the norm for a while. 

So true, this! Anything else you love about being a member of the kidlit industry?

I also love how there is so much variety in children’s book illustration with so many amazing artists to learn and be inspired from. I am always working to improve my illustration skills and my story-telling abilities and to have such a wealth of expertise and skill available to draw upon is quite inspirational. You can’t help wanting to get better at what you do when you see how much amazing work others have achieved!

Children’s book illustrators are generally a really good bunch of people too!

That does seem to be a general rule! So, why do you love drawing animals?

I’ve been blessed with a wonderful career working very closely with animals of all species. I’ve worked in a veterinarian clinic, in animal hospitals, and at wildlife parks. I've raised both kittens and kangaroos (separately of course), health-checked an array of animals from puppies to polar bears, assisted in theatre with canine hip replacements, anaesthetized sea turtles, nebulized snakes and rescued orphaned seal pups from freezing cold beaches. And I’ve spent hour upon hour monitoring and recording the various physiological and psychological parameters of animal patients. All this work with animals has given me a fairly unique insight into animals and their behaviors. As a veterinary nurse, for example, it’s your job to observe animals to determine if they are sad, apprehensive, happy and/or content. Animal characterization is now second nature to me.

Besides, I love animals, all animals, and I love capturing their individual personalities in my illustrations, and if that’s whilst they drink a cup of hot cocoa in a forest clearing with their woodland pals--then all the better!

What kinds of books do you hope to write and/or illustrate?

I love a classic storybook. It doesn’t have to be an old classic just one that exudes quality and a heartfelt message. A book which you pick up and from just the title and that first glimpse of art on the cover you know that its going to be exceptional. Any book where each turn of the page feels like a real treat is one to be treasured I think. I have lots of books like that on my bookshelf and they make me smile each and every time I pull one of them down to admire. I aspire to one day create a book like that. One I can be really proud of and hopefully that others will love as much as I do.
 
I also love a good rhyming text as I feel the melody of rhyme can really add to the magical feel I am always looking for in a picture book. I like books that create a feeling of atmosphere, and those centered around a specific idea or event. I’m a fanatic for winter holidays and so festive books with all of their fairy-lit imagery are instant winners with me, and of course, I'm sold with anything with woodland animals in a forest setting!

How did you and Kelly find each other?

Kelly and I found each other through Instagram. Kelly came across an illustration of mine that caught her eye, which in turn directed her to my Instagram account and then to my website and portfolio page. She reached out to me shortly thereafter and we started chatting about representation and author-illustrated work. I liked Kelly from the offset and felt a great sense of confidence in her knowledge and love of children's writing and picture books. Joining her team at Tobias Literary felt like a very natural thing to do and I am grateful that our paths crossed when they did!

Thanks so much, Caroline, for sharing a little bit about your kidlit journey so far. I can't wait to hold one of your illustrated books in my hand!

It's been a delight to be here!

Caroline McPherson is a British-Australian illustrator whose love of animals, nature and classical picture books shines through her illustrative works, as she combines both analog and digital mediums to create her distinctively soft and textured style. Pastel, crayon and hand rendered textures are her favorite tools and charming animal characters and little round birds her favorite subject matter. When not scribbling away at her desk, Caroline can often be found in the rainforest near her home, looking for pademelons and collecting interesting textures for future art projects. Find Caroline and examples of her joyful work on Instagram  and on her website at eiderduckillustration.com. She is represented by Kelly Dyksterhouse of The Tobias Literary Agency.  

© Cynthia Cliff, cynthiacliff.com

Cynthia, welcome! I am super excited about having a share in launching your beautiful new picture book THE WILD GARDEN that came out today! As you know, I've been a fan of your work ever since I discovered it on the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI's Illustrator Gallery. And I must tell you that when I read THE WILD GARDEN, I fell in love not only with your illustrations, but also with the sweet ode your words sing in honor of all that is beautiful and bountiful growing and living in wild, open spaces. Thanks so much for stopping by!

​No, thank you, Dionna! I'm delighted to be here! 
 
The honor is all mine! So, why did you decide to create a story that celebrates that which grows and lives in wild open spaces?

I think that I actually “wrote” this story when I was a child. I loved the wild places that surrounded my rural childhood home. I spent hours and hours outside exploring those places—the woodlands, meadows, and waterways. It was a magical place and time that made a big impression on me. The elders in my family would take us out to forage for edible plants and fruits like sassafras for tea. There were wild asparagus in the early spring, all kinds of wild berries for pies in the summer, and nuts in the fall that my mother would bake into a cake for Christmas. Being out in nature was always like a treasure hunt for the delightful, the delicious, and the curious. So, when tasked by Prestel to develop a garden themed story, The Wild Garden narrative developed organically as I mined my childhood memories.

Did you name the village of your story Mirren after the Village of Mürren in Switzerland?
 
Is there a Mürren in Switzerland? I had no idea. My Mirren is a totally made-up place. The name just popped into my head. I liked the sound of it. It is a lyrical word. I liked that it almost sounded like mirror. I thought that was useful in the story as the two settings in the book—the wild place and the community garden—share many similarities. In the book I bounce between the two places and compare them to each other. I tried out other names for the village but kept coming back to Mirren.

​Your color palette in THE WILD GARDEN reminds me of redbuds dressed up for Spring! Why did you choose it for this story?
 
I first started by developing a color palette for my main characters to make sure they would stand out against all the greenery in the story. I do have a palette that I tend to use, which felt right—colors that are bright but a bit earthly as well, so I leaned into those inclinations. Nature is colorful and I wanted the book to be colorful too.

Do you, like your main character Jilly, have your own wild place to explore? If so, what do you love about it and how does it inspire or inform your kidlit work?  

These days I do have a favorite local place to hike and go there as often as I can. It is a very large public space that has both grand vistas and small, intimate woody spaces. I enjoy that mix. In my life I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in many amazing wild places, but my very favorite place to hike is in northern Maine along the coast. In that place, the earthy, mossy, and dreamy woodlands run alongside a granite strewn shoreline, which makes these trails full of magic and wonder--a perfect mix of restfulness and energy. When you look closely, you can find tiny flowers, lichens, and all kinds of little creatures every step of the way. This is the kind of place where I like to recharge, explore, and draw. It’s a place that feeds the soul and inspires, which is important for everyone, and especially for creative people.

As you worked with your Prestel Junior editor Doris Kutschbach going from original submitted manuscript to the finished proof, what about the process surprised you, and/or did you enjoy the most?

I guess what surprised me the most was how incredibly hard it is to write a picture book story for children! The general public has no idea. It’s like catching lightening in a bottle, at least that's how it was for me. There were many, many drafts. Doris was so helpful, she offered encouragement and wise advice. For me the most enjoyable part of the process was making the artwork, of course. 
 
Why do you hope kids will enjoy reading your book? Is there a theme or lesson you'd like for them to carry away?

I think the main lesson is about understanding why the wild landscape is important. Those wildflowers, nuts, berries, and mushrooms are food for wild creatures. It is their garden, in a sense. And those little saplings, rocky hillsides, and mossy ponds are their homes. Often, when children are outside, they might not take the time to look around and think about that connection. On another level, a second lesson might be about speaking up to protect what you value and to not be afraid to do so. But it's my hope that the biggest lesson learned will come through kids enjoying and discovering wild places just like Jilly, my main character, does. I hope my book will encourage children everywhere to experience the richness and excitement found in nature, if they take the time to look. 

Wonderful lessons, indeed! Well, thanks so much, Cynthia, for allowing me to shine a spotlight on THE WILD GARDEN and on you today--your Book Launch Day! (WOOT!) Can't wait to read about Jilly's next adventure.

Thanks for having me!

Hi, Tom! I am superdy-dooperdy delighted to have you here on my blog! Thanks oodles for stopping by!

You're welcome, Dionna. Happy to be here!

I must confess, while being present during one of your author visits, I was absolutely amazed at your ability to fill the room with electric-fun! The kids were soooo excited to engage with you (and your character drawings). It was obvious to me that you love doing school visits!

You're right. I absolutely love doing school visits! 

Any advice for us kidlit creators who might be hesitant about doing school visits, or who are afraid of boring the kids to tears?

First, I'd say, don't view doing school visits as an obligation. View them as an unmatched opportunity of getting energized by kids! I recommend doing them even for authors who are just getting started. View your visit as a chance to just talk to kids about books, writer's block, or whatever else the kids want to talk about. If you're not ready for a whole gym-full, try talking to a single class or even a small book club. 

​What message do you try to get across to the kids while doing a visit?

I don't think educating is my purpose at all. My job is to energize everybody—to read, to write, to draw. The kids don't need to remember anything I said as long as they remember that I have a great time making stories and they can, too.

Since the Pandemic, have you missed doing in-person school visits? How have virtual visits worked out for you?
​
I do miss the in-school visits, but I don't miss the travel and hassles that can go with it. It can be absolutely exhausting, especially at schools with bad microphones. I do not miss the bad microphones! But I totally miss the direct connection with the kids.

Virtual visits have their technology problems, too. But now that EVERYBODY knows how to use Zoom, it's a lot different than the days when I might be the first Skype visit a school had ever had. Also, I can do so many more visits in one day! I think my record is twelve in one day! But six is a much better number. Meanwhile, four in-person visits in one day are too many.

Twelve Zoom visits in a single day? That’s incredible! What works for you when doing an in-school visit? What doesn't?

I don't think the hard sell works. Don't try to be a commercial for your book. Instead, be a champion of reading in general!

Something that works great is this: “I love to write books, but I also love to READ books. I'm looking for a new one to read, can anybody tell me about their favorite book?”
 
Using a white board, you can either make a list or make a mash-up drawing with characters from each book. I tell kids I'm going to take the list to the library so I know what to check out. They are SO excited to tell me what to read next. (And, of course, it's a lot of fun to pretend I've never heard of the books or that I've misunderstood the title.)

Tom, it’s been so fun having you here! Thank you so much for sharing some school-visit tips, and please, do tell your talented wife CeCe Bell I said “Hi!” and congrats on El Deafo becoming a cartoon series! 

It’s been my pleasure! And will do.

Tom Angleberger is an author-illustrator with more than thirty books to his name. His Origami Yoda series is so deliciously packed full of fun that kids have gobbled them up by the millions. (Thankfully, the books don’t reciprocate.) His pen of choice is the Pilot G2 gel roller, 1.0 for everyday doodling, and the .7 for illustrating Origami Yoda. Tom gets inspiration from Star Wars, Fumiaki Kawahata, Daniel Pinkwater, and his own social disasters. Tom’s superpowers include Asperger’s and making a room full of preteens roar with laughter during school visits. His latest books include titles in his Geronimo Stilton and DJ Funkyfoot graphic novel series and in his Didi Dodo, Future Spy chapter book series set in the Flytrap Files universe. HIs graphic novel Two-Headed Chicken will be released this year by Walker Books US. His latest kidlit news (and how to fold an origami Yoda) can be found at origamiyoda.com.

Welcome, Collen, to my blog! I'm so excited to introduce everyone to you, Kelly Dyksterhouse's newest Kidlit Raven!

Thanks, Dionna, for having me here. Being part of Raven Quill Literary is a dream come true!

It's a great welcoming place, for sure. So tell me, how did you find your way into becoming a kidlit author-illustrator?

I've always been an artist. I tried everything to share my art with the world, from making bags and purses, home décor, murals, etc. One day my husband was watching the news and they had a segment on Jan Brett. He said, "Hey, you should do that." Until that moment I didn't even think of a children's book illustrator as a job. About a month later, I received a mailing for classes at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where I would occasionally take classes. They were offering a Children's Book Illustration class and I thought it was so serendipitous. From the first class I was hooked. I have never tried to do anything with my art other than children's books since that moment in 2006/2007.

Serendipitous, indeed! What happened next?

As for the writing part, it naturally evolved after learning to tell a story visually. I started taking classes at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. They offer lots of classes about writing for children and now (silver lining to COVID) you can take them online! I joined a critique group online and then a local group formed from one of the Loft classes. We still meet once a week and Lindsey McDivitt and Cynthia Surissi are both members. Our critique group is amazing and so helpful, keeping me motivated to generate new material. 

Learning from and being supported by others is truly a part of the kidlit journey! 

Yes it is!

​(c) Colleen Muske, colleenmuske.com

​What do you love about producing work with children in mind?

I will try and not sound like a sap when I say this, but it is truly the best thing! Children are so imaginative and observant. They love to learn new things, as do I. It's such a challenge to write for children, you can't be lazy, they notice everything. I really love the thought of one of my books connecting with a child and making them feel something. I love trying to tell a story in 500 words (or less). It's so hard. Also, I've learned my stories have to have heart and a sense of hope, even for a tough subject, or they just won't work for young readers. 

How is being an illustrator of children's stories especially fun for you?
 
Whether I am illustrating my story or someone else's, adding a visual backstory for kids is a lot of fun. I have to push beyond where I am comfortable to keep up with their imaginations. I love finding details in a book where every time you read it you discover new things in the illustration, and I think kids love that too. 

I agree! So how did you and Kelly find each other, and why are you glad?

I've been working on Kelly for a while! Cynthia first suggested I submit to Kelly after I parted ways with my first agent. I was getting really nice rejections, but could never get over the getting-acquired road bump. I really needed an agent to find the right home for my stories. When Kelly mentioned she was looking for an author/illustrator, Cynthia reminded her I was both (Isn't Cynthia the best!!!). I feel so lucky to have a friend who is such a great cheerleader for my work. This time I sent Kelly a couple of dummy books and it worked! YAY!!! 

Congrats! Kelly is great!

To be honest, I'd been watching Kelly do her thing as an agent for years. Since she represents two people in my critique group, I saw her feedback and suggestions frequently. She always has such insightful, helpful things to say about a manuscript. I've been impressed with her for a long time! I knew I needed someone editorial, organized, and someone who could make a plan for my career. Kelly is all of those things and more. And she is sooooooo nice!

You're right about that! Well, thanks for stopping by. And do let us know when your work is finally acquired!

Will do, and thanks for having me!!

Salutations! Leslie, and welcome!

Happy to stop by!

How did you find your way to becoming a kidlit author, and what do you love about it?

I started out as an illustrator, something I'd wanted to do since I was very young, but along the way I became interested in writing, too. Illustration is very time consuming and I've always had a day job. The work was every evening and weekend until the job was finished. What I love about writing is it's a creative endeavor that I can pursue anytime, anywhere.

I've always wished I could illustrate! So what project of the heart are you working on?

I started working on a historical novel about 8 years ago. It's centering around the experiences of Choctaw people during the time of removal and resettlement in the 1830's

I was just researching a little about that time period. History is fraught with injustice, isn't it.

Yes, it is. 

What do you love about working with Kelly?

I can tell that Kelly loves what she does, and that she believes in me. I can't imagine having anyone else as my agent!

Thanks, Leslie, for participating in my blog party!

No problem, Dionna. Glad to do it! 

(c) Sam Hundley, samhundley.com

Welcome to my blog, Sam! I'm delighted to have you (and your gorgeous art) here!

​Happy to oblige!

First question: How did you find your way to becoming a kidlit scrap artist?

I was a newspaper artist for 39 years, got laid off, became bored, wrote a little fable that was bouncing around in my head, realized it was possible to create the characters with found objects so they could be posed in different positions and tell a story. So, I decided to design a 32-page picture book. Finding a publisher for it was the hard part!

Glad you got those ideas out of your head and into the 3-D world! What do you like about creating humorous characters out of scrap metal?

It’s a relaxing way to make art. I daydream, allowing intuition to guide me. The results often surprise me, so I continue doing it.

Describe your process, please.

I take buckets of junk that I’ve collected from all over and also things that are donated to me by generous friends (dug relics, plastic bits, beach combing flotsam, metal, wood, etc.) and pour it onto the studio floor. For the children’s book characters, I imagine a goat, for instance, then I find things that work together in the proper scale--a paint brush becomes his head and beard, nails are his horns, a key winder nose, rubber tire fragment body, etc. Then I photograph it with my iPhone and design the book on my desktop Mac.


Tell me a little about your upcoming book, Gifts of the Magpie?

My mother called me a “magpie” when I was little because I liked to collect stuff. That memory and my experience as a scrap artist inspired me to start thinking about writing a story. Six months after being laid off, I woke up to a soft, April rain and as I lay there, inspiration struck and I wrote Gifts of the Magpie in under an hour. It’s about a generous magpie who is good at finding things, so she asks her friends what they want. She gets everything wrong and disappoints everyone--until they realize, by using a little creativity, she gave them exactly what they needed. It contains a hopeful message of positive thinking, plus some fun wordplay and of course, lots of scrap art! Capstone is publishing it in early 2021.

Congrats on your book! I can't wait to read it! Is it fun, creating stories out of your work?

​Is it fun? This late bloomer is having a blast!​

​Your delight is evident in the objects! What are you working on now?

I’m always creating personal work, like the Keep On Truckin’ tribute to R. Crumb, selling a few pieces, working on three commissions. In July, Capstone agreed to publish my second picture book, Tag and the Magic Squeaker, about a mouse who teams up with a dog to put one over on a cat. And my third book, The Hangry Pizzly Bear, which incorporates over 30 portmanteaus, is under consideration. 

Haha! Sounds artliciously fun! Well, thanks for stopping by and for sharing a little bit about your kidlit journey with me. It's been a blast!

Enjoyed it, Dionna!

Salutations, Angela! Thanks so much for stopping by to chat with us. So, how did you find your way to becoming a kidlit artist?

I always knew I wanted to do something creative. However, it wasn’t until college that I decided I wanted to be an illustrator. There were so many majors in art school. It was difficult to pick just one. Thankfully, I had a 2D-design teacher whose work inspired me to study illustration. His work was similar to Lane Smith’s traditional illustrations, and it reminded me of how much I loved the The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. It rekindled my childhood obsession with creating books. 

From there, it wasn’t a direct shot into doing kidlit. I studied general illustration and thought I would be an editorial illustrator. There was such a prestige about that type of work. Still, outside of class I found myself drawn to children’s book illustration. I even placed in an international children’s book illustration competition called Teatro while I was still a student. Despite that, it wasn’t until the last semester of school when I took a children’s book illustration class that everything aligned. 

For the first time, I could play with camera angles, humor, and a rhythm. I could tell stories, something I always loved. I could get lost creating a whole world for a book. I also had an excuse to read a ton of a kidlit! With some hard work and some luck, I started getting interest in the work as soon as I graduated. Then I was recommended to SCBWI by Abigal Samoun, who at the time was still an editor. She now has her own literary agency called Red Fox Literary. 

SCBWI really helped launch my career. I received my first small book from Children’s Book Press at Illustrator’s Day in San Francisco. More importantly my book,  Maria Had a Little Llama, began as assignment from a SCBWI Spirit conference in Davis, California. I am happy to say I’ve been illustrating for over ten years and writing six years professionally. 

​What do you love about being a children's book creator? 

I love telling a narrative and being able to draw things that I find amusing. I’ve always been on the sillier side so this is the perfect outlet for me. Also I adore the marriage of words and pictures. As a child, I could get lost reading a book and that never went away. Now, more and more, it’s the interaction with the kids that really motivates me. Seeing what they relate to during school presentations—not just what I relate to—gives me inspiration.  

As you've been honing your craft over the years, what's one of the biggest things you've learned so far.

Luckily, I studied illustration, so my learning curve with the craft has been easier. I think the biggest things is learning how to draw kids well. It’s been a bunch of practice and studying different illustrator’s work. I’ve even created a graduate character design for a children’s book course at the Academy of Art University. When it comes to being an author, the learning curve has been larger. I often force myself to write for practice and I read children’s literature as much possible.

Probably the biggest learning curve though, is realizing the amount of promotion and business skills you need to have. People assume because it’s a creative field and everything can be done at home that you don’t have to network or promote, but that’s a huge part of the job. After all, this children’s literature is its own business.

​What types of manuscripts do you love illustrating and why?

My favorite books to illustrate are ones that either feature animals and/or have plenty of room of interpretation. Probably one of my favorite books to illustrate was MARTA! BIG AND SMALL. It has minimal text so I was able to come up a with concept for where these animals lived. That was great collaborative project. I also love illustrating my own stories because there is even room to be creative!

What are you working on now and are you having fun?

I am working on a picture book with Candlewick. It’s still in the early stages, but it’s about a girl who is scared of bees. Coming up with expressions and reactions has been so much fun. I’m also working on a few story ideas. I find that it’s important to always be generating new projects for myself. It keeps me busy and hopefully it turns into a book! 

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City but grew up in the great state of Texas. She is the author and illustrator of several children's books and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids in 2018, winner of SCBWI Sid Fleischman Award, and an ALA Notable. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University. She is represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency.

It's such an honor having you here, Rashin! I love your art. It's full of light and love, and it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. And I'm sure children reading your books feel the same!

Thank you! I'm happy to be here!

Why did you decide to write and illustrate SAFFRON ICE CREAM?

The reason I wrote this story was because I wanted to open a new window by sharing my immigration story with kids. I wanted to talk about real Iranian families and culture. There are a lot of misconceptions about Iran in the media, and that makes me sad. I also wanted to share with my audience all the wonderful moments I had growing up in Iran. At the end of the day, everyone loves ice cream, and I hope one day kids will experience the awesome taste of Persian ice cream—saffron ice cream—for themselves!

Would you describe the events in SAFFRON ICE CREAM as autobiographical? 

SAFFRON ICE CREAM is based on my life but some part of it is fiction. In 1979, I was born in Khorramshahr, a border city next to the Persian Gulf in the southern part of Iran. I was only nine months old when Iraq attacked Khorramshahr and the long eight-year war started. We lost our house and everything we had. My family, with many other refugees, had to move to the northern part of Iran by the Caspian Sea, where I spent most of my childhood. We spent many summer times going to the Caspian Beach. Despite the war and all the difficulties, my amazing parents created a happy childhood for me.

After moving to New York, I was excited when I planned a trip to Coney Island Beach. It was a flashback to all my childhood memories. I was curious. Would there be any rules like those we had on our Iranian beach? Would there be saffron ice cream?

​While fine-tuning SAFFRON ICE CREAM, what was it like working with Arthur Levine, your editor, and Marijka Kostiw, your art director? 

When I met Arthur at the SCBWI conference in New York, we talked about a new story idea about Iran. Later, I came up with the Caspian Beach idea. Arthur suggested “Saffron Ice Cream” for the title and I loved it. Arthur was such a kind soul to work with and an amazing editor. He was there for me through the whole process. He helped me to add more adventure and whimsical touches to my manuscript. 

Marijka was fun to work with and a wonderful art director. She kept me updated about the latest feedback from the design and marketing team. Arthur and Marijka gave me all the space and freedom to draw and experiment with different ideas and techniques. They were always supportive. When I was drawing the dummies, they helped me have a better visual understanding about New York City, encouraging me to include subway signs and outfits from different cultures. It was such fun—our teamwork!

​Hi Dionna! Thanks for having me!

​KidLit411 is such a wonderful resource for those trying to master the skill of writing for children! Do share how it came into being.
​
Five years ago, my critique partner, Elaine Kiely Kearns, had an idea to create a resource website for writers, to share articles on children’s writing and illustrating. I joined her effort and we created the website KidLit411.

Since then, your website has been named a best website for writers many times over! Congrats on that! Why do you think that is?

KidLit411 contains over thirty pages of writing and illustrating topics, from contests and awards to writing tips and agent submissions and many more. The pages include sixty to one hundred articles on each topic. We also interview at least one author or illustrator each week, featuring their recent books or work. Subscribers get a weekly update of all the new articles added to the website, about a dozen a week.

Since we began, we’ve featured over three hundred authors and illustrators in our Author and Illustrator Spotlights. Our website gets twenty-five thousand to thirty-five-thousand page-views a month! 

The best part of KidLit411 is the community of authors and illustrators we’ve connected with, both online and in real life. We run an active Facebook group of over 6,300 children’s writers and illustrators and two companion pages where people can find critique partners, the KidLit411 Manuscript Swap and the KidLit411 Portfolio Critique Swap. Every day, people ask and answer questions in our group on all sorts of topics, from self-publishing to querying to mentor texts and more.

Despite being a writer and illustrator yourself, why do you continue to spend your time keeping KidLit411 up and running?

Personally, running KidLit411 is very gratifying. Elaine and I work great together and have a system to keep the interviews and links coming every week. Although it does take work, I feel so connected to the kidlit community. A side benefit is that we’ve created a platform that helps our own author careers. While promoting other authors and illustrators, we develop great relationships and friendships with those who in turn help us when our books come out.

Why do you think KidLit411 has such a continued following?

We try to keep our community engaged. Most years, we run a multi-day book "birthday" bash giveaway, where we give away books, editor critiques, agent query passes, and writing and illustrating courses. This year we ran a contest for illustrators to help design our website banner and Facebook group cover photo. The top two winners got cash prizes, and the top ten are having their banners featured on our website over the course of the year. 

We always welcome kidlit peeps to join our Facebook group or follow our website and get connected. We can be reached at kidlit411 (at) kidlit411 (dot) com. Your blog readers are welcome to join us!

Thanks so much for the invitation, Sylvia, and for stopping by! It's been an honor hosting you!

The pleasure is all mine!

Sylvia Liu creates stuff, mostly for kids. She's inspired by aliens, robots, bunnies, cephalopods, and more. Her love for writing and art began while she was growing up in Venezuela. While working at her first career in environmental law at the U.S. Department of Justice and the non-profit group Oceana, she loved protecting the oceans. And now she loves writing and illustrating for kids just as much. Her 2016 picture book, A Morning with Grandpa, illustrated by Christina Forshay, was a  Lee & Low New Voices Award Winner! She also writes speculative middle-grade fiction, and is represented by Jennifer March Soloway at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Find Sylvia blogging at Sylvia Liu Land, and her amazing resource--listed by industry professionals like Writer's Digest, Feedspot, and Freewrite as one of the best websites for writers, consecutively for several years--at KidLit411.

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.

What inspired you to write THIS LITTLE PIGGY: AN OWNER’S MANUAL?

There were a lot of different inspirations for this book as it evolved. The idea first sparked when I found the word “hogwash” funny. I was just minding my own business, doodling on the couch when I heard someone on whatever show my family was watching say “hogwash,” and I got images in my head of kids trying to bathe a pig. The first version of my story was pretty much a long-running (and probably annoying) joke of having to bathe and immediately re-bathe, over and over, a pig named Snowflake. I had originally intended to title my project HOGWASH, but I found a couple of other children’s books with that title. Still, I finished creating the story, and my agent and I submitted it as THE ULTIMATE PIG CARE HANDBOOK. Eventually, it became THIS LITTLE PIGGY: AN OWNER’S MANUAL. 

In your story, Brother and Sister's mother is quite obsessive about her garden, and is not at all keen on them getting a pet pig. Any similar childhood experiences?
 
My own mother was equally obsessive and overly-fond of her garden, so much so that I used to tell her I hated her flowers and didn’t want to have to look at them. She (jokingly, I think) threatened to ground me once if I didn’t come look at her garden, so she partly inspired the mom-character in the book. (Incidentally, she still makes me look at her garden when I visit her, but I don’t mind so much anymore.) 

I also desperately wanted a pet when I was a kid and embarked on a many-years-long campaign of pestering my dad to let me get a puppy. When I turned 15, I changed tactics and my friend Rozz and I conspired. She got me a kitten for my birthday and I begged and made sad faces until my dad gave in and said I could keep him. 

In your illustrations, you chose to depict a blended family. Any particular reason why? 

I wanted to depict a blended family where two single adults with children come together. Brother and Sister are step-siblings, with the emphasis on siblings. There is also a dad in This Little Piggy’s family, he just didn’t make it into the final version, as Mom is the one they ultimately have to convince.

Why did you decide to tell the story using a comic-book style for a format, and was this type of book fun to create?

I think stories aimed at kids who are emerging or struggling readers work really well in a hybrid chapter book/graphic novel format. Speech bubbles help to break up the text into smaller blocks so it’s not as daunting to read. The pictures help them to decode the words and also provide a lot of humor and interest to hold their attention. Aladdin Pix books are part chapter book, part graphic novel, and part picture book. 

Besides, comic books are just cool and even cooler to create. 

As both the writer and the illustrator of this book, please share your process. 

For this story, I wrote the words first, then sketched the illustrations, but I made art notes for myself while writing. More recently, on a new project, I’ve simultaneously written the text and drew rough thumbnail sketches, and that’s been a really fun and productive way for me to work. 

Did you do a lot of research about pigs for this project?

I researched pigs because I wanted to include a few fun facts in the text, but the drawings of Snowflake came from my head with no visual reference. I meant for him to look like a child’s drawing. I also wanted the original version to appear like it was a how-to manual written by kids for other kids. I had painted lined paper, added the characters with a stick-figure feel to them, and doodled all over the pages. But that ended up being a bit busy.

I still drew the kids and Snowflake to be reminiscent of stick figures. And as the narrator of the book, I talk directly to the kids as if advising them on how to care for their pet pig. (Unfortunately, I don't always give them the best advice.)

What did you love about working with Karen and Laura, your editor and art director, throughout this project?

Karen and Laura are oodles of fun to work with! We had a few conference calls with all three of us to go over the art and text together as the book was developing, and my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. Plus, they are both brilliantly creative and come up with fantastic ideas. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. 

When revising as per the suggestions of your agent, editor, and art director, what were some of the challenges? But why are you glad you made those changes? 

Adriann is a gifted editorial agent and is always super insightful and sharp. She suggested I cut short the running gag of the never-ending bath, and impose more of a narrative. So I went back to the drawing board, and included other kinds of pig care into the plot. The story ended with the kids doing a great job caring for him, and then presenting Snowflake to mom. (Only the house, garden, and yard are pretty much destroyed.) So Adriann's suggestions allowed me to further explore the family-pet relationship of the kids and Snowflake.

The biggest change I made came from Karen, my editor's, suggestion. After she acquired the project, she wanted me to turn the original story, a picture book, into a chapter book. So I had to start almost from scratch to expand the story. I really love the new version and I’ve recently discovered that a lot of my unpublished picture books really need to be chapter books, too. 

On the design end, Laura, my art director, asked me to redesign sister's look. Originally, Sister was wearing a purple dress with a strawberry on it. Her hair was similar, wavy and flowed horizontally, but it wasn’t pulled back from her face. She also wore big, red-rimmed glasses. Laura thought she looked a bit too granny-ish. She asked me to re-draw Sister wearing shorts like her brother. I  mulled over her suggestion, and opted to dress Sister in clam-diggers, as they were one of my favorite things to wear when I was a kid. I removed Sister's glasses and tied up her hair, and I think she’s absolutely adorable now.

When you received your box of author copies, what did you love about the final product? 

As of this writing, I haven't received my author copies yet, but my lovely and thoughtful editor, Karen Nagel, surprised me with two advance final copies, tied in a pretty red ribbon. I was thrilled! I think Aladdin makes beautiful books. I was giddy over the finishing details: spot gloss on the front and back paper-over-board cover, beautiful red end pages, and high quality interior pages. It’s a chapter book but it’s picture book quality. It will endure many readings and after-reading hugs. (Or am I the only one who hugs their books?) 

What kind of fun activities do you have in store for your book launch and school visits?

I live in a small town in Canada, so I haven’t really planned anything....yet. I did recently visit a school where I gave four presentations. I read from THIS LITTLE PIGGY and we did a few fun activities, including making our own Pet Wish-List, like brother does in the book. I’m pretty shy and get some serious stage fright, so I find in-person and even online visits a bit scary, but I am trying to be more outgoing and social these days. The kids are just too much fun.

What do you hope kids who read this book will carry away with them?

That being yourself is what matters most.

Brother and Sister want to adopt Snowflake as a member of the family. They think Mom will accept Snowflake only if he is well-groomed, eats his veggies, stays out of the compost, and wins a prize at the fair. Snowflake isn’t the perfect pig the kids thought they needed him to be, but they love him anyway, and are determined to keep him. But they have to convince mom. In the end, Snowflake is just being himself (chasing after some pesky crows eating Mom’s garden). He manages to win over Mom. She thinks, like Brother and Sister, that he is SOME pig. 

Oh, and I also hope kids will agree with Snowflake that eating jelly doughnuts is awesome (just not stale ones from the compost)!