Today Sophia Gholz, author of THE BOY WHO GREW A FOREST, gives us a look “behind the scenes” at a few of the finer threads in the fabric of story. Mood, tone, and theme, done well, work seamlessly to ground a story and let the characters and plot shine. Mood, Tone, Theme & Story Weaving … More Behind the Scenes: “Mood, Tone, Theme & Story Weaving” By Sophia Gholz
It’s so special when I get to share a critique partner’s book for Perfect Picture Book Friday! Based on a true story, this book sprang from the documentary, A Place in the Middle. A few weeks ago, author Heather Gale wrote a guest post for Mining for Heart. If you missed it, go back and … More Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
Time out from kid lit for a moment to share Teresa Funke’s “Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life” releasing Oct. 1. A compilation of her blog posts on the creative life, these short little readings offer up humor, inspiration, support, appreciation, and a myriad of thoughts on art and artists of all kinds. The … More Bursts of Brilliance
When a historical fiction or narrative nonfiction story features two characters, such as An Inconvenient Alphabet, the task of researching becomes more complex. But when your two characters are going around the world in opposite directions, the challenge of connecting them is even more difficult. Here, Caroline Starr Rose shares her research and organization process for … More Behind the Scenes: “Parallel Paths” by Caroline Starr Rose
Today’s feature for Perfect Picture Book Friday, A RACE AROUND THE WORLD: THE TRUE STORY OF NELLIE BLY & ELIZABETH BISLAND, is due out in October. Today you’ll get a sneak peak, and next week, author Caroline Starr Rose will share part of her writing process in a “Behind the Scenes” post. But first—the winner … More A Race Around the World: The True Story of Nellie Bly & Elizabeth Bisland
I’m back for Perfect Picture Book Friday with a lovely tale about nature, commitment, and the impact of a single person. As a tree-lover, this story hit home, and it’s chock full of food for thought for all of us. Don’t miss it! Reminder: If you missed Heather Gale’s Mining for Heart post earlier this week, … More The Boy Who Grew a Forest
One of my long-time critique buddies is here with some thoughts on finding the heart in her debut picture book, HO’ONANI: HULA WARRIOR. Illustrated by Mika Song, the book will release from Tundra Books on Oct. 1, 2019. It’s so exciting to see a manuscript you’ve watched grow and change into a story become a book! AND … More Mining for Heart: “Strong, Sure and Steady: The Beat of Ho’onani’s Heart” by Heather Gale + giveaway!
Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday! I never knew how Title IX came to be until I read GIRLS WITH GUTS: THE ROAD TO BREAKING BARRIERS AND BASHING RECORDS by Debbie Gonzales. What better way to tell about the landmark legislation that opened the door to girls’ athletics than to start with some history and highlights … More Girls With Guts!
Last week Cathy Ballou Mealey shared her process in “Start with the Heart!” Here’s more about WHEN A TREE GROWS for Perfect Picture Book Friday…. Title: When A Tree Grows Written by: Cathy Ballou Mealey Illustrated by: Kasia Nowowiejska Sterling 2019 fiction Suitable for ages: 3-8 Themes/topics: cause/effect, friendship Opening: When a tree grows in … More When a Tree Grows
Thank you, Cathy Ballou Mealey, for sharing your process in writing WHEN A TREE GROWS. Besides the quest for heart, Cathy gives us a peek into how she worked out the unique structure for her concept. As I began writing WHEN A TREE GROWS, I envisioned a series of calamitous, connected events that would be … More Mining for Heart: “Start with the Heart!” by Cathy Ballou Mealey
Beth Anderson, Children's Writer 