Category: fiction

Behind the Scenes Halloween Edition: “Making It Scary Meant Facing My Haunted Past” by Stan Yan

October 31, 2025

Happy Halloween! There’s a lot of scary stuff out there. But there can also be a lot of scary stuff inside oneself! With THE MANY MISFORTUNES OF EUGENIA WANG, amazing author/illustrator Stan Yan faced his fears. Here he shares his process of digging into the personal. GIVEAWAY! Stan is offering a copy of THE MANY … More Behind the Scenes Halloween Edition: “Making It Scary Meant Facing My Haunted Past” by Stan Yan

Behind the Scenes: “Finding ‘Something Extra'” by Eileen Rajala Meyer

May 16, 2025

Writers are always in search of a special way to tell a story or a unique format that serves the topic. In this post, Eileen Rajala Meyer shares the process that led to the final version of BUILD A SANDCASTLE. GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment after the post to be entered in the drawing for a … More Behind the Scenes: “Finding ‘Something Extra'” by Eileen Rajala Meyer

Behind the Scenes: “Finding the Magic in Structure” by Ginny Neil

March 28, 2025

One of the challenges in writing for children is finding a creative way to frame meaning, along with everything else you want to do. In this post, author Ginny Neil shares how she found a structure that would bring home the meaningful hook she wanted to convey. GIVEAWAY! Ginny is giving away a copy of … More Behind the Scenes: “Finding the Magic in Structure” by Ginny Neil

Behind the Scenes: “Celebrating Connections” by Teresa Robeson

March 21, 2025

Here’s a post from kid lit friend Teresa Robeson who I was fortunate to meet long ago and far away—before the pandemic, when we were just getting started on this journey. In her latest release about a favorite Chinese holiday, CHING MING, Teresa had to find a way to make a cultural story meaningful to … More Behind the Scenes: “Celebrating Connections” by Teresa Robeson

Behind the Scenes: “Emotions Across Eras: Creating Characters That Connect” by Rosanne Tolin

December 20, 2024

Today we join the virtual book tour for FREEDOM’S GAME with author Rosanne Tolin and hear how a story opened up and a picture book moved into new territory to become a middle grade historical novel. The link for a GIVEAWAY follows the article, with an opportunity for multiple entries to win a signed copy … More Behind the Scenes: “Emotions Across Eras: Creating Characters That Connect” by Rosanne Tolin

Behind the Scenes: “Momentos for Momentum” by Julie Rowan-Zoch

December 6, 2024

 I love to hear about how the illustration process happens. I didn’t know about “Easter eggs” in illustrations until I saw the sketches and ideas from Sally Wern Comport for HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT. Indeed, it’s a thing!  Here, local critique partner Julie Rowan-Zoch shares some of her own special touches and a bit of … More Behind the Scenes: “Momentos for Momentum” by Julie Rowan-Zoch

Behind the Scenes: “The Importance of Wonder and Play” by Jami Gigot 

November 8, 2024

The words “wonder” and “play” make us think of kids. But, guess what? Wonder and play are beneficial for all of us! Here’s how author/illustrator Jami Gigot found an engaging path into story by following the wonder and freeing up her imagination to play with how she saw the real world around her. Giveaway! Jami … More Behind the Scenes: “The Importance of Wonder and Play” by Jami Gigot 

Behind the Scenes: “The Ins and Outs of Writing Early Readers” by Kim Larson

November 1, 2024

Are you considering writing an early reader? Wondering where to start? Here’s an informative post from author Kim Larson on how she took what she learned from a webinar, did her research on the form, and worked her way to a published book.  Leave a comment below to get in on the GIVEAWAY for a … More Behind the Scenes: “The Ins and Outs of Writing Early Readers” by Kim Larson

Mining for Heart: “How a Little Red Chair Sparked a Picture Book” by Cathy Stefanec Ogren

July 5, 2024

Think back…do you have a favorite piece of furniture from your past? One that comes with precious memories? One that’s part of YOUR story. But what if that special piece of furniture could share ITS story? Author Cathy Stefanec Ogren’s latest book is just such a tale, and here she shares how she found the … More Mining for Heart: “How a Little Red Chair Sparked a Picture Book” by Cathy Stefanec Ogren

Behind the Scenes: “Which Point of View?” by Julia Wasson

June 21, 2024

There are so many ways to tell a story. Author Julia Wasson tried many formats before she found the right voice and point of view for CAN YOU HEAR THE PLANTS SPEAK? And landing on just the right way proved magical!    Julia is offering a GIVEAWAY of a copy of CAN YOU HEAR THE … More Behind the Scenes: “Which Point of View?” by Julia Wasson