PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.

Natalee: I was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (famous for Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables) but grew up in Ontario. When I was young we lived in Rodney, a small town of about 1000 people. Although it didn’t have a high school, there was a tiny library, and on Friday evenings my mom would walk with my brother and sisters and me to pick out new books for the week. Sometimes we even borrowed records! On the way home we always stopped at the “candy store.”  (Actually a Canadian chain of discount department stores.) Walking home with our allotted 8 books and a sweet treat we felt like the luckiest kids in the world.
         I've worked as an elementary teacher and public librarian. At first I used teaching to justify my collection of children's books. Then I had a son and daughter and they became my excuse. Now I can definitely claim it's part of my job! 
        My husband is American and our family has bounced between living in the United States and South Korea several times. It sometimes feels like we have three homes (Canada, the U.S. and South Korea) and yet none. Indeed wherever we are currently living, as long as we are together, is home. 

 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, WHEN DAY IS DONE?
 
Natalee: I wish I had a good story to tell you here but the truth is I have no earthly idea! All I remember is that at some point the words “we sleep when day is done” popped into my head so I wrote them down. This was when I was working part-time at a library and being intentional about sitting at my kitchen table and writing - or at least trying to. The rest of the first verse came to me quickly, and then I wrote the other verses over the following days and weeks. If you make it a priority to sit down and write, eventually inspiration will strike. I’m sure I didn’t manage to write every single day, nor did I write for hours and hours at a time, but showing up to do the work - even when it's bits and pieces - will get results. Frankly, my present writer self still needs to be reminded of this! 
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written? 
 
Natalee: I have another picture book that will be published in April of 2019 titled Nothing. It's a joyful celebration of the promise in Romans 8:38,39 that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Joseph Cowman’s illustrations are amazing, and I can’t wait to share it with the world! 
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Natalee: I think WHEN DAY IS DONE is the perfect book to read snuggled in tight with someone you love.  I could see WHEN DAY IS DONE being used as a spoken lullaby by parents who don’t consider themselves singers. Also, I love the way illustrator Robert Dunn has used light so that the pages - in particular the last pages -almost seem to glow!
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: Was there one moment in the revision process that changed your manuscript? Was it a critique partner, an agent, an editor that made you know you were on the right track?
 
Natalee: My agent, Adria Goetz, usually gives me editorial input on a manuscript before going out on submission. In this case she sent WHEN DAY IS DONE to Naomi Krueger from Beaming Books, who was considering a different manuscript and had asked to see some other work. Adria and I hadn't discussed WHEN DAY IS DONE in detail yet, but Naomi loved it and soon we had an offer! WHEN DAY IS DONE is being published exactly as I submitted it. It didn't go through a critique group because I was not part of one at the time. Please note that this is not typical and I have since found a wonderful critique group whose feedback I find tremendously helpful! Also, my other picture book NOTHING took the usual route of going through several rounds of revisions with an editor which definitely made it stronger and more kid-friendly. 
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?

Natalee: Read, read read! Read deeply in the genre and age category in which you wish to publish. Also, read aloud – your own writing, as well as mentor texts. Reading aloud forces you to slow down and focus on every word - no skimming. I usually find that this process changes how I feel about a book - I tend to either love it more or less. I also recommend keeping a file of your favorite sentences or paragraphs from the books you read. Periodically go back to this file and reread the sentences  - for enjoyment, inspiration, or to try to figure out what makes them so pleasing. Also, if you want to be a writer, have the mindset of a writer:  don't take rejection personally, always be willing to learn, and never give up!
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? 

Natalee: You can visit my website at www.nataleecreech.com.
Or, connect with me on social media:
Twitter - @nataleecreech
Facebook - @nataleecreechauthor

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself. 
 
Sherry: I’m so thrilled to be part of this 2019 group! I came to writing for publication later in life. I was a teacher, an educational consultant, and a principal in a school for children with challenges, and also a middle school. I figured if I could manage 1000 middle schoolers I could do just about anything I ever tackled in life.
 
I live in a small town in Kentucky, near the horse farms we’re famous for. Growing up in Derby city had a big impact on me. I’m pretty fascinated with everything that’s associated with horses and the Kentucky Derby.
 
I’m one of seven children and we’ve all stayed very close, and now live in the same general area. When we gather for Thanksgiving, there are usually around 70 of us, and that’s with some missing. I have children and grandchildren of my own, and more adorable nieces and nephews than
anyone deserves. So, drawing on my school experiences, my family experiences, and my parenting experiences, I’ve pretty much seen every kind of childhood there is to see. All of that informs all of my writing. I write poetry and prose, picture book through adult work.  
               
 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, ROCK AND ROLL WOODS: KUDA’S BERRIES?
 
Sherry: I love telling this story! My family are all part of my writing team, and I often ask them for help. One day I ask my then eight-year-old granddaughter what I should write about next. She said a bear. And she wanted the bear to be named Kuda, after her bearded dragon. That was the beginning of the series. The first book, ROCK AND ROLL WOODS, just released in October, 2018. This next book takes Kuda on a new adventure, and I don’t remember the origin of this adventure as vividly as I remember the day he was born. I’m sure we talked about what kind of a problem he’d have next. I remember that I wanted to stick with sensory issues and continue Kuda’s struggles to try new things.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.
 
Sherry: The main character, Kuda, is a bit of a grumpy bear. He’s a very likable grump though. In this ROCK AND ROLL WOODS sequel, KUDA’S BERRIES, Kuda misses the berries in his woods. He needs to swim to reach them. And we all know that Kuda doesn’t like change, and he doesn’t like to try new things. Kuda has darling woodland friends.
       
 
PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?
 
Sherry: I’ve written so many books! But only now are some of them getting published. This will be the second to be published, or possibly the third depending on the timing of a chapter book release. That’s not counting the work-for-hire that I’ve been doing because I’m not certain of exact dates for those, and that’s a very separate thing. I have eight of those somewhere in process.
 
I’ve finished several novel length projects, and hope some day to publish those as well. A middle grade and a young adult novel have won places in contests. I’m the worst at setting aside time to query.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Sherry: I think the characters in the book are fun and endearing. It’s amazing to me at school and other readings how many little hands shoot up when I ask how many have been afraid to try new things, or been afraid of loud noises. Nearly all! For people who read ROCK AND ROLL WOODS, Kuda and his buddies will be familiar. Kuda will have a new struggle that his friends will help him overcome. The illustrations will be similar to the first in the series, so they’ll be fun, appealing characters!
 
With a small publisher, there isn’t the lead time you guys with larger publishers get. I might not see my art until a few months before the book releases, which should be fall or early winter in 2019, but definitely toward the end of the year, I think. For the first book with Clear Fork, I had very little involvement with the illustrations, but the illustrations by Anika Wolf are fabulous. And Mira Reisberg was blessedly both art director and editor for the book, so I knew it was in good hands. Callie Metler-Smith, publisher at Clear Fork, is in the mix to pull it all together. I just spoke with her a few minutes ago about some details, which is one of the benefits of a small publisher.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: Was there one moment in the revision process that changed your manuscript? Was it a critique partner, an agent, an editor that made you know you were on the right track?
 
Sherry: With a sequel, it was a bit different. I wanted to keep the rhythmic language, and stay close in characterization for my woodland creatures. So a lot of the conceptual work was established. That allowed me to concentrate on the plot and the language, since my characters were already real to me. I’m a poet, so it’s important to me to have that rhythm in all of my writing. It’s funny—I just reviewed the manuscript following the release of the first book, and didn’t see a thing I’d want to change. I expected that I would, and asked Callie if I could. But, seeing book one live didn’t change anything in book two for me.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on?
 
Sherry: I always have a lot of projects going simultaneously. It’s how I work best. I’m working on seven projects of work-for-hire, a middle grade novel, and several picture books. And I write poetry and short things all the time. I finished a rough draft of a new middle grade during Nano.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?
 
Sherry: You can do it. It’s more hard work than magic. It’s more perseverance than luck. It’s more dedication to craft than imagination. Study, work, and stay the course. It may, and likely will, take a while. But, grab any opportunity that comes your way. Take whatever small steps you can. Accept any hand offered. Be gracious, kind, and helpful.
 
And, note to even current self: KEEP BETTER RECORDS!
 
PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? 
 
Sherry: I love to meet other readers and writers, so be in touch on social media here:
 
Sherry Howard | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
 
Meet Kuda and Rock and Roll Woods here.

BJ: Thank you for having me on your blog.

PictureBookBuzz: Welcome! Tell us about yourself.

BJ: I am a former University music librarian turned poet and author. Many years ago, before I was a writer, I was asked this question: “Which form of expression do you prefer – music, writing or art?” I replied without hesitation “writing" because I adore crafting words and sharing the beauty and wonder of poetry with children. Hobbies include singing jazz, playing African drums on the beach and learning didgeridoo. I currently live in Florida, by way of Cambridge/Boston, with my husband (also a poet) and our toy poodle, Bijoux.
 

PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth?

BJ: I had a lightbulb moment when I saw a baby gator riding waves in a local lake. He was so adorable, I immediately envisioned a gator character. Young Gator morphed into Old Gator and insinuated himself into a cumulative rhyme scheme. And I was off and running.

​PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.

BJ: Old Gator is larger-than-life. He behaves badly, swallowing many southern animals, then gulping a lagoon to wash them down.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?

BJ: I have poems published in 24 anthologies to date, including many children's poetry anthologies: published by Little, Brown, National Geographic, Bloomsbury, Wordsong, Otter-Barry, Pomelo Books, etc.

 
PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on?

BJ: I'm currently writing humorous picture books such as Slubby to the Rescue, about a slug who wants to be a first responder. I also write poetry picture books, both fiction and nonfiction. I recently took Koalafications: Animals with Jobs to the Rutgers One-On-One Conference. I'm also hard at work on a novel.
 

PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?

BJ: Never give up on your writing dreams. It took me three years to get my first poem published in a children's magazine, three more years to get my first poem accepted into a children's poetry anthology and three more years get my first solo book deal. I guess the rule of threes has worked for me!
 
And it has been so worth it. My poetry has gone around the world! A teacher in Vietnam sent me a video of her students learning phonics with my poem, A Garden Prayer.

Picture Book Buzz: Tell us about yourself.

Julie: I am a mum, a teacher and a children’s author. I love picture books and have been fortunate to have a career sharing stories and singing songs with hundreds of children from around the world. My first foray into writing was a winter play for the early childhood centre…dancing snowflakes, ice-skating reindeers and a missing present rap gushed out of my pen. It took a few more plays and a few wobbly manuscripts before I started to find my voice.   
 

Picture Book Buzz: What inspired your book, Little Tiger?

Julie: The inspiration came from a list of tigerish words I had scribbled in my notebook and a ‘50 Precious Words’ story writing challenge. To my delight and amazement my lovable little tiger’s rhyming romp around the jungle won first place! I was so astonished to see it at the top of the winners’ list that I called my daughter, Sarah, to check I wasn’t dreaming. Then things got even better! As my prize I chose an agent critique with Essie White at Storm Literary Agency, and to my delight this resulted in her offering to represent me. I am thrilled that Little Tiger, and Little Panda are now going to be the first two in a series of board books with Amicus Ink in Spring 2019.
 

Picture Book Buzz: What other books have you written?

Julie: I write both fiction and nonfiction and feel very fortunate to have another two board books in the pipeline for the Amicus Little Animal Friends series in Spring 2020, plus three rhyming nonfiction picture book biographies: Yusra Swims from Creative Editions (Fall 2019);  Mr. Joao and Dindim the Penguin, Kids Can Press (Fall 2020) and Sakamoto and the Sugar-Ditch Kids also with Kids Can Press (Spring 2021).
 

​Picture Book Buzz: What are you currently working on?

Julie: I am always researching ideas for baby animal stories for the Little Animal Friends’ series, and I also keep my eye open for inspirational stories for picture book biographies.
 
Picture Book Buzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?

Julie: Read lots. Write lots. Share your writing with a critique group, listen to what they have to say and revise - lots. Take a chance and enter one of the fabulous Kidlit writing contests on line, you never know where it may lead. And most of all be persistent and patient, because perfecting your story may take longer than you think.
 

Picture Book Buzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Website: https://littleredstoryshed.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @juliedawnabery
Facebook: @JulieAbery

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.

Gayle: I grew up in Scranton, PA, where I entertained my two younger sisters and all the kids on the block. Storytelling, talent shows, and tea parties were everyday activities. Sometimes, after a storm, I led them on jungle safaris through a giant mud puddle beneath overgrown weeds. Other times, we danced pretend ballet in the backyard, dressed in crinolines. I loved to read and when I wasn’t organizing the neighborhood in some type of fantastical activity I was lost in the fantasy world of books. I knew then that I was born to use my imagination to take kids on adventures. 
 
A career as an occupational educator, training prospective Nursery School and Elementary teachers, I passed on my creativity, teaching my students how to inspire their future pupils with imagination. I’ve been known to turn my Pre-K classroom into a pirate ship, a medieval castle, Emerald City, and a life-size Jumanji board.
 
I write Picture Books, MG, and YA novels. 
 

PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, Daddy, Can You See the Moon?

Gayle: Soldiers will always be deployed and children will always be waiting patiently, counting the days when their Mom or Dad returns from war. But sometimes they don’t come home the same way they left. In Daddy, Can You See the Moon? a young boy and his soldier dad share special moments by looking at the moon each night. But when Dad comes home a wounded warrior, his son discovers it’s the power of love that kept them connected all along, and he plays a major part in his father’s recovery. 
Hopefully, Daddy, Can You See The Moon? will show young children that they are NOT the only ones going through a family separation.


PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?

Gayle: As I mentioned above, I write across the genres. All the picture books that I write are in rhyme or have some rhyming refrain. Rock Star Santa, is a seasonal picture book that was an original Scholastic Book Club acquisition in 2008, and NOT a trade picture book, so it cannot be purchased through retail outlets. 

Also coming from Clearfork/Spork Publishing in Spring 2019 is a MG poetry collection titled Once Upon a Twisted Tale featuring 30 poems in various formats that mix up traditional fairytales to form a collection of “fractured fairytales.’

My first YA novel RATGIRL: Song of the Viper is a retelling of The Pied Piper set in a dystopian future with global warming.
And my first MG novel, Twice Betrayed, is a historical fiction novel where Betsy Ross’ 13-year-old assistant is accused of being a spy and must unravel the traitorous web woven around her that protects the real spy.

My MG fantasy/adventure series, THE HERO CHRONICLES, consists of Book 1- The Quest of the Ungnome, Book 2 - The Hero of Dragonsmere and Book 3- Revenge of the Sea Witch.
 

PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on?

Gayle: I’m writing a sequel to another picture book that my agent has on submission. 


PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?

Gayle:  Don’t let rejection discourage you. Persistence is the road to success!
  

PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
 
Website – http://www.gayleckrause.com
Author Email – info@gayleckrause.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGayleCKrause/
Twitter - @GeeCeeK
Blog – https://thestorytellersscroll.blogspot.com

 
PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.

Christine: I’m an author and a mum to two girls. Nowadays I call the San Francisco Bay Area home but I grew up in a beautiful part of East England called Suffolk. I have always loved books (Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton filled my shelves and imagination) and wanted to write. But it wasn’t until my youngest child turned two that I felt I had the time (and let’s face it, energy) to pursue a career in books.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, EVELYN THE ADVENTUROUS ENTOMOLOGIST?

Christine: My book is a biography of Evelyn Cheesman, an explorer and entomologist who defied the societal expectations placed on women in the early 1900s. Not only was she the first woman to run the London Zoo insect house but she also went on eight solo expeditions and had several species of insects named after her.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Christine: Insects, spiders, and adventure! What more could any reader want? Plus Yas Imamura’s beautiful illustrations bring to life Evelyn’s inspiring story as she travels the world and discovers new insects.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on?

Christine: As it’s November I’m tackling a novel for NaNoWriMo and enjoying learning about writing longer texts. Picture books are never far from my heart though and I have several projects at various stages.
 

PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?
 
Christine: Find your tribe—join 12x12, SCBWI, and find critique partners. Oh and read, read, read.
 

PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Christine: You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram. And my website is: Pinwheels and Stories. 

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
 
Teresa: I was born in Hong Kong to parents who valued Confucian-style “genteel scholarship.” Unlike stereotypical Chinese parents, they didn’t want me to go into medicine or law or accounting, but instead encouraged me to go into creative writing or fine arts. So, of course, I did what any child would do and went into the sciences.
 
            But now that I’ve come back around to writing (okay, Mom, you were right…I just wish you were still alive to hear me say that), I draw on my knowledge of science and my experiences growing up in Hong Kong and as an immigrant in Canada to craft stories that will appeal to the kids who are like how I was as a child--kids who are crazy about math and science and/or who face racial discrimination.


PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, QUEEN OF PHYSICS: HOW WU CHIEN SHIUNG HELPED UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE ATOM?
 
Teresa: As I mentioned above, I am inspired by my love of science and my lens as a Chinese-Canadian-American. I read something about Wu back in 2011, was immediately captivated by her, and have been working on this story since.


PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.
 
Teresa: Wu Chien Shiung was a brilliant physicist who was born in China and moved to the U.S. to attend graduate school back in the early 1900s. Facing both racial prejudice and gender discrimination, she still managed to become a top researcher. Nobel-winning scientists such as Enrico Fermi and Richard Feynmann admired and respected her, and specifically asked her to conduct experiments for them. She was a huge advocate for women’s education and her later research involved working on finding a cure for hemophilia.


PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?
 
Teresa: I have many manuscripts that have yet to find homes, but my short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies. I am especially proud of the anthologies put out by the Minnows Literary Group where every penny earned goes to Doctors Without Borders.


PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?

Teresa: I always find it empowering and satisfying to read about someone who rose above suppression and oppression to make a name for themselves and a difference in the world, so I hope readers will find my book appealing for the same reason.


PictureBookBuzz: Was there one moment in the revision process that changed your manuscript? Was it a critique partner, an agent, an editor that made you know you were on the right track?
 
Teresa: Winning the We Need Diverse Book mentorship in the nonfiction category changed both my life and the manuscript. Working with Jane Yolen, who chose my story, was the most amazing experience of my writing life!


PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Website: teresarobeson.com
Facebook: TeresaRobesonAuthor
Twitter: @TeresaRobeson
Instagram: @tmrobeson
Pinterest: @inwriter

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.

PJ: I’m a proud mom of three and exhausted grandmother of four. I love baking, I love writing, and I most certainly love vanilla ice cream to an exorbitant degree. Family lore has it that I was able to read before I could talk. I grew up on Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Star Trek, One Step Beyond, The Beatles, and The Monkees.  I’m a mutt: French, British, Irish. My maternal grandfather was the son of a Baron and grew up in a castle. I’m told that I’m distantly related to the great French feminist and writer  Simone De Beauvoir. I’m a Capricorn: long suffering, patient, and loyal to a fault. In another life I was either a great baker of Europe or the love child of Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, Little Lena and the Big Table?
 
PJ:  My childhood in Long Island. As a kid, I was stuck at the dreaded kid’s table for special occasions. I hated it. My brother was at that sibling stage where he considered me an embarrassment and didn’t want to have anything to do with me; he’d hit me under the table and generally make my life miserable. Like all stages, that eventually passed, and we became close again as adults. My brother passed away years ago, and I miss him dearly, but if he were here, I’d think he’d get a kick out of Little Lena.    
 
        
PictureBookBuzz: Was there one moment in the revision process that changed your manuscript? Was it a critique partner, an agent, an editor that made you know you were on the right track?
 
 PJ: Little Lena always held a special place in my heart, but I couldn’t find a home for it until I submitted it on a leap of faith to Maria Ashworth at Big Belly Book.  We went back and forth on emails tweaking the text until we came up with the perfect twist. It was a great process.   
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What are you currently working on?
 
PJ: I could write picture books all day long, but I need to challenge myself. Currently I’m juggling a magical young adult reimagining of The Prince and the Pauper, and a contemporary middle grade about a young tween with a big secret, so secret even she doesn’t know it. And there’s always a couple of other projects that are brewing.  My to do list is pretty long.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
 
PJ: Thank you for asking. I’m very active on social media and I just revamped my personal website.
https://pjmacwrites.wordpress.com

PictureBookBuzz: Hello Cassandra Federman, tell us about yourself. 
 
Cassandra: I’m an author/illustrator and a mom. I grew up reading comic books and drawing superheroes. At age 13 I decided I’d never cut it as a comic artist, so I gave up drawing entirely. After college I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film/TV and worked in production, casting, and acting. I was miserable and it wasn’t until I married a writer that I finally realized why. I’d been trying to tell stories for a living, but had been approaching it from the wrong angle. That’s when I started writing for children and purchased a sketchbook for the first time in over a decade.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, This Is a Sea Cow (Albert Whitman & Co.)?
 
Cassandra: I spent a semester of college studying in Belize, where I helped the local manatee experts track and tag their manatee population. During my time there I met up with a British non-profit group in the early stages of building a manatee rehabilitation center. My first day at the center, a report came in about a baby manatee whose mother had been killed in a boating accident. I got to help with the rescue, bottle feedings, snuggles, etc. This Is a Sea Cow is my love letter to manatees (in all their glorious strangeness). I hope my readers will come to appreciate just how fascinating these animals are, and maybe someone will even grow up to snuggle, feed, and rescue manatees professionally.

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself. 
 
Meera: I love to read, write, review, and recommend, or sometimes simply hug picture books! I get to do some of it as a parent and writer, and the rest as an early literacy instructor and a multicultural books advocate. I live in Berkeley, California, with my husband, raising two little (right, not so little anymore) global citizens.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, "The Yellow Suitcase?"
 
Meera: "The Yellow Suitcase" is the story of a little girl who travels to India to grieve the loss of her grandmother she deeply loves. When my children lost their first grandparent in India (where I was born and raised), our family came face to face with the hardships of calling more than one place home, primarily in terms of distance and cultural disparities. That said, grief is a universal human experience, but we hesitate to talk about it with kids. "The Yellow Suitcase" is an attempt to nudge that conversation. I also believe we should be talking more about war and poverty and discrimination in children's literature, on realities we ALL read, see, hear, or experience every day.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?
 
Meera: I'm previously published in India. I've co-authored four picture books. Most of them are creative non-fiction exploring endangered wildlife and vocational communities often under-represented in children's books in the subcontinent. You can find out more here: https://www.meerasriram.com/books/
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Meera: The illustrations - they are gorgeous and detailed! I also believe "The Yellow Suitcase" will encourage adults to have meaningful conversations with children around death. Many children do not seem themselves in stories and I hope this book will address that.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: If you could give advice to writers who haven’t published yet, or an earlier version of yourself, what would you want to share?
 
Meera: Focus on craft to write well. And don't let rejections bring you down. Believe in the importance of your work, always.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? 
Website: www.meerasriram.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMeeraSriram
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Meeratsriram
Thank you for talking to me, Picture Book Buzz! I enjoyed sharing my story.

You can pre-order THE YELLOW SUITCASE using the links below : 

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.

Vivian: I always sat in the front row at school. I was short. I wore thick glasses. And my last name started with A – I knew I had to study hard because invariably, the teacher would call on me. Early on, I decided to become a teacher—not just any teacher, but a kindergarten teacher—probably because of all the picture books that I could have in my classroom. I loved teaching kindergarten at P.S. 29 on Henry Street in Brooklyn, a wonderfully diverse neighborhood, even back in the late 1960’s. My first real job while I was in college was at the Brooklyn Public Library. When our first child was born and we realized we needed more than one salary, I typed catalogues for a local book dealer. 

     My fascination with picture books continued when I became a parent—I even tried my hand at penning a few little stories for my own children. But I never seriously considered becoming a picture book writer until my children were grown. In 2011, I published a parent/teacher guide that included 100 picture book recommendations, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. That’s when I began blogging and connecting with parents and teachers…and other writers. The name of my blog? Picture Books Help Kids Soar and I mostly blogged about…you guessed it…picture books!

     It was when I visited picture book author Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog that I discovered a whole kid lit community. People were writing picture books, not just reading them. And I was hooked.
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     The next year, in 2012, I joined Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Writing Challenge and wrote and wrote and wrote. Then I joined picture book critique groups and I revised and revised and revised. And in 2014, when I realized that getting an A in college English did not make me a great picture book writer, I took a bunch of classes and studied and studied and studied. The process paid off in 2015 and I was offered representation by Essie White of Storm Literary Agency. She immediately created a submission list for the manuscript she had fallen in love with, Sweet Dreams, Sarah. And within a month, we had a book deal. I’m thrilled to report that book will be launching on May 1, 2019, published by Creston Books and illustrated by Chris Ewald.


PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, Sweet Dreams, Sarah?

Vivian: I’m glad you asked that question. Sweet Dreams, Sarah is the story of Sarah E. Goode, a former slave who became one of the first African American women to own a U.S. patent. I was surfing the net, looking for individuals who were the first to do something…anything. And Sarah’s name popped up. But there was almost nothing about her in the online sources. And I wondered…why not? This was an amazing accomplishment for a black woman in 1885, only 20 years after the Civil War. I began doing more research. My local librarian helped me reach out to reference librarians at other libraries. And the answer from almost all of them was the same:

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
 
Laura: I am the mother of three grown children and a new Goldendoodle puppy named Charlie. My work with children spans my entire adult life and a wide variety of roles including being a commissioner of AYSO youth soccer, the director of religious education at a UU congregation, a classroom teacher and reading specialist, and of course, as a mom.
     As a child, I loved reading and one of my favorite family memories was sharing the details from the read aloud at school with my family every night at dinner.
     I always wanted to be a writer and when my mom died I found a box of letters I had written to her that she saved because she believed I would become a famous writer one day.
 

PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, ALIANA REACHES FOR THE MOON?
 
Laura: I moved to the mountains of Colorado in 2016 and was amazed by the brightness of the full moon shining in my windows unadulterated by the light pollution of the city. I combined that observation with a charming character based on many wonderful students from Chicago and my own daughters. The name Aliana is an homage to two first graders who will always have a place in my heart. Their names are Valentina and Ariana and I combined their names to create Aliana.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?
 
Laura: My publisher, Penny Eifrig, was interested in the idea of Aliana being a series. I have written two more science themed books featuring Aliana and her family. Additionally, I am a member of the 12x12 picture book group so I have several books that are polished, in revision, and a few very rough drafts.
 

PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Laura: I think the book will be enjoyed by both children and adults for its humor and heart. Aliana spends time exploring nature with her brother Gustavo and teaching him to observe nature and science. Her creativity is often messy, but her parents are patient and celebrate her curiosity. The illustrations are inviting and really add to the text. I think children will be drawn in by the colorful artwork and the science-based learning.
 

PictureBookBuzz: Was there one moment in the revision process that changed your manuscript?
 
Laura: I love this question! The value of critique partners and conferences cannot be overstated. I attended the Southampton Writers Conference in July 2017 and workshopped this book after it had already been revised several times. The insight I received from workshop leader, Emma Walton Hamilton and the other group members led to a huge revision. I said it felt like performing surgery on my firstborn but I am happy to say the result is so much better. I had been tied to some of my original ideas and was trying to weave three ideas that didn’t work together into one story. I am not only grateful for how this experience helped ALIANA REACHES FOR THE MOON, but also for how it helped me understand the revision process.
 

PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
 
Laura: My website is LauraRoettigerBooks.com which includes my blog containing photography and poetry.
Eifrigpublishing.com
@ljrwritenow on Twitter
Laura Roettiger on Facebook

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself. 

Yevgenia: I am an illustrator, painter and stage designer. I had illustrated a number of children's books before I took the plunge and wrote my own. I grew up in the former Soviet Union and my debut author/illustrator book - Anya’s Secret Society is based on my childhood memories. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and two sons.


PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.

Yevgenia: Anything Anya imagined, the left hand could draw… But in Anya’s home in Russia, the left hand is the wrong hand. Doing the right thing means being like everyone else. And everyone else is right-handed. Every night, Anya imagines she’s drawing alongside a secret society of great- left-handed artists.


PictureBookBuzz: What other books have you written?

Yevgenia: Anya’s Secret Society is my debut as an author. My next author/illustrator book, The Russian Typewriter Adventure, is coming out in 2020.

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PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your illustrations.

Yevgenia: I am a visual artist, so naturally I like when illustrations tell the story. In Anya’s Secret Society, the text is understated, while the wit and emotions are expressed visually. The illustrations are half traditional, half digital. I see every book as a chance to experiment with a new technique.


PictureBookBuzz:  What are you currently working on?

Yevgenia: I have two books in the works as an illustrator: Martin and Anne, The Kindred Spirits by Nancy Churnin and Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics by Laurie Wallmark, both from Creston Books. I am also working on my own picture book, Mona Lisa in New York. Mona Lisa is currently searching for a publisher!


PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work? 

​Yevgenia: I am on Instagram and Twitter as @znayberg. 
My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/nayberg 
​My website is www.nayberg.org