​PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.

Kourtney: There are two places I have always felt at home: surrounded by books or among the trees. Since my memories started forming, I have been collecting children’s books. As an adult, I love how a picture book can capture big concepts with a limited amount of words and beautiful or powerful images. It’s very Zen. To create an experience using just words and pictures is alchemy to me.

As a homeschooling mother of four, I enjoy our freedom-based lifestyle with the world as our classroom. I have passed on my habit of collecting rocks and treasures to my children. Whenever we arrive home from an excursion, we empty our pockets and share our findings. I am a former teacher with 20 years of experience teaching and working with children and families in elementary classrooms, preschools, head start, and other community programs.

I believe in the power of story, spoken and written, as a way to understand ourselves, have a sense of belonging, connect us to our past, and expand our minds.
 

PictureBookBuzz: What inspired your book, IF SUN COULD SPEAK?

Kourtney: I was enrolled in a course with Children’s Book Academy, directed by Mira Reisberg. We were reviewing ways to think of enticing book topics, and she said to think of a problem or question you had as a child. That piqued my interest, so I set the intention to recall a childhood memory that would make a great story. It was the next day that a memory from my childhood popped up. I think I was about five or six when I first discovered that the sun doesn’t actually rise and set. I had assumed that the sun was moving up and down in the sky. It totally blew my mind that it was the earth’s movement that created sunrises and sunsets. And I felt frustrated whenever I heard people say anything about the sun rising. That’s where the concept of a book told from the sun’s perspective began, to clear up any misunderstandings about the sun.
 

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.

Kourtney: The main character, Sun, is slightly egotistical. It happens when the world revolves around you. Sun has two goals as she is talking to readers: One is to share information about who she is and what she does. And the second is to inspire readers to wonder and search for discoveries.

​PictureBookBuzz: If I could give advice to other writers, what would you want to share?
 
Kourtney: There is so much advice and tips available to writers. Don’t forget to write! Writing is a skill and improves with practice. Be strict about setting a routine and schedule and find ways that work for you. Get your words and stories out without fear of how they will be interpreted. You can edit later. One of my favorite quotes on writing is “Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” -Louis L’Amour 
​So keep creating and allow the channel to stay open!

I’d also add to get rid of any ideas about what you think writing (and being a writer) is supposed to look like. If you think something is not possible, then you have already shut the door on yourself.

Connect with me on Social Media:
Website: http://kourtneylafavre.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kourtneylafavre.writer/
Twitter: @KourtneyLafavre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookkeeperofthewoods/

Ilustrator Saki Tanaka's website: ​ https://sakitales.com/
​

​PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
 
Jolene: I’ve always loved books and reading and writing. I grew up on a farm and enjoyed being outside with the animals, exploring nature, and looking for cool rocks and artifacts, but I also loved to listen to my mom read to me and later, read to myself. I loved going to our school and public library and playing library with my own books. I started writing and illustrating my own stories when I was four, and when my second grade teacher, Mr. Boettcher, said to our class, “If you want to make a book, I’ll use my typewriter and type up the stories that you write,” I went home that weekend and churned out story after story. I still have my book that Mr. Boettcher “published” for me (addendum to this memory: Mr. Boettcher came clean 30+ years later and admitted that his lovely wife played a large part in the typing of the stories). And holy cow, I realize how many times I’ve used the word love in this answer, but that’s the truth. I found what I loved—something that nurtured me and that I wanted to nurture—and I’ve never lost that loving feeling for language and story.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about your main character.
 
Jolene: In Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Case, Mac and Cheese are the class guinea pigs, and Oliver is their biggest fan. He loves taking care of them and learning about them. Oliver is a very scientific kid and carries around a notebook to write observations and sketch things he notices. He’s struggling to make friends, though, so he watches Mac and Cheese because they’re the best friends he knows. He sees them snuggling and cuddling with each other and assumes that to be a good friend, he’ll need to get cuddly with his classmates.
 
 
PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Jolene: I know kids will love illustrator Heather Bell’s adorable Mac and Cheese characters! Oliver is such a cutie, too! And I hope that teachers and parents will be drawn to the book because it deals with social skills and personal space in a fun way.

PictureBookBuzz: Tell us about yourself.
 
Liz: I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, a middle child with a much older brother and a younger sister. Sports were always part of our lives. My dad followed the St. Louis Cardinals football team and the St. Louis University hockey team. My brother played basketball in our driveway all hours of the day and night until the neighbors would call and beg him to stop. There was nothing I loved more than being invited to get out of bed and catch his rebounds in my nightgown. I’ve always been more of a reader than an athlete, but I played everything at school, and I loved being on swimming, softball, and basketball teams. Still it was a surprise that two of our kids would be such avid soccer players and fans. Soccer is now the sport that dominates our lives. We watch it and play it all the time.
 

PictureBookBuzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Liz: The poems in this collection are about every aspect of soccer—the ball, the field, uniforms, red cards, teammates, etc. Some of the poems are funny, like the one from the shin guard’s point of view. Others are more serious, like the one about getting mad and getting a red card. The poems take 13 different forms. There are mask poems, poems of address, list poems, concrete poems, and a haiku. There are rhyming poems and poems written in free verse. In the back of the book there are descriptions of all the different forms. In addition, I think readers are going to love the illustrations by Edson Ike. Edson is a graphic designer from Brazil. The images on every page are colorful and creative and feature all kinds of kids. I am very appreciative that I was able to partner with Edson on this book. 
 

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?
 
Liz: Read: I learn so much from reading other poets. I read carefully to see how they do what they’re doing. I notice what forms they’re using and what rhythms and rhymes. I also find others’ work inspiring. When I read, I get ideas for my own writing.
Write: A few years ago, I started writing poetry nearly every day. The practice has helped me improve my skills, and it’s given me the confidence that I can always find something to write about.
Try New Approaches: Try a different form. Try a different point of view. Try to find a metaphor no one has ever used before.
Get Out: In order to write you must sit in your chair and write, but I know for myself, I also need to get out of my chair and move around. Many of my poems begin with a walk around the neighborhood or a field trip around town or through the course of my daily activities. When I get stuck, I find that a walk can help me get unstuck.
Share: Even when I’m happy with my work, I still want to know if an audience will see it the way I do. I share pretty much everything with one of my critique groups. I know my fellow writers will tell me what’s working and what needs work.
 

PictureBookBuzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
 
Liz: You can read more of my poetry in various magazines and anthologies, including The Poetry of US, edited by J. Patrick Lewis, Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud, Pet Crazy: A Poetry Friday Power Book, and The Poetry Friday Anthology For Celebrations, all of which were edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. I also welcome you to visit me on my website (www.ElizabethSteinglass.com) and to follow me on Facebook (Elizabeth Steinglass) and twitter (@ESteinglass).

​Picture Book Buzz: Tell us about yourself!
 
Shannon: This one is tough to summarize! I didn’t plan on being a writer. In fact, I never really made the time to read anything that wasn’t academic until I reached my 20’s. I went to grad school for my M.S. in Anatomical Sciences and Neurology, and then to medical school to become a pediatrician. The last year of med school, I had some strange symptoms (pain, spasms). Ultimately, a tumor was found, eventually leading to a disease of the autonomic nervous system called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). I fought RSD for 7 years, until I was wheelchair-bound and doctors in the States gave me two years to live. My husband and I went to Mexico, where I was induced into a coma to “reboot” my system. The coma altered my life in so many ways. Not only could I walk again (I’m now in remission), but I gave birth to two little miracles (at 38 and 40), and took time to reevaluate my goals. I’ve always been a musician and songwriter, but I’ve also always loved children. Picture books fit my heart perfectly. Once I started writing, I never looked back. 
 

Picture Book Buzz: What inspired your book, CAN U SAVE THE DAY?
 
Shannon: I actually had this AHA! moment as I was falling asleep one night, so I got up and started writing. The concept, rhyme, and meter all came to me instantly. The story arc took about 50 revisions, though! As a songwriter, lyrics were always my strength. I love the musicality in wordplay.
 

Picture Book Buzz: Tell us about your main character.
 
Shannon: My main characters are the letters B and U. B (and the other consonants) bully the vowels, who tire of it and leave the farm, one by one. When they leave, they also leave the dialogue in the book. It makes for pretty funny reading by the time only U is left. 
 

Picture Book Buzz: What other books have you written?
 
Shannon: I’ve been published three times in Chicken Soup for the Soul, and my fourth story comes out next year (May, 2019). I’m hoping to complete my memoir in the next few months, too. Otherwise, I’ve written several picture book manuscripts (both prose and rhyme), as well as one early chapter book.
 

Picture Book Buzz: What do you think readers will find most appealing about your book?
 
Shannon: It’s different. There’s nothing out there like it. And the stammering, stuttering animals are pretty hysterical. I mean, who doesn’t love a dog that brks and a duck that qucks?
 

Picture Book Buzz: Tell us about your illustrations and how you were involved with them if you were part of the process.
 
Shannon: I wish everyone had the chance to work with my editor, Sarah Rockett, at Sleeping Bear Press. She always considers my input and explains why she feels differently, when she does. She’s very wise, but also kind. I recently got sketches from my fabulous illustrator, Tom Disbury, and we’re going back and forth on those now. I feel very fortunate to have had Sarah champion my story.
 

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?
 
Shannon: LOL… I think I still need to follow this advice. Don’t give up. Don’t let the rejections get to you. They are an inevitable part of the process and, if you persevere, will make eventual success taste that much sweeter.
 
​
Picture Book Buzz: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
 
Shannon: I’d love for people to visit and subscribe to my website at www.shannonstocker.com. You can also connect with me on social media:
Twitter - @iwriteforkidz
Facebook - @shannon.o.stocker
Instagram - @iwriteforkidz

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

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: