MORE 'AUTHOR-INTERVIEWS' POSTS
On April 4th, Lantana Publishing will release Maryam al Serkal's tale about a little girl that wishes her curly hair were straight like her mama's. Filled with vibrant art and images, it's about embracing your natural hair, no matter where you're from. I had a chance to ask the author, an Emirati writer in Dubai, about the book's origins and art.
I’ve always taken a great interest in observing how publishers promote children’s books by longstanding, award-winning authors. Consider the case of Sharon Creech. Sure, she won the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and the Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler, but as any writer will tell you, true children’s […]
It was in 2006 that I read the book Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. Long before STEM was a common term and there was a national push for girls to embrace math and science, Klages told the story of two friends living in the very heart of the Manhattan Project. Two years later (after […]
When I am a good little blogger, and I mind my Ps and Qs, and catch all my spelling errors, and rein in my less than charitable attitudes for at least a good four hours, then once in the while the Blogging Gods will smile down upon me and I will be granted a boon. […]
Years ago I was at a house party in Brooklyn for a lovely writer friend. It was the kind of event where you could find a writer tucked away in every pantry, cupboard, and spare room. Lots of writers, is what I’m saying. Anyway, I’m not the world’s greatest mingler when it comes to people […]
Today’s cover reveal is interesting because rather than talk with the author about an upcoming book and its cover, I’ll be talking with writer Alice Faye Duncan about a book of hers that’s out later this month, alongside a cover reveal for a picture book biography that’s drop dead gorgeous. As of this writing, MEMPHIS, […]
Okay. So I kinda sorta intensely love this. First off, remember Cheryl Klein? A.k.a. the continuity editor of Harry Potter? A.k.a. one of the best editors of our age who not too long ago left Scholastic to work for Lee & Low Books? I’ve known Cheryl for years. We used to do Kidlit Drink Nights […]
I’ve been thinking about people I’ve interviewed over the years, both in person and on this blog. Generally, the in-person interviews are where the big names come out to play. Your Neil Patrick Harrises. Your Art Spiegelman / Francoise Moulys. Your Katherine Paterson/Lois Lowry/ Rebecca Stead / R.L. Stine mash-ups (not the mix you were […]
I’ve never really commented on the recent news articles and discussions about sensitivity readers and their work with children’s books. I suppose that’s just because they make a fair amount of sense to me. If you’re writing about someone unlike yourself, you should be told up front what you are doing wrong with the portrayal. […]
When blogs were new and hip and happening, there was a push for everybody to have one. Librarians, publishers, authors, artists, you name it. So in the early part of the 21st century a slew of publisher blogs came into being. Sometimes these came from individual imprints. Sometimes small publishers. Sometimes from the big houses […]