Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 14

Just write. Many writers have a vague hope that elves will come in the night and finish any stories for you. They won’t. - Neil Gaiman

Just write. Many writers have a vague hope that elves will come in the night and finish any stories for you. They won’t. - Neil Gaiman

Interview with book creator couple Sarah McGuire (THE FLIGHT OF SWANS, Oct.1st) and Fred Koehler (GARBAGE ISLAND, Oct.9th)

Sarah McGuire and Fred Koehler were once both awkward teenagers who mostly grew out of it. Each draws on their unfortunate adolescence to write stories for young readers. They met at a writers conference and decided to get married. In common they share: love of travel and adventure, dogs over cats, and sci-fi movies. They most often disagree about Oxford commas, whether or not Florida has hills, and who gets the fuzzy blanket. You can find out more about Sarah at her website and Twitter, and more about Fred at his website and Twitter.

Sarah and Fred are not only both children's book creators with middle grade books coming out this month, but they're a married couple (they got married last year on St. Patrick's Day)! Here's some info about Sarah's THE FLIGHT OF SWANS and Fred's GARBAGE ISLAND:

Synopsis of FLIGHT OF THE SWANS (Carolrhoda Books, Oct.1, 2018) - Read the starred Kirkus review!

Princess Andaryn's six older brothers have always been her protectors–until her father takes a new Queen who quickly enchants the men in the royal family. When Ryn's attempt to break the enchantment fails, she makes a bitter bargain: she'll remain silent for six years in exchange for her brothers' lives. She never thought the Queen would turn her brothers into six black swans. She never thought she’d have to discover the secret to undoing the queen’s spell while avoiding the Otherworldly forces that hunt her. And she never thought she’d have to do it alone. Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "Six Swans," The Flight of Swans follows Ryn's journey to save her family and reclaim their kingdom.

Synopsis of GARBAGE ISLAND (Boyds Mill Press, Oct.9, 2018)

For fans of Stuart Little and Poppy, here is a middle-grade adventure in which a mouse and a shrew, lost at sea, try to navigate to their home in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Braving multiple dangers, they discover they have more in common than they could ever have imagined.

****THE QUESTIONS*****

Thanks to Sarah and Fred for answering a few questions for me...

Q. What’s something unexpected or unusual thing about living with another children’s book creator?

From Fred: It was funny when we first started talking to realize how much we had in common. Favorite book & movie genres, a general sense of adventure, overactive imaginations–to name a few things. By the time we started dating, we decided we needed to invent something to fight about. (Just to be fair to everyone else.) We chose the Oxford comma, each coming up with ridiculous assertions for and against. Then we would send each other every article and argument we could come up with. Unfortunately, these exercises in creating conflict kind of backfired and we ended up getting married.

BONUS UNUSUAL THING: When you live with another book creator, you find out they don’t always look like they do in the author photo. ;-)

Q. What are the pros and cons of living with another children's book creator?

From Sarah: Pros? Having someone who understands the not-so-glamorous side of writing: deadlines and all the stuff that doesn’t happen when you’re trying to meet one. I also like that Fred’s writing strengths are different from mine. He has an amazing grasp of storytelling and pacing, and being with him has enriched my own writing. (Though my stories will never have as many explosions as he would put in his own.)

From Fred: The biggest pro, for me, is that I get to do life with somebody who understands what it is to be a working creative. The deadlines, the writer’s block, the bad reviews, the great reviews–working in publishing can send you down some weird emotional rabbit holes. It takes a very supportive person to be a friend to a writer. Sometimes you feel like another writer is the only person who can understand what you’re going through. As for cons… hmmm… they don’t always look as good as they do in the author photo.

Q. How do your typical work hours/routines compare?

From Fred: Hahaha! This should be rich. When I’m on deadline, I get up at four or five in the morning to work on books. Sometimes Sarah rolls over and mumbles “happy writing” as I roll out of bed. (At least I think that’s what she’s saying, but in all honesty it could just as easily be “get me some cheetos.”)

Sarah: I don’t function well in the morning. At all. I work part-time as a high school teacher, and my first period class knows I need my coffee if I’m going to make any sense. I get my most of my writing done in the mid- to late-afternoon. If I’m on deadline, I’ll stay up late and crawl into bed long after Fred has fallen asleep. (Sometimes he rolls over and mumbles something about Cheetos…)

Since I teach, I try to complete first drafts in the summer. I like revising so much more than writing a first draft. So I try to draft when I have more free time and revise when I can take a few hours in the afternoon to settle into it.

Fred: I’ve discovered that I like to draft using speech to text while I’m driving and if I need to get a lot written, I’ll purposefully drive an hour to the coast to go fishing. By the time I get home, I’ll have solid chapter written and either some fresh fish for dinner or a good story about the one that got away.

Fred: There’s also a HUGE difference between writing and illustrating. When I’m writing, I have to be alone or at least wearing my “do not disturb” face–ball cap pulled low over my face, headphones in. When I’m illustrating, I don’t mind being around people. I feel like I suck in the chaotic energy from a crowd and channel it into the artwork.

Fred: On weekends, we work next to each other, usually at a coffee shop. Back when we had first started dating, I remember one time she asked if it was okay if she sat next to me while I was working on these huge pencil drawings for FLASHLIGHT NIGHT that took up most of a coffee shop table. To which I responded “As long as you don’t touch me.” And so now she asks if she’s allowed to sit next to me AND touch me. Every. Single. Time.

Q. Have you ever considered collaborating on a book project together?

Sarah: Would I be able to work with him and touch him?

Fred: So… once upon a time when we were dating long distance I was illustrating a picture book about dragons. She texted to ask how the dragons were behaving. I responded that I would send one to pick her up in Virgina and fly her to Florida for the evening. That was the point we decided that the world needed dragon taxis and even if it wasn’t a real thing, it might make a good book.

Sarah: I was out of the country at that point, and so it was fun to have this project to play with while we were apart.

Fred: We had lots of fun building a world, coming up with the backstory, and writing the rules for a community in which a secret dragon taxi service could exist. Then we started trading chapters. It was interesting because our narrative voices are VERY different. Her prose are gorgeous and lyrical. I like explosions.

Sarah: THAT was the interesting part, because we draft differently or would want to do different things– even with a scene that we’d already plotted out. We also had to figure out how to critique each other.

Fred: The idea never took off, and we both got caught up in projects that did find publishing homes. But for me, the takeaway was that YES! We could totally work together on something someday.

Sarah: Absolutely!

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

Sarah: Work at it. Just write or draw or both! And don’t be afraid of being awful. There’s nothing worse than having an amazing, glorious idea that keeps you up at night … and then having it be a scrawny, misshapen story when you actually start to write it.

But that’s normal. Absolutely normal, and it will happen almost every single time you write. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a good writer.. It just means that it takes a while for your execution to match your imagination. Sometimes it takes years to figure out how to do your story justice. Sometimes it takes days. But that fact that you can tell there’s a difference between the story in your head and the story you put down on paper is actually a good thing. It just takes a while to make the two match. (Ira Glass said all that much better than I just did, by the way. See this post.)  Also, be curious! Ask questions about the world, about people. You know how little kids and puppies get into everything? Be like that–and let yourself be excited by what you discover.

Fred: The most successful people I know in the biz (is it cool to call it ‘the biz’? It totally feels cool.) have an abundance of two things: discipline and imagination. If you work hard and study anything for long enough, you develop competency and craftsmanship. The same discipline helps a person become a good woodworker, dishwasher, or water skier. With enough lessons and practice, anyone can become a competent writer or illustrator. But the difference between competent and brilliant, in my opinion, is imagination. Once you’ve learned the tried and true way of doing things, you start to see these little crinkles of opportunity along the straight and narrow. You color outside the lines. You twist the plot in unexpected ways. You find ways to flip the story and deliver fresh, never-before-seen narratives that readers will gobble up.

Q. What are each of you most excited about right now?

Fred: Sarah has a new book coming out and it’s AMAZING. It’s called THE FLIGHT OF SWANS and it’s based on a Grimm Brothers tale. In her (ahem) starred review (ahem) from Kirkus, the reviewer calls it an imaginative retelling filled with magic, romance, and peril that shines in the quiet moments. I can’t agree more. Fingers crossed that this book finds a place in the hearts of many fantasy lovers.

(In other news, I’m also excited about the potential canoodling that could be in my future since I mentioned her project instead of mine.)

Sarah: Can we add that to the pros? Having someone champion your work even when you’re not that good at talking about it??

In hopes of further canoodling, let me tell you about Fred’s MG novel, which he wrote and illustrated. (Did I mention that we were both working on these two novels when we met? And now they’re releasing within nine days of each other?)

Fred’s novel is GARBAGE ISLAND and it is the book I would have loved to read as a kid. It’s got adventure and inventions and an unlikely friendship between a mouse and a shrew and all the other animals trying to survive on an pile of trash that’s swirling in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. And it is awesome. Bruce Coville, Sara Pennypacker, AND Chris Grabbenstein also happen to agree with me.

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

Free, print-ready Masquerade Mask template for Oct.29 Canadian Kidlit Masquerade (or classroom activity)

I was thrilled and deeply honoured that SAM & EVA has been nominated for a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award this year in the CCBC Book Awards. After the invite-only event for winners and nominees, some of the Toronto area kidlit/YA authors are throwing an public Unofficial After-Party Canadian Kidlit Masquerade Ball on Oct.29th, 2018 from 7 pm - 2 am at the Lula Lounge not only to celebrate writers, illustrators, editors and publishers who create awesome stories for kids and teens, but also to raise funds for Books With No Bounds. Children's/teen writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, booksellers, teachers and librarians are all welcome!

You can buy tickets here; all net proceeds (after event costs are paid for) will go to Books With No Bounds, a non-profit, volunteer organization that distributes books and other learning tools to improve reading and literacy skills among indigenous youth in Canada and around the world. If you have items to donate to their charity auction, you can use this form.

Masquerade masks are optional, but if don't have your own and you'd like to make one (either with an elastic/string or on a stick), I've provided a free, print-ready masquerade mask template here (direct download) or you click on the image below if you don't want a direct download but prefer to scoop the PDF yourself. Even if you're not able to make it to the Canadian KidLit Masquerade Gala, feel free to use my template with your young artists. There are two masks per printout - the second can be used to provide extra backing support if you need it.

I've included two mask templates per printout, and they include spots to put holes for an elastic/string if you want to go that route. I don't like wearing masks over my glasses, so I prefer taping on a stick (popsicle stick or plastic straw works fine). I didn't have any cardstock handy, so I used an old file folder; I cut off the extra bits so that it would fit in my printer as a roughly 8.5 x 11" sheet.

Before decorating, I stuck on the stick and tried it out to make sure that my eye hole openings would work for my face:

For decorations, use your imagination! Feel free to post photos of your progress and/or final creations. Be sure to use the hashtag #cankidlitgala to help others see!

Just a few decoration ideas:

- Colour with crayons, paints etc. Perhaps a young artist in your family might want to help you.

- Rip up some old magazines to make a collage.

- Choose a kidlit or teen book theme. Do you have a favourite children's/YA book? Did you write or illustrate one? Decorate your mask using that theme. Or if you can't choose, print out some small book covers and make a book collage mask!

- If you're a book creator who did the above activity, consider donating your mask along with a copy of your book to the Charity Auction (make sure you sign both!).

- Add sparkly sequins! Feathers! Glitter!

- To fellow artists out there: recycle some of your old artsy experiments/rejects like I did!

Actually, I haven't decided on how I'm going to decorate mine; the above photo is just an example for this post. :-)

And if you're a children's/teen book writer, illustrator, editor, publisher, bookseller, teacher or librarian in the Toronto area on October 29th, do consider buying a ticket to attend The Canadian KidLit Masquerade Ball. Note that this event is NOT officially part of the CCBC book award event but an unofficial celebration run by volunteers (and kidlit book creators) Claudia Osmond, Kari Maaren, Ishta Mercurio and Star Spider. 

You can find lots more info on the Canadian Kidlt Masquerade Ball Facebook Page or you can buy your tickets directly via the Eventbrite page.

Advice For Young Writers: Three Questions for Nancy Tupper Ling and Andrea Offermann (THE YIN-YANG SISTERS & THE DRAGON FRIGHTFUL)

Thanks to Nancy Tupper Ling and Andrea Offermann for answering Three Questions for me today! Their picture book, The Yin-Yang Sisters And The Dragon Frightful, comes out on Sept. 18th from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. Synopsis: "When a fearsome dragon takes over their village bridge, twin sisters Mei and Wei have opposing views of how to fix the problem. Wei wants nothing more than to confront that stinky old dragon head on, but Mei favors a more thoughtful approach... an empowering sibling story about celebrating differences."

Nancy Tupper Ling is the winner of the prestigious Writer’s Digest Grand Prize and the Pat Parnell Poetry Award. She draws her inspiration from the multicultural background of her family and the interwoven fabric of familial culture which is, on the surface, seemingly every day. She is the author of several children’s books and anthologies. You can find out more about Nancy Tupper Ling at her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Andrea Offermann is the illustrator of J.A.White's The Thickety series, Kate Milford's The Boneshaker books, and M.T. Anderson's graphic novel Yvain. She was born and raised in Cologne, Germany, and graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California with a bachelor's degree in illustration. You can visit her at her website, Facebook and Twitter. 

A. Could you please take a photo of something in your office and tell us the story behind it?

From Nancy Tupper Ling:

"The journey from manuscript to book publication can be a long one, so I like to keep what I call my “Dream Buddies” in my office. These are items I collect along that way that relate to my stories and that fill me with hope while I wait for a book to be accepted. One of these objects was the Double Happiness Box that I discovered in an antique shop in Ipswich MA long before my book, Double Happiness, became a reality. The box cost $25 dollars but, low and behold, the phoenix and dragon—Chinese symbols for double happiness— were etched on the cover of this pencil case. The inside is lined with Chinese characters. I couldn’t resist buying it. Years later it still reminds me that dreams come true." - Nancy

From Andrea Offermann:

"A few years ago I illustrated a picture book (Frost Flyer by Troon Harrison) for an Austrian publisher. The book was nominated for the Austrian children's book award, and I traveled to Austria to attend the ceremony. It was such a lovely surprise when the book received the children's choice award there ( I shared a little bit about the journey and the award here. The kids from the jury had not only prepared a beautiful presentation, telling the journey they took towards choosing the book they liked best that year. One of them, Laura, had also created a dragon sculpture from wax for me as an award. I was overwhelmed by their love for the book. To receive their award and to see the care they had put into every detail, taking the pictures for the presentation, creating paper flowers to throw into the air when they announced their winner, and the beautiful dragon sculpture that was shipped to me later with super extra care (wax is very tricky and breaks easily) made me really feel that the story had touched their hearts and meant a lot to them. Whenever I look at this sculpture (and the 2 paper flowers I stole after the presentation) I am reminded why I love this job and who I am doing it for." - Andrea

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrations?

Advice for young writers from Nancy Tupper Ling:

Three pieces of advice:

1. Ask Away . . . Many authors, like myself, are on the introverted side, so asking a question doesn’t come easily. Still, I’ve discovered that one question can make all the difference. Because of one question, I became a coauthor of the book Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion with my mentor, June Cotner. How? Several years ago I’d learned that June’s assistant had moved away, and so I asked one simple question: “Is there anything I can help you with?” Her answer shocked me: “Well Nancy, how would you like to coauthor a book with me?” If I’d never asked, I wouldn’t have had the privilege of creating anthologies with June. Our next book, Family Celebrations, will be coming out this fall with Andrews McMeel Publishing.

2. Listen Up . . . You probably don’t have all the answers. Over the years a lot of people have asked me how to go about getting a book published, but very few have actually A) written their manuscript and B) taken the suggestions they’ve received about editing and revising to heart. Why? It’s easier to think a draft is perfect and ready for print. It’s hard for people to realize they need to be in it for the long haul and their first draft may need a bit more elbow grease. A good listener will go far.

3. Write anything and everything . . . submit all kinds of writing to all types of publishers. Sure, it’s good to hone your craft, but don’t limit yourself to one genre and style. I won the Writer’s Digest Grand Prize for a poem. In turn, that prize allowed me to bring my picture book stories to several agents and editors in New York City. A short story might lead to an idea for a novel. Never limit yourself.

Advice for young illustrators from Andrea Offermann:

To me, personal connection is invaluable. Both when starting out in the business and now that I have been working for a while.

I live in Germany, but I try to visit publishers in person in regular intervals. It makes such a difference to have met the person you are working with, and helps with communication and creative process once you are working on a project together. When you are starting out I feel it is even more important to try and meet art directors and editors in person and establish a relationship. So I would put more of my time and budget into writing to a select group of publishers you are interested in and possibly planning a trip to visit in person than sending out bulk postcards or emails to a large list of people.

The same goes for connections to other artists and illustrators! It's difficult to keep in touch via email, so it's such a joy to me whenever I get to go to an SCBWI conference or to Bologna Children's Book Fair, not only for all the input, but also to meet old friends, make new friends, be inspired by all the wonderful work, share business advice, and most importantly the love for what we do!

Q. What are you excited about right now?

From Nancy Tupper Ling:

I'm getting closer to holding The Yin-Yang Sisters and the Dragon Frightful in my hands. This manuscript was accepted in 2013 and I remember being ecstatic but also a bit sad because I realized my oldest daughter would be heading off to college by the time the book was out in the world. Well, guess what? It’s now 2018, and it’s true. I’m pumped about the birthday of my book, but I’ll be dropping my “baby”’ off at her college dorm very soon. I believe this is the definition of bittersweet.

I’m also excited that I can buy my favorite chocolate eclair from the Dollar Tree and I don’t have to wait for the ice cream truck to roll past my street. It’s the little things.

From Andrea Offermann:

A short while ago I had the opportunity to draw with tilt brush in virtual reality for the first time. A friend of mine works at a company that creates virtual and augmented reality and invited me to try it out.

It took some getting used to, but the sensation of standing in a blank space and creating your world around you with a brush was incredible. And then, walking through your drawing and seeing it from every angle, it was so much fun. There is a short video of legendary Glen Keane using the tool here, if you're interested. Recently there was also a virtual reality conference in Hamburg where I got to see some pieces artists had created in virtual reality. They were beautiful, and it was quite a new experience, I walked away exhausted and full of incredible impressions.

I am also very excited about the unfinished Bauhaus fonts that Adobe is working on finishing and releasing right now. I am not a graphic designer but I love the art of font design, and it's so interesting to get a glimpse of the process of recovery and completion here.

Then, I just finally read Mawil's "Kinderland", a graphic novel about a kid growing up in eastern Germany around the time the wall came down. I grew up in West Germany, but Mawil's drawings and storytelling immediately transported me back to elementary school. I could see it, smell it and feel it, and remembered the new kid that suddenly showed up in our classroom, and the rumors that his family had escaped from East Germany. Mawil does such a good job in showing that world through the kid's eyes, the things that are important to him (the table tennis tournament), the things that he sees, cannot grasp, but has an uneasy gut feeling about... I was spellbound.

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For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive.

A canned ampersand in the sand (in honour of Ampersand Day)

Sept. 8th was Ampersand Day, so I celebrated with a canned ampersand in the sand.

SAM & EVA is nominated for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award!

I was incredibly honoured to find out that SAM & EVA (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) has been nominated for The Canadian Children's Book Centre Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. I am especially honoured, considering the other finalists in the same category. For more info about each of these books as well as other finalists in the CCBC Book Awards, see this press release from the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

I confess I was weepy that morning. Just some of the reasons:

- This is the first time I've been nominated.

- An incredibly sweet congratulatory message from my sister Ruth.

- Knowing that my mom-in-law would have been thrilled and calling me as soon as she heard the news (I so miss her).

The Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award was established in 2006 by Charles Baillie as a gift to his wife, Marilyn Baillie. 

From the CCBC's page about the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award:

"Marilyn Baillie has had many careers including nursery school teacher, lecturer at the Royal Ontario Museum, interior designer in New York City, magazine and book editor, publishing consultant and children’s book author. She currently lives in Toronto and Vermont with her husband.

"Marilyn has travelled extensively with her family including adventures in Egypt, Kenya, the Galapagos and Papua New Guinea. She is an avid bird watcher and naturalist, which complement the environmental themes in her books. Marilyn is also a former editor of Chickadee magazine. n addition to authoring OWL’s Amazing Things Animals Do series – Side by Side, Wild Talk, Time to Eat and Little Wonders – Marilyn’s previous credits include editing and compiling Science Surprises, More Science Surprises, and writing Magical Fun, all from Owl."

Wow. Now I'm even more honoured to have one of my books nominated for this award. 

Congrats to all the nominees! Huge thanks to The Canadian Children's Book Centre, the Baillie family and award jury, Simon & Schuster Canada and Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.

You can find out more info about SAM & EVA on my publisher's page and you can also find a Teacher's Guide as well as lots of bonus info and free print-ready activities on my SAM & EVA Bonus Page.

My biggest piece of creativity advice for writers & illustrators (all ages): make time to PLAY.

No matter how busy I am, I always try to carve out a few minutes every day to do some art and writing purely for the fun of it. No pressure to show anyone or have anything be perfect....just to PLAY.

I find if I don't make regular time to just play and experiment, then I slip into a rut, not pushing myself to try the new and different, and I also start losing the joy.

DON'T LOSE THE JOY.

Make time to play.

Writers & illustrators: Develop a thick skin. To succeed (and survive) in this business, you need to be able to take criticism.

Rejection and criticism are part of publishing process, before AND after publication. Work on developing a thick skin early on and you'll not only enjoy the journey more but also increase your chances of longterm success.

Comic: Life with a writer

Writing is a solitary endeavor, but trying to get published doesn’t have to be. - Nancy Parish