Beth Anderson's Blog, page 5

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

Think back…do you have a favorite piece of furniture from your past? One that comes with precious memories? One that’s part of YOUR story. But what if that special piece of furniture could share ITS story? Author Cathy Stefanec Ogren’s latest book is just such a tale, and here she shares how she found the heart of THE LITTLE RED CHAIR. 

Cathy is offering a GIVEAWAY!! A copy of THE LITTLE RED CHAIR to one lucky person who comments below! 

Congratulations to Robin Brett Wechsler, winner of the cho...

Behind the Scenes: “Why Art Notes Can Make or Break a Manuscript” by Maria Marianayagam

In an article I wrote recently for GROG Blog about my experience with illustration notes with THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE, my look back over the editorial revision process showed that when the text was clarified, the notes weren’t needed. In this post, Maria Marianayagam shares a very different experience. Once again, there are no hard and fast rules. Each manuscript is different, each experience is different. And the points Maria leaves us with are valuable in any situation. 

GIVEAWAY...

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

There are so many ways to tell a story. Author Julia Wasson tried many formats before she found the right voice and point of view for CAN YOU HEAR THE PLANTS SPEAK? And landing on just the right way proved magical!   

Julia is offering a GIVEAWAY of a copy of CAN YOU HEAR THE PLANTS SPEAK? to one randomly chosen person who comments below! 

Congratulations to Patricia J. Franz, winner of a copy MILKWEED FOR MONARCHS from Christine Van Zandt! 

Which Point of View?

Text © 2024 Nicholas Hummingbird ...

Behind the Scenes: How to Sell an “Evergreen” Manuscript by Christine Van Zandt

Some topics and themes are “evergreen,” eternally relevant, but they present their own challenges. Check out this post from author Christine Van Zandt about how she handled a familiar topic and made it special. 

GIVEAWAY! Christine is offering a copy MILKWEED FOR MONARCHS to one lucky person who leaves a comment below!

Congratulations to Angela, winner of Lynn Becker’s JUNE MOON! 

Behind the Scenes: How to Sell an “Evergreen” Manuscript

Text ©Christine Van Zandt, art ©Alejandra Barajas

by Christ...

Behind the Scenes: “The Importance of Community” by Lynn Becker

There’s that saying “it takes a village.” So true for so many endeavors—and publishing a children’s book is one of them! Here’s a post from one of my local critique partners Lynn Becker who’s celebrating the release of her second book for kids. 

GIVEAWAY! Lynn is offering a copy of JUNE MOON, a delightful board book, to one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment below. 

Congrats to Lindsay Moretti, winner of a picture book manuscript critique from Megan Hoyt!

The Importance of Community

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Behind the Scenes: “A Grand Idea requires Perseverance, Determination, and Courage!” by Megan Hoyt

Finding the focus and creating impact is always a huge challenge when faced with piles of research. I understand Megan Hoyt’s struggle with landing on just the right way to tell a story! In this post, Megan shares how she worked through a few ideas until she found what worked.

GIVEAWAY! Megan is offering one lucky writer a picture book critique. Just leave a comment below to enter!

Congratulations to Patricia Tilton, winner of Nell Cross Beckerman’s GIVEAWAY—a spot in her writing class, “...

Mining For Heart: “Inspired by a Magical Moment with a Bunny” by Nell Cross Beckerman

One of the questions I get asked most is, “where do you get your ideas for stories?” As a nonfiction nerd, I’m always on the lookout for bits of history few know about—events that open our minds to understanding the past and the present. But there are all kinds of books and all kinds of ways a story idea happens. Here’s a post from Nell Cross Beckerman on a very special moment that led to her new book FROM PARK TO PLAYA: THE TRAILS THAT CONNECT US.

GIVEAWAY! Nell is offering a spot in her writin...

Behind the Scenes: “Top 10 Things to Know About Writing a Basic—but Effective—Author Bio for Promotion” by Laura Stegman

Sharing your books with the public takes authors and illustrators into a whole new world. So much to think about and so much to learn. In this post, author Laura Stegman share tips for writing an author bio for promotion, an excellent place to start. 

GIVEAWAY! Laura is offering a copy of Summer of L.U.C.K. to one random person who comments below.

Top Ten Things to Know About Writing A Basic – but Effective – Author Bio for Promotion 

by Laura Stegman

We’re storytellers, right? So why is it tha...

Behind the Scenes: “Using Learnings from Readers When Writing a Follow-up Title” by Katy Tanis

Sometimes authors get a chance to follow up a book with another title as part of a duo, trilogy, or series. Here are a few tips from Katy Tanis sharing how she used the response from the first book to inform a second one! 

Congratulations to 2 winners of blog post giveaways: 

 Lori Alexander, you’ve won Randi Sonenshine’s THE DEN THAT OCTOPUS BUILT! 

 Norma Cardenas, you’ve won THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE! 

Using Learnings from Readers When Writing a Follow-up Title

by Katy Tanis

When...

Behind the Scenes: “The Bounty of Primary Sources” by Beth Anderson

Here’s a bit of the story behind the story of THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE: BIAS, TRUTH, AND A MIGHTY MOOSE! Research is definitely an adventure. All of you who do it know the lure of the rabbit hole and the joy of surprises that add richness to the writing. Letters seem like a lost art these days, which makes the letters of the Founders in the National Archives all the more special. 

And of course, let’s do a GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of THOMAS JEFFERSO...