Linda Ashman's Blog, page 2

Moons & Multi-Tasking

I’m not very good at multi-tasking. If I’m working on a project—whether it’s a manuscript, a presentation or a website overhaul—I want to focus on it until it’s done. So I marvel at people who seem especially talented at juggling many projects at once.

People like Laura Purdie Salas, who recently agreed to an interview over at PictureBookBuilders so we could chat about her newest book, If You Were the Moon (illustrated by Jaime Kim, Lerner, 2017). While she was visiting, I picked her brain about process and productivity, because Laura is amazingly productive (writing picture books, poetry, newsletters, blog posts, books about writing, creating videos, doing school visits, and much more). She’s also very generous and transparent about what it’s like to make a living as a writer. So be sure to check out the post—and leave a comment there by September 10th to win a copy of If You Were the Moon.

By the way, the moon is also a remarkable muti-tasker, as I learned from the book. It’s a beauty.

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Navigating the Author-Agent Relationship

I’ll be talking about the Author-Agent relationship with my own agent, Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary, at the upcoming SCBWI-Carolinas conference.  Although we’ve been working together for more than six years, it will be the first time we’ve actually been in the same room since we met in Boulder at the ABLA Big Sur in the Rockies conference. Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to it.

We’re covering the stuff you wonder about before you have an agent (What, exactly, do agents do? How do I find the right one?), as well as the issues that can arise in a longer-term relationship (Is she tired of my work? Does she have too many clients? Why doesn’t he keep me informed about submissions?). We’ll offer suggestions for how best to work together—and how to unhitch when it’s clear things just aren’t working out.

Got any agent questions of your own? Leave a comment or send me an email. I’ll follow up in another post after the conference.

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Navigating Step by Step through Your Picture Book

I recently taught a picture book writing webinar called “Strong Beginnings, Satisfying Endings—and Navigating from One to the Other.” It seems to me that a lot of us get tripped up over that tricky navigating part. With (typically) only 32 pages in a picture book, and the first 3 to 4 pages used for copyright, title page, etc., we’re left with about 28 pages and a few hundred words to build drama, engage the reader, and come to a satisfying conclusion—without introducing too many characters or complicated plot lines.

I’ve recently added a new book—Jon Agee’s Lion Lessons (Dial, 2016)—to the examples I included in the webinar.

Agee pulls us in from the first page, then uses what I’d call “step by step navigation” (specifically, 7 steps) to get us to the nicely book-ended conclusion. You can read more about how he does it in this PictureBookBuilders post.

And for another recent lion book that also proceeds step by step (in this case, through 14 steps), check out Tammi Sauer’s Caring For Your Lion, illustrated by Troy Cummings (Sterling, 2017).

Both books are excellent navigational models for writers—and ferociously funny to boot.

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Meet Agent Jennifer Mattson (plus a Giveaway!)

Over at PictureBookBuilders, I interview my excellent agent, Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary. Stop by to hear her take on picture book trends, her agency, and the Big Sur Writing Workshops. Leave a comment there by April 30th for a chance to win a copy of Ella WHO?, illustrated by , just out this month, AND the brand-new board book edition of RAIN! illustrated by Christian Robinson.

You can also win a copy of Ella WHO? over at Goodreads now through April 22nd.

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Mentorship & Webinar Opportunities!

Working on a picture book? Want some inspiration, instruction, and guidance? Here are two excellent opportunities to hone your skills:

The Inland NW SCBWI Picture Book Webinar Series. Four sessions over four weeks with Tara Lazar, Jessixa Bagley, Josh Funk and yours truly. Sign up for a single session or all four. Best of all, you can watch in your PJs, drink hot cocoa or hot toddies, and we won’t even know. Starts January 21, 2017.

The SCBWI Carolinas Revision Quest. Work one-on-one with your mentor as you hone your manuscript(s) over a four-month period. I’m one of the mentors, along with Stephanie Greene, Tameka Fryer Brown, Kristy Dempsey, Kelly Starling Lyons, Rebecca Petruck and others. Open to picture book, middle grade and YA writers. Sign up January 10th-17th.

Okay, folks. Get going. This is the year.

 

 

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Where Can I Get Your Books?

I get asked this question a lot, and it’s not always easy to answer, depending on whether the book is in print or not, or if you’d like a signed copy or not. So here’s the rundown:

In-Print Books

These books are available through your local bookstore, although they may not be in stock (the bookseller can order them), and are always available online, whether it’s through Amazon, Barnes & Noble or  Independent Booksellers.

Want an autographed copy? If so, you can order it through my local bookstore, Flyleaf Books. Just call them at (919) 942-7373, and tell them you’d like an autographed copy of one of my books. I’ll run over and sign it however you wish, and they’ll take care of mailing. Easy!

Here’s the current list of in-print books:

All We Know

Castles, Caves & Honeycombs

Ella, Who? (coming April 2017)

Henry Wants More!

Hey, Coach!

Little Baby Buttercup

Over the River & Through the Wood

Peace, Baby!

Rain!

Rock-a-Bye Romp

Samantha on a Roll

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Colorado

Out-of-Print Books

Copies of these can usually be found on Amazon, through other sellers, by clicking on the “new” or “hardcover” link under the list of formats available for each title. That should take you to a list of sellers. Look for Slow Lane Books here—this is the storefront for my out-of-print titles. These are all signed copies; if you’d like a personal inscription, you can make a note of that when you place your order (all of which is handled through Amazon).

Here’s the list of out-of-print books. Those followed by (N/A) are not available through Slow Lane Books but may be available elsewhere:

Babies on the Go (hardcover and board book editions)

Can You Make a Piggy Giggle? (N/A)

Creaky Old House

Come to the Castle!

Desmond & the Naughtybugs

How to Make a Night

Just Another Morning

M is for Mischief

Mama’s Day (N/A)*

Maxwell’s Magic Mix-Up

No Dogs Allowed!

Rub-a-Dub Sub (N/A)

Sailing Off to Sleep

Starry Safari

Stella, Unleashed

The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide*

The Tale of Wagmore Gently

To the Beach!

What Could Be Better Than This?

When I Was King

*  Beware the “print on demand” paperback version of these books available on Amazon; not the best quality.

Hope that clears things up a bit! Any questions? Feel free to ask. Thanks!

 

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David LaRochelle on Challenging Himself (Plus a Giveaway!)

Over at PictureBookBuilders, find out how David LaRochelle challenged himself to use just five words—those in the title of his latest book, This is NOT a Cat—to tell this story of danger and intrigue, and multiple variations on just one word (except for the surprise on the final page, but no spoilers here) in Moo!  David also talks about working with his friend, illustrator Mike Wohnoutka, on both books. Leave a comment over at PictureBookBuilders by November 20th for a chance to win a copy of This is NOT a Cat!

 

 

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Charlotte EpicFest Starts Nov 3rd!

The Charlotte Mecklenberg Library Foundation holds its annual EpicFest this weekend starting with Verse & Vino Thursday, November 3rd, a teen event on Friday, and a Family Festival featuring lots of kid lit authors and illustrators on Saturday at ImaginOn (schedule here). I’ll be talking books with multi-talented author-illustrator LeUyen Pham at 11 am. If you’re in the Charlotte area, stop by!

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Dialogue Stories–And a Giveaway!

Writing a story using only dialogue—no narration, no he said/she said attributions—is a great way of paring a picture book manuscript down to its essentials. I’ve used this strategy for several of my books, including Rain!,  Sailing Off to Sleep, No Dogs Allowed!, and, most recently, Hey, Coach!, which is told in the voices of a whole team of young soccer players. For more about the book—and a chance to win a signed copy—visit PictureBookBuilders.

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Hey, Coach! (and the Value of Trying Again)

One of the more challenging aspects of writing picture books is the speculative nature of the process. Coming up with a story idea is easy. But is it a good idea? Or, more to the point, is it marketable idea, one that will lead to an acquisition?

Unfortunately we won’t know until we actually write the story—and not a rough version of it, but a fully-developed, honed and polished, ready-for-publication manuscript. All of which takes time and effort—and no small amount of hope that the investment will pay off.

And, frankly, there’s no guarantee that it will—which is why I’m so happy on those rare occasions when an editor pitches a story idea to me (e.g., Over the River & Through the Wood and Will’s Winter Nap, coming fall 2017). Even then, an editor may pass on the manuscript, but at least we’re starting from a place of guaranteed interest.

I also appreciate it when editors provide specific comments on a submission and offer to reconsider it if revisions are made. Hey, Coach! began life as a multi-sport “mishmosh,” as Sterling editor Meredith Mundy put it. She suggested I focus on one sport—soccer—and offered to take a second look. I did, she did, and the mish-mosh is now a book. For a peek behind the scenes—and a look at the two manuscripts and sample illustrations—visit the Hey, Coach! page.

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