Linda Ashman's Blog, page 4

Queen of the Rollicking Read-Alouds

Karen Beaumont, one of my favorite picture book authors, has a new book out. I talk about Wild About Us and some other favorites–e.g., I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More and No Sleep for the Sheep–over at PictureBookBuilders. What is it that makes Karen’s so dang fun to read aloud? I offer a few thoughts on that too. Stop by!

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Twenty Year Anniversary and Book Giveaway

Twenty years ago this month I quit my job at UCLA to write children’s books. To celebrate, I’m giving away two of my books and a copy of The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books to five winners over at PictureBookBuilders.

My writing anniversary has had me thinking about what life was like back in 1995. What were you doing then? Do you remember? Here are a few things to jog your memory:

I did my writing on a computer that looked a lot like this one:

I didn’t search the internet for submission guidelines, publishers’ catalogs, or writing advice because, well, there was no Google. Sergey Brin and Larry Page had just met at Stanford in 1995 (here they are a few years later):

I certainly wasn’t on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg was only 11 years old! (He’s a few years older than that here.)

Amazon.com had just incorporated but didn’t have much to offer. So, to look at children’s books, I’d go to the beautiful Beverly Hills Library Children’s Room, which used to look like this:

Or I’d visit Children’s Book World on Pico Avenue in LA, which, happily, still exists, unlike so many independent bookstores (not to mention larger chains like Borders).

A few more memory-joggers: In 1995, Forrest Gump won the Oscar for best picture . . .

Bruce Springsteen won the Grammy for best song . . .

And Bill Clinton was president. Think he’ll be ‘first gentleman’ after the next election?

And if I needed any more evidence of how time flies, all I need to do is look at Jackson. I wasn’t a parent yet in 1995. Jackson arrived in 1998, tiny and sweet, and now, all of us sudden, he’s towering over me. Luckily he’s still pretty sweet.

And you? What do you remember from twenty years ago?

 

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Few Words, Plenty of Action

Author Margie Palatini is known for her lively, clever, and pun-filled prose. But her latest book—No Nap! Yes Nap!, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino—is an exercise in restraint. How many words does it take to tell a story? Find out over at PictureBookBuilders.

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Poetry for Picture Book Writers

Reading poetry—in particular, reading poetry aloud—can be really helpful for picture book writers. I talk about why over at PictureBookBuilders, and take a look at Joyce Sidman’s Winter Bees, beautifully illustrated by Rick Allen.

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You Byun and Little Baby Buttercup

To celebrate the publication of Little Baby Buttercup (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House), I chat with the book’s talented young illustrator You Byun over at PictureBookBuilders. Stop by to hear about You’s process and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her artwork.

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New Group Blog at PictureBookBuilders.com

I'm one of eight authors and illustrators posting over at PictureBookBuilders . The blog will explore the sorts of things picture book creators do to make their books engaging, heart-tugging, hilarious, thought-provoking and otherwise unforgettable. In addition to Jill Esbaum --who came up with the blog idea and rounded up the participants--contributors include Kevan Atteberry , Pat Zietlow Miller , Jennifer Black Reinhardt , Barb Rosenstock , Tammi Sauer , and Eliza Wheeler . Please visit and join in the conversation!

In Praise of Illustrators

One of the best parts of being a picture book author is seeing the illustrations evolve from the initial sketches to the final artwork. Each stage thrills me, and sometimes brings me to tears (in a good way, as when I first saw Lauren Stringer's gorgeous illustrations for Castles, Caves and Honeycombs). As someone who can barely create a recognizable stick figure, I have enormous admiration for artists.

In the past month or so, I've glimpsed artwork for three of my upcoming picture books from three different artists. What's especially fun for me is seeing how different their styles are from each other. While I can't show much of the actual artwork yet, I thought I'd introduce the illustrators and share more of their work as the books progress. © 2015. Little Baby Buttercup, illustrated by You Byun. First up is  You Byun , who made a splash with her beautiful debut picture book Dream Friends last year. If you haven't read it, be sure to get your hands on a copy. 

Lucky for me, You is illustrating Little Baby Buttercup ( Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin , January 2015) which depicts the joys and adventures of toddlerhood. Here's a little snippet of Buttercup at right (click to enlarge). Sweet, no? You can find more of You's work on her Tumblr page .
©Kim Smith, from Modern Cat Magazine. Next up is Kim Smith . Meredith Mundy, my editor at Sterling, asked me to write a contemporary take on Lydia Marie Child's classic song  Over the River and Through the Wood  as a holiday offering (Thanksgiving 2015). The story follows four families traveling by various--and somewhat unreliable--modes of transportation as they converge on Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

So far I've just seen Kim's sketches for the book. They're strong and dynamic, full of energy and humor. Although not from the book, the sample at left, from her website, gives a sense of her style.


©2013. Simona Mulazzana, from I Wish I Had . . . And, finally, I recently got to see Simona Mulazzana's sketch dummy for my rewrite of the lullaby Rock-a-Bye Baby, to be published by Nancy Paulsen Books. Simona lives in Pesaro, a small town on the Italian coast, and -- as my agent, Jennifer Mattson, put it -- her farm scenes evoke Tuscany more than Iowa. They're lush and gorgeous, even in black and white sketches. The illustration at right, from I Wish I Had . . .  (written by Giovanna Zoboli, Eerdmans, 2013), has me dreaming about the final art.  Three illustrators, three entirely different and distinctive styles. I look at my stick figures, my box-and-triangle houses, and wonder what sort of magical powers these artists were gifted with at birth. It doesn't quite seem fair. Still, I'm grateful that the magic fell upon so many talented beings -- even as it bypassed me -- and will be eagerly awaiting the next batch of character studies, sketch dummies or final art. 

Sometimes It Helps to Have Company

We all know writing can be a lonely business at times. Luckily, you can find plenty of company online (check out my Resources page for a few suggestions). But if you like to read and discuss "how to" books with fellow writers, you might consider joining an online book group like Meg Miller's Facebook Word by Word Book Club. The members have worked their way through Ann Whitford Paul's excellent Writing Picture Books , and now are working on The Nuts and Bolts Guide, with more books ahead. Meg is an enthusiastic and welcoming bandleader -- contact her through her website if you'd like to join in. And if you'd like to start your own book club to read through Nuts and Bolts, I'd be happy to discuss special rates and arrange for a Facebook Q&A session as I did with Meg's group. Just send me an email.

Looking for Motivation in the New Year?

Here are three online writing communities designed to keep you writing in January (and beyond):
(1) Shannon Abercrombie is offering 21 days of writing prompts (including one by me), along with lots of prizes this month. The challenge started January 5th, but you're not too late -- hurry on over there now to join in (just click on the logo).
(2)  If you're the sort of writer who has plenty of ideas -- and the abandoned manuscripts to prove it -- pull them out of your bottom drawer and sign up for Meg Miller's week long revision challenge, beginning January 12th. Lots of encouragement (and prizes) to keep you motivated.
(3) Looking for a year-long commitment to writing picture books, and chances to win -- yes -- even more prizes? Sign up for Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Challenge, and write 12 picture books in 12 months.  Here's to an inspired and productive 2014!

Attention Rhymers!

Struggling with your stanzas? Cursing at your verse? I'm doing a Rhyme Clinic over at Susanna Leonard Hill's terrific blog on December 2nd. Send Susanna the first 20 (or so) lines of your rhyming story by Monday, November 18th, and I'll select examples of poetic pitfalls and offer suggestions for how to overcome them. So dust off those rhymers and get them to Susanna asap! Find all the details at Susanna's blog.