Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 26

Trying Out Titles

This cracked me up when a friend shared it. I don’t use my first name. And I have two last names. So which letters do I use? The ones that create the best combination! So which should it be – City of Stars and Storm or City of Starts and Crows? Titles are tricky and … Continue reading Trying Out Titles →

How Much Can I Wedge Into One Book?

Hey, look! Another book cover! I worked in archaeology way back when. I actually illustrated artifacts and created maps and diagrams for reports. So when a book on archaeology was offered to me, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Some days, I think my motto is leap before you look. I said yes and then … Continue reading How Much Can I Wedge Into One Book? →

Picking and Choosing or We Only Have 24 Hours in a Day

Later on I’ll be packaging up these two hats to send Keep W NC Warm. I so wanted to get four or five hats finished but several collection sites are already closing down. I need to hustle to finish these and get them out this week. I thought that because I chose crochet patterns I … Continue reading Picking and Choosing or We Only Have 24 Hours in a Day →

Barnes and Noble Announces 2024 Books of the Year

When I first saw the announcement, I giddily realized that I had already read JAMES by Percival Everett. If you haven’t read it, pick it up ASAP. I’m not going to tell you that it is an easy read because it isn’t. James is about Jim as in Huck and Jim. This is the story … Continue reading Barnes and Noble Announces 2024 Books of the Year →

What Will Tomorrow Bring?

One of the literary organizations I belong to called a series of emergency meetings after the most recent elections. I’ve also noted the number of authors, agents, and editor fleeing Twitter for Bluesky. Everyone wants to know what this series of elections means for publishing but they are sure it is bad. I have no … Continue reading What Will Tomorrow Bring? →

Board Books vs Picture Books

So sad to hear that Bruce Degen has died. He was the author and illustrator of Jamberry, a book I loved reading aloud to my son. He was also the illustrator of the Magic School Bus series. Sad sadder saddest. Board books and picture books have a lot in common. Both have to be excellent … Continue reading Board Books vs Picture Books →

Planning My Writing Week

I try to plan out my writing week. Really! But it seems like I can never predict how much I will be able to write in a day. I have a book due Thursday. My plan was to rough four or five chapters Monday and four or five chapters Tuesday. I managed to rough almost … Continue reading Planning My Writing Week →

Food in Space

Check out the cover for my upcoming book! I quickly realized that every time I said the title, I might as well have been saying PIGS IN SPACE. My senior editor and I had way too much fun with this. That said, this book also presented me with unexpected challenges. I was quoting someone when … Continue reading Food in Space →

Veteran’s Day Writing Prompts

This Veteran’s Day, I’ve been thinking about one of the most important veterans in my life – my dad. He is one of the family members who inspired me to be a reader. We didn’t often read the same things but we loved to tell each other about our reading. “You should see this!” As … Continue reading Veteran’s Day Writing Prompts →

3 Elements of a Great Read Aloud Picture Book

Did you know that November is Picture Book Month? I love picture books so this month I’ll be writing a few posts on various aspects of picture book writing. Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, if you are writing a picture book, you need to create a great read aloud experience because picture books … Continue reading 3 Elements of a Great Read Aloud Picture Book →