Seven weeks until ReviMo! Tonight we have an interview with the lovely Deborah Holt Williams, (who is also my critique mate!). 

Can you tell us about yourself? 
 My name is Deborah Holt Williams and I'm a retired preschool teacher, still subbing and visiting classrooms as a storyteller. I have five kids and three grandkids, and I live in the mountains in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Favorite picture books?
 I love Bruce Coville's Sarah's Unicorn, and The Friendly Giant. Mrs. Wishy Washy by my writing hero Joy Cowley is another favorite. And Bubba the Cowboy Prince, and old, wordy books by Virginia Lee Burton and Robert McClosky, the Little Bear books--so many favorites!

If you could be a superhero, what would your power be? 
It would be nice to have a superpower that let me see exactly the fix my stories need to become beautiful, published picture books for my grandkids!

Can you tell us about your picture book writing journey? 
 I graduated with a journalism degree from UW-Madison and I've always loved writing. I made up bedtime stories and finally started writing them down in the early 90's. One summer I made it my goal to send off five manuscripts, and one of them sold to Seedlings (which at the time was a new publisher started by two teachers) as an easy reader. They bought four more before Seedlings was bought by Continental Press. Continental hasn't purchased any more from me, but they keep my books in their catalog and I'm still earning royalties. In '96 I sold a story for $2000 to a New Zealand publisher. I was a single mom, and I celebrated by taking my youngest to Disneyland--before I got the check. I came back to find the gas cancellation notice, the electricity cancellation notice, and the check--whew! The company was purchased so it could be closed down and my story never ran. I later reworked it and sold it to Highlights as a rebus!

Which segues into reworking and revising--four times now, Highlights has asked me to revise pieces, and I always take their suggestions and most of the time, they go on to publish them. I find revising with suggestions, from the publisher or my critique groups, is SO much easier than trying to do it on my own! But, when I do my own revising, I pay attention to the sound of the words together (I like a little alliteration), and to using the verbs to illustrate the character (stomped vs walked, for example). Picture book writing is so tight, words have to do double duty when they can. I've had good luck with my magazine writing (Highlights, High Five, Hello, Jack and Jill, Turtle, AppleSeeds, Spellbound) but no luck yet with my picture book manuscripts. Now days, with picture books having so few words, I think the short word limits for magazines are good training--or so I tell myself between rejections! But, a magazine story will probably only get one illustration, and with a picture book, you have to think about an illustration on every page, so it is quite different. Every sentence has to pack a punch as a caption to a picture.

So very true. Thank you Deb!

Rev up for ReviMo! Interview with Elaine Kiely Kearns

Eight weeks until ReviMo!  Are you getting excited? I am!! I'm going to  interview some talented guests each week to REV UP for ReviMo.

Our first guest is the lovely Elaine Kiely Kearns, "Rev up those engines!"

Can you tell us about yourself?
I am the mother of two, a writer, an educator, and an optimist. Not necessarily in that order.

Tell us about your picture book writing journey? What has influenced you most?
Even though I teach second grade, I have always wanted to write picture books. It wasn’t until 2007 that I decided to pursue it as a career. I started out slowly, researching different agents and editors. I sent out manuscripts and got rejections. However, it wasn’t until I won a contest on DEAREDITOR.com in early 2012 that I threw myself into the craft. Deborah Halverson gave me a really great critique and, without knowing it, a really great boost of confidence. She is an expert in the field, has many books published, has been an editor at Harcourt for years—and she likes my writing! She has been my freelance editor ever since. After that, I joined an in-person critique group (which has since dissipated), and then got together with some 12x12 people; together we have formed a really great online group. We are very close, and I would be lost without their constant support and invaluable critiquing.

Favorite picture book?
Of course that’s like asking me to pick my favorite child. I love all picture books, but if I had to pick just one author, or just one book, it would have to be anything by Mo Willems. I love his picture books—they’re fun without the slap-you-in-the-face messages. I’ll take a fun romp that has the kids in stitches any day. My all-time favorite is DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS. I love doing the voice of the pigeon and the silliness that the book demands when you read it. I got to meet Mo Willems at the NY SCBWI Conference last year, and he was lovely. I was a babbling idiot when I met him; he must have thought I was a total nut. I found out that we even share a birthday—February 11—so it’s destiny that I should love his work so much!

What gets you inspired to revise? 
I think that having a critique group is extremely important. The feedback you receive from other people can put you on a completely different path and give you a new perspective, particularly when you are sick of your manuscript. I typically go through several rounds of revisions with my critique group, and then I send it off to Deborah Halverson for line editing. Each time the manuscript comes back to me for revisions, I am excited by the thought of revising. Yes, excited!

Thank you Elaine! :)

Halloweensie Time...

Here is my entry for Susanna's 3rd Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!

For details, click here! Thanks Susanna for the challenge. :D

Halloween CAW! Ball 

by Meg Miller (full story removed)

“Crunchy leaves, crisp breeze . . .
It's time for Halloween Ball!” announces Scarecrow.

“Prizes! Games! Sweets!”

“Ooooh fun!” caws LittleCrow.

“No CROWS allowed.”

LittleCrow flap flaps away.

Why can't crows and scarecrows play?

Power of a Picture Book - Highlights Foundation Workshop

I debated and debated about going to The Power of a Picture Book workshop at Highlights. It seemed like so much money. How would I come up with the money? And if I did, I could get 10 professional critiques for that much money! I could go to a few nearby conferences. I kept telling myself that I'd go next year, 2014. Something keep bringing me back to thinking about it though, and finally I signed up.

THANK HEAVENS! It was an AMAZING, enriching experience. I was picked up at the airport and found out that a fellow workshopper had been on my flight, Lisa. We were taken to lunch, then wandered around Honesdale. We met our group and toured the Highlights office. We met Highlights Magazine Editors and heard what kind of submissions they'd like. We got to speak to an editor from Boyds Mills Press. Everyone was kind and informative.

Dinner (and every meal following) was phenomenal, the chef Joseph is a wonderful cook and such a nice guy. Martha and Brinna were lovely as well. I never once felt out of place or uncomfortable. Even when I locked myself out of my cabin just when I was needing a boo hoo about missing my kiddos and instead had to go request the extra key. (Myself and one of the ladies were dubbed "the sprinklers" because we kept misting up over various things - eeeesh! haha!)

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Barrett George

We started right in on the workshop after dinner. Deborah Underwood and Lindsay Barrett George
were amazing. Over the weekend we did writing exercises, drew picture book dummies, colored with crayons, and discussed picture books. They made it so clear what makes picture books great. Lindsay and Deborah bared their souls and showed us how they write picture books. I wasn't sure what to expect from the workshop, but I never dreamed it would be as incredible as it was.

 An editor from Highlights Press came and spoke with us. Also book buyer and accounts manager for The Blue Marble Children’s Bookstore and general Kidlit information guru, Dave Richardson brought some picture books to share with us and told us how to create a good working relationship with independent bookstores.

Power of a Picture Book Group Photo Courtesy of Highlights Foundation

Not only was the information top notch, the company was phenomenal. I came away from The Barn with wonderful, new friends. One of the ladies commented that we all needed that weekend, for different reasons and it was so true. It was nourishment for the mind and soul. We're talking about a reunion workshop next year. I can't wait!

I'm only bummed that I didn't take any pictures, it was gorgeous there with the leaves changing for autumn. Next year!

Blog Hop

Tara Lazar, creator of PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month - 2013 will be my first, so excited!), author of The Monstore started a BLOG HOP. I was tagged by Elaine K. Kearns. The idea is for me to answer 3 questions and then tag 3 more authors for them to continue the blog hop, but no one volunteered, so I'm going to leave it open!

THE QUESTIONS . . .

1. What are you working on right now? I have over 20 stories drafted, but they need to be taken to the next level. I just went to a Highlights Foundation Workshop, Power of a Picture Book and I learned SO MUCH. I have lots of ideas for revisions floating around in my head, but my 4 year old has been working on riding her bike without training wheels so we've been very busy and I've been very tired. I have the Kansas SCBWI Fall Conference this weekend and then the REVISIONS are on like Donkey Kong. :)

2. How does your writing process work?  Sometimes ideas simmer in my mind for a while, sometimes I just sit down with an idea and the story comes out on paper. I like to just let the story flow when I'm typing it. If I try to edit while I'm typing it ruins my mojo!

3. Who are the authors you most admire? Wow, tough question, there are SO MANY! After my Highlights Conference, I'd definitely have to say Deborah Underwood and Lindsay Barrett George, it was so cool seeing their process and how their ideas came to fruition. In addition, Oliver Jeffers, Jim Averbeck, Susanna Leonard Hill, Ashley Wolff, Chris Haughton, Melissa Sweet, Philip C. Stead. So many more, those are just the first to come to mind. I love a succinct picture book that makes you fall in love with the characters and adorable illustrations. Who doesn't, right? :D

TAG- YOU'RE IT - answer these questions and keep the blog hop rolling!