Getting to The Heart of Why We Write

Today you're in for a mini treat with author Lynn Becker of the musical Monsters in the Briny and magical June Moon!

I've known Lynn for years and she was one of my first guests back when I did these interviews in blog format. So, for a quick update and bonus treat to you listeners, Lynn and I caught up about her journey with her recent release.

Her Books📚:

Monsters in the Briny–A rollicking read aloud with music for 4-8 year olds. 

June Moon–A bedtime board book for toddlers and preschoolers; a wonderful cuddle book. 

Highlights:

The reality of dealing with supply chain delays and their effect on marketing.

The benefits of soothing lullabies for all ages.

Lynn’s favorite sea monster.

Our relationships with the moon, what it's made of, and magic.

The joys of sharing storytime with multiple authors.

Links Mentioned🔗:

Monsters in the Briny illustrated by Scott Brundage on Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes and Noble

June Moon illustrated by Nate Carvalho on Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes and Noble

Lynn’s website – Check here for her latest author events and appearances!

Picture Book Gold

Lynn on Instagram, X, Bluesky, and Facebook

Lynn’s book reviews

Book Recommendations📚:

Thank you, Lynn, for coming on the show! And stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode on Thursday July 4!💃💃💃💃🎆

Let’s welcome Laura Bower to the show! I met Laura through 12x12 and other’s I knew in her debut group, PBSOAR24. It was so much fun talking with her about growing the seeds of stories and all the joy there is to find in the kidlit world!

Some Highlights:

Links Mentioned🔗:

Book Recommendations📚:

Old Friends by Margaret Aitken illustrated by Lenny Wen (the main character is totally the life I lived–joy with old friends)

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Stay tuned for next week’s interview with Erin Chesnut and some possible surprises!👀

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Leah Moser whose book, I AM A THUNDERCLOUD illustrated by Marie Hermansson, came out with Running Press Kids on April 2, 2024 (also her birthday!!!).🎈🎂

I had so much fun connecting with Leah and talking about the welcoming world of kidlit, the reality of writing as a human person, and more. 

Here are some highlights:

The college class that sparked her love for kidlit.

How an ideal writing day differs from the reality of how we get the writing done.☕

The overwhelming support we can find in kidlit among professional organizations and debut groups, like her very own PBSoar24.

Why Write: “Writing itself can be healing or therapeutic but for me it’s also an outlet to express myself in different ways. And I always go back to that line that I’ve heard a bunch, ‘there’s room for everybody at the table.’ My words matter, my stories matter, just like everyone else’s stories and words matter.”📖

And final words of advice: “When you’re waiting on something, work on something else.”

Links:

Leah’s website–check this out for the latest list of book events

Leah’s Freelance Editing Services

I Am A Thundercloud illustrated by Marie Hermansson on Hachette, Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble

SCBWI

The 12x12 Picture Book Challenge

50 Precious Words

Leah on Instagram, Threads, X, Facebook, Link.tree

Book Recommendations📚📚:

The Lion Queen: Rasila Vadher, the First Woman Guardian of the Last Asiatic Lions by Rina Singh illustrated Tara Anand

PBSoar24 Group

Our Pool by Lucy Ruth Cummins 

The Push by Ashley Audrain
Thank you for listening and stay tuned for next week’s episode with Laura Bower! 🎧🎧🎧

Please welcome the prolific, award-winning, 12x12 webinar presenting author Marzieh Abbas! I met Marzieh through 12x12 and had so much fun talking with her about the transcendence of words and writing across genres. 🖋️

Here are some highlights🌟:

Links Mentioned🔗:

Thank you, Marzieh, for sharing your time with us and telling us all about your journey and your stories! Stay tuned for next week’s interview with Leah Moser.📆🎧

Please welcome author Lauren Ranalli to the show today! I found Lauren through the kidlit community online and had so much fun talking with her about inspiration, book nerdiness, and all things books and writing. I hope you enjoy the episode!

Some Highlights: 

She first started writing stories after her son was born. As an interfaith family, her son was given many Christmas books, but she had a hard time finding any similar titles featuring Hanukkah. And so The Great Latke Cookoff began to take root, later becoming her first published picture book.

At the time she didn’t know self publishing was a thing (much like myself) and she ended up waiting 6 years before doing anything with the manuscript.

Once she learned more about self publishing from a friend, she went for it!

Lauren published her first book in  2018 since has published 3 others since, while also having a ton of fun doing it.

The myth that self publishing is an option for people who can’t get a publisher. It’s a choice. How much control do you want over it?

Importance of creating and carving out quiet time.

We’re all researching the same thing–the beauty in sharing resources and spending your precious hours on making your book amazing.

Benefits of a business mastermind–not just with authors, but other business owners. Play around with the format, in person, virtual, meeting times and days, adapting as the years go on.

Advantages of having control over the whole publication process in self publishing whenever you face obstacles.

The myth of self publishing that you go it alone. If you are not an illustrator, DO NOT ILLUSTRATE YOUR BOOK. You can have a team, editors, illustrators, website designers, and more.

SCBWI is a great place to start looking for illustrators and other pros on your team. Also this post on Lauren’s site about working with an illustrator.

I loved hearing Lauren talk about why she writes–because of the curiosity it inspires. She wants to see more stories out there.

Picture books inspire curiosity to learn more which is exactly what my new podcast project, The Curious Compassionate, with Picture Book Peeps is about.

More about Snow Day at The Zoo: “What happens when the zookeeper’s children get snowed in with their favorite animals? Find out in this wonderful winter adventure! A rhyming picture book that is perfect for young readers and animal lovers.” Available for pre-order now, out on November 30, 2024.

Other Links:

Lauren’s Website

Snow Day at The Zoo by Lauren Ranalli and illustrated by Mollie Olinyk 

All of Lauren’s Books

Lauren’s Training and Coaching info

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

Lauren’s Free Self-Publishing Guide

Book Recommendations:

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

Erasure by Percival Everett

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and if you want to revisit Our Town by Thornton Wilder first

I Absolutely, Positively Love My Spots by Lid’ya C Moore and illustrated by Niña Mata
Thank you, Lauren! And stay tuned for next week’s episode with author Marzieh Abbas!

I had so much fun chatting with Cedar about her writing journey and the launch of her recent picture book, Fire Flight illustrated by Chiara Fedele. 

Some of the highlights covered:

The benefits of not doing your laundry.

When giving up writing is impossible.

How many rejections is too many? (Spoiler, we can always keep going.)

The beauty of real life and its messiness.

Why you may want to write outside your typical genre.

The supportive writing community, especially kidlit and the wonderful people behind 12x12 Picture Book Challenge and Storystorm.

How many of our mentors may not even know us but the lasting impact they can have on us through podcasts, webinars, etc.

Cedar’s book, Fire Flight which is based on the true story of an owl and human who came together for an unbelievable moment during a wildfire.

Links Mentioned:

FIRE FLIGHT: A Wildfire Escape (Now available)

WHAT MARCEL FOUND: The Incredible Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

Illustrated by David Litchfield (Summer 2026)

Cedar’s website

The 12x12 Picture Book Challenge

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

Tara Lazar’s Storystorm

Book Recommendation: 

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Thank you for listening to this bonus mini episode about who I am and what I do as a ghostwriter, author, and core story consultant. If you're interested in hearing more or grabbing some of the free marketing resources I mentioned, here are all the relevant links.

Links:

My Calendar to book a free 20 Minute Strategy call and grab your free copy of my Streamlined Media Strategy Branding Blueprint

My Website

Core Connected Marketing on Substack

Today I am so pleased to introduce you to author Steena Hernandez. Steena’s debut picture book, Lupita’s Brown Ballet Slippers, illustrated by Melissa Castillo is coming out with Beaming Books on October 22, 2024. 

It was a joy to talk with Steena and I can’t thank her enough for being on the show. Here are some highlights:

The joy of being a library family and sharing that time together, picking whatever book your heart desires.

The overwhelming generosity found within the kidlit world.

The beauty of the two way street one can find in kidlit critique group relationships.

Chalk painting and walking in nature to refill a creative well running dry. Her home that is full of chalk painted furniture. How joyful it is to go back after the chalk paint dries with a bottle cap and scrape the paint away, creating something worn and new at the same time. 

How powerful it can be to step away from our writing. Taking a real break from it and coming back after a week away.

Her background in professional dance and it’s inspiration to create her debut picture book. Writing for the little girl who wants to see someone who looks like her on the cover.

Links Mentioned:

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

12x12 Picture Book Challenge

Steena’s website, Twitter, Instagram, Newsletter, and Link.tree 

PbParty

PBSOAR24 on Instagram and Twitter

Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 precious words

Las Musas Books

Lupita’s Brown Ballet Slippers is available for preorder at Nowhere Books and the Twig in San Antonio, Target, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.

Lupita’s Brown Ballet Slippers Cover Reveal

Rachael Herron, Ink in Your Veins Podcast

Today, I have a fun interview for you with author Megan Woodward. Her upcoming debut picture book, This Book is Definitely Not Cursed, illustrated by Risa Rodil is available for pre-order now and hitting shelves near you on June 25, 2024.

We talked about all sorts of fun things like hugging trees, making fools of ourselves reading books, the compulsion to write, and what it’s like to juggle writing in several genres at a time.

She has an exciting new newsletter where you can find out fun stuff about curses, get writing advice, and hear some hilariously bad advice for parents. 😂You can find it on her site here.

Highlights:

Her background in screenwriting before discovering a passion for kidlit once she had her son.

The pros and cons of writing in bed. Avoiding back pain vs. extra sleepiness.

The joy of working in a children’s bookstore alongside her author journey.

The wonder and necessary support of being in a writing community: virtual, in-person, in any form.

How to manage an endless font of ideas.

What it feels like to write a Middle Grade at 35,000 words vs. a Picture Book at 500 words.

“[What I enjoy most about storytelling] I think is just creating something from nothing. Having a character and ideas and a story and world that didn’t exist, that were just in my brain. And now it’s out in the world and people are going to read it…And it all came from my weird brain.”

This Book is Definitely Not Cursed is an interactive, fun, silly read. Get ready to get goofy with kids in this book!

If you want to see her in person or get your book signed personally, check out her schedule for upcoming events in places like California, Colorado, Oregon, and more!

Final words of advice: learn more skills that complement writing. Keep at it but make time to learn other skills too.

Links mentioned:

Pre-order This Book is Definitely Not Cursed on Simon and Schuster or Green Bean Books in Portland, OR; Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop

Megan on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky

Rachael Herron’s podcast, Ink in Your Veins

The 12x12 Picture Book Challenge

Thank you, Megan, for taking the time to talk with me!! ♥️ ♥️ ♥️

Stay tuned for next week’s interview with author Steena Hernandez.

Today I have the pleasure of talking with author LD Green. I met LD through Kids Comics Unite (a super fun community for comic and word nerds/creators, linked below). Immediately I felt like we could have talked for hours about all the things! We talk about all sorts of things in today’s episode from tree-hugging to word clouds, so please enjoy!

Some highlights:

The slam poetry world 

Collaborating with other authors

Parallel writing/working with author friends

Telekinesis stories

Advocacy through writing–being an artivist (my new favorite word)

How to have an immersive reading experience with both a physical book and audiobook

The benefits of tree-hugging on your writing

The power of atmosphere in recharging your creative batteries

The joy of seeing your words turned into pictures when collaborating with an illustrator

A modified digital version of Julia Cameron’s morning pages. It has word clouds, archives, and all sorts of fun tools! (750words.com)

“I write to know myself. I write to comfort myself, to process what’s hurting me, to heal–make sense of my life. I put things together to keep myself company. I feel like I'm in dialogue with myself. I'm creating this other part of me to talk to.”

Final words of wisdom: Somebody always has a bigger dog. Don’t lose time over jealousy or competition because there’s room enough for everyone.

Links:

LD Green website

LD’s Instagram

LD’s Link.tree

Phoenix Song

We've Been too Patient on Amazon

Journey to The Enchanted Inkwell trailer

Thank you again, LD! And thank all of you for listening; stay tuned for next week with author Megan Woodward!