October 30, 2023

The Co-Author Partnership: the most important element for making it WORK

33 minutes

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Have you ever dreamed of writing a book with a friend or an author you admire? How do you make it work? What are the most important elements of the relationship? Today we peek inside a successful collaborative writing partnership of acclaimed authors E.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller. We'll take you through their extraordinary partnership, from their initial meeting, to their joint ventures, including the Lupe Lopez series and A Girl Can Build Anything books.

Pat and E.E. share their experience of collaboration, revealing how they work with an illustrator and how they resolve disagreements. They also discuss the importance of understanding storytelling structure and finding the perfect rhythm in language. So, be it getting the first sentence right or finding the perfect ending, our guests cover it all.

Beyond the mechanics, we also discuss the themes of resilience and diversity, how these themes find their way into their stories and the impact they have on young readers.

We close with a discussion about the importance of authentic representation in children's books. It's not just about telling a story, but about telling a story that everyone can see themselves in.

Join us!

Pat Zietlow Miller

In addition to being the coauthor of the Lupe Lopez series, Pat is the author of the New York Times best-selling Be Kind, and My Brother the Duck, among many other books for young readers. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Mentioned in the pod: Pat's list of 'practically perfect in every way' picture books. Find Pat on social:

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e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

E is a literary activist, filmmaker and coauthor of Lupe Lopez series as well as the author of the award-winning young-adult novel Fat Angie and its two sequels. They live in Texas.

Mentioned in the pod: E's list of recommended picture books. Find E on Social:

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