Austin author, playwright, and columnist Lindsey Lane, is a multi-talented writer and one of the nicest people in the world. Today, she shares her unique experience of re-birthing a picture book as an interactive app for IPhone and IPad. Welcome, Lindsey! First, tell us about the SNUGGLE MOUNTAIN story. What was the… Read more »
It’s the toughest initial decision for me when I set out to write something new. Where should the story begin? And, truly, it’s a dilemma for all genres, fiction and nonfiction. The latter is my current focus. As we all know, biography is the story of a person’s life. Some people suggest that picture book… Read more »
Today, I just have shine a light on Cynthia Leitich Smith. She’s the most generous, supportive A-list author in the world and certainly an angel to many writers on their way to publication. Including me. The graphic novel version of Cyn’s ever popular young adult novel, TANTALIZE, has just been released by Candlewick Press. To… Read more »
Memory is a fickle friend. Some things we remember in minute detail; The birth of our children; The death of a parent; crouching in a closet after a tornado alert; The moment we heard Elvis was dead (I was playing with my brother’s train set on my parent’s living room floor. I cried.). The glue… Read more »
Temps of 105 degrees couldn’t keep me and my un-pedicured toes away. Eons ago, during a particularly stressful period of my life, an old friend quipped that I needed to head out for “rock time.” In his estimation, I needed to find a big ole rock to perch upon as I pondered my way out… Read more »
Returning to the research. Yes, all of this relates to one nonfiction picture book. Rewriting is the essence of writing well—where the game is won or lost. —William Zinsser That big ole pile of paper and books in the above picture represents three years of research. Today, I return to the resulting nonfiction… Read more »
Do you outline or write by the seat of your pants? It’s a common question among writers. Samantha Clark has begun a fabulous thread on her blog about the subject. Today, she very kindly featured me. Next in her lineup are authors Bethany Hegedus, P.J. Hoover, Nikki Loftin, and Jessica Lee Anderson. Pop over to… Read more »
An interesting question was posed during a recent critique group meeting. Do all picture book biographies need a story arc? Put another way, does every NF PB need dramatic highs and lows in physical and/or emotional elements? Opinions vary on the subject. First, let’s clarify that picture book biographies, as opposed to adult biographies, don’t… Read more »
I love to read nonfiction picture books and the reason may surprise you. As a kid, I was as interested in history as I was in learning to bake the perfect muffin in home economics class. Not! In the eons before home computers, internet, and narrative nonfiction, history meant dry, boring text books, and pop… Read more »
Battling blog design gremlins here. Bear with me:)————— Here we are in the final critique week interview. Welcome to three lovely and talented authors. Shelley Ann Jackson is an author, illustrator, and arts educator who recently relocated to Austin, Texas with her… Read more »
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