WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

MARCIE COLLEEN

Our guest today is a beacon of light for all of kid lit land. I remember seeing her name the first year of the 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. And as time went on, I kept seeing her name. She’d signed with an agent. She’d gotten a book contract. And another. And then another! But what stands out most about this amazing writer is how she shares her passion with the rest of us. She’s the Dick Clark (I’m sure many of you have no clue who Dick Clark is…I am definitely dating myself) of the 12×12 Facebook group…and helps us all celebrate our successes with a rockin’ dance jam every week.

Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books. She is the author of the Super Happy Party Bears chapter book series (Macmillan/Imprint). Her debut picture book, Love Triangle, illustrated by Bob Shea (Blazer+Bray/HarperCollins, Fall 2017) sold in a five-house auction. It is about best friends Circle and Square, and Triangle who comes between them. Other upcoming picture books include The Adventure of the Penguinaut (Scholastic, Fall 2018) which will be illustrated by Emma Yarlett. Marcie is a frequent presenter at conferences for SCBWI, as well as a faculty member for Kidlit Writing School offering courses with a focus on plotting and revising picture books. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and their mischievous sock monkey.

Marcie, I’m thrilled to welcome you to Picture Books Help Kids Soar! Before we begin, I want to remind everyone that there will be a giveaway of Book Three and Book Four of the Super Happy Party Bears series, so please stick with us throughout the post and then leave a comment at the end. 

ME: Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

 MARCIE:

I have always loved the Curious George adventures by husband and wife team, Margret and H.A. Rey. And I could lose myself for hours in the illustrations of Richard Scarry. I loved his city scenes where there was so much going on. It is a life goal of mine to write a story that will lend itself to this kind of illustration.

ME: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started writing for children?

MARCIE:       

I would often feel like I wasn’t a real writer because I didn’t write every day. And I had heard that real writers must do just that. But getting to know myself as a writer and to let my creativity lead the way helped me to trust my own rhythm and my own processes.

ME: Where do you like to write/draw – inside, outside, a special area in your home, on the computer, in a notebook?

MARCIE:

I write on a laptop and therefore am quite flexible as to where. Most often I can be found on my couch, sitting crisscross applesauce with my laptop propped up on a pillow. However, on Wednesdays I spend the whole day at the library in downtown San Diego writing. They have a beautiful reading room which has amazing views of the Coronado Bridge, the harbor, and the distant ocean.

ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?

MARCIE:

I like sleep, so I am not one to rise super early. But once my husband leaves for work at 8 am, I get to work writing. Then, I usually write until about noon or one-ish. After that, I usually feel my creativity dwindling. Although I have been known to get into a groove and write all day and into the night.

ME: Why do you write for children?

MARCIE:

I’m really connected to my inner-child. Honestly, I think deep inside I’m still a six-year-old. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone. I have some people fooled that I am actually an adult.

 

Marcie, thank you so very much…it’s been an honor to have you here!

To find out more about Marcie and her books: http://www.thisismarciecolleen.com or on Twitter @MarcieColleen1.

Okay friends…you know what they say…it’s not over until the cookie recipe is shared!

But, since yesterday’s Perfect Picture Book Friday was a review that was not a picture book, our cookie recipe today is a recipe for something that is not a cookie!

 

Huge thanks to Marcie for a wonderful interview! She is an inspiration!

Dear friends, thank you for spending your time with Marcie and me…next week I’ll have another wonderful guest as I turn the spotlight on Catherine Bailey, author of LUCY LOVES SPENCER. Don’t miss it!