WILL WRITE AND ILLUSTRATE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS,
AND BOOK LOVERS EVERYWHERE

TODAY’S GUEST

I’m always excited to be part of a book blog tour and so, I was thrilled when Jasmine Stirling reached out. Her book is fabulous (more about that later) and her book blog tour includes a GRAND PRIZE that will knock your socks off. Her answers to the Will Write for Cookies questions are insightful, and just wait till you see the cookie recipe she is sharing. But first, a little bit about Jasmine in her own words – they will show you that there are many roads to take on this path to publication:

JASMINE: I’m a mom of two young girls, a lover of farmstands and footpaths, a loud but terrible singer, a theatergoer, and a classic literature geek. I grew up with a teen mom in a small town in Arizona, and started writing poetry when I was three.

At age 17 I loaded up a truck and drove myself to San Francisco.

I’ve spent my life reading books: while living in Fukuoka and Manhattan, while studying at Oxford, while working as an education technology executive, and while serving on boards for education nonprofits. Today, I read and write books in San Francisco, where I live with my spouse, our children, and an absurdly adorable dog.

I’m the author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021), named a Best Book of the Year by A Mighty Girl and Book Riot, and winner of the IPNE Book Award. It is currently being translated to Mandarin.

My new book, Dare to Question, Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote (Union Square & Co, 2023, Booklist starred review), tells the story of the queer power couple who transformed the suffrage movement. My third book, about Jeanne Barret, the botanist who disguised herself as a man and became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, comes out in 2025.

Order signed, personalized copies of my books from the beloved indie around the corner from my house: The Booksmith.
Or, buy them from Amazon: Dare to Question. A Most Clever Girl.
I invite you to sign up for freebies, sneak peeks, giveaways and updates from me (a couple times per year).
Follow me on Instagram where I post about kidlit and life with two young girls.

ME: Welcome, Jasmine! It’s wonderful to have you here on Picture Books Help Kids Soar. And your books definitely do help kids soar – I’m such a fan of the topics you write about! I know everyone is excited to learn more about you – and at the end of the post, we’ll share about the incredible prize opportunity.

JASMINE: Thank you so much for having me, Vivian. It’s a pleasure to be here!

ME: I know everyone is excited to find out more about you, so let’s get started!
Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

JASMINE: The first book I fell in love with was Charlotte’s Web. I read it in one or two sittings, and my mom thought I was exaggerating (or telling a fib) when I announced that I had finished it. She grilled me about the book, and was shocked when I retold the whole story in detail. After that, I read Charlotte’s Web over and over.

Around the same time, (first or second grade), I got in trouble in class for giggling. My teacher thought I was talking to other kids, and gave me low marks on my report card for citizenship and behavior. When I promised I wasn’t, she watched me during class. She realized that I was reading after finishing my work, and giggling as I followed the story.

A couple years later, we moved to a small town with a tiny library. For a while, my mom worked there—a job that was perfect for her. I read almost everything shelved under “juvenile” in that library. But my most vivid book memory from this time was when my fourth grade teacher, Mr. O, read all of James and the Giant Peach aloud to the class. It was the only time in my elementary years that a teacher ever read an entire book aloud in class. It’s also my most vivid elementary school memory. I, and all of the students, loved Mr. O. After he moved away, he sent us letters and postcards from his new life and travels.

Around this time, my grandparents read aloud The Once And Future King at the dinner table, where we often played cards and composed limericks. I remember feeling like I was The Wart, claustrophobic under water after having been turned into a fish by Merlin. During these years, I also read and loved The Little House books, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pippi Longstocking, and The Hobbit.

By fifth grade I was borrowing books from my grandmother (a zealous bookworm). I read 100 Years of Solitude and felt I had lived a new life. It’s a testament to my grandparents that they didn’t mind a 10-year old being introduced to a character like Pilar Ternera, the local madam in Macondo. I still remember the joys and horrors I experienced while reading that book.

ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?

JASMINE: Select your projects carefully. My first manuscript was acquired by Bloomsbury ten months after I started writing. Lighting speed, right? Wrong. It was four more years before that book came out! My agent sold another manuscript the same year we sold my first one. It has taken six years for that to be released, as Dare To Question.

These projects can take many, many years to come to fruition, and after they do, they will be with you for many more. If you can’t imagine this project being in your life for a decade or more, find something else.

People always say keep writing. Yes. If you wait for a book in production to come out before you start the next one, you might be waiting for a very. long. time.

Myths. There are several myths that circulate in children’s publishing. One is that there isn’t competitiveness, jealousy, or meanness among authors. This is not true. Guard against participating in that. Guard against comparing yourself to others. As in all other areas of your life, look for people who get you, who lift you up, who fill their lives with joy.

Limit the time you spend marketing your books. The world will ask you to work without pay endlessly as an author. Create boundaries.

Stay in touch with why you started writing in the first place, and focus on that. One of my favorite books about writing was recommended to me by Ellen Klages, author of The Green Glass Sea. “Read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert,” she said. She was right. Read it.

ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?

JASMINE: I like to write anywhere. I write in the hall, hunched over my laptop, while my daughter twirls in her ballet class. I write on my phone, while I’m waiting in line at the store. I write at my treadmill desk (I don’t have an office chair). I write in bed (spurred on by my lack of an office chair). I work in Google Docs, so my work is always available for picking apart.

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

JASMINE: I write at all times, and like them all equally well. When I am starting a new project or doing a major revision, I often use the Time Timer, a silent timer, as my main motivational device. My goal is to write for 90 minutes a day. The concept is that while the Time Timer is running, all of my tabs are closed, my phone is off, and my office door is locked. I write until 90 minutes has passed. After that, I usually want to write more. The book Making Time by by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky helped me see that virtually anyone can find 90 minutes a day to work on any project.

Having said that, I don’t require silence, closed tabs, a 90-minute block, or a locked door to write. In fact, right now I am writing this while walking at my treadmill desk. My 8-year-old-daughter is listening to The Order of the Phoenix at ear-splitting volume directly next to me while she builds with Legos. My 4-year-old is asking me to rock her in a lullaby, and I’m cooperating. Because writing is very much integrated with the life I have; the life I love.

ME: Why do you write for children?

JASMINE: I don’t write for children. I write books that happen to sit on the shelves with children’s books; books that I hope will find the right readers, regardless of age. Having said that, children’s books are where I am most at home as a reader and writer. I love the dazzling variety of children’s book formats and styles. My favorite books in a lifetime of avid reading are middle grade novels and works of classic literature. And I love children.

ME: Also, if you have any thoughts or advice for aspiring writers, please share. As well as anything else you want to talk about that parents, educators, writers, librarians might want to hear.

JASMINE: Play. Enjoy the journey. Create a literary life. Be kind. Most of what will happen in your writing life will be out of your hands, so cultivate the life you want right here and now, with what you can shape and nurture. Cultivate delight. 

Thank you so much, Jasmine! These are such valuable insights you are sharing – I know this is a post folks will return to many times. I especially love how you shared the LOOOOONG wait for these books to launch. Patience and Perseverance are definitely key elements in this business.
And another key element is keeping our energy up – and Jasmine has chosen a fabulous cookie recipe for us to use – for just that purpose, I’m sure!

JASMINE: I chose this recipe because it’s delicious, easy, my kids love it, and as a vegan, I’m grateful that there aren’t any bizarre substitutions. It’s free of oil, sugar, gluten, dairy, and eggs. If you are opposed to using honey, you can use maple syrup instead. This recipe is also versatile. You can put almost anything in Mozies and they turn out great. Wait until they’re a bit carmelized on top before you remove them from the oven. Then eat as soon as they cool enough to not burn your mouth. Enjoy!

Mozie-mazing Cookies From “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”

Ingredients:

1. 1 banana, smashed
2. 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons oats (rolled oats or quick oats)
3. 2 tablespoons honey
4. 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
5. 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
6. 1/4 cup raisins (optional: nuts, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, berries)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   Mix everything together.
2. Clump cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm to touch or bounce back when touched.
4. Cool cookies for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Let them cool for another 5 minutes on a cooling rack or a plate with a paper towel under the cookies to absorb the moisture.
5. Cookies should be served warm the day they are made and should be eaten within 2 days. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

WOW! These sound AMAZING!!! I may have to try them this weekend!
And something else is amazing, dear friends.
Jasmine’s Book Blog Tour and the Giveaway you can win!

That’s right…remember I mentioned a fabulous giveaway?

One (1) grand prize winner receives:
-A personalized, signed copy of Dare To Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote
-A set of 5 Girl Power Enamel pins
-A $100 Amazon gift card!

Plus:
Four (4) winners receive:
-A personalized, signed copy of Dare To Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote

Click here for the entry form: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/dare-to-question-carrie-chapman-catts-voice-for-the-vote-awareness-tour/

And here is the TOUR SCHEDULE if you’d like to pop in to check out the other blogs Jasmine will be visiting!

Tuesday, July 11, 2023The Children’s Book ReviewDare to Question Book Tour Kick-Off

Wednesday, July 12, 2023The Fairview ReviewBook Review of Dare to Question

Thursday, July 13, 2023The Children’s Book ReviewBook Review of Dare to Question

Friday, July 14, 2023The Tiny ActivistsBook Review of Dare to Question

Saturday, July 15, 2023Vivian KirkfieldAuthor Interview with Jasmine A. Stirling

Sunday, July 16, 2023Dad SuggestsBook Review of Dare to Question

Monday, July 17, 2023Feminist Books for KidsA Booklist Featuring Dare to Question

Tuesday, July 18, 2023icefairy’s Treasure ChestBook Review of Dare to Question

Wednesday, July 19, 2023Barbara Ann MojicaBook Review of Dare to Question

Thursday, July 20, 2023The Momma SpotBook Review of Dare to Question

Friday, July 21, 2023Twirling Book PrincessBook Spotlight of Dare to Question

Saturday, July 22, 2023MombianBook Review of Dare to Question

Monday, July 24, 2023Daddy MojoBook Review of Dare to Question

Tuesday, July 25, 2023Heart to HeartBook Review of Dare to Question

Wednesday, July 26, 2023Lisa’s ReadingBook Review of Dare to Question

Thursday, July 27, 2023My Reading GetawayBook Review of Dare to Question

Friday, July 28, 2023Me Two BooksBook Activity Paired with Dare to Question

Sunday, July 30, 2023Book Q&As with Deborah KalbAuthor Interview with Jasmine A. Stirling

Monday, July 31, 2023Satisfaction for Insatiable ReadersBook Review of Dare to Question

Tuesday, August 1, 2023Cover Lover Book ReviewBook Review of Dare to Question

Wednesday, August 2, 2023Because I Said SoBook Review of Dare to Question

Thursday, August 3, 2023Shooting Stars MagBook Review of Dare to Question

Friday, August 4, 2023The Fictional CaféAuthor Interview with Jasmine A. Stirling

Monday, August 7, 2023Glass of Wine, Glass of MilkBook Review of Dare to Question

Tuesday, August 8, 2023A Blue Box Full of BooksBook Review of Dare to Question and Little Free Library Drop

Wednesday, August 9, 2023Crafty Moms ShareBook Review of Dare to Question

Thursday, August 10, 2023Stargirls.Magical.TaleBook Review of Dare to Question

Friday, August 11, 2023One More ExclamationBook Review of Dare to Question

This is such a full post…but if you have any bandwidth left, I’d like to share a little bit about the book and both author and illustrator from their official bios

Dare To Question: Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote

Written by Jasmine A. Stirling
Illustrated by Udayana Lugo
Ages 5+ | 48 Pages
Publisher: Union Square Kids (2023) | ISBN-13: 9781454934578

Publisher’s Book Summary: Jasmine A. Stirling, author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice, delivers a powerful, poetic picture book biography about suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, perfect for fans of I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark and the Rebel Girls series.

As a child, Carrie Chapman Catt asked a lot of questions: How many stars are in the sky? Do germs have personalities? And why can’t Mama vote? Catt’s curiosity led her to college, to a career in journalism, and finally to becoming the president of The National American Woman Suffrage Association. Catt knew the movement needed a change—and she set to work mobilizing women (and men) across the nation to dare to question a woman’s right to vote.

On August 18, 1920, Catt pinned a yellow rose to her dress and waited while lawmakers in Tennessee cast their deciding votes to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. After a seventy-year campaign, had women finally won the right to vote? 

Stirling’s suspenseful retelling of the dramatic final “yea” that changed the history of women’s rights brings the past to life for young readers.

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon
Bookshop
Barnes and Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jasmine A. Stirling is the author of A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021), named a Best Book of the Year by A Mighty Girl and Book Riot, and winner of the IPNE Book Award. It is currently being translated to Mandarin.

Her new book, Dare to Question, Carrie Chapman Catt’s Voice for the Vote (Union Square & Co, 2023, Booklist starred review), tells the story of the queer power couple who transformed the suffrage movement. Her third book, about Jeanne Barret, the botanist who disguised herself as a man and became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, comes out in 2025.
Learn more about Jasmine.
Follow her on Instagram at @jasmine.a.stirling.author

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Udayana Lugo is a self-taught illustrator of mixed heritage. Having worked as a designer of many varied things, from jewelry to auto-parts and from furniture to whole interiors, she still does that but in children’s books which are her true passion. She and her husband have lived in Mexico, Italy, and England, but they call British Columbia their home, along with their two kids. When not working on a book, you can find her walking her dog or baking something with her children.

Thank you, dear friends, for sticking with us till the end.
Here is the link again for the entry into the fabulous giveaway:
Click here for the entry form: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/dare-to-question-carrie-chapman-catts-voice-for-the-vote-awareness-tour/