WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

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

TODAY’S GUEST

STEPHANIE FITZPATRICK

Hello dear friends! You are in for a rare treat…and I’m definitely not joking! Our guest today, former assistant principal Stephanie Fitzpatrick, is the creator of several companies…The Book Links LLC where Stephanie produces gorgeous curriculum guides for teachers – and Rare Treats, a home bakery where she prepares gorgeous cookies for special occasions. And for followers of my blog, Stephanie is offering SOMETHING SPEICAL. Please stick with us to the end to find out what it is!!

ME: Welcome, Stephanie! I’m so excited to see you! Thank you for stopping by to share what you are doing with The Book Links LLC, your company that creates fabulous curriculum companions like the one you created for ONE GIRL’S VOICE. Honestly, when I saw the ones you created for Hanh Bui and Nancy Churnin, two of my very favorite kid-lit authors, I could hardly wait to get one of my own.
Can you tell us about The Book Links and what you do?

STEPHANIE: Absolutely! The Book Links is dedicated to bridging the gap between children’s books and the classroom. I work with authors to design engaging, standards-aligned curricular materials that are easily accessible through a digital platform to help teachers and librarians seamlessly integrate books into their lessons. My 10 years as an assistant principal In the NYC Department of Education gave me firsthand insight into curriculum design, teacher needs, and effective classroom instruction, equipping me to create practical, engaging resources for educators.

ME: What kind of curricular resources do you create?

STEPHANIE: I create ready-to-use Google Slide decks with embedded links to worksheets and activities, making it incredibly easy for teachers to implement lessons without additional prep. I also design fun resources like word searches, mazes, and unplugged coding activities to enhance student engagement. My goal is to take the work off teachers’ plates while making learning exciting and interactive. Aside from PDF worksheets and activities, some of my links take educators to a template on Canva that can be easily shared with all of their students, while others go to an interactive quiz on Blooket that gives teachers an idea of overall reading comprehension.  When someone clicks on the link for the slide deck, here’s a quick look at what they might see, depending on the book: 

ME: What will an author receive when they work with you?

STEPHANIE: Every author receives a shared Google folder with everything I create.  The highlight of the work is a one-page resource guide with links to all of the curricular materials in one place. I also provide a version with a QR code, so the author can print just one copy for school/library visits and easily share their resources with others. Additionally, I guide authors on how to effectively share their materials on social media, their websites, and other platforms to maximize their book’s reach.

ME: Can you share an example of a project you’ve worked on recently?

STEPHANIE: Recently, I designed the curricular resources for ONE GIRL’S VOICE by Vivian Kirkfield. This included a Google Slide deck, worksheets, and interactive activities to support literacy and social-emotional learning. I also created a one-page resource guide with a QR code linking to all materials, so Vivian can share everything effortlessly during school visits.

ME: Can you share other authors you’ve worked with?

STEPHANIE: I’ve had the pleasure of designing curricular resources for authors like Bethany Hegedus, Nancy Churnin, Hanh Bui, and Jill Esbaum, among others. While I primarily work with picture book authors, I have also created chapter book questioning guides for Tina Shepardson and Brunella Costagliola. My goal is always to tailor resources to the unique needs of each book and its audience.  All of my resource guides can be found on my website at http://www.thebooklinksllc.com/educators

ME: Why is it important for authors to have educational resources for their books?

STEPHANIE: Schools and libraries are major markets for children’s books. Having high-quality educational resources makes a book more appealing to teachers, increasing its chances of being used in classrooms and even adopted into curricula. These resources also help extend a book’s reach and longevity in the educational space.

ME: What is the process like when an author hires you?

STEPHANIE: When an author decides to work with me, I schedule a complimentary 30-minute Google Meet consultation where I learn about the book, its themes, and the author’s goals. From there, I ask the author to sign a contract, leave a small deposit, and send me a PDF of the book (as well as obtain confirmation from their editor and/or agent that illustrations can be used in the resources).  We choose a delivery date by which I will share the customized materials and then set up another 30-minute Google Meet to review the resources. Once the author approves, he or she will receive polished, professional resources within 2-3 business days that are easy to share and use.

ME: How can authors get in touch with you to create resources for their books?

STEPHANIE: They can reach out by emailing me at thebooklinksllc@gmail.com or via this Google Form: https://bit.ly/BookLinksInquiry 

I love collaborating with authors to make their books more accessible and valuable to educators and students!  

Stephanie with authors Miranda Paul (l) and Nancy Churnin (r) while working as an assistant principal at P.S. 86 in the Bronx.

Here’s a little bit about Stephanie:
Stephanie Fitzpatrick has 16 years of experience in a Bronx elementary school, including 10 years as an assistant principal overseeing K & 2. In this capacity, she organized several author visits, gaining insight into contemporary children’s literature and how to help teachers integrate it into their instruction. She has a B.A. in History and Political Science from Binghamton University, an MST in Elementary Education from Pace University, and a Ed.M. in Educational Administration from Teachers College. 

In 2023, she transitioned from her school leadership role to pursue new opportunities – she began working part-time as an educational consultant, where she supports schools in strengthening their instructional practice, while at the same time, launching The Book Links to help authors bring their books into classrooms and a home bakery, The Rare Treats Baking Company, in Malverne, NY (www.raretreatsbaking.com).  As part of her baking business, she creates dairy-free treats that meet her son’s food restrictions caused by his GI disease, Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), but are delicious for everyone!  The recipe for her dairy-free sugar cookie is below: 

Logan’s Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing (DF)
(Makes about 2 dozen cookies)

Ingredients: 
1 cup (2 sticks) olive oil or other plant-based butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour (or gluten-free 1-for-1 replacement) 
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 ½ Tbsp meringue powder 
gel food coloring
sprinkles

Cookie Dough Instructions:

1. About 45 minutes before making the cookie dough, take the butter out of the refrigerator and allow it to soften (it should not be runny/liquidy). 
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk or a fork.  
3. In a large mixing bowl or with an electric mixer, beat the plant-based butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes), scraping down the sides 1 or 2 times as you go.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract and mix for another 20-25 seconds on medium. 
4. Slowly add the flour mixture, until well combined and a ball of dough begins to form. Use a wooden spoon to incorporate any flour still at the bottom of the bowl and mix again on medium for about 10-15 seconds.
5. Separate dough into two sections and wrap each part in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate dough for at least one hour. 

Cookie Baking Instructions:

1. Have an adult preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly spray a cookie pan with your preferred cooking spray, or use a sheet of parchment paper on top of the cookie pan.
2. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll out chilled dough. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes.  Place each shape on your prepared cookie pan, leaving about ½ inch between each cookie on all sides.
3. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until cookies are beginning to lightly brown around the bottom and edges. 
4. Cool cookies on a rack for about 5 minutes. Enjoy warm or allow to fully cool and decorate with royal icing. 

Royal Icing Instructions:

1. Using a stand mixer, combine 4 cups of confectioners sugar with 2 ½ tablespoons of meringue powder and 5 tablespoons of warm water.  
2. Mix on low for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add another 2 tablespoons of water.   
3. Mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes, only stopping to add 1-2 more tablespoons of water to get soft peaks.  
4. Separate icing into small bowls to make different colored icing. Add 1-2 drops of gel food coloring into the icing and mix with a spoon.  Use a spray bottle and lightly spray the icing with water to make the icing thinner.  
5. Use a tipless piping bag (or a plastic food storage bag) to hold the icing and once sealed, cut a tiny snip off the corner. 
6. Outline the cookie with a small line of icing and then fill in the rest of the cookie.  Shake the cookies gently to fill in any gaps.  Decorate with sprinkles and enjoy!  

Since starting her baking business in 2023, Stephanie invested in an edible printer, which has allowed her to support authors at launch events, celebrations and more!   (Due to cottage laws, Stephanie can only sell to customers in New York State) 

(Cookies created for author Carol Hoenig’s release party for Before She Was A Finley)

(Cookies created for KidLit author Kimberly Marcus’ release party for Frankenstein’s Matzah)

WOW!!!! Thank you so much, Stephanie! I know everyone is salivating over the gorgeous curriculum guides…AND the cookies! I had the opportunity to share the curriculum guide at the two schools I visited in Massachusetts last week and also at the bookstore event at The Silver Unicorn. The teachers LOVED them. Sadly, no cookies for us because we aren’t in New York (I guess it doesn’t count that I was born in NYC). I guess I’ll have to take a road trip one day and visit Stephanie!

And I promised you all a SPECIAL OFFER!! Here it is:
As a special offer for any author who hires Stephanie to create a Classroom Companion after reading this blog post, mention VIVIAN in the “Discount Code” on my Google Form, and you will receive your choice of a free clickable author poster or a free book sell sheet!  

 

^^^^You can follow Stephanie on Instagram @thebooklinksllc to see the latest projects she is working on! ****

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Life is busy here, distributing #50PreciousWords prizes which is more fun than just about anything else!