Will Write for Cookies: LYNNE MARIE

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WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

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

TODAY’S GUEST

LYNNE MARIE

Hello dear friends! I’m so glad you stopped by! I’ve known today’s guest for a long time…probably since the early years of my writing journey…and I’m sure that many of you know her, too, because Lynne Marie wears many hats and has been active as an author, host of Rate Your Story and March on With Mentor Texts,

…and so much more!

Lynne Marie is the multi-published, award-winning author of picture books, including three with Scholastic,  The Star of the Christmas Play   (Beaming Books 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares (Sterling / Scholastic 2019),  Let’s Eat! Mealtime Around the World (Beaming Books 2019), The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project (Mac and Cheese Press 2022), The Palace Rat (Yeehoo Press 2023), and Henny Penny’s Weather Worries (Mac and Cheese Press, 2025) and more, forthcoming. 

Lynne Marie’s recent book, BroomMates: A Brewing Boundary Battle (The Little Press 2024), is an honor book for the 2025 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award,  has been awarded a 2025 CBC Favorite in K – 2 from Teachers, Kids and Librarians, as well as a winner in the Holiday Category of the 2024 Northern Lights Book Awards.
She’s an Editor at The Little Press, Director of RateYourStory.org, Mentor at ThePictureBookMechanic.com, Creator of March On With Mentor Texts (www.rateyourstory.org/march-on) and Mentor Text Talk, Co-Host of #SeasonsOfKidLit (www.seasonsofkidlit.com) and a Columnist at Children’s Book Insider (https://writeforkids.online/).  Visit her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com.

ME: Welcome, Lynne Marie! We are so very excited to chat with you…and get to know you a little better!

1. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child? 

LYNNE MARIE:

Thank you so much, Vivian, for inviting me back. It’s always so much fun to talk about books and why I write them…and actually, the whole writing journey

Oh, this is a fun question! An all-time favorite to this day is Dr. Seuss and his The Grinch Who Stole Christmas – I loved the rhyme and the quirky characters and that it made me think. 

Other authors I liked were E.B. White, Norman Bridwell and Maurice Sendak (also illustrators), Beverly Clearly, Roald Dahl. Some of my favorite illustrators lent themselves to films as well – Walt Disney, Hanna and Barbera, and then there’s Raymond Briggs and many illustrators from the Little Golden Books. 

I do love a huge variety of modern day styles of writing and illustrating and actually love exploring possibilities when pairing art and text. 

2. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing? 

LYNNE MARIE:

I think I wish I knew how to or learned how to, or adopted practices that led to better focus. I often flit from project to project like a butterfly. I think self-imposed deadlines would have been helpful. Not that I am totally unfocused, by any means, but there are stories that got lost by the wayside that I feel like I should have gotten back to revising and just never did. I guess now is the time. Which sounds nice in theory, but I am pretty busy with Rate Your Story, the Little Press, Seasons of Kidlit, Children’s Book Insider, CIAO, and more. 

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

LYNNE MARIE:

I am one of those people who primarily write in my writing cave / office, on a lap top. Otherwise, I am a word webber and a doodler. I am not one of those people who can write while at a conference. I need to jot down notes, daydream and do the real work when I am in my own space. 

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

LYNNE MARIE:

I write when I can. I don’t really have the luxury of writing on a schedule, as my critiquing and mentoring schedule is pretty full. But if I had my choice, I would like to start writing early in the morning with a cup of dark roast coffee with peppermint mocha creamer by my side, and ride the wave until I need a break.  

5. Why do you write for children? 

LYNNE MARIE:

I write for kids for many reasons. One because I loved kids and watching them navigate the world, so much so that I would love to help them to successfully do so if I at all can. But also because childhood was such a magical phase, filled with so many possibilities. I love toys and games and fairy tales and make believe so much that I never wanted to part from that phase in my life. I get to keep the magic alive by writing for kids!

6. 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. 🙂

LYNNE MARIE:

To aspiring writers, I would say what many greats who have come before me have said: Learn your craft. Read 100 books in your genre before you try writing one. Be objective about your own writing. Allow your story to become what it needs to become, rather than trying to stop its growth with your original vision. Be open to possibilities. Try them on for size. 

To parents, I would say reading books to your child helps provide the building blocks to success in every aspect of life. Make sure to share that time with your child and give them that foundation. 

To educators and librarians, I would encourage them to bring more programs with authors into their classroom. Storytelling is such an important form of learning – and I do hope they will check out my book The Palace Rat as it speaks to how no matter what our circumstances are, we can learn to appreciate them and bloom where we are planted (wonderful takeaway for little ones) AND it also celebrates storytelling as riches.

And of course, because this is a Will Write for Cookies post, we need to have a cookie recipe, right?
Take it away, Lynne Marie:
LYNNE MARIE: Because my latest book HENNY PENNY’S WEATHER WORRIES is about rain, and after the rain comes the rainbow, 

I want to share this recipe:

https://www.thebakingchocolatess.com/awesome-rainbow-cookies/

Click on the link, dear readers, and you’ll find a yummy chololate chip recipe!

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us! And thank you, Lynne Marie, for sharing some much with us!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! I’m in Ithaca, NY right now, at the Ithaca Music Festival with my son and daughter and niece…will try to post photos on Facebook.

 

78 thoughts on “Will Write for Cookies: LYNNE MARIE”

  1. Just like you, Vivian, Lynne Marie is all about helping others perfect their stories to fulfill their dreams of becoming published authors. Thanks to both of you for what you give to the kidlit community.

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Congratulations on your latest book Lynne Marie. Both you and Vivian contribute so much to the kidlit world! Wishing both of you continued success.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Wonderful interview, Vivian! I appreciate everything you and Lynne Marie do for the kidlit community. Lynne Marie, congratulations on HENNY PENNY’S WEATHER WORRIES. I can’t wait to read it!

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  7. You wear a lot of hats! I’m exhausted just reading about them! I’m glad you talked about “older” author/ illustrators – I often hear people complain about the “new” emphasis on author-illustrators, and I think they don’t remember that they’ve always existed!

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  13. I love this advice: “Be open to possibilities. Try them on for size.” Sometimes I get too attached to the way I think a story ought to go and forget that they are living, breathing things and want their own agency! (plus, they might bite if they don’t get chocolate chip cookies – so thanks for the recipe!)

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  15. Thank you, Vivian for having Lynne Marie as a guest. I have learned so much over the years of perfecting my craft through 12 X 12, critique groups, professional critiques, mentorships, etc. BUT, Lynne Marie and RYS has been the biggest learning tool for me – by far. I can definitely see the growth in my writing since I decided to take my writing journey more seriously. Congratulations to you both on all your success!

    Liked by 2 people

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  20. Thanks for sharing Vivian and Lynne! I also tend to need the deadline to get projects done. Congrats on your success (and thank you both for giving back to the kidlit community)!

    Liked by 2 people

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