WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

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

TODAY’S GUEST

We haven’t had a Will Write for Cookies post in a while…and so I was thrilled when I found out that one of my dear friends, author/illustrator, Ann Koffsky, had several new books coming out this year. Will Write for Cookies posts give us a chance for an inside peek into the writing journey and path to publication.

Ann Diament Koffsky is the award-winning author and illustrator of more than 50 books for children, including PING PONG SHABBAT ( Little Bee) the KAYLA AND KUGEL SERIES (Apples and Honey) and THE MIRACLE OF MATZAH PIZZA  (Intergalactic Afikoman). She is the co-author of DIFFERENT KINDS OF MINDS with Temple Grandin.

Ann’s artwork has also been featured on products by Hallmark, Costco, and Rite Lite Judaica, as well as in publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer,  Jewish Action Magazine and Hadassah Magazine. Previously she was an editor and art director at Behrman House Publishers, and an illustration Professor at Stern College, Yeshiva University. 
Ann creates free, Jewish coloring pages before each Jewish holiday. If you’d like to sign up to receive them, visit  coloringjewish.substack.com.
Ann lives with her family in West Hempstead, NY

ME: Thank you so much for stopping by, Ann. I know we are all excited for your upcoming books, as well as the body of work that has graced bookstores and libraries for many years.
Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

ANN: Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Vivian. I’ve loved being in the #JewishBoardBooks group with you…and meeting you on so many other kid lit platforms.
I vividly remember loving What the Moon Brought by Sadie Rose Weilerstein, which is a CLASSIC collections of stories about how two Jewish girls celebrate Jewish holidays in the USA.

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

ANN: Ya gotta have friends! You think it’s a solo mission you’re on, but I couldn’t have gotten anywhere without so much support from other authors (like you!), my writing groups, family, friends, readers, etc. etc. etc.

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

ANN: I used to enjoy drawing at my drafting table, which had everything set up—pens, paper, ink, light box, a lovely incline…Now I’ve gone all modern, and I work on my ipad. That often looks like me  sprawled out on a couch, and not ergonomically correct in any way.  But it is very cozy.

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

ANN: Ha. I wish the muse would strike on a schedule! Sadly I must wait and write when the muse shows up.

ME: You have three new books coming out in 2026. How did that happen?

ANN: It’s crazy right? Basically, one book was accelerated, another book was delayed from two years ago, and then wham! They kind of all crashed into each other.

ME: Please tell us a little bit about each one.

ANN: Thanks for asking ;)! The first, which just came out Feb. 10, is called The Miracle of Matzah Pizza: A Biblical Tall Tale. It’s about a boy and his zaydie, grandfather, making matzah pizza together on Passover. While they make it, Zaydie tells a true Biblical tale (wink!) about how Matzah pizza was invented when the Jews left slavery. I loved imagining these drawings and tried to make them ridiculous and fun.

I’ve included the recipe for Matzah Pizza in the book, and in this post too. It’s super simple.

My two others are non-fiction:

What Emma Wrote: The Woman Behind the Words on the Statue of Liberty is all about Emma Lazarus: How she helped new immigrants, and how her Jewish heritage was a big part of her identity and advocacy. It even includes Emma writing a passionate reply in response to an antisemitic screed: go Emma!

 Shoutout to Naz Tarcan, who did just a wonderful job capturing the time period in her illustrations.

Finally, coming out in April is Blazing Humor: Mel Brooks is Seriously Funny! which was as you might expect, was really fun to research! (Oh no, my job means I have to watch a bunch of Mel Brooks movies and skits—poor me!). The illustrator, Jason Kirschner did a fabulous job with it too, and I think kids are going to love discovering all his many fun and hysterical characters.

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.

ANN: My best advice is related to question two: make friends in this biz! Get yourself a writing group. Find and support other authors and illustrators. Your best work will be its best when you have the input, feedback and support of other crazy people who are trying to do this, too.

That’s fabulous advice, dear Ann. And thank you for all the other insights you’ve shared. Plus, I know we aren’t finished since you will be sharing a Matzah Pizza recipe!

ANN: Oh yes…I’m excited to share that recipe which is so simple…and it’s in the form of coloring pages…so it’s perfect for our youngest helpers in the kitchen.

Dear friends, I know we are grateful to Ann for sharing so much with us. And I am grateful to all of you for spending your precious time with us! I’m hoping to have the results of the #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest posted before the end of the month…hopefully on Monday or Tuesday. Every year it gets more and more difficult to choose prize winners…the quality of the submissions was excellent.