Catherine Bailey: Will Write for Cookies PLUS Giveaway

Posted on March 25, 2017 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

CATHERINE BAILEY

It’s a joy for me to welcome our guest today. Catherine Bailey is a children’s author and presenter from sunny Florida. Her current books include MIND YOUR MONSTERS (Sterling Publishing, 2015), HYPNOSIS HARRY (Sky Pony Press, 2016), and LUCY LOVES SHERMAN (Sky Pony Press, 2017) – with more on the way! She has also written for popular children’s magazines such as Highlight’s Hello and Babybug. She is a frequent children’s speaker and has visited with hundreds (and hundreds, and hundreds!) of kids at schools, libraries, stores, and special events.

When Catherine is not writing, or editing, or swatting at mosquitos, she looks after her husband and two children. All three of them are quite sticky, and none like bedtime, but she loves them anyway. Her prior job titles include Lawyer (interesting), Sailboat Deckhand (fun but occasionally sea-sicky), and Cartoon Network Intern (best job ever, besides writing). Her hobbies include reading, travel, and TJ MAXX. But mostly reading.

We are so happy to have you here, Catherine!

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

CATHERINE:

My favorite author as a child was Roald Dahl and my favorite illustrator (perhaps not surprisingly) was Quentin Blake. There was – and still is today – a magic that comes from the combination of Dahl’s witty text and Blake’s expressive characters. I actually saw original Quentin Blake sketches for sale at the Palm Beach Art and Antique Show a few years back. If I ever win the lottery I’m going to go back and try and find them – LOL!

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

CATHERINE:

When I first started to write for children, I wish I knew about SCBWI. I did not learn about the organization for several months and *oh boy* did it have a lot to teach me! On the other hand, I am actually glad I did NOT know how long it takes to get published, how hard it is to write good rhyme, how everyone thinks this job is so easy, and so on. If I had been aware of all those negatives, I may have been too scared to plunge into kidlit. Of course, now it’s too late to turn back. I’m hooked!

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

CATHERINE:

I began writing for children (officially anyway) in January 2010, right after my first daughter was born. At that time, I either wrote at the local Panera, or I wrote sitting on an ottoman that was tucked in sort of an office/closet combo. I called it my “cloffice” and it was smack in between both of daughters’ rooms. It was not ideal for concentrating, LOL! However, in 2016 we finished building a new house. I now write in my fabulous new office. I always write out manuscripts on my laptop, though if I get a random idea I will jot it down on anything I have handy (including McDonald’s bags, my hand, the back of grocery lists…)

ME: When during the day (or night) are you most productive? Do you set a schedule for working or do you write/draw when the muse speaks?

CATHERINE:

I first started writing in the middle of the night when I got up to feed my then infant daughters. It worked well for a few years (see aforementioned cloffice, located near babies’ bedrooms), but eventually my kids started sleeping through the night and I was able to start working in the daylight. Like a normal person – ha! Nowadays I try to keep office hours 9am-2pm, at least four days a week. “Try” being the key word. However my writing will usually spill over into evenings when I am close to finishing a draft of a manuscript.

ME: Why do you write for children?

CATHERINE:

I write for children because I love introducing kids to the world of reading. Books were a massive component of my youth – they taught me to be creative and curious. They made me feel excited and safe all at the same time. It may sound cheesy, but if I can do that for even a handful of kids, then I’m a success. And of course, there is the totally selfish reason – it’s SO FLIPPIN’ FUN!

Thank you, thank you, Catherine! This was wonderful. You are an inspiration! I know everyone truly appreciates how you shared your journey.

Learn more about Catherine and her work at www.catherinebaileybooks.com.

And now for one of my favorite parts of Will Write for Cookies…the treat recipe! And what a treat it is…perfect for a salty sea story, right?

SEA SALT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

CATHERINE: I really enjoy baking, as do my two daughters. (They are excellent taste testers and oven watchers!). Since my latest book, LUCY LOVES SHERMAN, is a sweet and salty story of friendship between a girl and a lobster, I picked an equally flavorful cookie for your readers. I think they will get hooked on the combination of rich chocolate and tangy, sea salt.

Ingredients:

1 ½ c flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

1 stick room temperature unsalted butter

¾ c packed brown sugar

½ c sugar

¼ c powdered sugar

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

8oz bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions:

(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

(2) Combine flour through baking soda in a bowl and set aside.

(3) In electric mixer, combine butter through powdered sugar. When those ingredients are mixed, add in egg yolks through vanilla. When those ingredients are mixed, slowly add dry ingredients until mixed.

(4) Turn off the mixer and fold in chocolate chunks.

(5) Spoon 1 ½ inch balls of dough (about 1-2 inches apart) onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle lightly with the sea salt.

(6) Bake for 8-9 minutes, and allow a few minutes for them to set before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

WOW! These are a MUST-MAKE…and definitely a MUST-EAT!

And before we sign off, Catherine has one more thing to say:

I am so excited that LUCY LOVES SHERMAN has finally splashed out! I would like to send a signed copy of the book, a bookmark, and lobster-shaped cookie cutter, to one lucky reader.

Thanks again, Catherine! That is a very special giveaway!

So, my dear readers, please comment on this blog post (and/or on yesterday’s Perfect Picture Book review) in order to be entered into this fabulous giveaway.

I know you join me in thanking Catherine for a wonderful Q&A.

And I wish you all a beautiful weekend. Thank you all for stopping by and spending your precious time here with me.

Marcie Colleen: Will Write for Cookies PLUS Giveaway

Posted on March 18, 2017 by viviankirkfield

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!

Jessica Petersen: Will Write for Cookies PLUS Giveaway Prize Package

Posted on March 11, 2017 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

JESSICA PETERSEN

Choo-choo! Will Write for Cookies is coming down the track…with another 2017 debut picture book author as our engineer.

Jessica Petersen started inventing new tricks for old tracks when her son was a train-obsessed toddler. Their adventures inspire her blog, Play Trains! (play-trains.com), where she writes about playing, learning, and reading with kids who love trains. She wrote, photographed, and illustrated OLD TRACKS, NEW TRICKS in her home in Seattle, Washington, where she lives with her husband, her son, and lots of happy wooden train tracks.

Is everyone onboard? The conductor says relax, sit back, and enjoy the interview.

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

JESSICA:

In elementary school, Jasper Tomkins came to my school — I’m pretty sure that was the only author visit I ever experienced as a kid — and I loved his whimsical books that anthropomorphize unlikely subjects, particularly the cloud in Nimby and the mountains in The Catalog. Years later, I was so happy to find copies of those books for my son, and in retrospect, I would guess his books were one of the things that started me down the path to bringing wooden train tracks to life in my own book.

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

JESSICA:

Perfection isn’t a goal on the first draft. Get the story down first, then get the story right, and then you can start trying to make the words sing.

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

JESSICA:

You may notice that the very blue walls are the same color as the walls in the playroom in Old Tracks, New Tricks. My office is does triple duty as a writing room, photo/video studio, and play room for my son (he picked out the bright paint color, which I love too). I wrote (and photographed) most of the book there, although I also spent a lot of time drawing strange looks as I tapped out the meter of the verse on coffee shop tables.

I used to write many of my rough drafts longhand as a way of digging deeper into emotions, but I mostly work on my laptop now. When I’m writing rhyming verse or a lot of dialogue, I hear the words in my mind. They don’t stop to wait for me, so I need to type to keep up with them.

ME: When during the day (or night) are you most productive? Do you set a schedule for working or do you write/draw when the muse speaks?

JESSICA:

I write anytime I can. I used to be much more particular before my son came along. Children can be a great motivator to learn to write anytime, anywhere, with any amount of distraction. My big challenge now is that illustrating and promoting the book have taken up so much of my time for so long that I’m out of the writing habit. But I have another picture book in the works that I’m really excited about, so I’m hoping to figure out how to balance it all this spring.

ME: Why do you write for children?

JESSICA:

I used to work on fantasy novels aimed at adults, but I made the switch to children’s books when my son was younger, about four years ago. I loved the books I was reading to him, of course, but more than that, having him around made me think about what kind of work I was putting out there in the world, about how I could help kids learn about the world and how to approach life in a strong, kind, creative way.

ME: Jessica, 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.

JESSICA:

It can be a long, long journey from the first draft of your first manuscript until the day you see your first book in print. Look at that as an opportunity. Take the time to learn your craft, to build your writing community, to try different styles and forms of writing. Enjoy having the time to go down creative roads that don’t seem to lead anywhere. You never know when they’re going to be a shortcut. If I hadn’t gotten distracted from the novel I was writing to play around with fabric designs, I never would’ve been inspired to draw a sad train track, crying because it was left out of a full circle of happy tracks. (And yes, I’m going to use that to justify creative forms of procrastination for the rest of my life!)

One of my favorite things about Old Tracks, New Tricks is that I’ve been getting to collaborate with kids through the website (oldtracksnewtricks.com), where they can have grown ups submit photos of track tricks and adventures, and I add the faces in the same way I illustrated the book. I’ve been surprised and delighted by the creative ideas the kids are sending in — it’s even more fun than adding the faces to my own photos! I also decorated and painted a set of trains and tracks to look like characters from the book, and I’m taking them to train shows and other events so my son and I can share them with other children. It’s so cool to see my trains moving around the tracks, like they’ve rolled out of the pages of the book and come to life. As an author or illustrator, if you can play and create with your audience, it gives you a chance to connect in a significant, memorable way, for both you and your readers.

ME: I love this advice, Jessica. Especially about finding a way to play and create with your audience…great tip for authors to remember at book events.

You can visit Jessica online at http://www.jessica-petersen.com, on Twitter at @j_e_petersen, and on Instagram at @playtrains. And you can meet the little train tracks at http://www.oldtracksnewtricks.com, or on Instagram at @oldtracksnewtricks.

And now for one of my favorite parts of Will Write for Cookies…the treat recipe!

Coal Cupcakes

These are by far the best, most moist and chocolately cupcakes I’ve ever tasted — and I trained as a pastry chef before I got into writing! We use a King Arthur Flour cupcake recipe (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/favorite-fudge-birthday-cupcakes-with-7-minute-icing-recipe), but mix them up with black cocoa (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/black-cocoa-12-oz) so they’re super dark. We started calling them “coal cupcakes” (https://play-trains.com/coal-black-chocolate-cupcakes/) when I made them for my son’s third train-themed birthday party in the row. After making a Thomas tiered cake for the first one and a 3D fondant-covered Thomas cake for the second one, I dropped the ball and didn’t have time to even decorate the cupcakes. But I convinced my kiddo that they looked like lumps of coal, and he loved them. The lucky thing is that they’re so good, they don’t even need icing — perfect for those of us who don’t really like icing very much in the first place!

WOW…we always used to threaten the kids that they’d get lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings…I actually would LOVE to get a couple of these!

Jessica…we want to thank you so very much…I know everyone gained valuable insight from your answers…and we’ll all gain a couple of extra pounds on the scale from your ‘lumps of coal’. Congratulations on a wonderful book and on just chugging along on your dream track! Your vision and persistence brought success!

And now, dear readers, please don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered into the awesome gift package giveaway from Jessica. A signed copy of OLD TRACKS, NEW TRICKS, a personalized wooden track, and a sheet of decals for a young child to decorate their own.

I hope you all have a beautiful week. Storms are ahead for New England…but THE CLOCKS ARE TURNING BACK! Don’t forget DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME is this weekend.