WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

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

TODAY’S GUESTS

Double the pleasure and double the fun – that’s what happens when TWO kid-lit friends have brand new GOLDEN BOOKS launching! I’ve know Christy Mihaly and Diana Murray for a LONG time…and when I heard they both had GOLDEN BOOKS coming out, I knew I’d want ask them to visit Picture Books Help Kds Soar.

Remember those Golden Books, dear friends? I still have a few of the originals that sat on the little bookshelf my sister and I had in our room. And I can’t wait to chat with Christy and Diana about how their books came to be. Plus, because I’m such a fan of both of these authors PLUS Golden Books PLUS the people they showcased, there will be TWO lucky giveaway winners…just let us know in the comments which Golden Book you would prefer and, if you are the lucky winner, I’ll send it right out to you.
But first, here’s a little bit about our guests:

Christy Mihaly is an award-winning children’s author, former lawyer, environmentalist, and poet who has published more than 35 titles on topics from hayfields to free speech to food. Recently, she enjoyed a little change of pace, writing a Little Golden Book Biography of comedian/actor/producer/director Mel Brooks (Jan. 2, 2024).

Christy has written many books about civics and government, including the picture books Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means and The Supreme Court and Us (Albert Whitman 2020, 2022). She has a picture book about Congress coming out later in 2024. Her 2021 Barefoot Books WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery, received a Kirkus star and Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal. Her other picture books include Hey, Hey, Hay!, a mother-daughter farming book(Holiday House, 2018) and Patience, Patches!, in which a dog learns to deal with the addition of a new baby to the family(Dial, 2022).

She enjoys school visits and running poetry workshops and lives in Vermont, where she enjoys walking in the woods and playing cello (though not simultaneously). Christy (like Diana) is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen&ink Literary Studio.

DIANA MURRAY is the author of over twenty five children’s books, including Firehouse Rainbow, Pizza Pig, Love Stinks!, the bestselling Unicorn Day series, and Jr. Library Guild Selections like Goodnight, Veggies and City Shapes.

Diana is a first-generation immigrant who grew up in New York City. She still lives nearby with her husband, two daughters, and a dog who loves trips to the beach. http://www.dianamurray.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/diana.murray.718
Instagram: @dianaMurrayAuthor
Twitter/X: @dianaMWrites

ME: Welcome, dear friends! I’m so excited you both stopped by to visit and chat with us. I’ve featured some of your earlier books years ago – it’s wonderful to have you back! So, let’s get started because everyone’s here.
Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

CHRISTY: As a kid, I fell in love with specific books and didn’t pay much attention to the creators behind them. Before I could actually read, I had a favorite picture book: Do Baby Bears Sit in Chairs? by Ethel and Leonard Kessler. I had that thing memorized – and insisted on “reading” it to whoever was around.

Later in life, I loved and re-read Charlotte’s Web, Harriet the Spy, A Wrinkle in Time and The Secret Garden. I think one reason I read a lot of middle grade and YA today (besides that it’s “my job”) is I crave that feeling of possibility that comes with being a young reader and just sinking into a good book.

DIANA: I didn’t read many picture books as a child, but I do distinctly remember reading some Little Golden Books. I think one of them was The Tawny Scrawny Lion. The first author I remember loving is Lucy Maud Montgomery, after I read Anne of Green Gables.

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

CHRISTY: I wish I’d known two things: First, writing is a journey rather than a destination. There are so many stepping stones and milestones along the way, and I wish someone had told me to celebrate each one (while surviving all the rejections and disappointments); and second, it’s so important to find others in the amazing writing community to celebrate these things with – and to lift one another up. 

DIANA: I wish I hadn’t spent so much time on the very first story I ever wrote. I should have just put it aside, accepted that it wasn’t ready to be published, and kept on writing other stories. But I guess trying to get that story right was just part of the learning process.

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

CHRISTY: Laptop. My handwriting is atrocious and I hate it when I cannot read something that I scribbled. I move around, depending on the weather, the light, and my mood. In winter, I keep the woodstove burning so I set up in the dining room near the stove. In the summer I move out to the barn. I can’t write outside – too many distractions.

DIANA: I always use my laptop and I often sit on the couch or outside on the patio. But it’s difficult to get comfortable and I have chronic pain in my neck and elbows. So I try to prop up various pillows and beanbags to get myself at the right angle or use plastic boxes and other items to get my computer at the right height. It’s a little comical. My family is used to my quirky ways.

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

CHRISTY: I’m trying to make a living at this writing gig, so I write as often for as long as I can. When I have a looming assignment or deadline, I tend to spend most of my waking hours writing. I’ve learned that long days cause back injuries – so, now I set a timer to remind me to take breaks to get up and move around. When I’m “between jobs,” it’s a little harder to keep the B in the C. Those times, I schedule “brainstorming time” or “revising time” in my calendar, to make sure I sit down and get at least some words on the page.

DIANA: All day long, basically. Sometimes I jot things down when I’m in line at the grocery store or I scribble things in the middle of the night. This is my full-time job and my kids are older so I’m able to devote a lot of time to it. Writing is my favorite thing to do. I rarely take breaks, even when I’m on vacation. Why would I? I love it! It’s important to remember, though, that writing doesn’t always look like writing. Sometimes it involves just staring into space and thinking.

ME: Why do you write for children?

CHRISTY: I love doing it, and I keep having new ideas! I’m drawn to nonfiction, and I’ve got a particular passion for writing about civics and government for young people. I believe our best hope for the future is raising a generation of people who love to read. My wish is that by giving kids books that are engaging and fun, we can spark their love of learning, foster the critical thinking skills that this generation is going to need, and encourage kids to stand up for what’s right.

DIANA: When my first daughter was born (she’s 18 now), we were constantly reading together. I quickly fell in love with the genre of picture books. They combine so many of my favorite things: art, wordplay, philosophy, humor. And the fact that they’re so short, makes them particularly impactful. But more than that, I fell in love with the experience of reading together. Reading together, with your child on your lap, is just so special and wonderful. It makes me happy that I still get to be part of that in a way.

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.

CHRISTY: Here’s something to try if you’re stuck: write a poem. As Diana knows, I like to experiment with different poetic structures. It’s like working a word puzzle, but instead of earning a Queen Bee crown, you end up with a completed poem – tada! Lately I’ve had fun with Fibonacci poems. Other forms I’ve enjoyed are reversos, double dactyls, roundels, cinquains, and golden shovels. I’d say sonnets, but I’ve only completed one of those … 

DIANA: My advice to writers is to keep writing and don’t get discouraged by rejections. Every time you revise or write something new, you learn. And even if you don’t publish a particular story, aspects of that story might creep into something else. So nothing is ever wasted. Just keep writing.

ME: Wow! I loved getting to know more about both of you. But we aren’t done yet! You’ve brought a great recipe that combines a bit of both of the main characters in your upcoming Golden Books…Mel Brooks loves healthy eating and is a huge fan of Raisin Bran…and the raisins? They are from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s home state, California.

CHRISTY: In a 2023 interview, the 96-year-old icon shared his secrets to longevity, including: “Eat Raisin Bran.” https://www.distractify.com/p/mel-brooks-health-update.

So, how about this Betty Crocker recipe for peanut butter Raisin Bran cookies? https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-raisin-bran-cookies/ab5f81e2-c49d-4e85-9607-c3e1aa84ac54

Hahaha…I’m also a fan of raisin bran and peanut butter…these look amazing!!
Thank you to both of our guests…their books are available at all indie book stores and at major retailers like Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Plus, their NEW Golden Books JUST launched, so please help them be successful by:
Buying them
Reviewing them
Put them on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
Tell friends about them (sharing the post on social media really helps)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.

Local independent bookstores are wonderful to partner with – that way you can offer signed copies of your books. Here’s a list of Christy’s that are available through her favorite bookstore:

You’re welcome to buy my books anywhere you find them … but if you’d like me to sign and personalize your copy, you can order online through Montpelier’s Bear Pond Books, my local indie. https://www.bearpondbooks.com/. ***Just scroll to the end of the checkout page to specify in the special instructions/comment box how you’d like the book signed, and I’ll stop by and sign it before they send it out to you.***
Specific picture book links:
Mel Brooks: A Little Golden Book Biography: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780593648391.
Barefoot Books WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9781646862801
Patience, Patches!: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780593108291
The Supreme Court and Us: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780807576649
Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means: https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780807524411.
Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them): https://www.bearpondbooks.com/book/9780823436668.

Please remember to leave a comment and let us know which Golden Book you’d like to get if you are one of the lucky winners.
And come back on MONDAY when we have a very special COVER REVEAL of a book written by one of my #PBChat Mentees – it was the manuscript I feel in love with that made me choose Kerry Aradhya.