Hello dear friends! I often mention how much I love this kid-lit community…and how wonderful it is to meet up with kid-lit folks at conferences and book events. I also talk about how fabulous it is to work with folks on manuscripts…and then find out that they have a book coming out…even if the book isn’t based on the manuscript I helped them with. And today, we have a DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE/DOUBLE YOUR FUN guest! Charlotte Sheer and I met in person at the 2019 New England SCBWI Spring Conference in Springfield, MA.

She and I have worked together on manuscripts as well! And so, when Charlotte reached out to let me know that her debut middle grade novel in verse is coming out next year, we put our heads together to celebrate with a COVER REVEAL!

Oh My Goodness! The cover just pulls me right in! I want to find out what is going on…why the girl looks so sad/worried. Luckily, Charlotte stopped by to chat with us. And what could be better than sharing the story behind the story…I think we all love to learn what inspired an author to write a particular story…and how the path to publication unfolded.

ME: Welcome, Charlotte! I loved seeing that photo from 2019…it was fun to see my hair brown…during COVID, I decided to let nature take its course and now my hair is whatever color it wants to be…white/grey/brown…I think they call it salt and pepper. I call it saving lots of money and time.
I’m so thrilled about WHAT I’LL CARRY, dear Charlotte. Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

CHARLOTTE: It’s wonderful to be here, Vivian. I’m excited about the book…and happy to share a little bit about how it came to be.
WHAT I’LL CARRY by Charlotte Sheer – a middle grade Novel in Verse
(Behrman House/Apples and Honey Press, April, 2027)
The story of my writing journey for WHAT I’LL CARRY began more than ten years ago, before I retired from teaching fifth grade English at Foxborough Regional Charter School in Foxboro, Massachusetts. In connection with a Holocaust educational project my students were doing, a special guest came to school and spoke about how Nicholas Winton’s kindertransport mission rescued her three-year-old self and her nine-year-old sister, as well as 667 other Jewish children in Czechoslovakia, from the Nazis’ reach during 1939.

It was like a lightbulb switched on for me! This amazing lady’s personal story was a snapshot of actual history, experienced by children. It seemed like the perfect basis for a book which might
serve as a soft entry point for middle grade children to begin learning about causes and effects of World War II.

The manuscript began as a picture book in 2015, but by 2019 I agreed with my many critique partners that such an important, emotional story deserved many more pages. As the story
evolved, so did the need to tell it in verse, making some of its heavy themes more approachable for middle grade readers.

And I, a Late Bloomer kidlit author did NOT give up, persevering more than a decade to see my way to book publication. (A little side story: I wrote a play in fifth grade and couldn’t think of a
good title. I don’t recall what the story was about, but my teacher, Mrs. Oliver suggested I call it “Perseverance Wins”. That was the first time I heard that important word…and it turns out, I never forgot the title of my play or what it meant!)

Originally titled, TAGGED FOR DELIVERY, the manuscript won the 2022 New England SCBWI Windows and Mirrors Award and the 2023 SCBWI Novel in Verse Award, the first year it was
ever offered. The recognition helped me acquire the agent who spent a year and a half finding me the best publisher for my book.

Here’s a little description from the book sale sites:

Readers might consider the question, “What would you carry, if you had to leave the only home
you’ve ever known?”
When the Nazis invade Czechoslovakia, Alena and her two sisters flee their village on the Kindertransport to England, leaving their beloved parents and home behind. The once sheltered girls are nearly entirely on their own.

As Alena struggles with her inner turmoil and her growing recognition of what hatred feels like, she slowly grows into a self-sufficient young woman, finally able to contribute to the war effort herself.
Inspired by a true story, this historical fiction novel in verse is not only about surviving impossible cir cumstances but also about taking ownership of your choices, finding your voice, and learning to stand up for yourself.

Publication is set for April 13, 2027, appropriately during National Poetry Month (and just before Holocaust Remembrance Day in early May).

As I’ve pondered “clever” ways to market my debut book, the question occurred to me, “Who IS the oldest debut author of a traditionally published children’s picture book or novel?
I discovered that Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 when her Little House on the Prairie published. I will have beaten her by 11 years when my book publishes next April.

Additional info about me:
Before retiring as a fifth-grade teacher, I began the Holocaust Stamps Project, an idea inspired by my class. An interactive educational initiative, it was completed by kindergarten through
grade twelve students from 2009-2018, during which time students and countless community members collected, trimmed, and counted 11 MILLION postage stamps, one for every Holocaust victim (6 million Jewish, 5 million others considered inferior by the Third Reich). I regularly returned to the school to work on the project with the students, assisting with design and completion of eighteen 18 x24 inch collage artworks, made from thousands of the stamps, each telling stories about causes and effects of the Holocaust. Today the stamps collection and artworks form the ce nterpiece of a permanent public museum exhibit,
“A Philatelic Memorial of the Holocaust” at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte PA.
For my work on the Holocaust Stamps Project, I was presented with the 2017 Leadership in Holocaust Education Award at Fanueil Hall in Boston.

My poetry for children appears in a half dozen anthologies.
Social media links:
Website: www.charlottesheer.com
IG: @charlotte_sheer
FB: https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteSheer.Writer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottesheer
#applesandhoneypress
#behrmanhouse
Pre-orders
Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-i-ll-carry-a-novel-in-verse/3313d1a9bd78bc75?ean=9781681157337

Dear friends…I know we are all grateful to Charlotte for generously sharing so much about herself and how her book came to be…and most importantly, how she never gave up. Remember the 5Ps…perseverance is one of the most important elements on the path to publication. And I think Charlotte has me beat when it comes to age when first traditionally published book launched…I was 72 when Sweet Dreams, Sarah and Pippa’s Passover Plate and Four Otters Toboggan debuted.

Let’s do what we can to help make WHAT I;LL CARRY a success. We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Tell friends about the book (please share this post on social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their shelves
Add the title to your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf

Thank you for spending your precious time with us. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

WHAT I’LL CARRY