Do YOU Want to Write for Children?


The National Writing for Children's Center is the home of the Children's Writers' Coaching Club (CWCC), and a growing resource for children's writers, aspiring children's writers, parents,elementary school teachers, and librarians.

Join the Children's Writers' Coaching Club HERE and learn all you need to know to become a published children's writer yourself!

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Nov 17

An Interview with Author Sharon Poppen

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After the War, Before the PeaceThe National Writing for Children Center is hosting author Sharon Poppen all this week for a virtual tour for her new book After the War, Before the Peace.

Here is an interview with the author:

Q: What inspired you to write the book?

Sharon Poppen: I’ve always been fascinated with the stories about the U.S. Civil War. For years the story of four brothers circled around my imagination. Slowly, the characters began to individualize themselves to the point where they almost seemed like a memory rather than a fiction story. When that happened, the story of their search for peace after the war literally typed itself.

Q: What are your future goals?

Poppen: My goals are simply to write every day, publish as often as possible and to enjoy life every moment.

Q: Do you any future books planned?

Poppen: Yep, I have six books and one novella completed and ready for publication. The main characters of my first novel, After the War, Before the Peace, are members of the Farrell family. I’m finding that various members of the family are interesting enough to be the ‘star’ in a sequel, so I see many more books to come. In additional to the Farrell sequels, I’ve a novel completed about an Irish girl in the Yukon, another one about a straight man and a gay man who fall in love in the 23rd century and another about three American children caught up in the French orphanage system. I have an ebook western Hannah that is going to print around the first of the year and a story about a returning Vietnam vet finding love. I have over 300 short stories, many of which beg to be expanded into a novel. So yes, I have future books planned.

Q: Do you see a purpose in your book?

Poppen: The purpose in my book(s), is enjoyment – for the reader and for me.

Q: What writer most inspires you? Why?

Poppen: Leon Uris inspired me the most. His characters are so very real. He deftly uses plot to move his characters along, but it is his ability to write characters that can make me laugh, cry, love and hate that draws me to his books and his style. The same can be said for James Michener, Alan Drury, the very early Harold Robbins and Ayn Rand. When you reach ‘The End’ of the books by these authors, you cry because these ‘characters’ are going out of your life and you will miss them.

Q: How do you define your writing?

Poppen: Character driven.

Q: In one sentence—what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?

Poppen: Sharon Poppen’s writing brings her readers into contact with characters, places and situations that ring true and enable the reader to ‘participate’ in things the reader never dreamed possible.

Oct 24

An Interview with Children’s Author/Illustrator Paola Van Turennout

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from Suzanne Lieurance, Host of Book Bites for Kids

One Little BugChildren’s author/illustrator Paola Van Turennout was unable to be my guest on Book Bites for Kids during the day, so I recently interviewed her via email.

Suzanne: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you because a children’s book writer.

Paola: I initially got published because of my illustrations, not my writing.

I had some illustrations of cute little bugs in an art show, and a publisher (Simply Read Books) happened to be there, and asked me if I wanted to do a book based on these. Of course I said yes, but by no means was the deal sealed at that point. In this case, the publisher wanted me to create the entire book: both writing and illustrating. I sent the publisher draft after draft of story ideas, and finally after a year of sending these to him did he like one of them enough to actually give me a contract and publish it.

S: Tell us about some of your books - what is your latest book? When was it released? Give a short summary of the book. Tell us about some of your other books.

P: The 2 books I’ve had published so far are One Little Bug, and Saffy.

One Little Bug is a rhyming verse in which bugs stack on top of each other (counting as they go) and then topple over, and then each one goes back to his respective home. My favorite thing about this book is its silliness. This book was published under my legal name “Paola van Turennout” and won an Alcuin Society award.

Saffy is a board book about a stubborn little giraffe who is determined to reach a leaf all by herself, without her mommy’s help. My favorite thing about this book is Saffy’s independent attitude, and that she doesn’t give up. This one was published under my pen name “Paola Opal” and was written with the help of Kallie George.

S: What is a typical writing day like for you - especially since you work a regular full time job? How do you find the time to write?

P: Evenings and weekends are when I work on my books. When I’m at my day job I leave the books behind so I can be fully focussed on my job. Working on the books is a labour of love so getting home from my day job then working on a book concept doesn’t really feel like work to me. It’s fun.

S: What do you enjoy most about being a children’s book author?

P: The pleasure I get from doing the cute illustrations and knowing that they are out there for others to enjoy is what keeps me going.

S: What is the most difficult part of being a children’s book author?

P: One of the most difficult things is making everyone in the book “food chain” happy while still trying to come up with something that you (and the kids) will genuinely like. There are so many people to please before a child ever sees the book: the publisher, the sales person, the bookstore, the reviewer, then finally the parent, teacher, or librarian! At the end of the day, I just try to do what I like and hope the rest will sort itself out.

S: In today’s world, most of the marketing falls to the author instead of the publisher. What do you do to market your books?

P: So far I haven’t done all that much to market the books. I find that working full time to actually pay the bills, then creating books in my spare time doesn’t leave time for much else at the end of the day.

S: Do you have an agent? Why or why not?

P: No, I don’t have an agent. I got into book illustrating and writing rather randomly through having my illustrations seen at an art show, as mentioned above. I’ve never really thought about an agent. I’ve just focused on the work itself and building a good relationship with my current publisher.

S: Are you able to make school visits? If so, describe a typical school visit. If not, do you have a website with downloadable materials for teachers? What is the URL for your site? What will we find there?

P: I’ve never done a school visit. I don’t create my books with the explicit purpose of being a teacher’s resource: I create them for fun, and I figure that making the experience of reading fun has educational merits in itself by promoting the desire to read more.

I do, however, have a web site at http://www.everytales.com, where everyone, including teachers, can go to share and discover illustrated stories.

S: What are you working on right now?

P: I am working on new books to continue the Simply Small board book series that started with Saffy.

I am also working on promoting Everytales.com, a story-sharing portal that I have created out of a passion for illustration and a desire to build a platform for artists to share their stories with the world: Everytales asks nothing for your tale (you keep the rights) - only that you share it! In exchange, Everytales offers worldwide exposure to readers and publishers, a community for picture book creators, and a greener solution to publishing as a free, virtually no risk testing ground for new stories.

S: What is your best tip for aspiring children’s book authors?

P: Do what you love and make sure to take any opportunity to expose your work to the world. You never know who might see it or where it may lead!

Oct 02

An Interview with Children’s Author Kirby Larson

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from Carma Dutra, contributing editor for The National Writing for Children Center

Kirby LarsonKirby Larson’s portfolio includes the 2007 Newbery Honor Award book, Hattie Big Sky (Delacorte); and Junior Library Guild and IndieBound Next List selection, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, (Walker), co-written with her good friend, Mary Nethery and illustrated by New Orleans resident, Jean Cassels. She is at work on a middle-grade historical novel, as well as a second nonfiction picture book with Mary.

Recently, Kirby Larson talked with me about her career as a children’s book author.

Carma: When did your professional writing career begin?

Kirby: Define professional! ;-) I sold my first piece, a personal essay about wilderness camping with my husband when we had two kids in diapers, to Signposts magazine for $12 in 1984. I began writing for children in the early 90s.

C: Can a children’s book be published without an agent?

K: Though I now have an agent, I had 6 books published without one, and I have friends who are selling successfully without agents. I think the key is to make sure you’re putting out the best work possible.

C: What is the best route to an agent?

K: See above. Do your best, be professional. And go to conferences where agents you’re interested in are presenting to suss out whether or not they might be a good match for you and for your work.

C: Do you have a favorite source of inspiration?

K: My son’s college loans, which we’re still paying off. Seriously, if I waited for inspiration, I’d be in big trouble. To paraphrase Madeleine L’Engle, the writer who waits for inspiration doesn’t get much writing done.

C: Describe what you like most about writing for children.

K: The fact that writing, reading and daydreaming are essential elements of my job, and the joy of connecting with my readers, young and old.

C: Did you have an “Aha moment” when you knew you were going to write for children or did the realization happen gradually?

K: Most of the short fiction I was writing — the stuff I cared about — featured kid characters. Then, one day, I read the picture book MING LO MOVES THE MOUNTAIN (written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel) to my then-young children and I knew what it was I wanted to do for the rest of my life: write books for children and young adults.

C: At the recent SCBWI event in Davis, California, you mentioned five years passed before Hattie Big Sky was written and published. Did you write any novels or stories during that time and if you did do you plan to publish them?

K: Hattie was a time-consuming labor of love. I did some revising of old manuscripts and note-taking on new ones on off days during that period, but that book was my primary focus. After I sold it, in the two year gap before it came out, I co-wrote TWO BOBBIES: A TRUE STORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA, FRIENDSHIP AND SURVIVAL with my dear friend, Mary Nethery. That nonfiction picture book, illustrated by Jean Cassels (a New Orleans resident), was published by Walker in August.

C: Have you ever experienced writer’s block? If so how did you break it?

K: I have definitely experienced writer’s block this past year — thanks to the Newbery Honor. I broke it by running away from home to Mexico for 2 weeks in March with another good friend. She had a book due on April 1 and so we wrote like maniacs after our morning Spanish classes every single day for each of those 2 weeks. She finished her book and I nearly finished a draft of a middle grade historical novel. Since my return home, I have finished it. Now it’s time to revise.

C: Have revisions ever changed the original intent of your story? In what way?

K: This is an intriguing question but I’m not sure how to answer it. I think revisions have changed the shape of a story and maybe individual story elements but I can’t think of a time where the intent was changed because my intent is always to tell a given story the best way I can.

C: Do you visit schools outside of Washington State? How often?

K: I’ve been on the road a lot this past year, visiting schools all around the country. I’ve even been invited to speak to an international school in Qatar in April! I do love to visit schools, but am working on slowing down the pace of my travel.

C: What projects are you working on now?

K: I am working on the revision of the middle grade historical referred to above and Mary and I are writing another narrative nonfiction picture book which will be coming out from Little Brown in Fall 09.

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NOTE: Last week, Kirby Larson and Bonny Becker were guests on Book Bites for Kids. Listen to a recording of that interview here.

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