Meet Author/Illustrator Ginny Tilby -> You Should! You Should!

Ginny Tilby is the author and illustrator of the children's book YOU SHOULD! YOU SHOULD! (Familius 2017) which is an adorable picture book about finding the courage to be true to yourself. Readers will love the fun, bright illustrations and cast of cute characters who each try to convince Hippo to do a variety of activities THEIR way, when all Hippo wants to do is take a swim. I fell in love with Hippo on the first two pages as his expression changed - a subtle detail that impressed me, along with the text, and showed me that this author/illustrator knows what she's doing. I am so excited to share YOU SHOULD! YOU SHOULD! and Ginny's advice and insights below. And you should definitely get a copy of this picture book for the children in your life (You should! You should!).

So sit back with your favorite coffee, tea, smoothie, or chocolate-fix and enjoy!

What is your favorite book as a child?

Yikes--hard question.  I was fairly obsessed with Clifford the big red dog, and the Berenstein Bears.  Maybe if I HAD to choose one: Dr. Seuss's To Think That I Saw it on Mulburry Street.  That kid's imagination tickled me happy.

Do you illustrate and write at the same time? Or wait until the text is done?

I like to write the text first.  I can usually see illustration possibilities in my mind enough to write without actually making art.  Making the art and developing characters takes time, and the minute I decide to change a character from a mouse to a crocodile, all the time spent on mouse-making-art was a waste.  Plus having well-flushed characters in writing helps me know what type of personalities and visual characteristics with which to design my characters.

That being said, I still keep the text very flexible once the art process does begin.  Sometimes once I see things on paper, I realize that a stork actually needed to be a flamingo!

How would you describe your artwork? What is your favorite medium to create with?

Bright, colorful, whimsical, fun, expressive. 

I would rather draw than paint any day.  Pencil/pen on paper is my favorite medium forever.  I'm growing accustomed to the Apple Pencil on iPad Pro; however, I don't think the real thing can ever be replaced.  

When I do paint, I always prefer digital over the real stuff.  I don't miss the color mixing or the mess, and I LOVE the "undo" command!

Do you have some favorite contemporary authors or illustrators or author/illustrators?

Will Terry, Scott Gustafson, Jean Baptise-Monge, Justin Gerard, Jon Klassen, David Litchfield, Pamela Zagarenski, and also Mo Willems is a genius.

Any advice for first-time or aspiring authors and illustrators?

YES.  The biggest tip I would offer is to please please please AVOID keeping your stories and your art to yourself before you send it to a publisher or before you self-publish.  Your closest friends and your mom do NOT count.  Let other professional artists and writers take a look and ask them for honest feedback.  Be open to suggestions.  Be as open as open as open can be.  If they aren't giving you real feedback, keep looking until you find someone who will.

Remember, children's books are meant to be read aloud - ask someone to read your story aloud to you.  Then ask someone else.  Tweak it when you find areas to fix (you will find them).  Then ask someone to read it again.  Then ask someone to read it to children in front of you.  Are they reacting the way you hope?  Is the reader tripping over words or sentences or do they flow easily and seem fun to say/hear?  Is the audience laughing appropriately?  Do they seem confused anywhere?  Remember, every word counts in children's books.

Do these things, and the only outcome possible is a wonderfully polished, primed and primped, perfect children's book.  You and your story deserve it. 

Last, use Julie Olson's blog for how-to's, tips, templates, and more on how to write a children's book: http://jujubeeillustrations.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

What is it like to work with a publisher as an illustrator? Have you had to make revisions to your storyboard or illustrations based on their feedback or vision of the book?

It's very helpful!  I SO appreciated the feedback I received from my publisher as I made the art.  I was working with professionals who have been in the field for years, who were able to tell me that my giraffe was too scary for kids, so I tamed her down to the perfect amount of intimidating and fun.  Little tweaks like that.  But the best part of working with my publisher (and maybe not all publishers are like this) was the emotional support when I went through times feeling very inadequate and unsure my work as any good.  They readily boosted my confidence, assured me that my story and art are not just good, but great, and encouraged me to keep working.

What types of foods or activities help keep your creative process going while you work on a book or manuscript?

I have no idea, haha!  If you find out, will you PLEASE tell me?  When I worked on You Should, You Should!, I worked alongside other artist friends in their home.  We kept each other motivated and accountable.  We chatted and made art, we ate and made art, we jammed to music and made art.  I even slept over a few times, going to bed painting and waking up to more painting.  Now I'm working alone and the Struggle. Is. REAL.

Do you have any upcoming releases?

Give me a year or two, and watch for a book about Jeeps, and another story about a Catastrophizing Coyote.  (Nothing is signed or contracted yet.)

You can learn more about Ginny at the links below. 

ginnytilby.com

ginnytilby.blogspot.com

Facebook

Instagram

Thank you so much, Ginny! I'm inspired! I am! I am!

Children's Nonfiction Picture Books. Notes from the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference with Author Sharlee Glann

I spent last week at the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference (WIFYR 2018) where I participated in the picture book writing class taught by author Sharlee Glenn.

I met Sharlee many years ago when I was first starting out on this writing journey, and I was so excited for the chance to reconnect with her in a small, week-long class where I could benefit from and become inspired by her wisdom, insights and experiences. I was also able to attend other classes taught by other authors in the afternoons, and I will be sharing bits of what I learned from them in later posts. But today, I am going to focus on Sharlee.

Sharlee Glenn's books include Keeping Up With Roo, Just What Mama Needs, One in a Billion,  Library on Wheels, which is her latest, hot-off-the-press nonfiction picture book, and Beyond the Green, which is a middle-grade novel scheduled for publication this coming fall 2018.

I absolutely love Library on Wheels for several reasons. First, it is about the very first mobile library in America, which many readers would recognize as a bookmobile. Need I say more? How cool is that? Bookmobiles have been a huge part of little Cache Valley, Utah, where I've lived for more than 25 years.

Second, the first mobile library was developed by Mary Lemist Witcomb who hails from my home state, New Hampshire. I love New Hampshire, return to it every year for a visit, and loved seeing the historic photos of places I recognized.

Third, I love the story of Sharlee's personal connection to the mobile library. Having grown up in rural Utah, Sharlee says she would not be the writer she is today were it not for the books that the mobile library brought to her on a regular basis when she was a young girl. For me, the local library in our area also played a vital part of my childhood. We didn't use the bookmobile, but my mother would drive my brother and I to the Nashua library once a week and let us browse the books in the children's section. I remember that the books were kept in wood boxes that jigsawed around the room. I could reach down into the boxes and pull out books. It seems odd that a library would be set up this way, but that is what I remember.

My mother also brought us to different art classes at the library.  My most memorable one involved making a paper kite with a wood frame. My kite ended up being almost as large as me. It was huge, and purple and green, and hung in my bedroom for several years above my bed.

Fourth, I think most writers can attribute their writing careers to the experiences they found within libraries as children, and I believe most readers continue to hold a fondness and appreciation for libraries for similar reasons. Libraries connect us to our local communities and to the world at large through their books, their programs, and the various opportunities that librarians provide for patrons. Thus, Library on Wheels holds appeal to a wide audience--both readers and writers, and its clear, simple, and interesting text make the history of the bookmobile accessible to young readers.

As for the children's picture book market today, Sharlee shared that if you are trying to break into publishing, the nonfiction market is growing and the best opportunities may be found there. The reason for the burgeoning market is the increasing focus on teaching a quality education to all students through a common core that has been adopted in each state. As a science teacher, I can attest to the need for engaging and relevant books for the classroom.

Thus, for new and established writers that are writing for the children's book market, it may be time to tap into your own interests and see if what you are writing or what you may want to write can be connected to the nonfiction market.

If you would like to learn more about Sharlee Glenn and her work, visit her website.

If you have additional information about trends in the nonfiction market, share them in a comment below.

Happy writing!

World Read Aloud Day, March 4, 2015

March 4 is World Read Aloud Day, sponsored by a group called WorldLit, whose mission is to "empower young people to author lives of independence, hope, and joy."

I love this mission statement, because I believe that one of the first steps toward living a life filled with independence, hope, and joy, is through learning to read and learning to read well.

However, a life of independence does not imply a life that is removed from others. Rather, a life of independence, spawned through developing a love of literature and development of one's own voice, actually becomes a life lived in connection with others. I believe these connections occur because reading nurtures a sense of empathy, which gives us the capability of linking ourselves to others in understanding and action.

Some of my very best memories from childhood are of those where I was sitting in my mother's arms, with my brother at my side, reading from storybooks aloud. Both my brother and I relished those moments with her, and bedtime often involved negotiations for "one more story," or at least one more page from the large bound book we frequently read from.

Indeed, I don't think the power of sharing favorite passages or even whole books aloud diminishes with age. Haven't you often shared a favorite or thought-provoking section of anything you've read--part of a magazine or newspaper or book--by reading it aloud to whomever you're with?

At some point or another, as adults, we've all read something aloud, or listened to writing being shared in some way. Today, more than ever, in a world being gobbled up by tech games and video, I encourage us all to consider fostering this cherished art -- reading aloud.

Since March 4 is World Read Aloud Day, how will you celebrate? What will you share with another person in your life?

Happy reading aloud day!