New Book Birthday! When Angels Sing: The Story of Carlos Santana illustrated by Jose Ramirez
So excited to announce the release of this beautiful book that came out in September! And if you haven't heard, Jose Ramirez just won the coveted Society of Illustrators Gold Medal for Original Art! Check out the book at your local bookstore or here on Amazon!
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Book Birthday: Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band by Michael Mahin, illust. by Don Tate
Today is the day! Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band illustrated by the amazing Don Tate is officially a here! Here are links to a few great reviews: Publisher's Weekly "After some false starts, the band takes off, and “the boys filled their hats with...
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What are the Best Books on Writing for Children?
I am a self-professed, craft-book addict. I love reading about writing. Yes, it is probably a form of procrastination, but at least it is a productive form. For me, while many ideas are similar between books, hearing them explained in different ways is often the...
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How to Quickly and Easily Make Your Hero Heroic
Without memorable characters, your story is dead in the water. Nothing can save it. Not a great plot. Not a great premise. Not a great climax. Why? Because if readers don't like your characters, they will not care what happens. The good news is, the fix is pretty...
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How to Create Powerful Narratives that Flow
Crafting narratives that flow and feel natural is one hallmark of great writing. It's one of those things: you know it when it's working. And, of course, you know it when it isn't. Something feels off. The problem for most writers isn't simply identifying when a...
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Two Types of Story Problems And Why You Need to Know Them
Whether you like to plan out your stories first, or whether your "story" is something you discover after your first draft, being able to identify what kind of story problem you are exploring is a critical step in refining and focusing your narrative. It's also a great...
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3 Powerful Structural Formulas Children’s Writers Must Know
What if I told you the structure of your story is already written and that all you had to do was fill-in-the-blanks? Sound too good to be true? It is. Kind of. While storytelling is never this easy, Eve Heidi Bine-Stock's analysis of storytelling strategies comes as...
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On Racism, Multiculturalism, and my book Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters
My debut picture book Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters (Atheneum), illustrated by Evan Turk, is about many things. On one level, it is a universal story about a human being who overcame great adversity. This an important message, as are its messages about...
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Are You a Plotter or Pantser and Does it Matter?
Plotter? Panster? Planster? When I first started writing, I was really obsessed with getting it right. I thought there was a right way and a wrong way to write. So I spent a lot of time reading about how the best writers do it. And it turns out, they do it in as many...
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How to Excite Readers with a Powerful Story Question
A story question is little more than your book's theme stated as a question. It's not a particularly revolutionary idea, but it's a great trick for quickly and easily determining what your story is about. And why do you need to know what your story about? Because if...
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