Hi Cindy! Welcome to the PB22Peekaboo author interview! Congratulations on your new picture book, This Could Be You, which arrived April 2022 from Cardinal Rule Press. Tell us a little bit about the book and how you got the idea. Unlike my other manuscripts, This Could Be You started with a clear vision and intention. I wanted to empower children of all abilities and backgrounds to not only believe in themselves but to be strong and resilient in the pursuit of their dreams. Equipping adults with the tools to help in the process was also a must. Although I knew I was fighting against cautionary advice (don’t write in rhyme, don’t write books without a plot, don’t write books with a mission) I felt this was a book that needed to be written. What gave you the idea to include growth mindset backmatter? Including back matter was always a part of the plan. I want adults to see that encouraging a growth mindset in children (and themselves) can be as simple as tweaking their perception and language. You definitely make growth mindset accessible with that great back matter! I love all the different characters who appear on the cover of your book -- they are each unique and clearly have their own passions! How did you feel when you first saw the illustrations? Did you have any input on the story they tell? Did you include art notes with your text submission? I cried! I was on a walk with my family and after shrieking like a wild woman, we all stopped and huddled around my phone. It was a great day. I had no input at all. Trusting someone with your baby is terrifying (I can be a bit of a control freak). I was truly amazed when I saw how well the illustrator Julia Seal “got” me – in fact, I had played around with the illustrations myself and many of the elements were similar (especially the diversity factor). That said, she added so much more depth to the book. One of my favorite parts is the endpapers. Julia had the idea of including pictures from real kids depicting their dream occupations. We had a contest to choose a few and included friends and family members. Our “Jr. Illustrators” as I call them were thrilled. It is magical! Oh, I just love that! There are so many opportunities for kids to see themselves in your book, from the cover through the endpapers! Can you tell us about your path to publication? Tell us about the query process and timeline. Struggles? Tips? The journey has been long (about 7 years), but so much fun. I started the process as a way to deal with my “empty nest” struggles and became totally engrossed. I attended conferences, took classes, and became very involved with the online kidlit community (I couldn’t have done it without them). Like many of us I started submitting my stories too soon, backed off and got more critiques, and learned from my mistakes (growth mindset). After a short stint with an agent, I hit the query trail again and am now represented by Hannah Mann from Writer’s House. I have a couple of stories out with publishers now – hopefully more good news soon. Although I’m not a surfer, I often feel like I’m riding the waves, hoping to keep my balance. Growth mindset for writers, too, huh? Sounds about right! Do you have any words of wisdom for authors who might be at that critical point in their publication journey? What was most valuable to you along the way? Keep writing, keep learning, keep believing in yourself. I love the quote from Richard Bach that reads: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.” Above all else, write what YOU want to write. After years of writing what I thought publishers wanted, I decided to write what I wanted/needed to write. Such important advice. There’s great heart in a story that you want/need to write! What have you found to be the most rewarding aspect of writing for kids? Every step in this journey has been more rewarding than the last. It is important to celebrate any progress. Sharing the journey of publishing with my grandsons and the rest of my family has been magical. I can’t wait to share it with more kids. What else is on the horizon for you? I have more stories that my agent is submitting to publishers and one day I hope to illustrate one as well (time for more classes). I am also developing an initiative I call Partners in Literacy in which businesses and organizations can sponsor school visits by providing each child with a book from a local indie. I hope to kick this off soon (info on my website). I can’t wait to hear more about Partners in Literacy – this sounds like a very important initiative! Thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed. Congratulations on This Could be You! We can’t wait to see it out in the world. Thanks so much, Jen! I’ve loved working with the PBPeekaboo22 crew. Teamwork!
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