Confidence is one of the most important skills a child can develop—and it plays a huge role in learning to read. For children ages 4–8, confidence often determines whether reading feels exciting or overwhelming. That’s where picture books come in. Picture books aren’t just tools for learning letters and sounds. They help children see themselves … Read more
I always love featuring books that entertain and educate … and when they are written by one of my dear kid lit friends, that makes it even more enjoyable! Author Liliana Tommasini and I met at Miriam Laundry’s Believe Conference in Canada last fall … and what a wonderful event for picture book authors. When … Read more
Whether you’re just starting out or deep into your publishing journey, one of the most powerful tools in your writing toolkit is read picture books like a picture book author. It’s not just about enjoying the story — it’s about analyzing structure, language, pacing, and illustration interplay. In my last post I challenged you to read … Read more
Reviewing 2024 is an opportunity for this author to look back at her writing life for the past year. A look back at what I have accomplished, big or small, helps me to plan next steps for the new year. It is important to focus on the positives – what you were able to do … Read more
November is for writing and it is not too late to start. Maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as a writer. But you have been thinking about giving writing a try. Here’s the good news. You do not need a college degree to be a writer and author. What you do need is to write. … Read more
November 15th is I Love to Write Day and I love to write. It is a day for people of all ages spend time writing. You can write a poem, a love letter, a greeting card, an essay, a short story, start a novel, finish a novel … the possibilities are endless. John Riddle, started … Read more
You have ideas for stories, but when you open a document to write, you stare helplessly at a blank page. Every time you try to write, you end up spending your time doing anything, but writing. I call it Destination Procrastination. All authors have been there. It is not a preferred destination, but there are … Read more
Friends, family and even strangers often ask me what is your day like? What does a day in the life of an author look like? It is nothing like you imagine. Most authors do not sit tirelessly at their computers writing. Writing is only one part of an author’s job. There are so many other … Read more
It is time to get back to my writing. How about you? I have enjoyed the summer and my break from writing. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote almost every day, but it was more relaxed. I chose to spend time with my grandchildren and observing children in general. I now have several new ideas … Read more
We often get asked why we wrote Two Wins for Wiley. It was a beautiful collaboration with my daughter Caitlin. Caitlin is an acupuncturist and is the guest author of this blog post. In most cases, a children’s book is written by one author. If the author is fortunate enough to find a publisher, the … Read more
