20 Questions: Advice For Aspiring Authors And Illustrators

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

This month’s question:

What’s your top piece of advice for aspiring authors and illustrators of all ages?

Darshana Khiani

Follow your curiosity.

—Darshana Khiani, author of HOW TO WEAR A SARI, illus. Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Versify, 2021)

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Kelly Carey

It’s very easy to get stuck in the “thinking about” phase of becoming a writer. To get over that hurdle, aspiring writers need to build intention and structure around their writing. This can mean committing to writing at least twenty minutes a day or devoting a specific day a week to writing. I’m partial to Writing Wednesdays—it has that nice alliteration. Your writing dream needs a concrete plan and goals. For help with that check out www.24CarrotWriting.com, a goal-setting blog I host with fellow authors. It’s full of good advice and help as you kick off your writing journey.

—Kelly Carey, author of HOW LONG IS FOREVER?, illus. Qing Zhuang (Charlesbridge, 2020)

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Kim Rogers

My top answer will always be this: READ, READ, READ, and READ some more. It’s the best way to see how books are written, which ones work and which ones don’t, and what is currently selling in the marketplace.

—Kim Rogers (Wichita), author of JUST LIKE GRANDMA, illus. Julie Flett (Cree-Métis) (Heartdrum/HarperCollins, winter 2023)

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Anna Crowley Redding

Run your own race! It’s easy to compare yourself to others, but then you aren’t focused on what you need to do. And you can end up feeling like your efforts/talents/etc. are not enough. Wake up each day and focus on what YOU need to do to take the next step in your journey. Run your own race.

—Anna Crowley Redding, author of COURAGE LIKE KATE, illus. Emily Sutton (Random House Studio, August 2022) 

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Colleen Paeff

Keep a toe in the water. Life will throw situations at you that can make it hard to stay focused on building a career in writing, and during those times you may be tempted to get out of the pool completely. Don’t do it! Even if you aren’t writing, keep reading like a writer, watch writing-focused webinars, listen to podcasts about publishing, take the occasional writing workshop, jot down story ideas. When life eases up and you’re ready to dive back into writing, you’ll be a much stronger swimmer—er, writer—than you were before.

—Colleen Paeff, author of THE GREAT STINK: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem, illus. Nancy Carpenter (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021)

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20 Questions: Book Ideas

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

This month’s question:

“How did you come up with the idea for your most recent book?”

Carrie Finison

“For my upcoming book, LULU & ZOEY: A SISTER STORY, I remember vividly the moment I came up with the idea. I was driving my son home from preschool and his sister was baby-singing—loudly—in her infant seat. He complained bitterly that she was “always too loud,” and I responded with some parental wisdom about how no one is ever “always” anything. Sometimes she was too loud. Sometimes she was quiet. Sometimes she liked playing with him. Sometimes she wanted to play on her own. By the time we got home the structure of a new sibling story had taken shape.”

—Carrie Finison, author of LULU & ZOEY: A Sister Story, illus. Brittany Jackson (Running Press Kids, June 2022)

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Rajani LaRocca

“I was attending a children’s literature symposium with friends in the summer of 2013. While I was waiting in line for lunch, a story idea popped into my head in a visual way: I thought of a sari, and how the colors and designs from the body are reflected in the border, and vice versa. I quickly drew a sketch in my notebook (which is unusual for me!). I then took notes on a “mirror story” about a girl and her grandmother, and how they are each homesick and lonely while visiting each other, and how they help each other feel at home. I’LL GO AND COME BACK was born.”

—Rajani LaRocca, author of I’LL GO AND COME BACK, illus. Sara Palacios (Candlewick Press, March 2022)

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Hope Lim

“Childhood memories of my hometown in Korea and the changes I witnessed every time I visited my parents were the inspirations for MOMMY’S HOMETOWN. I used to walk to the river and play there all day. Sharing that memory with my kids and taking them to the river inspired me to write a story that captures the passage of time in a place where old and new coexist.”

—Hope Lim, author of MOMMY’S HOMETOWN, illus. Jaime Kim (Candlewick Press, April 2022)

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Elisa Boxer

“My agent and I had been discussing writing a book about ocean pollution, so I began internet searches to narrow down the topic. When I came across the viral video of the turtle who nearly died from swallowing a straw, and the marine biologists who rescued him, I knew I wanted to share this story with kids!”

—Elisa Boxer, author of ONE TURTLE’S LAST STRAW: The Real-Life Rescue That Sparked a Sea Change, illus. Marta Alvarez Miguens (Crown/Random House Kids, May 2022)

Kim Rogers

“The inspiration for my lyrical debut picture book, JUST LIKE GRANDMA, came from a book and a song: Sylvia Liu’s A MORNING WITH GRANDPA, which touched me deeply, and a gorgeous line in a favorite song by the Goo Goo Dolls called “Autumn Leaves.” After reading Sylvia’s book, I knew I wanted to write a story about a Wichita granddaughter’s relationship with her grandmother, as intergenerational relationships are important to us in our Wichita culture.”

—Kim Rogers (Wichita), author of JUST LIKE GRANDMA, illus. Julie Flett (Cree-Métis) (Heartdrum/HarperCollins, Winter 2023)

Anna Crowley Redding

“I couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night. So I grabbed my phone and was reading news headlines when I spotted an Associated Press headline. The Coast Guard was naming a new ship after a hero, Kate Moore, who began keeping a lighthouse and saving lives at age 12 … in the 1800s. I was completely blown away. I started to work on a book about her the very next morning.”

—Anna Crowley Redding, COURAGE LIKE KATE: The True Story of Girl Lighthouse Keeper, illus. Emily Sutton (Random House Studio, August 2022)

20 Questions: Favorite Craft Resources

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

This month’s question:

“What’s your top craft resource for authors or illustrators?”

Valerie Bolling

“Though I suspect you may be looking for specific resources, I’m going to go more general. I think engaging in opportunities where you can learn about craft from multiple speakers, like conferences and 12 x 12 webinars, is the way to go. There’s also no substitute for reading voraciously in your genre to find valuable mentor texts.”

 —Valerie Bolling, author of TOGETHER WE RIDE, illus. Kaylani Juanita (Chronicle, 2022)

M. O. Yuksel

“There are so many wonderful free online resources I’ve learned from over the years like Kidlit411, SubItClub, and websites of authors like Debbie Ohi, Josh Funk, Harold Underdown, and Tara Lazar. Attending workshops at the Highlights Foundation (which offers scholarships!), and Storyteller Academy have been instrumental. And I reference books like Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul, and Real Revision by Kate Messner all the time.”  —M. O. Yuksel, author of ONE WISH: Fatima Al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University, illus. Mariam Quraishi (HarperCollins, 2022)

Kjersten Hayes

“For me the most valuable craft resource for writing has been reading. I read between 500-1,000 picture books a year (including rereads—when my kids were small, I read well over 1,000 every year). I’ve done this for nearly 15 years. That much reading adds up. I see patterns in how writers approach characters, rhythm, tension, pacing. It’s invaluable. But in addition to reading, a few of my favorite craft books are Writing with Pictures by Uri Shulevitz, and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

—Kjersten Hayes, author of THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK, illus. Gladys Jose (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2020) 

Anna Crowley Redding

“Carolyn See’s The Literary Life. This is hands-down one of the best craft/writer life books I have ever read. Read it from cover to cover. It not only addresses craft, but the writer’s soul. Just love it. 

—Anna Crowley Redding, author of COURAGE LIKE KATE: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper, Illustrated by Emily Sutton (Random House Studio, August 2022)