26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 5 - 7

Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 5-7 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!

DAY 5: Patricia Bailey, author of The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan 

My husband wanted to learn to paraglide and wanted me to learn with him. So, despite being AFRAID of HEIGHTS  and easily MOTION SICK, I agreed.

I kited on the training hill. (FUN!)

I took a tandem paragliding ride off of the top launch of the mountain. (SCARY and MOTION SICK MAKING! NOT FUN!)

But despite being scared and sick, I decided to pluck up my courage and keep trying. 

So, I learned how to handle the wing (FUN!) and how wind works (INTERESTING!) until I was able to I fly by myself off the training hill (SO MUCH FUN!)

Then it was time to put all that training to work and fly for real off the middle launch of the very big mountain.

One by one my training partners launched off the mountain. One by one they soared over the trees, navigated the power lines, and landed in the field below.

Then it was my turn. I looked the treetops below and the power lines in the distance. I thought about what I'd learned, and I thought about all the things I needed to remember in order to fly down safely and land. And I knew that the minute my feet left the ground it was all me. I knew if I was too scared I would crash.

And I knew I was too scared. 

So I took the Chicken Exit. I stayed on the ground and cheered the others on while they soared through the air again and again. (FUN!)

I'm still not sure what kind of bird I'll be in the future – if someday I'll fly off the mountain or if I'll stay close to the ground forever. I'll just keep picking my brave day to day and we'll see.

DAY 6: PB Character 

Big Sister and Little Sister in WATER MAKES MUD: A STORY OF REFUGEE CHILDREN faced down their chicken exit when escaping war with nothing by creating their own toys and keeping hope alive. 

~by Janie Reinart and illustrated by Morgan Taylor

DAY 7: Dee Romito, author of FORT BUILDERS, INC.

"When I was teaching, we went on a field trip to Rock City. We had to take the “swinging” bridge, walking on creaky wooden slats across the empty space below. My students thought it was funny that I was so scared and made sure that bridge shook. When I got across, a bunch of the kids were already there. “How did you get across?” I asked. They pointed and said, “We took the stone bridge.” If I had known I had the option, I would have totally chickened out!"

In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I've got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

DAYS 2-4

26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 2 - 4

Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 2-4 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!

DAY 2: Wanda, mc of Braver than Brave

Wanda wants to be Brave like her big brother Zane who is the bravest kid she knows. She tries the monkey bars, Skeleton hill, and even camp Wakalaka. But they are not her Brave. Will Wanda ever find HER Brave?

I love this picture of Wanda. @eunji.illustration really captures Wanda’s emotions. All the fears. All the doubts. Wanting to be Brave so badly, but so uncertain if she’ll ever manage it.

I feel that way all the time. How about you?

DAY 3: Eunji Jung, Illustrator of Braver than Brave

"At the opening reception of my solo exhibit, I was so nervous and scared to do the artist talk in front of a lot of people, but I faced down my own chicken exit by thinking about the reward I would get for being a little brave. In the end, people loved my speech and art!"

DAY 4: Picture Book Character

Mama, from GET READY, MAMA, had to be brave and say goodbye to her daughter when it was time to go to school.

~by Sharon Giltrow & illustrated by Arielle Li

In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I've got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAY 1

My next Picture Book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, comes out in 27 days!!! (August 1, 2022) It's illustrated by the amazing Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. Woo hoo!!!!

I'm counting down with 26 days of Facing The Chicken Exit, and today is DAY 1. Here we go!

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

When my kids were young, we went to an amusement park that had some amazing rollercoasters. My kids were little, but middle child was determined to go on the smallest of them. We waited in line, but the closer he got, the less certain he was about riding it.

We got to the front, and lo and behold, we found this "Chicken Exit." That moment became a key moment for him as he had to decide what to do.

It also became the inspiration for my upcoming book BRAVER THAN BRAVE! So of course we had to take a trip back to that very amusement park to visit the inspirational Chicken Exit and get some pictures.

Here he is, standing in that exit now that he's grown and more experienced. Oh how I wish I had a picture of him back then. It was an easy decision to march past it this time, but little him really struggled. Little him HATED the idea of going through that chicken exit, but the roller coaster was big & scary. 

The Ride Attendant said, "After the first hill, the rest is easy."

So little him did it.

I've thought a lot about what it means to be Brave. Sometimes it's Brave to ride the coaster. Sometimes it's Brave to take the chicken exit. It's different for everyone, because WE are all different.  We all have different needs. Different talents. Different fears.  

We all face figurative chicken exits as we go through life, and I'm so excited to share a new story each day this month of how people and picture book characters have faced down their own chicken exits!

Also, in celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I've got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Pacing Problems and Hidden Repetition

It has been a long time since I've written about writing. I've been so busy doing the actual writing, that I haven't thought about much else. This past weekend I've been thinking about Pacing. 

Pacing can be a tricky thing. You think you're moving along at 25 mph, when you're actually only going 6. Usually, you don't even notice until someone points it out with feedback like this:

"Pacing's off." 

"This feels slow."

"This feels rushed."

"Something's off, but I can't pinpoint the problem."

Maybe you haven't gotten such comments, but I sure have. And it can be frustrating feedback because it's not always clear how to fix it. Especially when you feel like you are only giving your readers the information they need.

Recently, I was revising a middle grade book, and one of my big concerns was cutting back the word count. It was long for a middle grade, but it was an intricate, complicated plot, so finding places to cut proved difficult.

Luckily I had the help of some amazing CPs (critique partners) and my agent, but as I worked through their suggestions, I discovered that Hidden Repetition was the the reason behind probably 95% of what I cut. Okay, that number is completely non-scientific, but you get the idea.

So what is Hidden Repetition, you ask? Let me tell you!

Hidden Repetition is when an idea is repeated using different words. 

As humans, we do this all the time. It's so imbedded into the way we think, it's not surprising that it creeps into our writing as well. Think of a few common expressions:

"Safe and sound."

"Plain and simple."

"Slip and slide."

But it's not just about overused synonyms. Hidden Repetition can be found at all levels of writing. At the word level (as shown above), at the phrase level, and at the scene level. 

Paragraph Level

To find Hidden Repetition at this level, you have to take a closer look at your writing to find the problem. For example, here's a paragraph from my own work:

Exactly what you'd expect from the Wintertons. They were rich. They had money to waste on such things.

Looking at actual words, there isn't much repetition. Only the intended emphasis on "They." But those last two sentences express the same idea. So it's better to choose the sentence that says more.

Exactly what you'd expect from the Wintertons. They were rich. They had money to waste on such things.

Yes, there is such as thing as nuance, and truthfully, that double emphasis might be fine . . . but when you compound many such repetitions, it adds up and slows the pace. Here is another example:

The rain roared in my ears, and I shivered. All I wanted was to leave. "Please can we go?"

Again, there is no obvious repetition, but do you see it? Do you know what needs to be cut?

This kind of repetition falls into the "show and tell" category. Yes, I made that up, but it's spot on. As writers, we've all heard the expression, "Show don't tell." That's a whole other topic that I could spend a lot of time on, but you know what I mean. Show what happens to your character instead of telling your readers what happens.*

We know this, so we do the work and show it. But then we worry our reader won't get it. They won't understand that thing that we're trying to convey. So we do both. We show AND tell, which is exactly what I've done above. Here is my edit:

The rain roared in my ears, and I shivered. All I wanted was to leave. "Please can we go?"

The rain and the shivering and the question are enough to inform the reader that she wanted to leave. I didn't need to tell them. And by cutting that repetition, I tighten my story and give it a cleaner and smoother feel.

Scene level

At the scene level, the question we have to ask ourselves is whether or not the scene is giving new and necessary information to our readers. The writing may be good. It may be giving our readers information about our characters, but is it new? And is it necessary? Let me share an example to show you what I mean:

In the school, signs pointed audience members one direction and contestants another. We followed the signs down the trophy hall. The Region Soccer trophy that Gordon had helped win stood front and center with a light shining down on it. Behind it was a picture of the team. The state Mathletes trophy was in the corner behind some smaller trophies. And there was certainly no picture of our team. 

Would we have been front and center if Jennifer hadn’t ditched? I couldn’t imagine the Wintertons accepting anything less. But I was just a lowly scholarship student. And Mathletes wasn’t soccer. 

At the end of a hallway, a sharp-dressed woman about Mom’s age stood behind the check-in table. 

In this scene, I was trying to build the tension between my MC and her brother. I was trying to show how she might be jealous of him and the attention he is getting for doing what she deemed as less. Truthfully, in my humble opinion, it's a good scene. It does exactly what I was aiming for without saying that she was jealous.

BUT, this scene did not pass the test. First, while the information was new, I had already established that there was tension between them. And second, this information was not necessary. Not only had I already established the tension, but the tension I build in this scene is coming from the wrong place. The tension I wanted to build wasn't from jealousy, it was from a difference of opinion about an important issue. 

In short, this scene, though well-written, was not serving my story. It was slowing down the action and distracting my readers from what I was really trying to say. So here is what that scene became:

In the school, signs pointed audience members one direction and contestants another. We followed the signs down to the end of the trophy hall The Region Soccer trophy that Gordon had helped win stood front and center with a light shining down on it. Behind it was a picture of the team. The state Mathletes trophy was in the corner behind some smaller trophies. And there was certainly no picture of our team. 

Would we have been front and center if Jennifer hadn’t ditched? I couldn’t imagine the Wintertons accepting anything less. But I was just a lowly scholarship student. And Mathletes wasn’t soccer. 

At the end of a hallway, where a sharp-dressed woman about Mom’s age stood behind the check-in table. 

I got them where they needed to be without the little side trip. Again, I didn't cut it because it was poorly written, but because it wasn't serving my story. It doesn't matter how well-written a scene may be, if it's not serving the story, it is slowing the pace and preventing your readers from getting the information they need. 

While this example is just a small scene (because it was easier to show you), the same principles apply to longer scenes. Sometimes, you may end up cutting a whole chapter or more. I've done it. And my stories have been the better for it.

Though I don't have time to tell you about all the places and ways Hidden Repetition can sneak into your writing (for example, sometimes a whole character can be hidden repetition!), hopefully this discussion has been helpful! I was honestly surprised to find out just how much there was in my writing. Once it was cleared, the story flowed better and the pacing was no longer an issue. 

Let me know if you have questions, or if there's another topic you'd like me to discuss. 

*I feel compelled to mention that there is a place for telling in your writing. This rule should not be taken as gospel 100% of the time. Perhaps I'll do a post on this in the future.

5 MG Books I Can't Wait to Read

I've been so immersed in picture books the last little bit, that I've neglected talking about MG books. So today I am making up for that. There are so many great books coming out in 2022, and I'm going to share 5 MG Books that I'm excited for! (I'm excited for way more than that, so I may have to do another post like this one. Twist my arm a little!)

First up is EDEN'S EVERDARK by Karen Strong.

I fell in love with Karen's writing in her first book, JUST SOUTH OF HOME, and I cannot wait to read this one. It comes out September 6th, 2022, but I may have had the good fortune of snagging an ARC (advance reader copy), so watch for a review. My 12-yo is also a big Karen Strong fan, so her review may come first. So excited!

Here is the blurb:

Hailed by Newbery winner Kelly Barnhill as “stunning, moving, and marvelously strange,” this tale of a young girl who stumbles into a magical realm ruled by a wicked witch is a haunting and ultimately uplifting middle grade novel about grief, family, and decades-old magic.

Still grieving the loss of her mother, Eden visits Safina Island, her ancestral home, as a healing balm. But when she discovers an old sketchbook that belonged to her mother, she’s haunted by the images she sees drawn there. A creepy mansion covered with roots and leaves. A monstrous dog with dagger-sharp teeth. And a tall woman with wind-blown hair and long, sharp nails who is as beautiful as she is terrifying.

Days later, exploring the island alone, Eden follows a black cat through a rift in the bright day. She stumbles into Everdark, a parallel world where the sun never rises, where spirits linger between death and the afterlife, and where everything from her mother’s drawings is all too real—especially the Witch of Everdark, who wants to make Eden her eternal daughter.

Can Eden find a way to defeat the witch’s magic? Or will she remain trapped in Everdark forever?

Next up is A DUET FOR HOME by Karina Glaser.

You may have heard of Karina's VANDERBEEKER series which is like a warm hug in book form. If you haven't read those, get on that right away! A DUET FOR HOME was supposed to be her second book, so I'm all the more excited to finally get to read this one. It just came out last Tuesday, April 5th, 2022. My copy is on the way to my house from Books of Wonder (a great place to order from!) as I type. And yep, you guessed it, a review will be coming for this one, too.

Here is the blurb:

From the New York Times bestselling creator of the Vanderbeeker series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. As their friendship grows over a shared love of classical music, June and Tyrell confront a new housing policy that puts homeless families in danger.

It's June’s first day at Huey House, and as if losing her home weren’t enough, she also can’t bring her cherished viola inside. Before the accident last year, her dad saved tip money for a year to buy her viola, and she’s not about to give it up now. Tyrell has been at Huey House for three years and gives June a glimpse of the good things about living there: friendship, hot meals, and a classical musician next door. Can he and June work together to oppose the government, or will families be forced out of Huey House before they are ready?

A PERFECT MISTAKE by Melanie Conklin has had me excited since I first read the blurb. Mystery? Intrigue? Hidden Secrets? Sign me up! This one comes out on July 12th, 2022, and I canNOT wait!

Here's the blurb:

A moving, voice-driven novel about friendship, responsibility, and fighting against unfair expectations, for fans of Rebecca Stead and Erin Entrada Kelly.

Max wishes he could go back in time to before he was diagnosed with ADHD, before he grew to be the tallest kid in his class, and before he and his best friends went into the woods in the middle of the night. Max doesn’t remember what happened after he left his friends Will and Joey and the older kids who took them there. He’s not sure if he wants to remember. Knowing isn’t going to make Joey talk to him again, or bring Will out of his coma. 

When the local authorities run out of leads, Max realizes that without his help, they may never know what really happened to Will. Charged by the idea that he may be the key to uncovering the truth, Max pairs up with classmate and aspiring journalist Sam to investigate what really happened that night. But not everyone in the community wants that night to be remembered.

THE BUTTON BOX by Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams is on the very top of my TBR pile (literally. My copy arrived last week!). I love learning about other religions and cultures, and this one has both a Jewish and Muslim main character. A book of inclusion is exactly what the world needs, and what I'm craving, right now! This book just came out on April 1, 2022. 

Here's the blurb:

If a magical button and a mysterious cat could transport you to the past...would you save the future?

After Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her Muslim cousin Nadeem are called hateful names at school, Granny Buena rummages in her closet and pulls out a glittering crystal button box. It's packed with buttons that generations of their Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny's mysterious cat Sheba, Ava and Nadeem discover that a button from the Button Box will whisk them back in time. Suddenly, they find themselves in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem's ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can Ava and Nadeem help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a legendary Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?

And my final book is WHERE WE USED TO ROAM by Jenn Bishop. Okay, I'm cheating just a bit on this last book, since it actually came out last year. BUT, the paperback just came out on April 5th, 2022, so I'm counting it! This book deals with some pretty heavy issues (sibling drug use), and I love that MG is getting more inclusive to deal with things kids really face. In fact, I could have used this book when I was a kid. So it will have to suffice that adult-me gets to read it.

Here's the blurb:

When Emma starts sixth grade, things finally begin to change. She may still be in the shadow of her older brother, Austin, the popular high school quarterback, but she’s made artsy new friends who get her way more than her bookish best friend, Becca.

But things are changing for Austin, too. After undergoing surgery for a football injury, Austin has become addicted to opioid painkillers. By the end of the school year, everything blows up with Austin—and Becca. When their parents decide to send Austin to rehab and Emma to stay with family friends in Wyoming for the summer, Emma seizes the chance to get away.

Wyoming turns out to be a perfect fresh start, especially after Emma makes friends with Tyler, a kindred spirit who doesn’t judge her—then again, he doesn’t know what she did to Becca. Still, Emma can’t hide forever…or go back to the way things were with Austin or with Becca. But can she find a way to confront the truth and move forward?

What books are you looking forward to reading! Let me know in the comments so I can add to my TBR pile!

A Book Deal and Publishing Secrets

I'm so excited to share that my next picture book, A Bad Case of the Almosts, was finally announced last week! (My third picture book, and my fourth book!!! But who's counting?) 

In case you can't read that, here's what it says:

Christianne Jones at Capstone has acquired world rights to A Bad Case of the Almosts by Janet Sumner Johnson (l.), illustrated by Alexandra Colombo. In this book, Abby conducts an experiment to discover if "almost" can be a good thing. Publication is set for spring 2023; Lauren Galit at LKG Agency represented the author, and Emmajane Turner at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.

I wrote A BAD CASE OF THE ALMOSTS when I was struggling with them myself. I'd had a few books on submission that *ALMOST* sold, and it felt like "almost" was my destiny. Not quite there. Not quite good enough.

I commiserated with a good friend of mine, and she encouraged me. Told me to keep going and that she thought I was about to break through. That I was *almost* there. She could feel it.

I couldn't, but it made me reassess. What if "Almost" wasn't the stumbling block I thought it was?

I'm just thrilled to share this book with you, and I hope a few of you can relate to how it feels to be so close to something, then not quite make it.

So. You may have noticed that it's slated for a spring 2023 release. That might seem fast for a picture book, but I have a secret to share with you about the publishing industry. I actually signed this picture book contract last June. Yep, 9 (NINE!!!) months ago. 

With picture books, the announcement takes a while because once the author signs the contract, the publisher has to find an illustrator and get them to sign a contract before the book can be announced. And every publisher works slightly differently. Some publishers might jump right on finding an illustrator. Others might wait a bit because they are busy working on other projects. Some contracts are more complicated, so it might take more time to negotiate that contract. And it also depends on when the book is slated to be published.

All of that means nine months of waiting for an announcement is pretty typical when it comes to picture books. I even know some authors who have waited over two years for a book to be announced! And let me tell you, it can be pretty hard to keep a secret for that long. So it's an amazing day when we can finally share about a book that we are so excited for!

And one final note, for those with curious minds: Longer books, the kinds that don't have an illustrator, those announcements can come much faster. Though not always . . . because negotiating a contract can still take time, which means months can pass between when an author first gets an offer and when the contract is finally signed.

Publishing is an industry of secrets and a test of patience. Which is why you will so often hear an author say: "I got great news today!! But I can't talk about it yet." Because like I said, keeping secrets--like a book deal!--is HARD! And when you've got good news, all you want to do is shout about it to the world.

Author Interview: Cindy Williams Schrauben

Good morning! Today I am thrilled to have debut author Cindy Williams Schrauben here on my blog. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of her book THIS COULD BE YOU (April 1, Cardinal Rule Press), illustrated by Julia Seal. I loved it so much, I reached out to the publisher to hook us up. 

Cindy graciously agreed to an interview, and here we are! It was such a joy to get to know her better, and I'm excited for all of you to meet her as well. Also, you can read my review HERE. So enough of my jabbering, let's meet Cindy! (As always, I'm in green.)

Hi Cindy, welcome to my blog!

Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m thrilled to be here.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to write children's books?

As a mom, grandmother, and former teacher, books have always played a big part in my life.  My favorite memories involve kids in my lap reading. Though I have always enjoyed writing, and dreamed of writing a picture book, It wasn’t until my daughters moved out that I took it seriously – I knew I needed my own passion. I attended the NYC-SCBWI Conference early on and the energy and kindness of the kidlit community had me hooked right away.

Conferences are the best. The energy is amazing! Please tell us about your upcoming book, THIS COULD BE YOU.

Unlike many of my books, This Could Be You started out with an intentional message and goal – to inspire kids to believe and achieve by empowering them with growth mindset principles. I set out to create a book in which all kids could see themselves persevering. Each spread stars a different group of children living out their dreams – and, sometimes, struggling along the way.  Being able to learn from our failures is a crucial part of a growth mindset.

I completely agree. We all go through failure, but it doesn't define us. Kids need to see that! Your book creates such a hopeful feeling for your readers. What inspired you to write it?

My grandsons and the realization that I didn’t always encourage a growth mindset in my girls when they were young. Well-meaning comments like, “you are so smart” and “math is just easy for you” can have unintentional negative connotations. Instead, statements like, “Wow, you really worked hard for that” help them to realize that it is ok if something is hard because effort will help us get there. Our talents and skills are malleable. I hope that this book, which features extensive backmatter for adults, will help us all use more intentional language with our kids.

Such great advice! I've been working on that as well with my kids. And so much great back matter!

Speaking of work, your rhymes and rhythms are just plain fun to read. Writing in rhyme feels so daunting to me (I clearly need your book to build up my growth mindset!). Your stanzas all sound so perfect, they feel like it must have come out that way, but I'm sure you worked hard at it! Could you share a little bit about your revision process?

Every story in my head comes out in rhyme first – I often realize that rhyme isn’t right for a story, but for this one, I think it works. That isn’t to say that it was perfect (or even good) at the beginning. Rhyming requires a great deal of assessing and maneuvering. I often read out loud while tapping out beats like a conductor (I have to be careful who’s watching my loony antics). That is part of what I love about it, though – it’s like a puzzle.

Love that! I'm sure all us writers look a little loony when in the zone. And so fascinating that you start in rhyme. So, my favorite stanza was, of course, the one about writing. Do you have a favorite stanza? What do you love about it?

Fun fact #1 – the illustrator used a childhood photo of me to draw the young author on that page.

Really??! That is so cool! *runs off to find that page*

Picking my favorite is tough, but I think it is this:

 Who has keen-design flair,

an artist’s time-to-shine flair,

a sketch-and-then-refine flair?

Create. It could be you!

 Why? It shows a character who tries and fails, but doesn’t give up.

The refinement part is key to success. Such a great stanza.

Moving on to the art . . . it's so expressive! Julia Seal, the illustrator, did an amazing job! I love the simplicity of the kids, and how well it captures their emotions. Did you have any input on the art or illustrator? What was your reaction at seeing the art? (so many questions!)

I cried! It’s as if Julia Seal was in my head when she created the illustrations. The diversity, the color, everything. I didn’t have any input into the process at all, which was terrifying, but I couldn’t be more pleased.

It IS a terrifying process, but illustrators can do magic. And seeing your characters brought-to-life is a magical moment.

Fun fact #2 – I LOVE the endpapers. My illustrator deserves all the credit for this – she proposed that we ask children we know (along with some winners of a contest) to draw pictures of their dream jobs. Those Jr. Illustrators include my grandsons, nieces, nephews, etc. They loved being a part of it.

I LOVED the endpapers! Brilliant idea from Julia. And so exciting for those kids!

Can we talk writing for a minute? How many picture books would you say you wrote before finally getting a deal on this one?

Oh boy. I couldn’t even begin to guess how many unfinished stories I have, but as far as completed, ready to submit stories, close to 20.

Wow. But it really shows you are living the message of THIS COULD BE YOU. What helped you the most on the path to publication?

The number one most important part of my journey has been the kidlit community – from critique partners to contest organizers and bloggers. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have kept going without them.

So much truth. The kidlit community is so uplifting. 💜

Now on to the speed round of favorites!

 Ice cream: Vanilla with lots of chocolate, caramel, and nuts. But, I don’t think there is a flavor I would pass up. Ice cream is my weakness.

Color: Coral

Time of day: Late at night

Sport: Baseball

Musical instrument: Piano

Animal: Dogs

Word: Grow

Picture Book (that you didn’t write): Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrated by Dan Santat

I love how much we can learn from one-word answers. Love it all! (And Three Ninja Pigs is a favorite of mine, too!)

One last question. I have a fascination for personalized license plates. What do you think your characters might choose for their personalized license plate? You have 8 characters. Go!

 YesICan

 So perfect! Thanks so much again!

Thank you! This has been lots of fun.

~~~

Cindy Williams Schrauben lives in Michigan where she writes books for kids that range from the truly serious to the seriously silly. Before embarking on this path, she held positions as a preschool administrator, teacher, and assistant director of a children’s museum -- always striving to empower kids. When not writing or honing her craft, Cindy might be found dissecting her grandsons’ shenanigans for story ideas, reading on the floor in the bookstore, or eating ice cream… ideally all at once.

You can connect with Cindy at her website or her Direct Me page, and she's also on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

You can purchase THIS COULD BE YOU through Monkey See, Monkey Do books, or wherever books are sold.