Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Have you Ever Thought of Writing a Picture Book?
If you're ever thought of writing a picture book, sign up for my class through Sacramento's Learning Exchange, called, "Writing Children's Picture Books." It's a one-time, two-hour class on Wednesday night, October 8, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. where I'll discuss my writing journey, how I wrote several of my latest titles, and the components of successful picture books. Visit The Learning Exchange for more information and to sign up.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Please Release Me!
The writing world moves slowly. Most books take about two
years to from sale to shelf. In the
case of my latest release, Cowpoke Clyde
and Dirty Dawg, it took four years, although it seemed like forever. After it sold, the economy fell into a slump. Publishing companies
closed and shifted. Editors were let go. The manuscript sat in limbo for two
years. Then, to my dance-on-the-ceiling delight, it was brought back to life. I
was especially thrilled when my editor selected Michael Allen Austin to
illustrate it. He did a fantastic job.
After Cowpoke Clyde’s initial four-year journey--a sequel is
on its way--Cowpoke Clyde Rides the
Range. Yee-haw!! No date has been set, but it will be awesome to see
Michael Allen Austin’s illustrations once again.
Because literary world moves so slowly, it’s always a thrill
when a book finally lands on the bookshelf. To celebrate, I’m plum tickled to share the recent releases of some of my writing friends who have shared
this crazy, side-winding, writing roller coaster journey with me:
Balloon Trees by Danna Smith
Published by Sylvan Dell
If you've ever wondered how balloons are made, this fun-to-read story is bursting with information that will lift readers to new heights.
Visit Danna's website at www.Dannasmithbooks.com to find out more about Danna and her upcoming titles.
Snow Dog, Sand Dog
Albert Whitman & Co.
What pet can you get when you can't have a pet?
Linda's fun story will have readers howling with delight.
To find out more about Linda's excellent YA titles and her upcoming books, visit her webpage at: http://www.lindajoysingleton.com
A Gift for Mama
Gullane Children's Books
Oskar has a problem. He doesn't know what to give to his mother. He just may find out that the perfect gift was right under his nose.
To learn more about Linda and her upcoming books, visit her website at: http://www.lindalodding.com
Monday, December 23, 2013
Good Times
So how did 2013 rank as far as writing goes?
It was good!
This year, I began working with a terrific agent, Liza
Voges, and we’ve got great hopes for a variety of fiction and nonfiction manuscripts in the New Year. I was thrilled when we finalized some details with Bloomsbury for
my picture book, Mousequerade Ball that
will be illustrated by wonderful Betsy Lewin of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type fame. Release
date? 2016!
I was thrilled with the sale of Chicken Lily to Henry Holt—my first title with them! No word yet on
the illustrator, but I’m eager to find out. Discovering who the illustrator will be is
like opening a glorious package. Although my words are in place, it’s not complete until
the illustrator brings their half of the story to the page. I’m looking forward
to its 2015 release date.
In addition to my trade projects, I’ve also been blogging
for Mira Reisberg’s Picture Book Academy the second Wednesday of each month.
Check for my blogs there about tips and reflections on the craft of writing
picture books.
Sometimes, it’s fun to let loose in other writing arenas—such
as putting together a Christmas card.
Loads of fun with my cat, Max, and my son who donated his Photoshop skills for the cause. (Much obliged, son!)
Yee-haw!!!
Here's to rip snortin' 2014!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Hop, Skip and a Blog!
Ideas are a lot like
opportunities. You never know when one is going to pop up right under your
nose. So when my writing friend and awesome author of Deck the Halls, Erin Dealey, tagged me for the Children’s Blog Hop, I was delighted to
run with it—with a hop, skip, and a blog!
So here goes!
What
are you working on right now?
In addition to book signing events for my latest release Cowpoke Clyde & Dirty Dawg (Clarion
2013), I’ve been wrangling with a new picture book manuscript about a princess.
I know! There are lots of picture books about princesses out there already, but
I like princesses (who doesn’t?) and I always have fun figuring out where I’m
going and seeing where an idea will take me.
How
does this differ from other works in the genre?
Good question—especially since there are a lot of princess books
out there. Right now, I’m including an unexpected character that will take the
book in a new, and hopefully unexpected direction.
Why do
you write what you write?
When I
choose to work on a project, it’s because I’m excited about telling the story
whether it’s a nonfiction subject, or a fun, rambunctious picture book story.
When I’m writing nonfiction, such as my books about the French scientist who
proved the earth turned, or exploring the lives of honey bees, I’m excited to
find those fascinating bits of information and share them with young readers.
When I’m writing fiction, it’s fun to jump into the thick of a story and see what will
happen. I particularly enjoyed writing my latest picture book release Cowpoke Clyde
& Dirty Dawg about a cowpoke, who completed his chores, but found one
thing he’d plum forgot—his dirty dawg. When I started writing it, I had no idea
how it would end.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
The
hardest thing about writing is also the best thing about writing—grabbing onto
a wisp of an idea, facing a blank screen, and breathing life into an idea word
by word. As my fingers tap, tap, tap across the keyboard I’m alternately
thrilled by my discoveries and stricken with the thought that maybe this time, I won’t get over the assorted
roadblocks and finally find my way. But I keep at it, day after day. Then, to
my delight, after latching onto a goal like a dog on a rope, I get through to
the other side. Amazing!
And
now without further hops, skips, or jumps, it’s my pleasure to introduce the
next three Children’s Blog Hoppers:
Gayle
Kraus – My wonderful writing friend, Gayle C.
Krause is a member of SCBWI, The Poets’ Garage and The Cliffhouse
Wonderwriters. She writes across the genres including poetry, picture books and
MG/YA novels. She has been published in various children’s magazines
(Highlights, Boy’s Quest, Hopscotch for Girls etc…) and poetry anthologies –
And the Crowd Goes Wild (Friesen Press 2012) and Meanderings: A Collection of
Poetic Verse (Diversion Press (2009). Her first picture book, a seasonal
rhymer, Rock Star Santa was a Scholastic Book Club original in 2008,
and is featured in the Firefly and See Saw flyers every November and December.
Look for it in an elementary classroom flyer near you this year. Her YA novel, RATGIRL:
Song of the Viper was published in February 2013 (Noble Young Adult)
and the book trailer can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRrVuYxmVFw.
During the course of her writing career Ms. Krause has served as assistant
editor for Underneath the Juniper Tree,
a dark fantasy online magazine developed for young teens and a children’s book
reviewer for Children’s Literature.com.
You can learn more about Gayle at (www.gayleckrause.com).
Linda Joy
Singleton –
This terrific writing friend is the author of over 35 books for kids, including
YALSA honored THE SEER series (my favorite!) and DEAD GIRL WALKING trilogy. She
submitted short stories to magazines when she was fourteen and finished her
first book during a two-week holiday. She kept stories she wrote as a kid, and
loves to share them at school presentations. I love her books and can’t wait
for more in THE SEER series and to see her upcoming picture book release. To
learn more about Linda and her wonderful titles, visit her website at: http://www.lindajoysingleton.com.
Brenda Reeves Sturgis is the author of the
popular 10 Turkeys in the Road,
Amazon/and Scholastic, 2011. Booklist praised it saying, “Colorful cartoonlike acrylic illustrations—contrasting
happy-faced, googly-eyed turkeys with the increasingly exasperated
farmer—capture the chaos with liveliness and humor. Kids will enjoy counting
turkeys and finding corresponding numerals incorporated within the pictures.
Not just for Thanksgiving. She
has two forthcoming books, No Fun in the
Sun for Santa, First Ideas Corp (2013), and upcoming The Lake Where Loon Lives, (2014) with Islandport Press. To learn
more about Brenda and her books, visit
her website at: http://www.brendareevessturgis.com/Home.html.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Agency Quest
By the end of 2012, I had a respectable amount of trade and educational titles under my belt, and it was time to find an agent who represented what I wrote—picture books. Anyone who has ever tried finding an agent, much less a picture book agent, knows it can be a daunting task. Out of the hundreds of agencies out there, only a fraction represents children’s literature and out of those, a smaller fraction represents picture books. Although I’d sold some trade picture books myself, some doors were perpetually closed unless I attended a conference where the editor spoke. That worked to a point, but it wasn’t a good strategy in the long run.
So, I began my search. I started by studying SCBWI’s agent list and supplemented it with Casey McCormick’s and Natalie Aguirre’s blog www.literaryrambles.com that I’d read about on a listserv. Finding their blog was like finding a treasure trove of information that I didn’t even know existed. Links in the upper left hand corner separated agents based on genre, and even if a particular agent wasn’t a good fit, there was usually a link to the agency’s website where I could do further research on other agents. Query Tracker at http://www.querytracker.net/QueryTracker was another great source of agent information. As I delved into the research, I saw that no one list had all the information. So, after a couple of days of searching online, I cobbled my own list that I’ve included below with links to their websites. About half them represent only children’s literature. The other half has at least one agent that represents picture books and other children’s literature. A few of them were closed to picture book submissions currently, but I included them as agencies to watch in the future.
The good news? After a thorough evaluation, submission, and discussion process, . . . I'm delighted to be represented by Eden Street, LLC. I hope my search helps your own picture book agency quest.
17. Farber Literary (no website, but worth researching)
29. Laurens R. Schwartz (no website, worth researching)
33. Marie Brown Associates (no website, but worth researching)
35. McVeigh Agency (no website, but worth researching)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
The Next Big Thing!
The Next Big Thing is here!
What is it? It’s a terrific blog event that shines a spotlight on authors’ upcoming book releases. The event was originally launched in Australia and is now spreading around the world. I received my tag from children’s author and app wizard, Chris Pederson, and at the end of my interview, I’ll tag several other writers who’ll share what their Next Big Thing when they blog next week.
Here's my interview about my Next Big Thing:
 |
| Written by Lori Mortensen, Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin |
What is the title of your next book?
Cowpoke Clyde & Dirty Dawg.
What genre is this book?
It’s a rhyming picture book.
Who is publishing this book?
It’s being released by Clarion on May 14, 2013, a few short months away.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
One day I was looking for an idea for a picture book and thought it would be fun to write a story about a boy chasing his dog for a bath. However, as I worked on it, there was no magic. No matter what I wrote, the story felt flat and boring. After setting it aside for a while, I happened to notice a few picture books with cowboys and suddenly knew that if I switched the setting to a cowboy setting, all sorts of exciting things could happen. Once I made the switch, the story took off like a buckin’ bronco and it was exciting to figure out what would happen next.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Washin’ a dog can lead to a powerful lot of trouble.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Once I switched the story to the cowboy setting, only a couple of weeks. When the editor at Clarion bought it, it took a few more months to tweak the text so it was pitch-perfect.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Since the story is a rambunctious read-aloud, the actor would have to have a lot of pluck too. I could easily see Jim Carey, Tom Hanks, or Tommy Lee Jones as the dogged cowboy. And the dog? Beethoven, of course!
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
There are some terrific cowboy picture books out there. Two that come to mind are The Dirty Cowboy by Amy Timberlake and When Wishes Were Horses by Sharon Hart Addy.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My neighbors used to have dogs that regularly broke out of their backyard and raced down the street which always created an exciting scene of shouting and barking, so that was probably the initial inspiration of what I thought could become an exciting story.
What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
I think this excerpt from the book description says it perfectly!
“The rhyming stanzas are pitch-perfect, Texas-style, and plumb near cry out to be read aloud. Austin’s expressive acrylic and colored-pencil caricatures of Cowpoke Clyde and his menagerie are priceless. A storytime shoo-in!”
Michael Allen Austin and I have also put together a wonderful multi-page guide for teachers and librarians to use with the book that will be available through our websites when the book is released.
I’m now delighted to pass The Next Best Thing blog to the following terrific authors:
Yee Hah!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Celebrate!
The end of the year is just around the corner. At first, it’s easy to think about all the stars I’m still shooting for, but when I take a moment and think of all the great things that happened in 2012, I realize there were many accomplishments to celebrate.
The year kicked off with the release of my rhyming picture book, Cindy Moo, illustrated by wonderful Jeff Mack. Not only did he do a great job of capturing Cindy Moo’s udderly moo-velous lunar journey, his imagery became a delightful feature of my redesigned website at www.lorimortensen.com, the next notable accomplishment of the year. After putting together my own website for the past five years, I realized it was time to turn this important task over to an expert. After much searching, I found Donna Farrell at www.donnadoodles.com, who gave my website a much needed make-over. I’m tickled with the result.
Next, was the creation of three book trailers, two as a collaboration between my son and me, and one by yours truly. I’m so pleased that we tackled this fun project and learned so much along the way. Now that I’m a YouTube aficionado, I’m always tickled when someone goes to my links, likes them, and adds a positive comment. (Wouldyou? Wouldyou? :-)
This year was also a year of SCBWI presentations, and book signing events at Barnes & Noble in Citrus Heights, and Face in a Book, in El Dorado Hills. I was thrilled to share my writing journey with so many others who also share my passion for writing for children and read Cindy Moo to eager listeners. (http://lorimortensen.com/Events.html)
The most exciting news of 2012, however, was the sale of my rhyming picture book Mousequerade Ball to Bloomsbury. Talks are in the works for an illustrator, so I’ll post more news as details fall into place.
On a personal note, I’m terribly pleased that I’ve stuck to my WeightWatcher plan and kept off the 34 pounds I dropped in 2011. Such a difference! And I’m loving all the fruits and vegetables I’d neglected for so long.
So that’s 2012. All in all, a great year. Here’s to the wonders and surprises of 2013, including my new rhyming picture book release Cowpoke Clyde & Dirty Dawg with Clarion. More news on that next year!
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