Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can a busy parent find time to write?

You must make writing a priority. If you had to write for an hour a day in order to stay alive, you would find a way. You’d put away the time-wasting activities and make sure there was an hour to write. So write to survive, 

I wrote when my children were at school, or during their extracurricular activities, or when they were in bed. Some of my author friends need to go to the library and be away from home. No matter what your current situation is, you can make time to write if it’s a priority.

Q. How do you come up with your stories?

It starts from playing around with words.  I’ll get an idea from something I see, hear, or imagine and then I’ll write some lines and tinker with them until they’re funny or interesting. With Zombelina, I had the idea of a little zombie in pigtails. I thought this had potential as a fun character kids were ready for, especially after movies like “Corpse Bride.”  I started thinking about a name for her, something like “Zombella” or “Zombini,” and finally thought about “Zombelina.” I loved that except it sounded like a ballerina. Wham. What if she were a ballerina? A zombie who takes her head off when she dances! This kind of tinkering and “what-if”ing is what makes ideas take shape into something concrete.

Q. How can I get published?

My mentor, Rick Walton (may he rest in peace) used to say you should not be a writer unless you’re crazy and can’t stop yourself. And if you’re that obsessed, you’ll find a way.

My greatest piece of advice is to attend writing conferences and workshops. These are gatherings for writers and professionals in the industry, where you’ll make valuable connections, learn techniques and get critical feedback on your work.  SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) offers many writing conferences nationwide. In Utah, I recommend Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (WIFYR), which is the conference that gave me my start. 

For more information, check out my “Submission Dos.”

Q. Why do you write in rhyme?

My father loved to write rhyming poetry and was quite good at it. I think he bred that tight-ticking meter in me. When I was a child, he would recite poems like “The Jabberwocky” in a way that was totally captivating.

I attended a writer’s conference as an unpublished writer, toting a funny little rhyming manuscript around about a rat in the city. An editor was there from a big publishing house, and she spoke to our group of hopeful writers. “Do not send rhyme,” she said. “I don’t like to see rhyming stories.” Other editors, in online interviews and articles had dittoed the same plea. “No rhyme, please.” So I felt pretty hopeless. I did have a bunch of stories written which weren’t in rhyme, but something told me this rhyming manuscript was good. I figured, I’ll just show it around and see what happens. Well, that same visiting editor at the conference ended up asking me if she could take the story back to New York with her. Huh? But this was a rhyming story, and she had just denounced rhyme a few hours earlier! I sold that manuscript, and many other rhyming stories since.

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I think the reason that editors may not want rhyme is because they lots of manuscripts in rhyme that make their eyes roll. If you’re going to write in rhyme, it’s got to be snappy, fresh, and interesting. Avoid mimicking the style of Dr. Suess. His ghost will outperform you every time.

Q. What’s the greatest advice you could give to hopeful children’s book writers?

Read and analyze picture books that were just released and are prominently displayed in bookstores. Not old library books. These new releases and their authors are your competition. Study these books and try to figure out…what makes this a best-seller?  Why is it special? Why do people want to buy it?  I call this playing, “What’s the hook?”

Q. What do you think about celebrity children’s books?

The problem I have with celebrity children’s books is that the focus seems to be more commercial than literary. I would hate to see the picture book industry become so overrun by commercialism that good literature no longer matters. I believe the author’s name should never become more important than the story itself. My hope is that parents are selecting books for their kids based on the quality of the story and how appealing it is for their children, rather than because a movie or rock star wrote it.

Q. What has surprised you the most about the picture book industry?

The incredible amount of time it takes to get a book published. After selling your manuscript (which could take years) you could wait a long time for an illustrator to be selected and be free to work on your book. Then you will wait a very long time for those illustrations to be completed. After they’re finished, you’ll wait many months for the printing to get done. The process takes an exorbitant amount of patience.

If you have a question you want to ask me contact me.