Date Archives January 2020

Interview with Bonnie Clark

All through 2020, I’m interviewing the new authors of Perfect 2020 PBs. Today, the spotlight is on Bonnie Clark. Her first picture book, Taste Your Wordsillustrated by Todd Bright, debuts with Worthy Kids (a division of Hachette Book Group) on April 7th, 2020. 

Welcome, Bonnie!

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Tell us about your debut book. The title Taste Your Words is so intriguing!

Thanks, Katelyn. Taste Your Words tells the story of Amera, who’s having a bad day. Her best friend ruined her cupcake and they both said mean things. When Amera brings her bad mood home with her, her mom tells her to
“taste her words.” Amera’s mean words taste like rotten eggs, spoiled milk, and lemons! As Amera realizes that her mean words make her feel bad and others feel worse, she starts saying the kindest, sweetest words she can find.

I like that this story engages a child’s senses while evoking frustrations we all experience. What can you tell us about its journey to publication? Can you describe “The Call ”or “The Email”–that moment you knew that your dreams were about to come true?

My journey to publication was a little unconventional. There were starts and stops along the way but eventually my manuscript for Taste Your Words paired with the illustrations (by my stepbrother!) got some attention by a few agents and publishing houses through a Twitter pitch party. I had a phone call with agent Adria Goetz who had been on my radar for some time. I had critique partners tell me that they thought we would be a good fit, but I had submitted to
her in the past and received a (kind) rejection. When she showed interest in Taste Your Words I was thrilled and signing with her has been a dream come true.

Sounds like a Happily Ever After! How long have you been pursuing this dream?

I have always enjoyed writing, but I’ve been actively writing for children for about 5 years. I fell in love with picture books when my kids were much smaller. We would go to the library and bring home a big bag of books to read. It’s such a magical moment to share a book with a child. I wanted to be a part of that magic for other families.

From what age did you consider yourself a writer? What spurred you to pursue this path professionally? What other fields do you work in (professionally or otherwise)?

I have a business degree from Georgia Tech, but the only classes I remember enjoying were my English/writing classes and one on Shakespeare. I guess I didn’t pursue writing professionally because I didn’t think that was an adequate profession. So, I was an over-educated and under-prepared for the toughest job of my life- stay at home mother to three kids (ages 3 and under!). I can remember a pivotal moment for me when I began calling myself a writer. I had joined a kid lit critique group and was actively pursuing writing for children. I took my kids to see our favorite picture book author/illustrator Mo Willems at the art museum in Atlanta. We stood in a long line to get his signature in his latest Elephant and Piggie book and my son was especially excited to see him in person because he loves to draw. When we finally reached Mo, my son said to him, “I want to be an artist when I grow up.” I will never forget Mo looking directly at my son and saying, “You already are an artist.” The moment that was intended for my son, became the permission I needed to start calling myself a writer. Thanks Mo!!

Aw, that’s wonderful. Sometimes we do need “permission” to accept a calling. So, now that you *are* a writer (even an author!), what do you like to write about in general? What are your preferred genres/target audiences?

I prefer to write about social/emotional topics where kids can see themselves, recognize the emotions that the story evokes and remember the lesson as they get older and when they need it most.

What does a typical day in your life look like?

A typical day for me starts early at 5:15. I like to get up before I wake my kids up so that I can enjoy my coffee, read and meditate (spiritual exercise). Once the kids are off to school I head to the gym (physical exercise). And when I get back home I write (mental exercise). I take breaks to throw in a load of laundry or clean, and before long the school bus is pulling up to the house. Afternoons are full of piano lessons, gymnastics, theater & jiu-jitsu and then I start dinner. We try to have dinner together as a family around the table as often as possible. Once the kids are in bed I make a cup of tea and read for hours until I’m sleepy.

What feeds your creativity as an artist? Or helps you out of that “funk”?

Reading always feeds my creativity as an author- it doesn’t even matter what genre I’m reading! I also love to do hand-lettering. I enjoy making words beautiful (literally and figuratively) and it satisfying to see an idea through to completion on a page. Drawing & hand-lettering are very therapeutic. I drink coffee all day and switch to tea at night.

What tips do you have for other creatives?

Be creative! If you love to write, write! If for no one else but you. I heard a quote once that I love by Earl Nightingale, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” Keep writing, keep creating art, no time is wasted creating things you love.

So true. Now, back to your debut, with that burning question: How did the idea of (title) come to you? Do you remember your lightbulb moment?

The idea for Taste Your Words originated with myself and my children when they were much smaller and learning how to use their words to communicate. Inspired by Proverbs 16:24, I would tell them to taste their words before they let them out of their mouth. I also remember when I verbalized the idea to my critique group at a SCBWI Conference and they loved it ! I came home from that conference and wrote the first draft. The original title was The Yucky
Words, but after some time editing the manuscript, my agent suggested changing the title to Taste Your Words, which I agreed was more appealing and marketable.

Your dream of publishing your very first picture book is about to come true! What’s next? What do you still hope to accomplish in the future?

I have been waiting for 2020 for so long and I am beyond excited about the release of my debut Taste Your Words in the Spring! I am also thrilled that I have a second picture book coming out in August of this year as well entitled Catching Thoughts.

Any promotional events we can look forward to meeting you at?

I will be attending the SCBWI WIK 2020 conference in March where I will be a participant in the writer’s intensive with the one and only Jane Yolen! I am also excited to (hopefully) be signing copies of TYW! I also have a book launch at my local bookstore FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA on April 4th.

You can find out more about me, my books, author visits & resources on my website and social media accounts:

www.bonnieclarkbooks.com
IG: @bonnieclarkbooks
Twitter: @bonclark
FB: Bonnie Clark Author

Wonderful, Bonnie. Congratulations, and here’s to a long and fruitful career!

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These days, preorders are vital to a debut author’s career. To support Bonnie Clark and her new release, preorder Taste Your Words through any of the following retailers:

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Interview with LaRonda Gardner Middlemiss

Happy New Year to one and all! 

All through 2020, I’ll be interviewing the new authors of Perfect 2020 PBs. Today, the spotlight is on LaRonda Gardner Middlemiss. Her first picture book, I Love Me!, illustrated by Beth Hughes, debuts with Beaming Books on April 21st, 2020. 

Welcome, LaRonda! 

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Tell us a bit about I Love Me! ?

First, I want to thank you for this interview. I appreciate you taking the time.

I Love Me! is a fun, self-affirming, book that encourages children to love and appreciate their bodies. The art is wonderfully inclusive, sharing a diverse group of characters, expressing how they love themselves.

What a great theme for a brand new year! Now, let’s back up: What got you writing in the first place?And what has the journey to publication been like? 

I was introduced to picture books as a mom. My son really loved story time and I saw how engaged he was and how he’d request (my husband) or myself to read books again and again. I loved finding new books to share with him and that really opened my eyes to the vast landscape of picture books. Still, writing picture books wasn’t something I was pursuing, it was something that just presented itself to me out of the blue. I was busy cleaning the house and thinking about my son and his bi-racial identity, and out of nowhere the words of a book popped into my head. It was such an exciting moment. And that was the beginning for me, the first spark, back in early 2015.

Incredible–a surprise “calling.” And you’ve come quite far in only 5 years! What other fields have you worked in?

Yes, I’m an incredibly late bloomer to the craft. I could have never imagined being a creative writer. My educational background is Industrial Engineering. So today, my non-literary career involves program management with elements of my degree woven in. I will say, since coming into the creative writing world, I’ve come to realize that being an engineer also requires a fair amount of creativity when designing processes and creating solutions to solve problems. That’s another form of creativity, so I already had that ability, now I’m exploring it through writing. I would not have made that connection in the past, though.

At what point did you realize that your writing career was taking off? How did your first offer of publication come about?

I participated in a Twitter pitch event called #DVPIT, aimed at amplifying diverse voices and stories to agents and publishers. During that event I pitched several manuscripts and two of them got hearts. Beaming books liked my I Love Me! pitch and an agent liked a different pitch. Hearts don’t come easily during Twitter pitch events, so it was both surprising and exciting rolled into one. I then did some research and moved forward with submitting the full manuscript to each, respectively. The agent replied quickly to my submission and asked for a ‘revise and resubmit’ for that story (she wanted me to increase the word count a bit). And while that was underway, I got an offer of publication on the I Love Me! manuscript from Beaming!

And now your dream of publishing your very first picture book is about to come true! What’s next? What do you still hope to accomplish in the future?

I know, it’s so exciting! First, I hope that I Love Me! is embraced by children, parents…everyone. Not just in terms of my book, but as a mantra to know and realize that they are enough. Each of us have something positive to contribute to this world, and once we embrace who we are as we are…we can get to a place where that positivity radiates and helps make this world a better place.

Beyond that, my agent has other manuscripts on submission, so I am hoping for good news there. And I continue writing and creating art, hoping to someday be published as an author/illustrator.

So you like writing and illustrating! And what do you prefer to write/illustrate about, in general?

Picture books are my primary focus. The ability to empower, enlighten and entertain a child in 32 pages is just so appealing. I’ll also share that early in my journey I connected with an amazing Author/Illustrator who encouraged me to explore my drawing. I always wanted to draw when I was a kid, but didn’t quite have the confidence to pursue it. I was doing that awful thing of comparing my drawing to others. Never do that. That’s another lesson I’ve learned in this journey. It’s okay to get inspiration, but don’t compare. Getting back to my point, I followed her advice, embraced her guidance and have been working on art ever since.

What is it then, that feeds your creativity? Or helps you out of that “funk”? 

Observing kids in real-life or in print. Or people and things in general, I would say. I’m an observer by nature. Sometimes just imagining a scenario playing out either differently or beyond where it ended at that point in time. Letting my imagination extend it to a different possibility. I let things roll around in my head long before I put pen to paper, and that really helps me keep my creativity sharp.

What does a typical day in your life look like?

I returned to working outside the home this past May, so my days are mostly filled with that professional work, being a mom and wife. I am still adjusting to the balance of writing and creating art while working full-time, so unfortunately, I don’t have a nice buttoned up routine to share. I wish I did!

Nothing wrong with that! In the midst of that daily juggle, what advice do you have other creatives?

My humble opinion is to know why you’re doing it. That will be your motivation to keep moving forward. Oh, and don’t compare. Being inspired by another’s work is fine, but know that only you can tell the stories you are meant to tell and create the art that you are meant to create.

Great advice, which brings us back to theme of your debut book. How exactly did the idea of I Love Me! come to you? Do you remember your “lightbulb” moment?

Yes, it was inspired by my son, Ryan. I was teaching him to say and sign (ASL), I love you. And he would always say “I love me.” And those three simple, powerful words really stuck with me. Then the rhyming stanzas began filling my head. It became a sing-song that I did with him as I was teaching him various parts of his body. And working toward a picture book was mixed in there as well. I can’t say the events were sequential, I believe it was more a parallel journey.

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A true labor of love. Congratulations on your debut, LaRonda! May I Love Me!, find a wide and loving audience. Can we look forward to meeting you at any promotional events in 2020?

We are working on putting some events together as we speak. I will post information on my website and social media as soon as it becomes available.

Website: Iscribeisketch.com

Instagram: @iamlgmiss

Twitter: @IamLGMISS

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These days, preorders are vital to a debut author’s career. To support LaRonda Gardner Middlemiss and her new release, preorder I Love Me! through any of the following retailers:

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