children’s books – Writing & Editing Podcast

2023

207. The Craft of Writing Children’s Books

My guest today is Tonya Ellis. She’s a children’s author who has independently sold over 150,000 books in her Sophie Washington chapter book series and recently signed a deal for a picture book with HarperCollins. I invited her on the show though to talk in more general terms about writing books for children, how a writer writes for their level without writing down to them, and how the whole thing differs from writing for adults.
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Tonya's Website
https://tonyaduncanellis.com/

2023

192. Not Just a Lesson, but Fun and Funny Too

My guest today is Steph Katzovi. She has a law degree, but she has spent most of her career as a speechwriter and strategic communications consultant. Now, though, she’s published a middle-grade novel about a girl who is away at camp when a hurricane comes. There are intentional life lessons in the book, and part of what I was interested in was how she maintained the balance between the book being an entertaining novel versus one full of wholesome lessons for kids.
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Steph's Website
https://stephkatzovi.com

2023

185. Writing, Illustrating, and Editing Books for Kids

My guest today is Heidi Fiedler. She’s a writer, editor, coach, and teacher, with a focus on children and pre-teen adolescents. I asked her to come on the show to talk about the whole process of putting together a successful book for these readerships.

Heidi's Website
https://www.helloheidifiedler.com/

2022

95. Adult Problems and Children’s Books

My guest today is Marcy Pusey. Marcy has a wide range of ability and experience. She’s a writer of books on adult trauma as well as books for children. She says that her "jam" is "anything related to story (the ones we tell ourselves and the ones we tell the world) and how it interacts with the brain."

Marcy is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Trauma & Resilience Practitioner, an international speaker, story coach—and a bestselling, award-winning author of books for adults and for children. You can also check out her TEDx Talks: “How Story Empowers Kids to Shape our World” and “You Are More Than Your Traumatic Experiences.” Marcy also provides a free guide that walks people through telling their story in a way that both impacts their audience and brings unexpected healing to themselves. Get it here.

She also prefers Pepsi to Coke, and can tell the difference.