It all started with five simple words at the end of a phone call. This is why I love sister authors Judy Snider and Joan Dickow´s recent book, I love You, Be Careful—a picture book that is also designed to be a gift book for adults and children alike—shares these words that follow us our entire lives and sometimes we may not say often enough.
With this thought in mind, I started thinking about my children and how fast they are growing up. They inspire me to write funny children´s stories and keep me motivated to share the love of reading with others. I asked Judy if her children have also inspired her writing. "Oh, yes, they have throughout their lives. They are in their 20´s now, but I remember driving them in the car with their friends and asking their opinion, reading stories to them on a daily basis, and they are zany and fun."
Joan also has kids and grandkids, so they have definitely had a positive effect on inspiring her to write this book (I Love You, Be Careful) and the one she is working on, The Porch Fairy. "My goal in getting a book published was to read it to my kids and groups of kids and have them smile and laugh…it worked," stated Joan.
Even though these two sisters live 700 miles apart, their love of writing is always blooming. "There are days you may want to put blinders on our eyes, so as you look around you are not suddenly filled with idea after idea." This is how author Judy Snider feels sometimes. "I love to write and it seems odd to me if a day goes by that I don´t write something. Yet, the ideas floating around me sometimes make it hard to select the one I want to use."
Judy Snider lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, Gil and two silly cats. She is the author of the CWA award-winning children´s picture book, Goldy´s Baby Socks and one of a team of authors who wrote, The Scared Purse.
Okay, maybe you´re not like Judy Snider, but I´m sure you understand having too many things going on at once. Joan Dickow shared, "Everyday moments in my life inspire me!" Joan is a 20-year breast cancer survivor, a mother, grandmother, wife, friend and sister. She finds there is beauty all around her and all her good moments and stressful moments inspire her.
Read the full article at American Chronicle | Meet Sisters Judy Snider and Joan Dickow, Authors of "I Love You, Be Careful"
The world of children’s picture book publishing is extremely competitive. If you’re an aspiring children’s author, you need to make sure your manuscript is in excellent shape and has all the elements editors and agents look for before you begin the submission process. Here are five tips to make your picture book manuscript more marketable: Start right with the problem. Many times beginner writers begin a picture book with back-story. It’s okay to have this back-story in the first draft, but be sure to get rid of it when you edit. Back-story is unnecessary 90% of the time and it only serves to slow down the beginning of a story, making it weaker. You want to grab the reader right from the start. So don’t be afraid to begin your story at the heart of the problem. It’s okay to set the stage with a sentence or two—but no more! Have a protagonist readers can relate to. Generally, children like to listen to stories about other children or animals with children’s characteristics. They
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