VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Award-winning author Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She’s a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books and co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine. She's had over 300 reviews, interviews, stories, and articles published in print and online. Mayra is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Children's Writer's Coaching Club.   VS: I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I know you’ve been busy touring your recent book Frederico the Mouse Violinist and your other books this month with the World of Ink Tours and through other marketing opportunities. It is always a pleasure to have you here Mayra and so to begin can you share with my readers how long have you been writing? Mayra: I wrote my first stories when I was about 12. I have been writing ever since. VS: That is so great. I only started writing stories over the past few years. However, I did writ

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