Ask Me How I've Suffered

Having a webpage devoted to FAQs, or "Frequently Asked Questions," is a really useful tool to include on websites. I highly recommend that children's book illustrators in particular write one and keep it updated since they'll be directing people to it quite often. My website already contains a FAQ listing common queries I receive on a regular basis, but today's blog post showcases some of the more amusing questions that are occasionally thrown at me by well-meaning grown-ups and inquisitive children. Read on for your own enjoyment:

Do you have a real job?
If a real job means working very hard for long hours, frequently sacrificing free time and occasionally breaking down in tears, then this job is as real for me as it gets.

How much money do you make?
I could tell you, but then I’d have to beg you not to repeat it with such pathetic, sniveling sobs that you’ll be utterly disgusted and wish you’d never asked.

How old are you?
Take a guess!

Why don’t you have kids?
I love kids, and I know it’s surprising that someone who revels in the nerdery of kid lit wouldn’t have any herself, but the wee ones get their fill of me during classes, school visits, and having me as an auntie. If you’re holding out for me to get pregnant, you’re welcome to get in the line that starts with my in-laws and goes around the block.

Are you really Mexican? You don’t look like it.
I am half-Mexican thanks to my dad. I take after my half-Korean mother, but as I like to joke with adults: You can tell I’m Asian when you look me in the eyes and Mexican as you watch me strut away.

Writers and artists: what funny, annoying, or even regrettable questions have dogged you over the years? Please share in the comments!

10 Commandments for Aspiring Children's Book Creators

I consider myself lucky to have only come across very polite aspiring children's book creators here in Minnesota, but every month or so I'll get a solicitous email from someone who clearly has not done any research into the industry, and I'll have to send a very delicately-worded reply. It's not fun, but worse is seeing other uninformed individuals plunge in and make even worse mistakes.  So, in the interest of furthering informed interaction, I'm posting my "10 Commandments" for Aspiring Children's Book Creators:

1. Thou shalt not presume that making a children’s book is “easy.”
   Believe me, it’s not. Go ahead and look up the backgrounds of your favorite children’s book creators: they’ve been working extremely hard at this for years. Plus, going around with a superiority complex annoys people pretty fast.
2. Thou shalt regard this as a “real job.”
   Please don't be rude by asking otherwise. Working on our children’s books is very much a "real job," and any full-time or part-time work we may do outside of it just helps pay the bills. It's funny how serious you have to be if you want to make children's books, but we love it.
3. Thou shalt read, read, and then read some more.
   It’s a given that you should read as much of the genre in which you’re writing or illustrating, but you should also keep researching your craft and how the industry really works. If you’re a writer, read about writing, revisions, and process. If you’re an illustrator, read about illustrating, technique and style. Do your homework on the submissions process and you’ll have a much easier chance at successfully navigating the tumultuous waters of the children’s book industry. A good place for anyone to start is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books by Harold Underdown.
4. Thou shalt practice thine craft each and every day.
   Whether you write or illustrate, you should consider yourself a lifelong learner. Take classes, attend workshops and conferences hosted by your local chapter of the SCBWI, get critiques on your work, learn new techniques, keep a sketchbook or a journal, etc. Practice as though your career depended on it, because it does!
5. Thou shalt not ask established writers or illustrators for contacts in the industry.
   Most of us have spent years building relationships with our editors, art directors, and agents. Referrals are to be fully appreciated, but not expected. Do your own legwork and it’ll pay off in the end: grab a copy of the Children’s Writers and Illustrator’s Market to start building your submissions list.
6. Thou shalt not solicit illustrators if you’re submitting your manuscript to a traditional publisher.
   That is just not how it’s done. The publisher matches the illustrator with the manuscript, not the writer. You’re not involved with this process unless you’re self-publishing, which brings us to:
7. Thou shalt not attempt to solicit illustrations for free if you are self-publishing.
   Don’t approach an illustrator promising only a cut of profits if/when the book sells. We work on an advance with royalties. Anything less is basically asking us to work for free, and unless you’re a friend or my Abuela, I can’t do that.
8. Thou shalt use professional services for your self-published books.
   Don’t be cheap! Hire an experienced professional editor, illustrator, and graphic designer. Use quality printing services, preferably local so you can check out their products before you commit.
9. Thou shalt pay according to industry standards outlined in the Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines.
   The professional illustrators and graphic designers I mentioned above are using this, too, so they’ll know how much they should be paid.
10. Thou shalt not burn bridges.
    I get it: children's book people tend to be very passionate people (just ask my husband!). But don’t let your creative ardor damage your reputation. Don’t take harsh critiques personally, always thank people if they go out of their way to help you, and don’t be a weirdo stalker. Networking is huge in this industry, so word gets around if you’re unprofessional.

Those are my "10 Commandments," and I hope they'll help someone in the long run. What are your "Commandments" to other writers and illustrators?

Art Crush Wednesday: René Colato Laínez

My guest today is author René Colato Laínez. He’s on a blog book tour for his newest release, From North to South / Del Norte al Sur (read my review of the book here). I’m pleased to welcome him back for another Art Crush Wednesday! Leave a comment to enter the book raffle!

Rene, you’ve mentioned that your students’ and your own immigration experience have been the inspiration for many of your books. What was the writing process like for you as you wrote From North to South, from idea to finished manuscript?
The idea to write the book was born in the classroom after one of my students told me that her father was deported to Tijuana. The idea to write a story about a deported mother ran in my head for about six months. I began to create mental images about a child and his mother and father. Like in a play, the curtain opened and I was able to see their situations, reactions, and feelings toward the mother’s deportation. When I had a solid idea about the whole story, I began to write it. When I had the first draft, I sent it to my wonderful agent Stefanie Von Borstel. I edited the manuscript a few times and then it was ready for submission. The time involved from idea to final manuscript was about 8 to 9 months. Like a real baby!

Given the current political climate, it could’ve been risky to raise the topic of immigration in a children’s book. How did you approach Children’s Book Press with this unique, sensitive story?
From the moment I began thinking about the story, I knew that Children’s Book Press would be the perfect publisher for From North to South. Children’s Book Press had published wonderful books about children and immigration such as My Diary From Here to There, Super Cilantro Girl and Friends From the Other Side. CBP always take care to publish books that are relevant to children of color. When the manuscript was ready, Stephanie sent the manuscript to Children Book Press. To celebrate my birthday, I went to Orlando, Florida. I was walking on the beach when Stefanie called me with the great news. Children Book Press offered a contract to publish the manuscript. It was a great birthday present for me.

Where any changes to the story suggested by your editor?  What kinds of input did the publisher have on your writing, and what was your revision process like?
I wrote the manuscript in third person. But when I was translating the story in Spanish, it felt very distant. In Spanish these two words, “mi mamá”, is very powerful. Everyone says “mi mamá” when they are talking about their mothers.  La mamá de José, (José’s mother) did not sound right. I decided to rewrite the manuscript in first person in both English and Spanish. Children Book Press was happy with the change. There were other little changes in the story like José’s mother love to eat conchas (pan dulce- sweet bread) but in South America, concha is a bad word. So we changed conchas to pan dulce.

What is your relationship with El Centro Madre Assunta, the refugee center described in your book?
When I wrote the first draft, I sent the mother to a refuge in Tijuana. From personal experience, I knew that they are many immigrant shelters in Tijuana. My father and I stayed in one of them for one night in Tijuana when we were coming to the United States. When it was time to name the refuge, I searched on line for shelters and found out about Centro Madre Assunta, a refuge for immigrant women and children. After reading and looking at the pictures on their website, I visited more sites in English and Spanish about Centro Madre Assunta.  When I read this article, I knew that it was the perfect place for the book:

Every day, we receive between 400 and 500 immigrants that are deported [back to Mexico through the San Ysidro crossing],” said Maria Galvan, a social worker for the Centro Madre Assunta, an immigrant shelter for women and children in Tijuana.

I am donating a portion of my royalties to Centro Madre Assunta because I believe in their heroic work.

I love the running theme throughout the book about planting seeds and how it relates to having patience for one’s hopes and dreams.  Where did you get the idea for this?
The idea of the garden and the seeds is a symbol for these kids. Right know they can be tiny like a little seed. But every seed in full of life and one day it will be a beautiful flower. This was my massage to represent hope in the book. There is a small garden at Casa Madre Assunta and the women and children take care of it. I created the cans because I wanted that something by José remained in Tijuana with Mamá. José will take care of the garden at home, while his mamá will take of the can in the refuge.

René leading a school presentation.

Many thanks to René for stopping by my blog again!  René Colato Laínez was born in El Salvador. He is an award-winning author who holds an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

You can follow the rest of René’s book tour at the following blogs:

Thursday, October 7	Lori Calabrese
Friday, October 8	The Examiner
Monday, October 11	Many Voices, One World

Art Crush Wednesday: Ramona Moreno Winner

My guest today is Ramona Moreno Winner, author of the children’s book, Freaky Foods from Around the World. Read on as Ramona shares stories of her lifetime of writing, travels and exploration, both around the globe  and with her appetite! Read on and be sure to leave a comment to enter the FREE book giveaway!

I am the daughter of Pablo and Maria Magdalena Moreno.  I was born the last of five daughters among the desert flowers in San Manuel, Arizona.  My father was a miner and we moved from one small town to another following the job.  One of my fondest childhood memories was of my family packing up our mobile home, hitching it to our pick-up and moving into a new community.  Each move provided another opportunity for exploration.  Our trailer was much too small for the lot of us so I would escape after breakfast, roam our desert surroundings, and return for meals and bedtime.

Years later, still excited about seeing new places, I was able to travel around the world twice with my husband and our two sons. We visited Canada, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Seychelles, India, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico and Portugal.  Whew! 

Travel with my children (two boys) was eye opening.  They were much more comfortable than I with adapting to new people and cultures.  The area they struggled the most with was eating the different foods.  I had one supreme rule: They did not have to eat the food served to them, but they were asked to sample some - without rude comments or making faces. From this experience rose my book Freaky Foods From Around the World – Platillos sorpredentes de todo el mundo.   I wanted children to experience different cultures without having to leave their homes.  Mostly, I wanted them to realize that what may seem common to us is sometimes viewed as strange to other people.  The more we learn about different cultures, the more we realize we are more similar than different. 

The biggest challenge with my Freaky Foods book was finding a translator who could make some of the text rhyme.  There two pages reciting the menu that rhymes in English and Spanish. “There’s the raspy tongue of a sassy cow, juicy hooves and ears of a sow. / Hay lenga rasposa de vaca fresca, jugosas pezuñas y orejas de puerca.” The translator did an excellent job in making the rhyme cohesive and fun without losing any flavor in the process.

To further share this book and the experience of sampling foods from different cultures, I prepare foods to take with me for school assemblies and trade shows.  In my very own kitchen, I don an apron and set to work baking crickets.  Yep, you read correctly, nice crunchy crickets.  You see, many countries around the world eat crickets, grass hoppers, or locusts as a source of protein.  They are YUMMY!  Both adults and children are so excited to sample my crickets and many return for seconds.  I kid you not, they really do!  When I have more time and a kitchen is readily available, I sometimes prepare chicken feet and nopalitos for my audiences to feast upon.   I leave them with this message: once we get over our initial prejudices, we are open to learning about other cultures. 

Special thanks to Ramona for her lovely guest post!  She is giving away a copy of Freaky Foods from Around the World to one lucky commenter (winner will be notified via email). You can learn more about Ramona Moreno Winner and her books at her YouTube channel and by following her blog tour.  Her next stop is scheduled for June 4^th at Layers of Thought.

Art Crush Wednesday: Sandra López

My guest today is Latina author and artist Sandra C. López. Sandra was born and raised in Hawaiian Gardens, CA, where she learned to read at the age of two.  She spent her childhood striving to get the best grades, and her free time she'd read, write, and draw. Sandra was the first in her family to graduate from high school and enter college. Her first novel, Esperanza: A Latina Story, was published in March 2008 while she was getting her BFA in Animation and illustration from Cal State University Fullerton. Sandra, now a college graduate, and is anticipating a career as a writer and illustrator.  I’m very pleased to post my interview with this promising talent:

Beyond the Gardens is a sequel to Esperanza: A Latina Story, and continues the main character’s development from a high school student into a young Latina woman. Can you tell us a little more about where Esperanza came from and where she’s going?
Esperanza, like me, came from a small barrio called Hawaiian Gardens. She was inspired by me. I basically infused her with my own weird, sarcastic, humorous personality. Like me, she is a nerd that sucks at sports. But like most nerds, her brain is her biggest muscle and that is what she'll use to conquer the world she lives in.

As discussed in your interview on The Sol Within, the character of Esperanza is semi-autobiographical, but what about the other characters? Where did you find the inspiration for Esperanza’s roommate, Anna? How did you flesh out her character and others?
The other characters were either based on someone I knew or wish I could've known. I pictured their look in my head and wrote down their attributes. Anna was based on a girl I used to hang out with in college (she had a daddy that spoiled her.)

Can you describe your writing process to us a bit? Was there much research involved with this book? How long did it take you to write and then revise the book?
The writing process was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle (I added a piece here, removed a piece there, tweaked this piece a little to make it fit there, etc.) My research came from my own personal involvement in the college experience. It took about three years to write and revise the book.

I was delighted to learn that you have a BFA in Animation and Illustration. In what ways has your artistic background helped in your growth as a writer? How do you balance those two sides of your creativity so that each gets the attention it deserves?
In a way, it has helped me blossom as a person. Art and writing has helped me strengthen my voice so that I could finally be heard. I am no longer the mousy, shy little kid I once was. And the way I balance both is that each one gets a turn. When I get tired of writing, I go on to sketching, and when I get tired of sketching, I go on to reading. When I don't have a new book to read, I go back to writing my own stories.

We’re excited to see what you’ll be showing us next! What are you working on right now, and when can we expect to see it in print?
Hopefully, what you expect to see in print is a collection of short stories that all take place in the barrio of Hawaiian Gardens. Will keep everyone updated on that.

Many thanks to Sandra for stopping by! Beyond the Gardens is available for purchase from Dulce Bread and Bookshop, an independent bookshop specializing in an array of multilingual books crafted by multicultural authors. You can also enjoy the rest of Sandra’s virtual book

April 29	Lori Calabrese
April 30	Writers Inspired
May 3	Erin O'Riordan
May 4	Cluculz Writer
May 5	BrownGirl Speaks
May 6	Mamaxxi
May 7	That Chick That Reads