
☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I have straight up black coffee first thing in the morning. Then, around 11:30, I have a soy latte with some sort of treat (for the record, a pecan scone today). My sister Liz gave me this mug as a reminder of growing up in New Jersey, and my very first job—waitressing at Dunkin’ Donuts.
☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Rock-a-Bye Romp, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House, January 2016); Henry Wants More!, illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes (Penguin Random House, January 2016); All We Know, illustrated by Jane Dyer (HarperCollins, March 2016). Forthcoming: Hey, Coach!, illustrated by Kim Smith (Sterling, August 2016).
☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOKS: We must have read Seven Silly Eaters a zillion times when my son was small. We also loved Susan Meddaugh’s hilarious Martha books (the magical power of alphabet soup!). Oh, and Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly is really funny too.
☕ Visit Linda Ashman’s Official Website. She also blogs monthly at PictureBookBuilders.com. Learn more about Henry Wants More! in Linda’s Chat with illustrator Brooke Boynton Hughes, and about Rock-a-Bye Romp in Linda’s Chat with illustrator Simona Mulazzani.
☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out this great Welcome to My Studio feature at All the Wonders — you can see the different places where Linda likes to work in her lovely home.
☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: If you’re an aspiring or even a seasoned picture book writer, Linda’s Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books is a must read:
The Nuts and Bolts Guide is designed to work like a 9-week class. Each chapter includes detailed instruction on essential topics—things like building a story, experimenting with voice, creating memorable characters, writing rollicking read-alouds and pitch-perfect verse, playing with humor, and submitting your work—plus a reading list, interviews, tips, resources, and exercises to stimulate new ideas and apply to works-in-progress.
Click here for a free preview and to order your copy (available as a PDF or eBook for Kindle).
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Copyright © 2016 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.