Children’s Author and Poet
I know. I know. You’ve grown accomplished to children’s authors visiting for #AuthorAcrostics, but today I’m welcoming a columnist, poet, novelist and editor all in one. Madonna and I have only met through emails and online, but we have been friends for sometime now. We first connected when her work appeared in the anthology Toasts, compiled by June Cotner and myself. It’s been a grand time ever since. You may learn more about Madonna here.
Today I have a fabulous #GiveAway on Twitter, so go check out @NancyTupperLing. I’m super-blessed to have illustrator Shirley Ng-Benitez for #AuthorAcrostics. She will be signing two of her books (Pablo’s Pet and The Protest) to the winner of the drawing (at 11 pm EST). Just look at her illustrations. Doesn’t she capture a warmth and a sense that the world will be a better place?! Shirley and I share the same wonderful agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette (Erin Murphy Literary Agency), and she is here “wishing everyone a great new year of the Ox!” She hopes we have “a peaceful year ahead and we will all be able to get vaccinated so that we can hopefully start opening up things and resume seeing people . . . I miss that!” Personally, I can’t wait until Shirley and I meet in person. The sooner the better, maybe even in 2021!
I can’t think of anyone I’d rather hang out with during a New England snow storm than Elly Swartz. If you haven’t read one of Elly’s fabulous books yet, now is the time to start. You can choose from Finding Perfect, Give and Take, or Smart Cookie. If you finish those, her next book, Dear Student, will be coming out in 2022. To learn more at her website, click https://ellyswartz.com/ To book a photo session with her talented son, Greg, head to https://www.instagram.com/gregswartz_photography/
Turns out Heidi E.Y. Stemple and I have something in common besides writing for children. When I was younger I vowed I would never be a poet like my mother. Guess what? That didn’t last. And if you read Heidi’s #AuthorAcrostics below, you’ll discover that she had similar thoughts until she turned 28. The rest is history!
I can’t imagine starting out an #AuthorAcrostics New Year any better than this. I’m honored to have New York Times best-selling author-illustrator, Brian Lies, here with me today. I think this is a good omen for 2021, don’t you?! Please join me on Twitter for a chance to win a copy of Brian’s amazing book, The Rough Patch, which received a Caldecott Honor and a Crystal Kite award. To learn more about Brian’s upcoming book, Little Bat in Night School, and more click here.
Last #AuthorAcrostics stop for 2020! What better way to celebrate than with a prize! We have a visit with author & illustrator, Jarrett Lerner, and a drawing for a signed copy of his book, Give This Book a Title.
Hey, you say! It’s not a Monday! How can you post an #AuthorAcrostics on a Wednesday? Are you trying to trick us? Well, not exactly, but it is officially the Christmas season, so what better time to introduce you to Suzanne Nelson’s debut picture book?! Over in the Stable is a book to feast your eyes on thanks to the illustrations by Aleksandar Zolotic. You may read about all of Suzanne’s books and activities here.
What a year! One good thing that came out of 2020, tho, was the creation of #AuthorAcrostics. I’ve learned so much about all the participants and their personalities. I’m grateful for my friend, Kristin Nitz, and her visit here this Monday. I hope you have fun reading about her books and adventures. For the full scoop, look here!
Does it surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me that my friend, Janet Costa Bates, went outside the box in her creativity with her #AuthorAcrostics. Besides, she is one of the best critique partners I could have because sometimes she looks at things upside down and backward in order to make a story stronger. To find out more about her upcoming books, look right here! 