This is an unusual interview because we are speaking to Dina Sabry about her new picture book which is still in the publication process and you can be a part of it. Let's speak to Dina to find out more about this wonderful new book and how we can be a part of the publication process for God's Love Letter - Creation. Tell us about your new book. GOD'S LOVE LETTER - CREATION is a 32-page lyrical picture book for all ages—from 4 to 99+ :). It is a personal letter from God to the reader, written in first person—God's, expressing God's love for us through all of His creation. I purposefully crafted the text in lyrical form, so that it reads like a piece of music. I wrote you the heavens and the angels, sound and time, the universe—with its infinite galaxies, planets, and stars. Just for you. Out of Love. The book is much more than a "mere" account of the events of creation. My hope is that, after reading the book, readers will feel their heart full and their spirit high for they know they are deeply loved and cared for by He who made us and loved us first. The book will be in hardcover and will include 14 intricate watercolour spreads by the incredibly talented, Alice Wong, illustrating the 13 stanzas I wrote. It will be in landscape format (11 x 8.5 inches or 216 x 280 mm), which means that each illustration will be 22 inches or 56 cm wide. It's going to look amazing! :) I currently have a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign running till 15 July 2022 to help fund the production and printing of the book. What inspired you when working on this project? I started this project five years ago - September 2017 to be exact. My daughter and I had a bedtime ritual, where I would hop into bed with her and we would chit-chat, pray, and eventually she would fall asleep. One night, she turned to me and asked me if I knew why God created us. “Why do you think?” I asked. “Because God wanted a family,” she said. Her answer moved me. God wanted a family. Not out of boredom or loneliness, but out of love. So I set off to create a lyrical picture book that depicts the many ways God expresses His love for us, and it made sense to start with creation. I also knew that I wanted to make it personal, which is why I wrote it in first person—God's. Talk to us about the creative process for this book. It is a rare and special moment, when a writer has an inspiration, sits down in front of an empty page, and the words just flow. This is what happened with this manuscript. And while the text has been revised and refined over the last five years with the help of my critique partners and Beta readers, the spirit of the original text remained unchanged. Once I decided to self-publish the book under my own publishing brand, a new and exhilarating creative process started. I am grateful to have found Alicia Chiuminatta and Vijaya Bodach, two very talented line editors, who provided me with great feedback, and who I can now call friends. And after extensive research, I came across Alice Wong's portfolio, my wonderful illustrator. I fell in love with her watercolour illustrations—they are so full of heart. Alice is an amazing artist and she is also a wonderful human being. I relish our brainstorming sessions and conversations as she goes about illustrating each verse. It's a truly collaborative process, and it enriches us and the book in many ways! Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? How much time do you have? :) I knew that self-publishing a picture book will be hard work - but I had not realised just how much I'd need to learn in a short period of time! Finding my editors and illustrator was the "easy" part. Then I needed to figure out the printing process: POD or offset printing or both? If offset, what about fulfilment centres? Book size? Paper quality? With or without end papers? DPIs? CMYK vs. RGB? Pricing? Distribution? Shipping costs? Packaging? The list is endless. And when I realised how expensive it was going to be to publish my book at similar standards to that of a traditional publisher, I needed to figure out ways to fund it. That's when I decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign, which is still running until July 15. And, of course, that carries its own set of steep learning! :) I also surprised myself to be honest. I'm an introvert - and yet I needed to put myself out there for all the promotional work - making videos, knocking on people's doors asking if they would promote my campaign or carry my bookmarks. That's nerve-wrecking. But I think it's been a necessary process. The book is about love. And at the end of the day, if this campaign succeeds, and the book gets funded and published, it will be because of the collective efforts of a whole community of people who believed in this book and contributed to it in many ways. I hope more people will want to join us. Now for something completely different! Which would you choose: a breakfast of yogurt and cereals or a traditional full English breakfast with sausages and eggs? Why? Hmmmm that's a tough one. The Swiss in me picked the yoghurt and cereal first! :) But then I remembered my time in Cambridge, UK, as I was studying for my Coaching degree, and the English breakfasts there were delicious too. :) No sausage for me though, I'm vegetarian - but definitely eggs and beans. So I think I'll go for both! Have a bit of egg, bean, grilled tomato and toast. And finish with some yoghurt, cereal, and cut fruits on top. :) Thank you Dina for sharing with us the learning curve and the development of this picture book. We are happy to be a tiny part of this book's journey by helping to highlight it here. We wish you and God's Love Letter - Creation every success and hope that our readers will check out your Kickstarter and be a part of its publication. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio: Dina Sabry Dina works as a certified individual, group and Gallup strength coach. She is also an author, poet, and picture book writer. She was born in Egypt, and lives since more than 30 years with her family in beautiful Switzerland. Dina wrote her first short story when she was eight. Her love for poetry and the musicality of sound was ignited when she was nine, and she has been feeding that fire ever since. She enjoys writing fiction, non-fiction, informational fiction (using a fictional framework to present nonfiction content), spiritual, and lyrical picture books. For her spiritual picture books, Dina writes them under the pen name “Agape” – which stands for the highest form of Love. Dina has always had a keen love for the written word. In fact, she owns more books than she could ever read in a lifetime. But nothing measures up to her love for picture books. Crafting a well-rounded story filled with heart in as few words as possible is an art and joy. In her world, picture books are not “just for kids”. They are a powerful form of writing that can touch the soul of all people of all ages. When she is not coaching, writing, reading, or buying books, Dina loves to sing in a Gospel choir and enjoys teaching little ones at her local church.
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Today I am excited that we get to speak to Travis D. Peterson who was inspired by his hearing-impaired daughter to write the rhyming picture book, Ada and the Helpers, which was named for The Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Short List, The First Horizon Award Finalist, and Honorable Mention in the Children's Books category. Let's learn more about this fabulous book which has helped to build sign language awareness. Tell us about your new book. Ada and the Helpers is a story about a dancing deaf fox with cochlear implants—advanced hearing devices she calls her "helpers". On her way through the forest to a talent show one day, Ada runs into three other forest creatures who are each facing a challenge of their own. The fox helps each of them look past their obstacles and discover their natural, God-given strengths. But can they return the favor and help her overcome her stage fright in time for the big show? What inspired you when working on this project? Ada and the Helpers was inspired by my daughter, Esther, who was born deaf. She received cochlear implants at just 9 months old and began hearing her first sounds one month later. After just a month, Esther said her first word: "Mama!" She's now four years old, and is learning both of her parents' mother tongues (Norwegian and English), as well as both Norwegian and American sign languages! I wrote this book to bring more awareness to deafness, sign language, and cochlear implants. But I took it further than that—I made it an educational book by adding 14 words from the story spelled out using the ASL alphabet (one word on each spread of the story). The story also introduces three of the 6 Ling Sounds. These are phonemes used to assess how much of the vocal range a person with hearing loss can hear. Finally, I added a feature that really makes the book special. The hardcover edition comes with a double-sided dust jacket! Remove the jacket, and you have an American Sign Language alphabet chart over two feet tall—perfect for hanging in a child's bedroom or in the classroom! Talk to us about the creative process for this book. Believe it or not, I wrote the first draft all in one night! But it went through several rounds of rewriting before I ever got the nerve to send it to Michael Penman, my developmental editor. He encouraged me to strengthen Ada's introduction. After more re-writing I also passed it through Nikki Filippone, who provided a more line-by-line editing approach and helped me fine-tune the meter and rhyme. I took my time looking for an illustrator, and I'm so glad I did! I found Melissa Fischer on Instagram (@fischtales) by searching various hashtags. Her whimsical watercolor style and attention to detail was a perfect match for this forest tale. She was able to take the story way beyond the text itself. In fact, I think it was in the middle of the illustration phase that I decided to give the whole story a bit of an eighties flair with a surprise ending (spoiler alert: Ada's a B-Girl!) Which of course, meant a bit more rewriting and editing. But Melissa didn't miss a beat. As a print designer for over a decade, I handled all of the design, layout, and formatting of the book. I was able to add the ASL words as well as the chart and the Ling Sounds—all special features that likely wouldn't have made it into the book had it been published traditionally. Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? Actually yes, although maybe it's a bit indirectly related. I was already working as a freelance designer under the name Launch Mission Creative. But after writing Ada and the Helpers and during the whole publishing process, I became active in the children's author community on social media and discovered a need for my expertise in this field. Requests began trickling in from fellow kidlit authors for me to design and format their books. Now it's the main focus of my business. I've helped to bring many books to life over the past couple of years, and even offer a bit of coaching within the self-publishing industry. It's a niche I never would have considered had I not written the story of Ada the fox. Now for something completely different! Which would you prefer: a long ocean voyage or a winding train adventure? Why? That's a great question! As much as I love the ocean (I'm a beach bum at heart!), I have to answer "winding train adventure". A view of the wide open ocean probably doesn't change a whole lot. But to take in the sights from a train would be a feast for the eyes! In fact, you could say it's in my blood. I never got the chance to meet him, but my grandfather worked for the Atlantic Coast Line. Trains have always fascinated me, but I have yet to take a long trip in one. Maybe someday—and I hope it inspires a new story to write! Thank you Travis for sharing this amazing publishing journey you have taken with us. I am so glad that Ada and the Helpers has been given the recognition it deserves. I wish you all the best in your future writing adventures. Actually, Travis' next book, Never Ever Build a Blanket Fort!, is now available for pre-order. It also features a main character with cochlear implants who looks much like his daughter Esther (and not so much like Ada the fox!) You can find out more here. Travis has one final comment: I have plans and would love to publish Ada and the Helpers in other translations! Many have said it belongs in every classroom, and I agree. We need to raise awareness for sign language worldwide. I'd love to introduce the sign language alphabet to children in as many spoken and signed languages as possible. I completely agree with Travis. Don't you? Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio: Travis D. Peterson Born & raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, Travis D. Peterson grew up building tree forts and exploring trails in the woods, riding waves, catching fish in the ocean and lightning bugs in the night air. As a young adult, he worked in bookstores and spent way too much money books while studying graphic design at Purdue University. Travis now lives in Bergen, Norway where his wife, Anne Berit, is from. He designs books for fellow self-published authors under the name Launch Mission Creative. He and his wife have two brave and wonderful kids—one of which has profound hearing loss and has received bilateral cochlear implants that help her to hear. Travis' debut book is inspired by his daughter. Welcome to the first post in our Five Questions With interview series. This month we speak to Charlotte Sullivan Wild, who has been involved with SCBWI for a number years and even served as Regional Advisor for Southwest Texas, USA. She tells us more about her second picture book, Love, Violet. Charlotte, take it away! Tell us about your new book. Love, Violet, warmly illustrated by Charlene Chua, is the tender story of a crush between two girls and the courage it takes to share your heart–even when it’s pounding! It appears to be a first picture book from a major U.S. publisher to portray a crush between two girls. And it’s the story I needed as a child but didn’t have. This book was a decade in coming, in part because of the topic. It’s still unbelievable to me that Love, Violet is finally here! (I describe that journey and the stakes of queer erasure here.) Ultimately, Violet’s tale is one of drumming up the courage to tell Mira she wants to adventure together. Violet tries to dodge speaking by making a valentine. (Isn’t that what young crushes are all about? Big feelings, innocent play, and homemade gifts?) Poor Violet’s stomach lurches as she worries over whether Mira will like her back. Violet’s anxiety is so relatable for me, and I suspect, for many of us. We all want to know we are lovable. And showing our true feelings can feel scary! I wonder if in a way this story was unconsciously about the courage it took for me to come out, to risk losing people I cared about, a job, and social acceptance—in order to be honest about who I am. It mostly ended well, but not without nauseating conversations, real losses and chaos first. Yet, I knew I couldn’t be fully in relationship with my family and friends while hiding a part of myself. Connection requires honesty. Which isn’t easy. In fact, honesty can be costly. Not everyone will welcome our truths. Yet vulnerability is the only path to connection. Honesty, not perfection, is the door to love. And so, this love story, is all about courage and sharing your heart! See for yourself! Here’s a short video from illustrator Charlene Chua and me about why we created Love, Violet (and about our young crushes!), with special cameos from fellow kidlit authors of LGBTQIAP2+ books and friends. (Hereafter LGBTQIAP2+ is denoted as Q+) What inspired you when working on this project? The simple answer is: Love! I was inspired by my young crushes in preschool and elementary school, memories of crafting “special” valentines, and later, falling for my wife in that cute hat one snowy winter in Minnesota! Again, homemade valentines were involved! The longer answer is: Growing up, I worried that as much as I dreamed of love, it might not be for me. I could never picture myself in love. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I felt… not normal. Finally in my thirties, in the middle of my MFA program (why did I keep writing stories about teen preacher’s daughters who realized they were lesbians?!), I finally got it: I am gay. It was a shock! But also, so obvious! Suddenly, my entire life made sense! I made sense! But how had I not seen it? The evidence was all there! It just didn’t fit the story I had for my life. I’d never been able to express how I felt. I didn’t have language for my love or for myself. Not one story had shown me that I could exist. That a Q+ person could be good or loved. Or could be born into a religious family like mine and stay. I had intentionally, systematically crossed out that part of myself. I wanted to be good. I wanted to be loved. I tried not to be gay. But that kind of self-revision is violence. It caused deep wounds, hurt my development and my relationships at every stage of my life. When young, I hurt Q+ friends, trying to reject anything queer, not knowing I myself was also the target. Later, I hurt my former husband and myself trying to be a heterosexual woman in our marriage. Sometimes I wonder, if I had seen even one realistic, affirming story about queerness as a kid, how different might my life have been? How much suffering prevented? So, I wrote the story I had needed as a child. I wrote it for all the Q+ kids out there in unwelcoming, unsafe places. For those being told that they are too controversial, too disgusting to even mention. That by existing, they are perverse. As a friend, as a former teacher and volunteer at an LGBTQ+ homeless shelter, I’ve heard too many tales of trauma, neglect, and violence hurled at Q+ kids from adults who rejected them. I was so lucky. Even with all the pressure to be cisgender and heterosexual (cis-het), I was loved. I never forget. I want that for every child. I wrote Love, Violet for the kids in dangerous places, so they will that they are not alone. And they are loved. I wrote Love, Violet so young kids can begin life cheering for happy endings for all kids, not just a few. I wrote Love, Violet to celebrate love as beautiful and honest and equal. As something for us all. Talk to us about the creative process for this book. Where to begin?! I started this story while fevering with flu during the dark winter holidays in 2011. I was just learning how to write picture books, so that first draft exists, but you will never see it! What a heart-filled mess! Finding the shape and voice of this story took endless experiments and, ultimately, a team effort. My devoted writing group in Minneapolis, MN journeyed with me through this winding process. They helped me think through the age and developmental level of my characters, which ultimately landed at about seven, given their social sophistication and crafting. They helped me shape the plot and winnow the wordcount. If I remember correctly, two of them came up with the title Love, Violet independently, and I’m forever grateful! Behind every book is always a supportive team! One area that was especially challenging was uncovering the emotional storyline of the main characters. So many scenes felt utterly visceral for me—perhaps because they were inspired by real childhood memories. I could fill a few words with my imagination. But those feelings were not coming through to others. I had spent a lifetime repressing feelings. You don’t unlearn silence in a day. Or even in a few years. It takes work. Maybe a lifetime. I needed help drawing out those repressed emotions. In 2013, agent Minju Chang of BookStop Literary Agency became interested in LOVE, VIOLET—what a thrilling day that was! We entered an audition period of revision to see whether she might ultimately represent my work. (I think I was continually nervous for four months!) Minju raised important questions. What were the characters feeling? What is Violet scared of? Why? How can we see this? Why precisely do they change, why now? This onion had a thousand layers, and I agonized over each word, knowing I had to be spare, but also true, down to the core. Minju sent several rounds of comments and processed with me over the phone each time. Another dear writing friend devoted hours to what we laughingly call “book therapy.” We explored Minju’s questions, teasing out the nuances. She nudged me to identify points of emotional inspiration from my own life that I could draw on. When had I felt like Violet, even in a different context? (My anxiety over auditioning for Minju is surely baked into Violet’s portrayal, too!) Then, I created a giant thumbnail chart of every scene. I added a sticky note to each with Violet’s and Mira’s unspoken thoughts in each moment. All of this helped me break through that practiced silence and draw Violet and Mira out and onto the page. In January of 2014, Minju felt the manuscript was ready to submit and offered me representation. (Huzzah!) What a thrilling time! Surely everything was about to begin for Love, Violet and my career! Finally, kids like me would see themselves in a book! (You’ll note that it is now 2022. Obviously, there is more to this story!) Did you encounter anything unexpected while working on this project? By far the biggest challenge of this project was writing a story that many people felt should not exist. There are so many horrible myths and stereotypes about Q+ people. Many folks don’t believe that Q+ kids even exist. But we do! We aren’t born cis-het and then suddenly transformed at adolescence or by outside influences. We are born who we are. Whether our biological sex, gender, or orientation are fully expressed or obvious to others or not, we are who we are our entire lives. We may evolve and grow, but we always have a sex, gender, and orientation, even if nascent, even if fluid. The question isn’t whether we exist as kids. The question is whether we will be safe and supported, allowed to live without fear. I wanted to write a story that would simply portray Q+ kids being kids, without all the outside arguments and noise. So we can be seen as simply human. But this story goes against the culture’s grain. It triggers fear in those who are already safe. Which made both the writing and publishing paths for Love, Violet harder. And longer. I was so fortunate to be surrounded by creative support at every stage of this process, including from SCBWI. I wish this for everyone! Yet, once I shared Love, Violet beyond my close circle, the feedback became confusing. Craft comments were often tangled up with people’s assumptions and biases. None of it was meant with cruelty. The questions were honest. People simply hadn’t seen queer childhood depicted, didn’t know we existed as kids. They’d grown up when people like me hid as much as possible. Those who couldn’t hide usually paid the price. So at first, my readers at first couldn’t perceive the crush, even when the evidence was there. Just like I couldn’t see my own crushes for what they were, though they were joyful and intense! The truth didn’t fit our assumed narrative. Much of writing feedback focused on the ages of the characters, motivations, and plot—all crucial questions! I struggled to separate craft comments from bias. Sometimes I revised myself in circles trying to be clear and accurate, to assuage fears. The one advantage of this, perhaps, was that I triple checked the age level of every thread of this story. I drew heavily on concrete details from the young crushes of my Q+ friends and myself. I listened to the kids in my life. I’m confident the details of the story are age appropriate because they come from real experiences of real kids at this age. But when it came to the writing itself, wow, did I doubt myself. Unfortunately, I discovered, this struggle is common for minority writers. Most of my work had been rooted in white, cisgender, protestant Christian, and able experience. I was used to readers identifying with or understanding this perspective. Around this time, I participated in a Beyond the Pure Fellowship, sponsored by the Jerome Foundation and hosted by Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA). I learned that my BIPOC, immigrant, and working-class peers had dealt with this kind of friction their entire careers. For most, this also blocked them from the very support I had enjoyed. It closed doors. Places where I loved learning craft, many of them found rejection. Harm to their work. No grants. They received comments such as: This character isn’t believable. I can’t relate. This language/ cultural detail sounds unrealistic. This isn’t the type of story I want for this cultural group. No one will publish this. Often the feedback was essentially: Please, erase what is diverse about yourself. Erasure is not what writing is for. Art is for truth. And human connection. And so, like Violet, I had to push through fear and doubt to share what was in my heart. What I knew to be true, for the sake of kids. I kept those kids in the center of my mind as Minju and I processed even more confusing feedback from editors. I knew the text might need work. But editors’ comments were all over the map. Even Minju said she had never seen feedback like this. Once, in exasperation, I made a chart of all the responses to find a theme in the comments that I could work on. I was at a loss. I revised Love, Violet into a jumbled mess. Finally, in 2015-16, we stopped sending it out. No one was going to publish a book on this topic. Not yet. By late 2018, the world had changed. We tried again. I returned to the original manuscript we’d submitted in 2014 with only slight adjustments. Love, Violet sold quickly and at auction! I’m still struck that the world had to change for this book to exist. I think about the kids living through those years of waiting, also not allowed to exist. Revision isn’t always the right answer. When you’re writing—or living—against stereotypes and fear, you must know who you are. No matter what other say. Yes, you must work out the storyline of your life or manuscript like anyone else, but you must also do the personal work of clinging to the honest truth, for the sake of love. Honesty is the only door to connection. Even when it’s hard to open. And terrifying! But the reward is beyond words. It is hope in the heart of a child. Relief. The joy of kids cheering for two ordinary kids like them. It’s the personal notes, teary messages from parents at finally seeing their kids, themselves, their family members on the pages of a book. It’s kids surrounded by hate knowing they are not alone. That they are loved. That—is everything. Now for something completely different! Snack options: would you prefer salty or sweet, Why? Both! Like fries and a chocolate shake, I love my sweet and salty together! Maybe that’s also how I like my stories. The sweetness of life can only fully be appreciated against the salt of honest human pain and reality. Pure sweetness is a lie. Pure salt is a lie, too. Life is both, and embracing the salty realities, facing them, deepens the flavor and truth of sweetness. Love only has meaning in the context of hard life, when people stick with you, no matter what. Anyone who writes well for children understands the importance of being both honest and hopeful. That’s how I like love and stories and, apparently, snacks! Wow! That's certainly quite a road trip you and this picture book have taken; from a four-letter word which holds so much within it to a beautiful, tactile item which would allow children to explore the world of love and feelings. Thank you for sharing with us such an amazing journey. We wish you and Love, Violet all the best. Sandra Yoong-Chia Bio: Charlotte Sullivan Wild Charlotte Sullivan Wild is the author of the picture books Love, Violet (Chua; Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2022) and The Amazing Idea of You (Lundquist, Bloomsbury 2019). She was first struck speechless by a crush in preschool. In grade school she may have crafted a special Valentine for someone but been too shy to sign it. But she’s not shy about love anymore! She has loved teaching, bookselling, volunteering in libraries, and chatting about books on the radio. She first joined SCBWI in 2009, and from 2017 - 2019 served as the SCBWI Regional Advisor for Southwest Texas. She also received a Regional Advisory Marketing Grant in 2018. Originally from snowy Minnesota, she now lives with ME/CFS, a chronic illness, wherever her wife is stationed, recently in San Antonio, Texas, and now in Italy with a flock of adorable, opinionated hens, The Eggyatrixes! She is represented by Minju Chang at BookStop Literary Agency. Learn more at www.charlotteswild.com Follow Charlotte on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. |
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