Technical glitches aside, I had so much fun chatting with Mel Rosenberg on the New Books Network. We talked about my childhood, my family, my unconventional path to publishing and – of course – books! Have a look! Or if you’d rather just listen, here’s a link to the podcast! Happy Reading! Jean
The Writing Process
A GRAND Dedication
I dedicated A GRAND DAY to my grandmother who lived with us while I was growing up – Nonna Fortuna. Her name was perfect because I felt so very fortunate to have her in my life. She was a gardener and a gatekeeper. She read to me even though she barely spoke English. She knit… Read more »
A GRAND DAY Case Cover Reveal!
Picture book creation is always full of surprises. And with A GRAND DAY, illustrator extraordinaire Samantha Cotterill and the rockstar team at Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books surprised me with this amazing case cover showcasing the scale and perspective of those beautiful 3-D scenes. I’m blown away! To find out more about A GRAND DAY… Read more »
Two Fun Surprises in the GROUP HUG Book Design!
Friends, do you know what I might love most about the GROUP HUG book design? Two simple surprises. The adorable case cover AND the full-color, all-in hug poster on the back of the book jacket!! So, so fun! GROUP HUG – coming in December from Joey Chou, MacKids Books and me! You can preorder it… Read more »
Hooray for Tortoise Quilts and Color Proofs!
With my latest picture book WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN A BOOK ABOUT YOU? (illustrated by Joey Chou) coming out in less than two weeks, friends outside of publishing might think that I’m spending all my time and energy on promoting that book. And while, yes, a portion of time – think launch event planning,… Read more »
Another new book on the horizon – SYLVIE!!
A couple of years ago, a new character popped into my imagination – a small spider who hung outside an apartment building. I immediately knew that sweet spider would be altruistic and humble with a unique perspective on the people who lived inside. But as the spider’s story developed, I also discovered the stories of… Read more »
Write When You Least Expect To – Take 2
Hello again! It’s been a while. And rather than blog my list of excuses for not blogging, let me just say, it’s nice to be back. After a not-so-restful night of sleep, a morning of exercise and errands followed by an afternoon at the soup kitchen, I predicted that not much writing was going to… Read more »
Story Universe Writing Prompt for Young Writers
Recently in an interview about BUSY BUILDERS, BUSY WEEK! on the Mom Read It Blog I was asked – MRI: You’ve also written a book called ALL THROUGH MY TOWN that features animals as the main characters. Do you think these two books could take place in the same storytelling universe? Could the kids from… Read more »
BUSY BUILDERS, BUSY WEEK! Blog Tour Schedule
I’m thrilled to be featured on so many fabulous teacher, librarian and mommy blogs over the next two weeks. I hope you can stop by to say “hi” and to read reviews, news and interviews. Mon, Aug 22 Cracking the Cover https://www.crackingthecover.com/ Tues, Aug 23 Literary Hoots http://www.literaryhoots.com/ Wed, Aug 24 NC Teacher Stuff http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/… Read more »
Busy Builders, Busy Week! Book Bash Day 2
Welcome, friends, to Day 2 of my BUSY BUILDERS, BUSY WEEK! Book Bash. In my latest book, each day of the week features a colorful cast of animal characters and a different construction activity as the digging, dumping and ‘dozing lead up to one stupendous surprise! So, it seemed only fitting that for a days-of-the-week… Read more »