Meet our mentors from our
Mentorship Program 2018-2019
Here’s what our Picture Book Text Mentors - Peggy King Anderson and Lois
Brandt have to say.
Tell
us a little bit about what you are working on now and your current projects.
Peggy:
Right now, is an exciting time, as my new middle-grade historical fiction
novel, Two-Moon Journey just came out
three weeks ago. So I am busy with the
Book Launch party, guest blogs, and planning new school workshops to tie in
with the book for the coming year. But,
of course, I still am writing, working on my monthly fiction series for Pockets
magazine. The series is called Tree Frog
Trail and features 4 different 11 and 12-year-olds (Nate, Marcos, Zoe, and
Callie) and their adventures. This
month’s issue, titled “An Unexpected Welcome” features a computer-controlled
quadcopter that accidentally activates inside the house. Needless to say, chaos
ensues!
Lois:
I just finished up a picture book draft
I am very excited about. It’s another odd book where I anticipate the response
will be: “You wrote a picture book about WHAT?”
But I’ve come to accept that I write odd stories. Not odd to me. To me
I’m writing about issues and events that let me expand as a writer and explore
issues of social justice and friendship.
How
does being a mentor influence and inform your work and why do you do it?
Peggy:
I love working with my picture book mentees!
Their writing projects are so varied, so often filled with humor and
unexpected twists, I feel my own creativity expanding just working with them.
And the questions they ask challenge me to learn more everyday about the
picture book market, both growing trends, and unexpected pitfalls. Just this
weekend I attended a writing conference, choosing a session with a picture book
agent, specifically to gain new info to share with my mentees. It turned out to be a delightful session,
crammed chock-full of great ideas that I can’t wait to pass on to them.
And
yes! The ideas I get from their picture
book stories, often springboard me to find new possibilities and topics in my
own middle grade writing. It’s amazing how this mentoring sparks idea back and
forth, and in all directions.
Lois:
Being a mentor renews my faith in the
power of story to transform not only the reader but the writer. I love working
with other writers and focusing all of their good energy on shaping a story
that they love and are excited about.
We
all have stories and ideas that we hold close to our heart and need to share.
Shaping our stories after those first few drafts is an act of discovery and
exploration.
What
are some challenges you have encountered in your writing/illustration journey?
How did you manage to survive through them and achieve success?
Peggy:
I went for 16 years without having a new book come out. My last book was 2002, and now, here I am in
2018 with a new book out, one that I love dearly, truly a book of my
heart. I did keep writing all through
that time and was publishing pretty regularly in Pockets Magazine. But after my
husband Ken died in 2006, I just couldn’t seem to get myself to do the marketing
of my books. I survived because I
continued all through that time to love writing, and to keep doing it on
varying levels: journaling, doing the magazine stories, and plugging along on
at different times on two partially finished novels. All through that time I had the love and
support and encouragement of my dear writing group, the Diviners, who accepted
me where I was, but kept me accountable to write, even if I wasn’t doing the
marketing I should have been doing.
Lois:
My biggest challenge is the internal
editor. That little voice that tells me that my story isn’t good enough or,
maybe the story is good but I’m not talented enough to write it.
I belong to
two critique groups. It is such a help to bring a story in and get feedback
that supports your writing. The more you work with other writers, the more you
realize that we all go through the drafting process, and hit some of the same
roadblocks in trying to shape a story.
You can also
have great discussions with other authors by asking them what their internal
editor looks like. I think we all have different versions of the same fears,
and it’s fun to describe and compare these little monsters.
What
advice would you give to your beginner self who is just starting out to make a
creative career?
Peggy:
Write something every day, even if it is just in your journal. Allow that Chicken Soup of your life to
simmer, as you scribble out your journal entries. Keep living life every day,
keep those writing antennae up, to sense all the ideas, all the joy and
sadness, and unexpected beauty in each day, and dump that into your journal
soup pot as well. It will all keep simmering, and eventually you will have a
rich broth, which you can ladle out to create all sorts of wonderful stories
and books. It will happen, if you
persist! As my 11 year-old grandson,
Josh, has posted in his garage workshop: “Never, never, never give up!”
Lois:
Pay attention to the stories close to your heart. The stories that make you
laugh or cry or smile when you write them. These are your stories to tell.
Write
to a schedule. I know that this doesn’t work for everyone, but try to write
even a little bit every day. Keep the creative juices flowing.
Finish
what you start.
For
more details of the mentorship program check here.
For 35
years, Peggy King Anderson has
taught writers of all ages. She loves it! She was awarded the SCBWI (W.
WA) Lifetime Achievement award in 2012. She’s taught creative writing both in
colleges, and in conferences ranging from SCBWI, to the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop in
Chautauqua, New York. She has four published books, including THE FALL OF THE
RED STAR (co-author, Helen Szablya), featured on Children’s Book TV. Her MG
historical fiction novel, TWO MOON JOURNEY, is due for publication in fall of
2018. She writes a monthly fiction series, TREE FROG TRAIL, for Pockets Magazine. Check out Peggy’s website
at www.peggyking.com
Years ago, Lois Brandt peeked into
her best friend’s refrigerator and found empty shelves and one small carton of
milk; her friend’s family didn’t have enough money to buy food. Maddi’s Fridge, Lois’ first picture book, is the
result of that moment. Maddi’s Fridge has
been universally praised by teachers, librarians, parents, and –most
significantly — young readers. It is the recipient of a 2014 Christopher Award
and the International Literacy Association’s 2015 Book Award for Primary
Fiction, among other honors. When she is not working on her own projects, Lois
teaches writers of all ages, helping her students tell the stories they hold
close to their hearts. Learn more at https://www.loisbrandt.com/.
