Aug 15

Aug 15 Episode #75

Welcome to special recording with the Book Friends Forever! This particular episode features the Q &A session that Alvina and Grace recorded from their keynote session at the SCBWI Summer Spectacular virtual event. They catch up on each other’s lives and also describe what they’re grateful for these days. This episode was recorded on August 4th.

“How have you been?”

Grace describes a frustrating week as she dealt with two major issues. 1. She was in need of a new printer in order to work on the new picture book for Little Brown Books. She normally makes a horizontal book but this one has to be vertical and there were issues with trying to enlarge her sketches. A new printer was necessary but so expensive. She went to great lengths trying to get away with no having to purchase a new one, but in the end, all of that proved to be too much hassle. She ended up buying a new printer and wished that she just did that from the beginning. The other issue has been trying to figure out schooling for her daughter this fall. She tried really hard to collaborate with other parents to get a pod together of kids but that just wasn’t working out. They’re now looking into private school options for her daughter.

Alvina has been working hard on the SWCBI conference. She enjoyed participating in the Fairleigh Dickinson MFA in Creative Writing program as a speaker. Donna Freitas, a faculty member and author, invited authors and editors to speak one-on-one with students. It was something different on top of Alvina’s regualr job that she enjoyed doing. She’s planning to head to Vermont and stay for two months! She fell in love with Vermont when she visited and will now go back for an extended stay!

Laurent Linn was moderating the Q&A session for Grace and Alvina. He is Art Director for for Simon & Schuster and he’s the author of the YA superhero book, Draw the Line.

Here are the questions and some of the topics!

How do you stay friends and work so closely together? Is it tempting to be too soft or hard on each other because of your shared history?
To Alvina: Is there any frequent note you find yourself giving to writers on their work?
When writing a new novel, what are some techniques for discovering the right viewpoint? 1st vs, 3rd, etc….
Do you think more diversity in the publishing world, will open up more opportunities for writers from marginalized communities and do you see that happening anytime soon?
How do you overcome feelings of doubt and self criticism when writing and/or illustrating?
What medium do you use when you illustrate your books and how do you decide what style and technique to use?
Is there something you know now and wish she had known at the start of your careers?

Grace and Alvina dive into all the details of their early starts, what they’ve learned along the way, and how they navigate their careers today. Learn how literary agents play a role in saving friendship in the business, get the inside scoop from editors, and how Grace picks author points of views. The Book Friends also discuss imposter syndrome, diversity in publishing, the illustration process, and publisher’s pay. Grace makes it clear that if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s DO NOT WAIT for others to do something for you or for things to be handed to you. Go do it yourself! You can do it all. On that note, Alvina shares a great quote from her mother, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

“What are you grateful for?”

Alvina is grateful for all of the illustrators watching the conference. Some were sketching and then posting it on social media. She’s grateful that he conference is over though now because they’re a lot of work. She’s grateful that Grace’s zoom worked!

Grace says that even though she had a frustrating week, she realizes that she does have a lot of privilege. I was able to purchase a printer I am so lucly I can do that. I know people don’t have that choice. I am grateful for that and also really grateful for after our Summer Spectacualr keynote. I kept getting mentions on social media. I’m not super active on twitter but it was nice to see people enjoyed our talk.

2-Minute Book Review with Alison Morris:

Unstoppable by Adam Rex and illustrated by Laura Park.

Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.