At 27 weeks pregnant, your baby can already recognize your voice. I remember singing lullabies to my little ones, just to practice, before they were born. Isn’t it amazing that your little baby can already recognize your voice on the day they are born? A familiar...
Resources
Best Family Read-Aloud Books: Complete Guide by Age (2024)
"The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." This powerful finding from the landmark report Becoming a Nation of Readers has stuck with me throughout my journey as both a parent...
How to Make Family Reading Time Special: Ultimate Guide
I have a challenge for you that will transform your bedtime struggles, build quality connections with your children, and prepare your children for lifelong success—all in only 30 minutes a day. Interested? Imagine the stresses of the day melting away, your children...
How to Design a Picture Book Cover | Book Cover Design Tips for Self-Publishing
Designing a Book Cover They say never judge a book by its cover… but let’s be honest, we all do it. And so do your readers! So, it’s important to make sure your book’s cover is something that not only stands out but really invites readers into your story. In this...
Who Does God Say I Am? | Affirmations for Girls
My daughter is nearing her teen years and there are so many voices willing to tell her what to think about herself. I wanted to encourage her to know who God says she is, so I wrote out this list of 36 affirmations from the Bible for teen girls and woman to build character and know their worth and value. The statements are all based on the truths found in the books of Ephesians and Proverbs 31.
How I Funded My Self-Published Book | Kickstarter Tips & Self-Publishing Secrets
You’ve done it! You have a finished book and are ready to see people reading it! After deciding your publishing route you picked… Self-Publishing! Hooray! Self-publishing is an awesome choice for publishing, now for the real trick: paying for it. In traditional...
Why I Chose to Self-Publish My Picture Book | The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing
You poured your heart into your story, but agents and publishers aren’t into it. Now what? I faced the same challenge and I’m going to tell you what I did about it. (Spoiler: I didn’t shelve it!) So, what did I do with my story that I loved? In my publishing series so...
Mastering the Query: How to Pitch Your Picture Book to Literary Agents
You’ve done the hard work of creating your picture book manuscript or dummy, and now it’s time to take the next big step—querying an agent. In this post, we’ll cover the process of querying, what agents are looking for, and how to craft a compelling query letter. I’ll...
Picture Book Dummy Creation: Tips from an Author-Illustrator
Creating a picture book is a journey, one that starts with a simple idea and grows into a world filled with characters, emotions, and life lessons. For me, that journey began with a story that had been simmering in my heart for years. I wrote, edited, and sketched...
Thumbnailing Your Picture Book Dummy | Essential Tips for Picture Book Creators
Thumbnailing is a crucial step in creating a picture book. It’s where you start to visualize how your story will come to life on the page. Today, I’ll walk you through the key aspects of thumbnailing, from composition and storytelling to how to guide your reader’s eye...
Mastering Picture Book Pagination: Essential Tips for Writers & Illustrators
So, you’ve written and edited your story, and now it’s time to paginate your manuscript. Paginating is all about figuring out how your story will flow across the pages of a picture book. In this video, I’ll guide you through the key aspects of pagination, including...
Master the Art of Editing Your Picture Book | Essential Tips for Authors
So, you’ve written your story—congratulations! But the journey doesn’t end there. Editing is where your story truly takes shape. Today, we’ll walk through the key steps of the editing process, from getting feedback to fine-tuning your final draft. Let’s dive into...