It is SO GOOD but yes, very sad
19.08.2025 22:31
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It is SO GOOD but yes, very sad
I wrote about what it meant to carve out the time to braid for the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue's Thoroughbred Show this weekend! (And what it means to carve out the time to train a green horse, too!)
www.chronofhorse.com/article/why-...
Today, the Baltimore Fishbowl published my thoughts on sharing my picture book, “Call Your Mother.”
I talk about cherishing the mother figures in our lives, and being motherly to all, when we can.
@familiusbooks.bsky.social
🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉
We're so excited to add these three titles to our Familius #bookshelf!
📚 "Superbloom" by Mark Lisk
📚 "100 First Words for Little Texans" by Christopher Robbins and illustrated by Gareth Williams
📚 "I'm a Baby" by Terry Pierce and illustrated by Volha Kaliaha
#BookLaunch
In a great personal victory, I figured out how to spell onomatopoeia without looking it up today
Picture book writing tip: if you're using the word "things," can you swap it for something more specific? An editing client of mine just did this and I'm cracking up at her more specific replacement! This is a small change that can make a big difference.
Do you have your Mother's Day gifts yet? 💐
Because THIS book needs to be on your list!
#MothersDay #GiftIdea #GiftsForMom #BooksForMom
Hidden in my overwhelming Monday inbox was some EXTREMELY exciting news from an editing client I'd last worked with...two years ago. That I can't even share details about yet.
Y'all. This industry. Slower than molasses doesn't even come close. Hang in there!!
May I point you to my favorite list of small publishers that take unagented submissions of picture books? Huge thanks to Bitsy Kemper for maintaining this! bitsykemper.com/publishers/
Pssst I have a book that will make your mom or grandma cry (hopefully in a good way). Beautiful gift for Mother's Day!
On sale with other great gifts via @familiusbooks.bsky.social: familius.com/gifts-for-mom/
Of course on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/1641709049
And many many indies!
We can see the names of people who unsubscribe, and I get it. Email gets overwhelming (though I rarely send). But don't do that and then add me to yours, eh?
I feel like this falls in the category of "don't read the reviews" but when an author friend unsubscribes from my email list and then adds me to theirs without an opt in...not gonna lie, I get salty!
I think the most important part of world building is having something to say about the real world. #kidlitchat
Just had a picture book editing client tell me "This book would be easier if it had not come to me in rhyme."
UNIVERSAL TRUTH, ha
On top of that, the Supreme Court ORDERED Trump to help return a man who was sent to El Salvador ACCIDENTALLY and after saying he would, he changed his mind.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...
Not saying Democratic presidents had a perfect record on human rights...but this is next level.
I feel like I've been yelling about the violations of human rights with this presidency but it does nothing to change anything.
Those who thought this racist administration would only go after "illegal" or "criminal" immigrants were fooled.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/u...
Those of you who thought this racist administration would only go after "illegal" or "criminal" immigrants were downright fooled.
I wrote about how much I love shedding out horses for Chronicle of the Horse. Tissue warning: I do talk about the grief of losing my beloved horse and a lost dog *he sent* to cheer me up.
Every now and then I step out from the kidlit world and write an essay!
www.chronofhorse.com/article/conf...
We know it's a picture book and thus will almost certainly have a happy ending. By spoiling the ending, you can show what your character learns in the book (for ex., Little Sue learns that if she keeps trying and is flexible, she can still reach her goals, an important message for kids!).
Picture book query tip:
Spoil the ending!
So NOT:
Will Little Sue save her project from disaster in time for the science fair?
INSTEAD:
Just in time, Little Sue realizes that if she uses different materials, she can still be ready in time for the science fair.
I am feeling really grateful for wonderful clients who send me wonderful books to work on!
But I think you need a paid subscription to see them sooooo lol
Writing a picture book query letter? I have a guide for them here! tracycgold.com/how-to-write...
They are MUCH simpler and shorter than queries for novels.
Leaving line notes on picture books is so much fine. It's like "Would this be cuter?" "Awww!" "So funny!"
And by blink of an eye, I mean missing two working days on a long weekend trip
You know, it is wild how freelance life goes from "I don't have enough work and I'm going to run out of money" to "I have so much work I'll never be able to meet my deadlines" in about a blink of an eye
Also, these days, when I say I am half-Jewish/Jewish, I feel the need to add a disclaimer that I am anti-genocide? I mean, what a world.
It's a really sad world where I have to tell a client that I'm only comfortable working on faith-based projects if those projects are inclusive/welcoming to all gender/racial identities. Religion has so much potential to do good in the world. But right now it is so often used to exclude and shame.
Did you send your query to an agent who happens to love birds and your book is about a birdwatcher? I mean, it can come down to that level of luck. Your query needs to make agents say "oooh, that sounds good." It doesn't matter if every single word is perfect if you achieve that.
