Category: Interview

Interview: Gordon C. James on Long Days, Motorcycles, and Acceptance

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Gordon C. James with his painter apron
Gordon C. James with his painter apron

Ever since high school, Gordon C. James has been pursuing a career in art. In 1997, he was one of two illustrators chosen out of a national search to work for Hallmark Cards Inc., and that was just the beginning. Today, he’s a successful picture book illustrator who has won many awards, including the ultimate prize for an illustrator in children’s books: the Caldecott Medal, for CROWN: AN ODE TO THE FRESH CUT.

We wanted to know where his inspiration, passion and creativity came from. Here’s what he told us… Continue reading “Interview: Gordon C. James on Long Days, Motorcycles, and Acceptance” →

Interview: Carole and Jeffery Boston Weatherford on Juggling, Music and Working Together

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Carole Boston Weatherford and her son Jeffery Boston Weatherford are both amazing artists in their own right, Carole focusing on the written words and Jeffery on illustration. This has allowed them to work separately as well as together.

We asked them how they do it. Continue reading “Interview: Carole and Jeffery Boston Weatherford on Juggling, Music and Working Together” →

Interview: Robin Benway on Walking, Furniture and Dinosaurs

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Robin BenwayAward-winning author Robin Benway has written six young adult novels that have earned much praise and been published in more than 20 countries. Her 2017 novel FAR FROM THE TREE won the 2017 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the 2018 Pen America Award and was on the best-books-of-the-year lists of the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, PBS, Entertainment Weekly and the Boston Globe, among others.

Her acclaim is no surprise since she started raking up the awards in college. Robin was the recipient of the Seth Parkas Prize for Creative Writing when she was attending NYU in 1997.

What kind of person creates such amazing stories? We asked… Continue reading “Interview: Robin Benway on Walking, Furniture and Dinosaurs” →

Interview: David Wiesner on Languages, Mix-Tapes, and Art School

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David Wiesner
David Wiesner

You’re probably no stranger to the work of author-illustrator David Wiesner, who has won the Caldecott Medal three times, for his picture book TUESDAY in 1992, THE THREE PIGS in 2002 and FLOTSAM in 2006.

But who’s the man behind all that amazing art and stories? We asked…

Continue reading “Interview: David Wiesner on Languages, Mix-Tapes, and Art School” →

Interview: Salina Yoon on Being Tidy, ART, and Ice Cream

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Salina Yoon
Salina Yoon

With more than 4.5 million books sold worldwide, it’s easy to say that author-illustrator Salina Yoon is popular. Her light yet emotive illustration and writing style has won numerous awards, including the Award for Excellence in a Picture Book for FOUND, the New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award for PENGUIN AND PINECONE, and the 2018 Theodor Geisel Award Honor for MY KITE IS STUCK! AND OTHER STORIES. (Watch her wonderfully funny video about how she found out about the Geisel honor.)

We wanted to get to know this fantastic children’s book creator more.

Continue reading “Interview: Salina Yoon on Being Tidy, ART, and Ice Cream” →

Interview: Tami Charles on Cooking, Reading and Mommy Mode

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Tami Charles
Tami Charles

Tami Charles is the much acclaimed author of books for children of all ages. Her debut middle-grade novel LIKE VANESSA received three starred reviews, was a Junior Library Guild selection and on the Indies Introduce and Spring Kids Next lists. She received more kudos for her picture book biography FEARLESS MARY and her humorous DEFINITELY DAPHNE series. Her most recent novel, BECOMING BEATRIZ, was released last month and takes Tami into young adult readers.

How does she get inspired to write all these wonderful stories? We asked…

Continue reading “Interview: Tami Charles on Cooking, Reading and Mommy Mode” →

Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith on Tex-Mex, Movies, and Gnocchi…the Dog Kind

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Cynthia Leitich Smith
Cynthia Leitich Smith

Long-time The Booking Biz client Cynthia Leitich Smith knows books. She’s the award-winning and New York Times and Publishers Weekly best-selling author of the FERAL and TANTALIZE young adult series, stand-alone young adult novel HEARTS UNBROKEN, graphic novels TANTALIZE: KIEREN’S STORY and ETERNAL: ZACHARY’S STORY, middle-grade novels RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME and INDIAN SHOES, and picture books, including JINGLE DANCER, with plenty more books coming. As well as writing, she’s an enormous supporter of books, as the host of the popular Cynsations writing blog, a member of the We Need Diverse Books advisory board, a board member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, and a faculty member at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program.

How does she do it all? We asked… Continue reading “Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith on Tex-Mex, Movies, and Gnocchi…the Dog Kind” →

Interview: April Henry on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Roald Dahl and Love

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April Henry
April Henry

Our client April Henry is known for writing tense, page-turning thrillers that readers can’t put down. The New York Times best-selling author has three young adult novels coming out in the next few years from Macmillan—RUN, HIDE, FIGHT BACK on Aug. 27, PLAYING WITH FIRE in May 2021, and EYES OF THE FOREST later in 2021.

How does she do it? We wanted to know… Continue reading “Interview: April Henry on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Roald Dahl and Love” →

Interview: Mitali Perkins on Yoga, Dogs and Luchis

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Mitali Perkins
Mitali Perkins

Mitali Perkins has been called a “Literary Light for Children” by the Associates of the Boston Public Library, and we can’t agree enough. In her novels, she brings light to characters in different cultures and backgrounds, characters who are real and inspiring.

How does she do it? We asked…

Continue reading “Interview: Mitali Perkins on Yoga, Dogs and Luchis” →