What's the name of your book? And who is the publisher?

No More Noisy Nights – Flashlight Press
The Day I Ran Away – Flashlight Press
Mr. Worry: A Story about OCD – Albert Whitman
I Can’t Stop: A Story about Tourette Syndrome – Albert Whitman

Tell us a bit about your path to publishing, from idea to to submission to publication.

My first book, Mr. Worry (2004) came about because my son has OCD and I could not find a picture book to help explain it to him. That manuscript found a home fairly quickly because AW publishes books about children’s issues and I had many magazine credits to my name. I Can’t Stop (2005) came when AW was looking for a book on the subject. And then the LONG wait. My next 2 books were released this year! The Day I Ran Away idea started after I saw an AFV clip with a child wondering how he could run away when he wasn’t allowed to cross the street! No More Noisy Nights came from a writing prompt for 3rd graders to write a letter to the monster under the bed. Both were shopped for years and finally found their way to Shari Dash Greenspan at Flashlight Press. And still we waited as discussion on them began around 2009! But they were worth the wait. I enjoyed collaborating with Shari and I love the finished product.

How long have you been writing?

Since about 1991

What's your favorite genre to write and why?

I like to write picture books because of the wonderful the pictures and words combine to tell the story.

Which courses have you taken?

Writing for Children & Teens

How has taking our courses helped your writing and/or career?

The actual writing of the assignments, feedback and wealth of other information helped me decide it was a path I wanted to pursue and that, maybe I did have some talent in writing.

Do you have a favorite writing tip you'd like to share? 

Don’t just learn about the craft, but also the business of writing. Then the rejections won’t hurt as much!

If you could travel back in time and give yourself one piece of writing advice, what would it be?

After finishing the course and submitting for a few years, I got discouraged by the rejections. Then there were some major life changes and I stopped writing. Years later I approached it in a different way and succeeded. So I would tell myself to keep writing and learn more about the business of writing.

What's the most valuable thing you learned from your experience with the Institute of Children's Literature?

I doubt I’d have pursued writing without ICL. It showed me how much there was to learn about writing and pointed me to the right resources.

What is the best thing about having a book published?

When a child tells you they LOVE your book!