The adage: ‘if you love something let it go and if it comes back to you, it’s yours’ fits Stand Up, Yumi Chung! (March 17, 2020, Kokila) novelist, Jessica Kim. Before becoming a debut critically acclaimed published author, Kim had quit writing at one point. When she was a youth, in addition to comedy, she enjoyed writing, but didn’t foresee it as a profession, at least not as a … Read the rest
Interview With “My Rainy Day Rocket Ship” Author Markette Sheppard!
Children’s books will always be relevant. They provide various benefits for kids including literacy, opportunities to bond with family, friends, teachers, etc., knowledge, entertainment, imagination, and creativity, to name a few. A few years ago, Emmy award-winning television host, bestselling children’s book author, marketing executive, and entrepreneur, Markette Sheppard, wrote My Rainy Day Rocket Ship (May 5, 2020; Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), which … Read the rest
Interview (PART 1) With “Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion” Author Marcellas Reynolds!
Many of us can agree that loving a career or industry does not mean we love or even like everything about it. The Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion (Abrams Books, October 8, 2019) author, Marcellas Reynolds, is no exception. Reynolds, who recently appeared on the Tamron Hall Show, asserted that black models should not have to show up to work with their hair and makeup … Read the rest
Interview With Senior Literary Editor Kate Napolitano!
When you have the pleasure of chatting with Kate Napolitano, two things become abundantly clear about the senior book editor: she is as passionate about books and loves hyping them up as she says she does; and two, she is a go-getter. Originally, the editor of You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson, wanted to be a teacher, but … Read the rest
Interview With Scholastic Vice President, Exec Editor and Author Andrea Davis Pinkney!
As a children’s publishing professional and author, among Andrea Davis Pinkney‘s creative processes is directly conversing with that audience–children– about books. “They tell me they like stories with heart,” she says. Heart, in fact, is definitely Pinkney’s approach to her craft. The Vice President, Executive Editor of Trade Books at Scholastic has worked in publishing for more than 30 years. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” Pinkney cheerfully remarks.
She … Read the rest
Interview With “Hello Beautiful Brown Girl!” Authors Charli Hodge & Octavia Samuels!
So Booking Cool recently had the pleasure of speaking with debut co-authors Charli Hodge, 11, and Octavia Samuels, 37, about their picture book, Hello Beautiful Brown Girl. The self-published work is intended to celebrate and empower young girls of color around the world. What’s more is, Hodge and Samuels, based in Georgia, are an auntie and niece duo who sold beyond their expectations on their release day.… Read the rest
Interview With Shannon Hitchcock On Her New Novel One True Way!
Award-winning author Shannon Hitchcock recently returned to So Booking Cool to discuss her new novel, One True Way. Based in 1977, the story centers on two middle-school female students, Allie and Sam, who experience the pressures of falling for each other from their southern community, the political climate, and their families. Hitchcock says the novel is inspired by a real-life friendship she had, in which their mutual friends describe… Read the rest
Interview With Artist & Illustrator Keturah Ariel!
Entrepreneur and artist Keturah Ariel chatted with So Booking Cool about her company, the art industry, book publishing–including the upcoming Spring title, I Am Enough (HarperCollins) she illustrated by Empire star Grace Gealey-Byers. Keturah has been drawing and creating artwork for others since she was a child. The Columbus Ohio native worked at an art company before launching her very own, Keturah Ariel Brands.
Her designs range … Read the rest
Interview With S&S Digital Marketing Manager & Angela Yee Book Club Partner Tasha Hilton!
Yesterday we had the pleasure of speaking with Tasha Hilton, the Digital Marketing Manager at Atria Books, about her career in publishing and her role in the Angela Yee Book Club: Kickin’ it From the Stoop. She originally worked as a digital marketer in the entertainment industry before deciding she wanted to expand her horizons, leading her to pursue publishing and join Simon and Schuster in June 2016.… Read the rest
Interview With Tony Forte, Partner of the Angela Yee Book Club!
On Wednesday, August 30, the Angela Yee Book Club: Kickin’ It From the Stoop will host its fifth meeting at its home location, the WOODstack Ivy, a sportswear store in Brooklyn, New York. Tony Forte, Vice President of Sales and Marketing /GMM at the WOODstack company, talked to So Booking Cool about his partnership with Yee, one of the radio personalities on the nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club.… Read the rest