Illustrator and character designer Robert Paul Jr. came up on SBC during our conversation with author and entrepreneur Markette Sheppard in regards to their picture book Ninja Nate, which released this past September. Paul also illustrated I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams by Tanisia Moore, which came out earlier that September.
Paul, who will release a book of his own, recently chatted with SBC about his career, insights, journey, and … Read the rest
Often, when people share that they have written a book, they are met with congratulatory responses. While the reason may seem obvious, let us unpack an author’s perspective on why this is common. New York-based entrepreneur, educator, and debut author Cheyenne Gadsden recently appeared on SBC in support of her children’s book Dream Big Young One: Believe it and It Will Come True.
“That is a milestone,” she says. … Read the rest
The relationship that young people have with books and reading help shape who they become. Entrepreneur, speaker, and debut author Tiffany Lanier reflects on how her beginnings with literature made her the woman she is today. The defining moment arrived when she was in the third grade at one of her parent-teacher conferences.
“The teacher told my mom she felt like I was illiterate,” The Morning Shift Co. founder tells … Read the rest
When you write a story, you not only hope it will resonate, you also hope that those involved in the creative process will do it justice. So, how did children’s book author John Bray feel when he could not communicate with illustrator Josh Cleland during the development of The End (Starry Forest Books, September 13, 2022)?
“It was nerve-wracking because you’re handing over–kind of a child–a thing that … Read the rest
How can a writer be unique on the page when emulating another writer? Multi-hyphenate and doctor, Omar Mora, explains how this is possible. He uses his new book Ancient Explorers: The Lost City of Peru (Moras Productions; illustrated by Miguel Guzman and Edwin Estrada), which launched at this past 2022 Comic Con, as an example. “Ancient Explorers is inspired by stories like Indiana Jones, The Goonies… Read the rest
In Ashley Thompson’s second book The Art of Joy from the children’s brand and Ella’s Greatest Adventures (October 23, 2020, eBook and November 6, 2020, print) book series, the beloved protagonist Ella McCutie learns to stay positive despite being bullied. Some of the experiences depicted in the picture book are based on Thompson’s childhood.
“They would pick at my physical appearance,” the scientist shares with So Booking Cool. “And … Read the rest
Among the first things award-winning author and founding member of the The Brown Bookshelf Kelly Starling Lyons did when she knew she wanted to write children’s books was study the craft, especially after realizing her seasoned background in print journalism was a different style of writing compared to children’s literature. “Though I was trained as a feature writer, and, though I had written poetry for fun and other kinds of … Read the rest
The advice Booki Vivat, author and illustrator of the New York Times bestselling series, Frazzled, has for other authors and illustrators is to not discredit their creative work. “… Doodling, I totally dismissed it as not being creative,” she tells So Booking Cool. “I grew up writing fanfiction, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s not writing, that’s not really writing.’ But it is. And all of these things people … Read the rest
For some of us, books are more than words on a page; they do more than tell stories. When emerging author and entrepreneur, Crown Shepherd, aka Crown the Writer, found black authors, her writing soared. Her love for reading and writing, which had gone dormant for about ten years, was resurrected thanks to Octavia Butler and Jesmyn Ward, who is among the black authors of Shepherd’s book club … Read the rest
Fine artist of 35 years, Charly Palmer, does not believe he has yet created a masterpiece, and that is what drives him. His work has been both privately and publicly commissioned by many including the 1996 Olympics; McDonald’s Corporation; Coca Cola Company; the Green Bay Packers; Maya Angelou’s estate before being auctioned by Swann Gallery; and universities (i.e., Howard, Fisk, and Vanderbilt). In 2018, he was awarded with the … Read the rest
