by Kelly Carey

​Is your writing journey ready for our new virtual environment? Is your social media presence ready to be an asset to your writing?

If you’ve been timid about social media in the past, our new environment is the perfect moment to rethink.

We can’t meet in person and those wonderful connections you could make at workshops, conferences and book events are either no longer an option or they’ve all gone online. It’s time to pivot and create those connections virtually. That means you need to build a strong social media game.

Even when we are back to face-to-face days, your writing career will benefit if your social media community is full and rich.
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But are you stuck in a cycle of social media excuses that are holding you back? Let’s see. 

Excuse #1: Social Media Is A Time Suck

Everything can be a time suck and a distraction from your writing goals IF you allow things to obliterate your focus.  Setting an egg timer allowance of 15 to 30 minutes a day or a week can help remedy this excuse and I would argue you may actually find time saving and valuable information on social media.

In that short 30 minutes spent on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram you may find the #MSWL tweet from an agent looking for your exact book! Score! You may happen across a Facebook post about a revision workshop that is just what your middle grade novel needs. Win! You may see a Publisher’s Weekly article that a fellow author posted and it will make you more knowledgeable and aware of current industry buzz. Excellent!
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You can use your goals and focus your social media efforts so they are productive. 

Excuse #2: Connections On Social Media Are Fake
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Connections on social media are fake if you are being fake. Be your authentic self on social media and you will find real connections. I would argue that social media gives you the opportunity to make connections you might never have made if geographic proximity and chance were required.

If I read a book that I love, I tweet out praise and tag the author and/or illustrator and publisher. Almost 100% of the time one or all tweet back. There was NOTHING fake about my original tweet. It was genuinely motivated by my appreciation for a book. That is real. Social media gave me the mechanism to share my kind words directly with an author who I might never meet in person.  

If I come across a great article, interview or blog post and I repost it on Facebook, my fellow writing colleagues may appreciate the opportunity to see it. If I tag the author of the piece and thank them for their efforts there is NOTHING fake about my respect for the article, interview or blog post. If you go through the effort of putting something out to the internet universe, it’s nice when someone notices. I think the authors and blog owners that see me repost their work alongside kind words appreciate that I do that. Almost 100% of the time I get a response. And now we are connected.
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Be authentic and your social media connections will be real. 

Excuse #3: Connections on Social Media Are Shallow
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This is a situation of you get out what you are willing to put in. Granted, nothing can really replace the kismet meeting at a book launch that sparks a spontaneous conversation where you discover that you both had a childhood cat named Rex. BUT you can make connections that are deeper than ankle height. They will require effort and energy, just like any relationship. 

If you are a passive social media user who just lurks around the platforms and hits like or clicks a heart if you see something that you agree with or love, then yes, your connections will be shallow. Those options are like waving across the room to a colleague but refusing to walk over and shake someone’s hand. You need to shake hands and offer a bit of conversation. You cannot just wave. Instead of hitting like or punching hearts, make a comment. That comment shows effort and moves you into the realm of active participant. Be that person.  
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If you engage in a meaningful way, your connections will be meaningful. 

Excuse #4: I Stink at Technology

Me too! Just ask my kids. But you are a brave creative individual who puts manuscripts in front of critique groups. You can wade into Twitter and/or Facebook. Start small. As we suggest with all goals, make your technology goals manageable. We would never set a goal of writing three novels in one week, so why set a scary social media objective? Decide that you are going to set up a Twitter account and commit to 15 minutes of Twitter time a day and one tweet a week. You can do that. Want to get better at using Twitter? Add in a goal of watching a Twitter tutorial online.

Here’s the good news. While you are learning and figuring things out and making mistakes, like sending out a tweet with misspellings or forgetting to tag the author whose book you are gushing about, you will barely have any followers! So who is really going to see it anyway? In the beginning the only folks who see your tweet will probably be your crit group and your best friend! You’ll have time to hone your skills before a crowd is watching.
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You will only master technology if you take steps to improve your skills. 

Excuse #5: I Can Wait Until I Have a Book to Promote

No you cannot! Well before you have a book to promote and NEED your social media community you must put in the time to build the community and contribute to it.

I launched my debut book last month – in the middle of a pandemic that shut down everything! If I didn’t have social media, how would anyone have seen my book? The only reason I have followers on social media is because I posted and tweeted and tagged for years leading up to my book launch. The result was an online community ready to help boost news of my book because I had boosted their book news, retweeted their blog articles, and been a full participant in the social media community.

Even without the confines of the pandemic, my social media community puts my book news in front of WAY more folks than I could reach with face-to-face contact and to a much broader geographic reach.
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If you wait until you need social media, it will be too late. 

Are you ready to up your social media game, create real connections and build a social media community that will benefit your writing career? Great!
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(Now prove it by tweeting and/or reposting this blog!) 

~ By Amanda Smith

In last week’s blog, Lindsay Ward encouraged us to lean into our creativity and reinvest in our goals during this truly bizarre time. For some of us, writing in the midst of quarantine feels like sanity and welcome routine. However, I have heard other writers mention that they are unable to write, that they are not in the head-space to be creative. And others’ writing time is consumed by keeping young children on track with school work, or working longer hours from home. So how do we keep our writing goals?

At 24 Carrot Writing we have always proposed two kinds of goals: Creative goals and craft goals. The beauty of setting these two kinds of goals, is they access different skill-sets and even different brain hemispheres, so we can always keep moving forward in one area when the other seems inaccessible.

 If you are happily plugging along with your creative goals, writing your story and meeting your word-count targets, carry on. You’ve got this! However, I would urge those writers who feel as if their muse is quarantined in a whole different zip code to lean into those craft goals. Here are some ideas:

• Have you always been curious about Scrivener? Now is the perfect time to work through the tutorial and learn this amazing writing tool.
• Were the first couple couple of months of the new year filled with other projects and you missed out on Storystorm and ReFoReMo? Those blogs are still available to read. You may not have access to all the mentor books, but you may use this time to study some of the books you own as mentor texts, and discover why and how they work on a structural level.
• There are a myriad of online classes, webinars and author resources available right now, such as those from SCBWI. If you are experiencing writer’s block, taking some of these classes is a perfect way to develop your craft.
  This piece of advice comes with a caveat, though. The abundance of online resources could be a distraction and might be overwhelming. it’s okay to miss some! My rule of thumb is: Does this webinar fit into my yearly goals or support my WIP? If so, go full steam ahead. If not, you might find yourself like a squirrel in fall, gathering a bunch of nuts, but not remembering where you buried them.
• Speaking of workshops and notes, when was the last time you looked at any? Kelly often wisely says that sometimes we need to stop taking classes and apply what we have learned. This is a great time to pull out your workshop notes on plotting, or tension or whatever, and apply it to your WIP.
• While you are at it, you could also create order in your work space by filing your notes in a way that makes them easy to find again. ( Francine wrote a wonderful blog about taming conference notes a few years ago)
• Offer to be a beta-reader or critique partner for a writing friend. Some of my favorite quarantine hours have been spent reading and critiquing others’ work. Asking Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? about someone else’s work is easier and less intimidating than trying to muddle through your own. The added bonus is that it trains you to spot these things in your own work as well, strengthening your craft.

 
These last few ideas are craft/ creative cross-overs:

• Start an idea notebook. (Click here for Annie's blog on how.)  Most writing happens in our heads long before it happens on paper. If you are unable to write, but have thoughts about your WIP, or snippets of dialogue that wake you up in the middle of the night, it is handy to have one place to put it all. For picture books, I recommend Annie’s technique. For novels, have a designated notebook or folder per project. This way you will have your thoughts together for when you get back to writing.
• Do the behind the scenes work on your WIP. Tension charts and scene spreadsheets, story grids and all the analysis. This way you are staying in your novel, working towards your goals, and preparing for when the muse returns.

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Above all, feed your creative soul with what brings you joy! If writing doesn’t bring you joy right now, that is okay. Step away. Follow a few online watercolor tutorials. Play with clay. Write some poetry. Go dig in the garden. Make music. Sew a few face masks. Because your marvelous mind will be puzzling at your story, carving out your characters, and coming up with fresh ideas, all waiting for you when you are ready to pick up the pen again.
 

Guest Post by Lindsay Ward

​We are excited to host, Lindsay Ward of Critter Lit on 24 Carrot Writing. Lindsay has a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University and her most recent books include This Book Is Gray and the Amazon Bestselling Dexter T. Rexter series: Don’t Forget Dexter!, It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!, and Vacation for Dexter! with Two Lions. Her work has been reviewed in Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and the New York Times. Lindsay is the founder of Critter Lit, a free picture book manuscript and illustration critique service for up-and-coming authors and illustrators. 

We had originally planned on having Lindsay share a blog about giving and receiving critiques. But in these uncertain times, Lindsay has offered up a more poignant reflection on how to use your writing and goals to work through the stress of our current situation. 

Welcome Lindsay! 

​My life is hectic and busy with three kiddos under five. I’m trying to finish book deadlines, come up with new ideas, learn how to homeschool my oldest son, and stay sane amidst one of the biggest global events to happen in 100 years. Things are nuts right now. And I know you are all reading this thinking, “yep, life is bananas.” And it is. BUT, the one thing I’ve found that has kept me going and provided some balance has been creative work. Sitting down to write and draw everyday has given me a sense of purpose and structure, which I need. Especially now.

In early 2017 I launched Critter Lit; a website where authors and illustrators could receive free one-time critiques. I wanted to create a community where people could get feedback in a reasonable amount of time. One of the most frustrating things about publishing is how slow it is. Patience is key. But let’s be honest, nobody is that patient. I’ve been doing this for ten years and I’m just as impatient on submission now as I was the first time I went out. So I decided I could promise people two weeks. That seemed like a reasonable amount of time. It turned out, a lot of other people thought so too. 

​When I started Critter Lit, it was just me squeezing time between deadlines to read and critique manuscripts— but I always made the two week deadline. It was important to me to make the time to give back and help up-and-coming authors, as others had done for me. Many people took the time to critique my work and offer advice before I was first published. Now, my husband, Frank Tupta, and I run Critter Lit together. His first picture book comes out this July.

​In the beginning, most submissions came from writers who were just starting out. But soon published authors and illustrators started sending in manuscripts and art for critique. Sometimes they’d want to know if I’d give the same feedback as they were hearing in their critique group. Other times, they wanted some input before sharing the project with their agent. Since then, Critter Lit has grown to include a wide range of submissions. I’m thrilled that so many people have found our site helpful.
 
After about a year, I started to hear back from people who had received offers of representation or sold their manuscript to an editor. It’s incredible to share in the excitement of those moments with other creatives. That feeling never gets old. When I worry about what is going on right now, I try to remind myself of those moments.

In the midst of this pandemic, there has been a lot of concern as to the state of publishing. What’s going to happen? Will publishers still be buying books? When will things go back to normal? I ask those questions too. This is my family’s livelihood. My husband and I don’t have other jobs. This is it. Full-time writing and illustrating. And right now that is completely terrifying. I can’t control what’s going to happen. I don’t know what publishers are going to do. BUT, I do know they have to keep buying books to make a profit when this is all over. So I’m going to keep writing and drawing. I’m going to stay hopeful. Which, I’ll be honest, is hard right now.
 

Writing goals and deadlines are a welcome and helpful distraction and the amazing KidLit community and the critique requests we keep getting at Critter Lit have kept me motivated. I love that you are all still writing and trying to put your work out there. This is the perfect time to lean into our creative energy, keep writing, reinvest in our writing goals and appreciate the wonderful work we are all creating. 
 
Be well everyone.
 
Lindsay

For more information on Lindsay please visit her at https://lindsaymward.com/books/ and to order her new book, Rosie: Stronger Than Steel (Two Lions, April 2020) click here. 

For more information on Critter Lit visit here. 
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By Annie Cronin Romano 
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It is with joy and pride that the 24 Carrot Writing crew is celebrating Kelly Carey’s debut picture book HOW LONG IS FOREVER?, which launches Tuesday, April 7th. 

HOW LONG IS FOREVER? (Charlesbridge, 2020) is the story of a young boy’s quest to understand the essence of what forever really is. Through delightful storytelling, Kelly cleverly depicts how a child’s idea of “forever” (Grandma's pie will take forever to bake) varies considerably from that of an older person. This is particularly relevant during this time of stay-at-home orders when many children are feeling as though they've been home forever. As Mason hunts for the meaning of forever, he enjoys all the beauty and treasures his grandparent’s farm holds. Perspective is important in this story, and parents and teachers will find many jumping-off points for discussion regarding time and perspective. Children will easily engage with Qing Zhuang’s vibrant colored pencil and watercolor illustrations. And blueberry pie plays a key role in Kelly’s book as well. How yummy is that? 

​I had the pleasure of reading early drafts of HOW LONG IS FOREVER? and watching Kelly incorporate critique and feedback suggestions all the while staying true to her original vision for this story. As one of the co-founders of 24 Carrot Writing, Kelly knows the importance of setting writing goals and holding herself accountable to them. Her dedication to her craft is fundamental to her success. Oh, and she’s one immensely talented writer, too!

Congratulation, Kelly, on your sweet debut picture book, HOW LONG IS FOREVER! To quote Kirkus, "It won't take kids forever to return to this one." (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kelly-carey/how-long-is-forever/) 

To learn more about Kelly Carey, visit her website: http://www.kcareywrites.com/.
To learn more about illustrator Qing Zhuang, go to https://www.qingthings.com/.

~by Amanda Smith
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To cap off our National Reading Month posts on favorite reads, we polled the ones whose opinion ultimately matters the most - the children for whom we write. These sixth graders are well read and they know what they like. Take a look - 

Tell us about a book that you just finished reading that you liked. What about the book caused you to keep reading to the end?
All the old favorites, such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson,  and James Patterson's books were among the student's responses. I found it interesting that some students are still drawn to the classics, and that they enjoyed books from a variety of genres.

Adeline C. -  I just finished reading THE VANDERBEEKERS TO THE RESCUE by Karina Yan Glaser. I liked the book because there were parts that you just wanted to keep reading from the actions that the characters made.
Brady P. - I just finished reading RESISTANCE by Jennifer A Nielsen. What I really liked about the book was that it was full of action. I kind of like war books.
Emily B. - THE INQUISITOR’S TALE by Adam Gidwits. I really wanted to finish it because I had so many questions about it.
Emma O – HOLES by Louis Sachar, it was a very entertaining book. I kept reading to the end because of all the action. I understood every part of the book, so it wasn’t challenging. There were suspenseful parts and lots of interesting facts. 
Hazel M. - I reread PRISONER OF WAR by Michael P. Spradlin and it had so much action, humor, and just enough sadness, I just had to keep reading to the end.
Kacy B. - I just finished GUTS by Raina Telgemeier. I liked it because it showed young Raina going through tough times, but she got over her anxiety. My favorite part had to be when she made friends with a girl she hated in the beginning and how it relates to real life.
Noah G. - I liked THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS by James Fenimore Cooper because it is a very descriptive read with lots of twists, new characters, and unexpected events.
Ryan M. -  I just finished HATCHET by Gary Paulson. I read till the end because it was interesting and had cliffhangers.

~by Amanda Smith

Life has changed drastically for all of us, but one thing that remains unchanged is the comfort, escape and friendship good books offer. An unexpected benefit of self- quarantine is that we have more time to read. Even though physical libraries are closed, e-books and audio books are still available through apps such as Libby and Audible, and while we cannot browse our favorite Indie bookstores, we can still support them by ordering books through Indiebound.
So, snuggle up with some stories. Read aloud one of your kids’ best-loved novels, share some of your childhood favorites, or discover new darlings together.

 In honor of National Reading Month, here are some of my recent favorites:

by Kelly Carey

In honor of National Reading Month, 24 Carrot Writing is celebrating by sharing a few of our recent favorite reads.
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When social distancing and quarantine orders have us searching for home bound activities, books offer up friends, adventure, and escape.  This might be the perfect time to open a book. Let me suggest a few fun places you can run away to without leaving your house! 

HOME IN THE WOODS uses gently lyrical language and stunning artwork to teach the stark realities of poverty during the Great Depression. It is a book about hope and persistence in the face of difficulty. Perhaps it can act as a road-map for how to move forward in the current environment.
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In picture books also look for Trevor by Jim Averbeck and illustrated by Amy Heveron, Hum & Swish by Matt Meyers, and What Miss Mitchell Saw by Hayley Barret and illustrated by Diana Sudyka.  

VERNON IS ON HIS WAY by Philip C. Stead offers the whimsical humor and soul filling simplicity of a silly frog exploring his surroundings and learning how to be a friend. Vernon is a celebration of everyday items and easy problems. Told in three short stories this book is a great mentor text if you’re ready to write a chapter book or if your young reader is ready to tackle a longer solo read.
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In chapter books also look for Frank & Bean by Jamie Michalak and illustrated by Bob Kolar. 

In THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF COYOTE SUNRISE by Dan Gemeinhart, Coyote and her dad Rodeo have suffered a BIG loss and Rodeo has decided the best way to heal is to travel forward on a converted school bus. As they encounter fellow travelers, Coyote starts to wonder if they really are healing and if maybe their aimless wandering needs a destination. You’ll be cheering for quirky Coyote Sunrise and her journey is truly remarkable!  
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In middle grade books also look for The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty. 

​WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH by Elizabeth Acevedo offers plenty of spice in the form of main character Emoni Santiago who has a love for food and a knack for creating culinary excellence. But Emoni has lost her mother, her father is absent and she is navigating her senior year of high school while caring for her daughter. You’ll want to help Emoni, cry for Emoni and be Emoni – or at the very least eat her food!  

In young adult also look for The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman and Geek Girl by Holly Smale. 

Feel free to add your favorite fresh reads in the comments!  

Guest blog post by Desiree Villena
Anyone familiar with children’s literature will know that it contains a diverse and fascinating range of characters, ideas, and themes — and that, contrary to popular belief, new trends crop up in kid lit all the time. Though there are some evergreen topics that children will always adore (dinosaurs, candy, and poop jokes, to name a few), kids’ books are just like any other sort of literature in that they reflect what people like to read — and what they believe is important — in a given era.
 
To that end, we wanted to analyze five of the biggest kid lit trends of 2019 and why they might be having such a “moment.” Aspiring children’s authors, take note: these are the stories that kids, parents, and school librarians are crazy about right now. 

1. Stories grappling with sadness
Surprising as it might sound, some of the most popular (and beautifully illustrated) children’s books last year revolved around topics like grief, loneliness, and general ennui. Eva Eland's WHEN SADNESS IS AT YOUR DOOR tackles this with particular aplomb, noting that it’s normal to feel sad for no reason, and better to sit with that sadness awhile than trying to push it away. Jin Xiaojing’s I MISS MY GRANDPA contains a similar message — the main character has never met her grandfather, but rather than diminishing her feelings, her parents help her work through them. MY HEART, by Corinna Luyken, is another strong example of this trend; it focuses less on sadness specifically than on the nuances of overall human emotion, but it’s still quite a sensitive work to which children can deeply relate.
 
This noticeable increase in books about sadness (a category distinct from “sad books,” for the record) may be due to our collectively improving grasp of children as psychological beings. As a result, though there have long been great children’s books about coping with negative emotions, these 2019 books go above and beyond: acknowledging that sadness is a part of life, and emphasizing that it’s just as important to unpack the causes as it is to find solutions.

2. Confidence-boosting books
Another trend that may stem from our better psychological understanding of children is the recent rise in confidence-boosting kids’ books. After all, it’s easy to look at children — with all their energy, short attention spans, etc. — and think they’re impervious to low confidence, but the truth is that kids struggle with anxiety and self-doubt just as much as adults do.
 
To combat this, a number of children’s authors in 2019 penned wonderfully confidence-boosting books for children with insecurities. There is Lupita Nyong’o’s SULWE, a deeply moving story about a young black girl who feels self-conscious in her skin before realizing how magical she truly is. (Vashti Harrison’s luminous illustrations leave no doubt for the reader, either — every image of Sulwe in this book is a wonder to behold). There’s also CLICK by Kayla Miller, a stellar middle-grade graphic novel about a girl struggling to find her “talent” for her school’s variety show… until it dawns on her that she’d be the perfect emcee. Finally, there’s Jerry Craft’s NEW KID for those struggling to adapt to a new school, and Michael A. Brown’s WHAT I TELL MYSELF FIRST for all the kids out there who love their self-affirming mantras (or whose parents do, at least).

3. Specific cultural stories
Another encouraging trend we’ve seen recently is children’s literature that details different cultural stories and experiences — therefore enabling kids to engage with these cultures in age-appropriate yet highly meaningful ways. This trend of diverse storytelling certainly emerged earlier than 2019, but continued on a strong note throughout last year with children’s books like BETWEEN US AND ABUELA by Mitali Perkins, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? by Yamile Saied Méndez, and SOME PLACES MORE THAN OTHERS by Renée Watson.
 
Each of these addresses a specific issue of race, ethnicity, and/or class to enlighten the reader about something they may not have known — from the intrusive questions faced by Mexican immigrants in the U.S. to the long history of the African-American community in Harlem, New York. But make no mistake, these stories aren’t just informative; they’re also richly textured, gorgeously illustrated, and often delightful to read. For a quintessential example of this, check out FRY BREAD by Kevin Noble Maillard, a sweet (no pun intended) picture book about the traditional Native American treat.

4. Female role models
Here’s another children’s lit trend we’ve been seeing for a while, but which really picked up in 2019: kids’ books about female role models, both over the course of history and today. While GOODNIGHT STORIES FOR REBEL GIRLS may have kick-started this trend, last year was a record-breaking one in terms of children’s stories about amazing and accomplished women.
 
One of the most touching contributions to this corner of books was PARKER LOOKS UP, a picture book based on two-year-old Parker Curry’s awestruck reaction to a gallery portrait of Michelle Obama — demonstrating how vital it is to find role models who look like us, in whom we can literally see ourselves. It was also great to see recognition for some lesser-known women of history, such as surgeon and abolitionist Mary Edwards Walker (MARY WEARS WHAT SHE WANTS, by Keith Negley) and Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian in NYC (PLANTING STORIES, by Anika Aldamuy Denise).
 
But perhaps most heartening of all was RAISE YOUR HAND by Alice Tapper, an eleven-year-old so determined to overcome school shyness that she wrote a whole book for girls just like her. Indeed, it’s a testament to the marvelous impact of all female role models that girls today not only recognize their potential, but also strive to make a difference as soon as they possibly can. With any luck, we’ll see even more work from such promising young women in 2020.

5. Itty-bitty beasties
Let’s end on a fun one: for some reason, 2019 was The Year of Tiny Animals! To be fair, animals (especially of the talking variety) are always popular, but last year seemed to particularly spotlight miniaturized versions of already-adorable critters.
 
Perhaps most adorable was the titular character of Jonathan Stutzman's TINY T. REX AND THE IMPOSSIBLE HUG, whose arms are tragically too short to share a warm embrace with another dino. (Worry not, reader, he finds a way in the end!) Another teensy star of his own eponymous book, Jean Reidy's TRUMAN is a turtle who must venture into the dangerous city streets after his young owner disappears. There’s also Benji Davies' TAD (releasing in June 2020) a book about an undersized tadpole who can’t wait for her leaping legs to grow in, and WILD HONEY FROM THE MOON, by Kenneth Kraegel, in which a small-but-fearless mother shrew embarks on a fantastical adventure to help her ailing son.
 
Come to think of it, all these Lilliputian heroes have something crucial in common, something which no doubt appeals to readers of similar stature: strong spirits that allow them to overcome their tiny vessels and accomplish great things. In that sense, our little friends are just as much role models as any of the other characters on this list, even if they might not seem it at first. But after all, such is the nature of children’s books, both in 2019 and beyond: what may seem simple on the surface can convey very powerful ideas that young readers will carry with them forever.

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Desiree Villena is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors with top-notch self-publishing resources and professionals to help them achieve their dreams. In her spare time, Desiree enjoys reading, writing, and babysitting — especially when the kids are in the mood to read!
Check out Reedsy’s social media on Twitter (@ReedsyHQ) and Instagram (@reedsy_hq), and browse their blog at ​https://blog.reedsy.com/

Guest Blog by Rob Justus

​Hey there beautiful reader!
 
This is author, illustrator, nice guy, Rob Justus. The lovely people at 24 Carrot Writing have asked if I could contribute a couple points on how to begin your journey into the world of creating graphic novels.
 
Now I know, I know, who the heck is this guy? I don’t even have a graphic novel published!....But I will.

​Right now, I’m the author/illustrator of the amazing KID COACH picture book, but come Fall 2021 my first graphic novel series, DEATH AND SPARKLES, will be flying off bookshelves! ​

​So how did I get here? How did I go from picture books to middle grade graphic novels?
 
Well, I was told by a few people that middle-grade graphic novels are a booming segment of the book market, and that my humor and storytelling might be a could match. That’s when I saw dollar signs dancing in my eyes! Muh-ha-ha!
 
Just kidding.
 
Everyone thinks that writing a picture book is easy. It is really freakin’ hard!!! You’re generally constrained to 32 cohesive pages, where every single word is scrutinized over and over. With graphic novels, there’s a little more room for my ideas to run around. And run around I did!

 It starts with character
 
When I start a story, it starts with a character that I’ve sketched. These characters tend to have something that stands out from all the other things I’ve sketch. They have a life to them.

For DEATH AND SPARKLES, it started with me drawing random skulls. Those skulls evolved into this:​

​Originally, I planned on aiming these characters at younger kids, and having the graphic novel set up as a simple sitcom with each chapter being a funny situation. I pitched this to my agent and she politely told me it was a steaming pile of poo-poo caca.
 
Then she gave me the most important piece of advice I’ve gotten in this crazy journey I’ve taken to become a real author...
 
World building
 
WORLD BUILDING changed everything. My agent told me to write lists of personality traits for each character. How they react to certain situations. How they feel. Sometimes I just wrote lists of random questions: How does Death feel about swimming? Why would Sparkles want to be friends with Death? How does Death feel about death? How can I include cupcakes? Would Death have a pet?
 
Once I had an idea of who Death and Sparkles are as characters, I began to define the world they live in. Where does Death live? How does he travel around? Does Sparkles do anything for himself? Who’s in his entourage? Are unicorns descendants of dragons? From there I could start to populate this world with other secondary characters and antagonists.
 
Because I spent so much time defining and building this world it became SO easy to write. I knew how the characters would react to different situations, how they’d deal with conflict and how Death and Sparkles would grow to become best buds. I even know how their friendship is going to evolve over the next six books! That said, my agent was worried I’d struggle writing something longer than 32 pages, with our goal to have a nice arc over hopefully 120 pages. All the work beforehand let me run wild! Just a mere 275 pages later we had a fully sketched out dummy ready for submission. DEATH AND SPARKLES is easily one of my proudest achievements as a writer and illustrator.
 
Scrivener
 
I’m a firm believer in just doing your thing. As long as you’ve got a pencil and paper you’re good to start creating anything you want, but I will plug one little thing that helped me immensely. A little program called Scrivener. It’s a writing program that let me keep all my notes in one place, while having a great outlining/cork board/cue card thingy. Go check it out. Best $20 I ever spent.
 
I grew up reading and wanting to draw comics when I was a kid, but “chose” the safer options in life and got a comfy job as a consultant. When I decided to leave all that behind and switch to a creative career, it felt like things were coming full circle. This is what I’m supposed to be doing. I can’t wait to show the world I built for DEATH AND SPARKLES in Fall 2021, but in the meantime feel free to check out my picture book KID COACH.
 
I’m author, illustrator, nice guy Rob Justus, and hopefully you found this ramblin’ insightful. Shine on, people!

To learn more about Rob please visit his website at https://robjustus.com/ or find him on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/robjustus/. Rob is a member of The Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts. Find all The Soaring '20s authors and illustrators at https://www.soaring20spb.com/. 

​You can order a copy of KID COACH here.