Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Katharine Mitropoulos on the release of Let's Work Smarter

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I came up with the idea for Let’s Work Smarter during a school visit for my first book, Ready… Set… Frog! While working with a student, I asked how we could work smarter, not harder. The student responded, “what does that mean?” In that moment I had an idea for a story about our friends on Harmony Lane working together to complete a task, and discovering what it truly means to work smarter in a clear and relatable way.

What inspires you to write?

My children inspire my writing. When they encounter a topic or life event that needs more explanation or encouragement, I often help them through storytelling—and sometimes, I even write these stories down!

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

I hope readers will gain realistic ideas for how to work smarter, not harder, in their daily lives. As parents, we are all busy with never-ending to-do lists. I aimed to provide simple examples of how to incorporate the book's concepts into everyday life and highlight why they benefit both kids and adults.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

This book will be available on amazon and our website: https://www.setsailpress.com/

We are also having a big launch party on Saturday, September 21st at 1:35pm at The Detroit Shoppe, Somerset Collection. All are welcome!

What's next for you?

After the release I will be touring Michigan elementary schools and participating in library visits.

More about the book . . .

Frog and his friends from Harmony Lane are back for another adventure! When the town playground needs fixing, the group struggles to complete their tasks. With guidance from their team leader, they reassess their approach and discover the value of time management and creative thinking.

Publisher: Set Sail Press

More about the author . . .

Katharine Mitropoulos dreamed of writing children's books when she was young but never found the courage. Her journey as an author began later in life after degrees in psychology, linguistics, and speech-language pathology. While working as a speech-language pathologist in schools, ideas for stories started flooding in. Once she got married and had two children of her own, she found herself crafting bedtime stories and dream prompts. One day, she wrote down one of those stories, and that's when Harmony Lane Adventures was born. In her spare time, Katharine loves to build furniture in her woodshop, eat ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, and run road races all over the state.

Instagram: @setsailpress