Book Birthday Blog with A. Kidd

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

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

 

Congratulations to A. Kidd on the release of Yasuko and the Dream Eater

 

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

I was actually trying to find a cool mythical creature for a novel I was writing. My husband, who is Japanese and grew up in Japan, mentioned the dream eater: an animal made up of different animal parts that eats bad dreams. It sounded so unique that I thought it deserved its own book! My story idea changed a lot over time. I started out with a scary dream eater, like a monster under the bed, but decided that is not what kids needed to help them with their nightmares. Yasuko originally flew kites with her family instead of making origami. But I realized that origami had much more potential for fitting into the theme of one thing changing into another. Yasuko was also originally Japanese and grew up in Japan. But I decided that the story would be much more authentic if Yasuko was half-Japanese, like my own daughter. 

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

I hope young readers will feel brave enough to face their own bad dreams and discover how to turn their nightmares into something positive, with a little help from a lovable dream eater. And for anyone struggling with identity, I hope they can learn to feel proud of their background, especially if it is multicultural.  

What was the most difficult part of writing this book?

Getting the cultural aspects right. I really went to great lengths to ensure that I was expressing appreciation and respect for the Japanese culture and its folklore. I also wanted to make sure the story showed that even though Yasuko was struggling with certain aspects of the Japanese culture that were unfamiliar to her, that her grandmother was always a loving and reassuring presence in her life. They just had to learn how to connect. 

What are your marketing plans for the book?

I will be reading at my daughter’s Japanese immersion school in Livonia as well as having a book launch at Baldwin Public Library in Birmingham on Tuesday, June 27^th at 6:15pm. I will visit Berkley Public Library for summer reading, offering an interactive storytime program and craft on Wed. July 19  at 2pm. I will offer a storytime reading at the Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Festival on Saturday May 6 at 1pm and 3pm (event is 12-4) in honor of Japanese Children’s Day. You can check my website and Facebook page for additional events.  

 

What's next for you?

 

I’m currently revising a young adult novel, which is an environmental sci-fi in dual perspective. I also have a Valentine’s Day themed picture book about ocean life in the works. Many children have asked for a sequel to The Healing Star, especially if it features more antics from Julia’s farting dog, Pete. How can I not honor such a comical and stinky request?

 

A little bit about the book . . .

 

Yasuko loves making paper airplanes with her parents in the US. When she visits her grandmother in Japan, everything seems different, including folding the complicated origami crane. She starts having the same bad dream every night, so her grandmother suggests she call the dream eater for help. The dream eater devours Yasuko’s nightmare but is still hungry. Will Yasuko be able to stop it from gobbling up her good dream too?  

Publisher: Quiet Storm Publishing LLC

 

A little bit about the author . . .

 

A. Kidd lives in the US but has travelled to Japan many times to visit family and for sightseeing. Japan feels like her second home. Although she dreams often, she hasn’t needed to call the baku yet. A. Kidd is also the author of the middle grade fantasy, The Healing Star. Find out more about her at https://www.akiddwrites.com/.

 

Website: https://www.akiddwrites.com/ 

Email: a.kiddwrites@gmail.com

Facebook author page: @a.kiddwrites

Twitter: @akiddwrites

Instagram: @a.kiddwrites

TikTok: @akiddwrites

 

 

 

  
 

TV Interview Tips for the Timid Writer by A. Kidd

Let me start by saying that the idea of appearing on TV, even local TV, was terrifying to me. I’m an introvert like most writers and prefer to share my thoughts on the page—end of story. But we all know how important marketing is for even the most popular writers out there. So how do you navigate the world of television?

I discovered Pages Promotions which is an organization devoted to helping indie authors like me. They were advertising Indie Reads TV which is broadcast on CMNTV. They have a contact form you can fill out to be a guest. Keep in mind, they are currently taking a break because of the stay-at-home restrictions, but you can still sign up as well as watch episodes on YouTube.

***In general, taking part in writing and book-related listservs and social media groups is the best way to find these opportunities.

How do you prepare? 

• Ask the interviewer if they can send you a list of their questions ahead of time, but be prepared for them to say no, to keep things natural. Usually they’ll at least provide some basic questions to expect. 

• Research common questions. Then make a list of questions you’ve been asked in written interviews. *Sometimes they will let you recommend questions you want to be asked. 

• Make sure you have your book pitch memorized so you can say it with ease and a smile. 

• Take your smart phone and videotape yourself practicing. Notice if you’re making enough eye contact as well as how you look and sound.

• Have your timesaver statement ready, in case you get asked a question you weren’t expecting. Something like, “I’ve never been asked that before” or “That’s an interesting question.” *Even a few seconds will buy you some time to come up with an answer. 

What to expect when you arrive? 

When I got to the studio, it actually took me like 10 minutes to make myself get out of the car. I was excited but extremely nervous! Try these tips:

• Listen to some soothing or upbeat music on your way there. 

• Practice some deep-breathing if you can, just prior. 

• Drink some calming tea ahead of time. 

The studio was actually more comforting than I expected, even with all the equipment in my face and surrounding us. *The main thing I recommend is to just focus on your interviewer and pretend you are having a conversation. I know that when I talk about something I’m really passionate about, like books, and when I know my topic well (in this case, myself and my book), then I feel more relaxed. Luckily, my interviewer was quite friendly. She was also very chatty during the interview, which allowed me time to come up with my responses.

Takeaways from my experience:

I think what went well is that I appeared genuine, and I truly enjoyed the interview. When the interviewer said we only had a few more minutes left, I was thinking, wow that went by quickly! The interviewer told me she thought I was a good conversationalist and that I seemed calm, which was great to hear and a huge surprise. She said she really enjoyed my enthusiasm too.

• Turn those nerves into excitement, if you can. 

• Try not to get too bogged down with how you answered questions or if you got it just right. The goal is for the general public to see authors as everyday people that they can relate to, not some perfect person on a pedestal. Just like your main character, you want to be authentic and relatable too. 

• I will say that while I was very excited about my sparkly outfit, since my book is about stars, I discovered afterwards that I blended into the background a little bit. So you might want to consult with the station about what kind of background there will be and what colors they suggest you wear to make yourself stand out. 

• Remember your ultimate goal is to share excitement about your book and hopefully gain some readership.

*And if all else fails, remember this. I said to my husband beforehand, what if I do something really wacky on TV? He said that was even better, because then more people would watch. More viewers means more potential readers. And who doesn’t want that? Good luck!

Watch A. Kidd's interview here: https://youtu.be/HIEiAdlaJlU

A. Kidd is the middle child in a family of three girls. She started making up her own stories at age four. She has a B.S. in Written Communication with a minor in Language, Literature, and Writing from Eastern Michigan University and an MLIS with a specialization in children's librarianship from Wayne State University. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines. She is also an artist and a performance poet. ​​​​​​​

A. Kidd lives with her husband and daughter in a suburb of Detroit, MI. The Healing Star is her debut novel. She often wishes on stars but hasn't caught one yet.​​​​​​​

Learn more at her author page: https://www.facebook.com/A.Kiddwrites/

Find The Healing Star here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733899200

SCBWI-MI Reminders

Monthly Shop Talks are now virtual and are open to everyone around the state. Go to events on our website to learn more: https://michigan.scbwi.org/ The best way to stay updated is to subscribe to our chapter listserv and social media channels. Go here to get connected:
https://michigan.scbwi.org/online/

The SCBWI-MI Nonfiction Mentorship Competition is already half-full of applicants for picture books. The submission window closes May 26th or when 30 applications are received, so don't delay! Everything you need to know for both mentorships is here:
https://michigan.scbwi.org/2019/10/23/non-fiction-mentorship-2020/





Schools are closed and SCBWI-MI authors and illustrators are here to help! Go here for numerous free educational activities for all grade levels, K-12.

https://michigan.scbwi.org/2020/03/18/scbwi-michigan-educational-resources/

Book Birthday Blog with A. Kidd

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog! 

Where we celebrate new books by Michigan's children's book authors and illustrators

Congratulations to A. Kidd on the release of her new book, THE HEALING STAR!

Congrats on the release of The Healing Star! What inspired you to write this story?

I was inspired by a trip my husband and I took to Montreal and Quebec City. He saw a shooting star, but I didn’t. This got me thinking about stars, where they come from and what they mean. I was also listening to one of my favorite singers, Sara Bareilles. Two of her songs from the album The Blessed Unrest, “Satellite Call” and “Cassiopeia,” are about space. I was also inspired by the fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk, which features a tale of someone climbing into the sky. My grandma was also an inspiration. I had a special relationship with her growing up. She taught me piano lessons and stayed for dinner every Sunday. My grandma became very sick, just like Julia’s grandma. I think I worked through some of my feelings by writing this story.

The Healing Star follows the relationship between fourth-grader Julia and her grandmother. What do you hope readers take away from your story and that relationship? 

I hope they feel the love between Julia and Grammu and recognize the special bond they share. As Julia says, they are “cosmic twins.” I think everyone can relate to having a certain person in their life that means more to them than anything. When you have that go-to person, that best friend, you’ll do anything for them. And I hope readers see that this bond can transcend all kinds of circumstances. 

You also have experience as an artist and performance poet. Do either of these experiences influence or overlap with your novel writing? Do you ever find common threads in all of these pursuits? 

Absolutely. Artists see things with a visual eye, so I think this helps me picture the scenes for the novels inside my head so that I can better describe them on paper. And if I ever get stuck when writing a character or scene, sometimes I’ll sketch it out.

I love to play with language and I’m a huge fan of lyrical writing, so I think that comes out in my work. I try to create imagery and metaphors to enhance important moments in the story. Also, you must be very concise with words when writing poetry while still getting your point across, so this helps me “kill my darlings” as they say when writing a longer work such as a novel. Performance poetry has helped me get over my fear of speaking in front of people during author visits…mostly. Performance poetry often involves telling a story in the form of a poem, so that was good practice too. And getting immediate feedback from the audience on my work helped me improve my writing much more quickly. I miss that sometimes, as writing novels can be a lonely process.

Your book has been out for a little while now, how has the marketing trail been? What’s next for you?

It’s been going great so far. I’ve done a couple book signings at local bookstores and just had my first school visit. I used to work as a full time children’s librarian, so it’s been a joy to interact with kids again, this time talking to them about writing. It really feels like a good fit, so I hope to do more school visits. Next I have my official book launch on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30pm at Baldwin Public Library. At 6:30pm, there will be a special book club discussion featuring my book for grades 4-6. And then on Sunday, Oct. 20th from 11-5pm, I’ll be at Leon and Lulu in Clawson signing books as part of their Books and Authors event.  

As for writing, I recently completed a draft of a dystopian YA, so I’ll need to begin revisions on that after I finish the book launch for The Healing Star.

Where can people find The Healing Star, and how can people connect with you?

The Healing Star is available on Amazon in paperback and as an ebook. Here are all the vendors for the ebook. I hope to make it available through Apple soon too. If you’re local, the book is available for purchase at Yellow Door and Toadvine Books in Berkley. It’s also available at Book Beat in Oak Park. To find out more about me, my book (The Healing Star), and my upcoming events, please find me on Facebook and Twitter. I’m also on Goodreads if you’d like to chat or leave a review.

For author visits and other related inquiries, email me at A.kiddwrites@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!

A little bit about the book: Stars with healing powers are falling from the sky.

Feisty fourth-grader Julia’s best friend in the entire universe is her grandmother. Julia and Grammu share secrets while cooking soup together, stay up late eating junk food and watching scary movies, and go stargazing on Blackberry Hill. They even wish on the same star every night.

But everything changes when Grammu catches the disappearing disease: little by little, she’s turning invisible. If Julia can catch a falling star, then her wish to save Grammu will come true. All Julia needs to do now is find the legendary ladder to the stars…

A little bit about the author: A. Kidd is the middle child in a family of three girls. She started making up her own stories at age four. Because she couldn't yet write, her mom wrote the stories down for her while she painted the pictures. Her first story was called Wagland and featured an island community with sea creatures that ate tuna fish sandwiches.

She has a B.S. in Written Communication with a minor in Language, Literature, and Writing from Eastern Michigan University and an MLIS with a specialization in children's librarianship from Wayne State University. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines. She is also an artist and a performance poet. In her free time, she enjoys finding and hiding painted rocks in her neighborhood and going on adventures with her family and friends.

A. Kidd lives with her husband and daughter in a suburb of Detroit, MI. The Healing Star is her debut novel. She often wishes on stars but hasn't caught one yet.