Book Birthday Blog with Heidi Woodward Sheffield

 

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

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

 

Congratulations to Heidi Woodward Sheffield on the release of Good Night, Little Man

 

You're the illustrator for the upcoming book written by Daniel Bernstrom. What inspired your illustrations for the story?

My agent Laura Rennert set up some meet and greets with editors and art directors a few years ago in NYC. One of the people I met was Executive Editor Jill Davis, who took one of my postcards of a boy snuggled up in bed. She fell in love with the image, kept thinking of it and eventually asked Dan if he could come up with a story to go with it.
 
When he did, she approached me about illustrating it. Early in the process, Jill left HarperCollins to start her own imprint, Hippo Park, at Astra Publishing House. I worked with Executive Editor Luana Horry at Harper for the rest of the book.
 
Normally I sketch out ideas for the characters I have in mind, then take some reference pictures of people who match the characters in my head. But the development of the book took place during Covid, and I didn’t have folks in my bubble who matched the characters from the book. Dan had mentioned the story had been inspired by his young son.
 
Thankfully, Dan had shared some family pictures with Jill and me around the same time. I asked if I could use them in developing the characters. I also made an additional list of expressions I needed from Dan and his son and they generously took more pictures. I printed a whole bunch of these family photos and put them on my wall, above my art table, where I referenced them for about two years. When I was done with the final art, I felt a bit sad to be taking the photos down of this sweet family I had spent so much time with. 

 

 

You've written and illustrated your own books. What is your creative process for illustrating a book written by someone other than yourself, or is the process the same?

It’s both liberating and sometimes daunting, but I truly love the challenge of bringing new meaning to another author’s work. Overall, I spend more hours on developing pictures for another author than I do when illustrating my own book. It takes a little longer getting into the right headspace. I start by making notes on the manuscript itself and storyboarding thumbnails of images they conjure up. While I take great care to honor the author’s manuscript, I also look for ways to extend its meaning and bring additional life to the book, often in unexpected ways. 

What was the most difficult part of creating the illustrations for the book?

About halfway through the book, the publisher increased the book by 8 pages. Luckily the timeline was extended, too. And my agent also negotiated additional payment with Harper for the additional work.

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

I’ll be at ALA in Chicago this June at Harper’s booth. Locally, I’ll be at Schuler’s Books in Ann Arbor Saturday, June 10 at 11 AM for a brief presentation and to sign books and at 2 Dandelions Books in Brighton, Wednesday, June 28 at 1:00 PM.
 
Good Night, Little Man is available from HarperCollins for $15.99 (a $4.00 savings) for a limited time. You can also buy it at your favorite Indie bookstore and Amazon.

We just received our first review for Good Night, Little Man and it's a stunning one from School Library Journal!

Lyrical text tells the story of a little boy who cannot sleep without his sheep. His father is upset without knowing the reason for his son’s tantrum; once he finds out, he is remorseful and reflects on his own behavior. The breaks in the text accentuate the rhythm of the words, while the illustrations depict the emotions of the father and son as they sort through what is happening between them. This is a positive depiction not only of the bonds of father and son but also of a multigenerational Black family with roots that run deep. VERDICT There are few books in which a parent makes mistakes and learns from them on reflection. This is a great story of the father and son bond to add to the shelves.–Ruth Guerrier-Pierre

What's next for you?

I'm working on a picture book mockup about the moon for submission and developing another project with a fellow illustrator. Stay tuned!  

A little bit about the book . . .

Good Night, Little Man is a rhythmic, heartwarming bedtime romp—with a twist! When Little Man can’t sleep without his beloved Sheep-Sheep, he turns the house upside down looking for his stuffed animal. His journey is stopped by an impatient father and very big emotions. Will Little Man find his Sheep-Sheep? Find out in this fun lost-and-found adventure—with a surprise ending.

Publisher: HarperCollins   

A little bit about the author . . .

Heidi Woodward Sheffield’s debut book Brick by Brick received the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Illustration and was chosen by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Heidi’s other books include Are Your Stars Like My Stars? (Union Square & Co.), written by Leslie Helakoski and Ice Cream Face (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin). Her forthcoming book Good Night, Little Man (HarperCollins), written by Daniel Bernstrom, debuts May 23, 2023.
 
Heidi has received numerous awards from The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She loves to create books that reflect the beauty of the world and its people. Her vibrant collages feature unusual textures like cork, Mexican embroidery and Irish lace.
 
On any given day, she can be seen taking photographs that inspire her stories and collages. She lives in Northville, Michigan.  

Website: https://www.heidibooks.com/

Twitter: @wwwheidibooks

Insta: @heidi.kids.books

facebook.com/heidi.sheffield.5

 

 

Book Birthday Blog with Heidi Woodward Sheffield

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

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

 

Congratulations to Heidi Woodward Sheffield on the release of Ice Cream Face

 

  

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

The idea for Ice Cream Face started with a dribble and a scribble back in 2009. We had taken my two year old daughter for ice cream, when I noticed she was wearing as much ice cream as she was eating ice cream. :)
 
Then I noticed all of the different types of people around us eating ice cream and how everyone has their own ice cream face. When I got home, I jotted everything I could down in a journal, starting with: “MMM. My ice cream face, it tastes so good, pistachio mustache, creamy on my tongue…” along with pictures of “Daddy’s ice cream face,” “Mama’s ice cream face,” and “Baby’s ice cream face,” and at the end of my notes, I drew a joyful boy, savoring a cone with 7 or so scoops on it.
 
I started working in earnest on it in 2014. In 2015 or so, I won a critique at SCBWI Michigan’s Fall Conference with Arthur Levine, who expressed some interest in the story, but passed on it.
 
I continued to workshop it with my critique group. In 2017, I attended the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA, where I won one of 5 mentorship awards. This consisted of a sort of “speed critique” where various editors and art directors gave feedback on each person’s work.
 
Publisher Nancy Paulsen (Nancy Paulsen Books Penguin Random House) and Cecilia Yung (Art Director and VP at Penguin Books for Young Readers) gave me some wonderful feedback. Then, Nancy asked me to submit Ice Cream Face and Brick by Brick for consideration! Within a week or so, they had offered to buy both books. It took me more than 12 years to get my first book(s) published.  

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

I hope everyone sees themselves in Ice Cream Face, from the mischievous, anticipatory smile of our ice cream kid, along with the range of emotions that go with waiting for, getting and losing this sweet treat, to the community who step in to share when the ice cream shop is closed.

You wrote and illustrated this book. What was the most difficult part of creating your book?

Taking reference photos of ice cream was the most difficult thing! It melts wayyyyy too fast. So, we bought a lot of ice cream to get that perfect scoop. Some of the best pictures were of my niece, who used labneh (strained yogurt) on her face, when I needed a picture of someone wearing their ice cream.

What are the marketing plans for the book?

The Brooklyn Public Library in NYC invited me to present last May, in honor of their Ezra Jack Keats book making competition for schools. Now I’m making the rounds locally. Book Beat appearance Sunday 8/28 2-3 PM, Michigan State Fair (they are giving away $200 worth of free copies of Ice Cream Face to lucky kids, which I’ll sign Sunday, September 4 at noon), and Kerrytown Book Festival Sunday Sept. 18.
 
I’m ALSO doing a great signed Ice Cream Face book giveaway with librarymombooks on Instagram (Rosie is a school librarian turned children’s book reviewer AND she has an ice cream shop!!!) Details to be announced!   

What's next for you?

I’m finishing the illustrations for my next book, which is Daniel Bernstrom’s story Good Night, Little Man (HarperCollins). It debuts June 2023. :))) 

A little bit about the book . . .

In Ice Cream Face, Heidi Woodward Sheffield brings to delicious life the anxiety and elation involved in waiting in line to get ice cream. She gently explores a range of emotions as they relate to this delicious, everyday experience.

A little bit about the author . . .

Heidi Woodward Sheffield ’s debut book Brick by Brick received the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Illustration and has been chosen by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Heidi also illustrated fellow Michkid Leslie Helakoski’s manuscript Are Your Stars Like My Stars?
 
Heidi’s latest picture book, Ice Cream Face is about the anxiety and elation involved in waiting in line to get ice cream. Publisher’s Weekly calls it an “amiable meditation on the joys of a rich emotional life starring a funny, self-aware protagonist who wears their ice-cream-loving heart on their sleeve.” Ice Cream Face is also on The Children’s Book Council’s June 2022 Hot Off the Press reading list and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
 
Heidi loves to create books that reflect the beauty of the world. Her colorful collages feature unusual textures like leaves, vintage embroidery and buttons. She lives in Northville, Michigan. Visit https://www.heidibooks.com/ to learn more about her work. You can also connect with her through social media:

https://www.facebook.com/heidi.sheffield.5
Twitter: @wwwheidibooks

Instagram: heidi.kids.books

Photo credit: Elisa Schulz Photography

 

Wild Wild Midwest Memories

The Wild Wild Midwest SCBWI Conference was held in Naperville, Illinois from April 30 - May 1, 2016. For me, the best part of these conferences is the energy and momentum that continues long after we've all returned home. I'm still hearing stories of connections made and opportunities developing. Stories of generosity and going the extra mile to help others.

Keynotes, Workshops, Roaring 20's Party, Manuscript Contest, Art Show, Art Awards - it was a whirlwind weekend. In the words of our members and in photos shared, here are some highlights.

Jackie Sewell shared her conference notes with her critique group. Here's a glimpse for the rest of us:

One pervading theme of our whole weekend was Story. Story is critical - story is essential - without story it's just words and facts. Story is what compels people and is the catalyst for change.  Lisa Cron spoke very passionately about this. (You can read about her at wiredforstory.com)

From Miranda Paul's workshop (my new author crush) (if you haven't read her yet (I hadn't!) get thee to a library and check her out!!) Clever and Creative NonFiction:

* Your goal is to create a remarkable book - one "worthy of attention." Why should a librarian/child choose your book instead of just googling the subject?

*Play with format (Rhyming verse, free verse, How to, Parody of a classic, Conditional (if - then), Call and response, Metafiction, Cumulative, Degenerative (count down ie 10 Little Robots), Linear, metafiction (talking directly to reader).

*Repetition is fun!

*Play with it - try different styles/tones/formats

From Candace Fleming's workshop (author of many, many books - used Family Romanov in our session, also referenced Papa's Mechanical Fish which I love!) Writing biographies:

*What is your vital idea? Why do you want to tell this story? How is what you want to say different/better than what a dozen others have already said? To be successful it needs to be more than an encyclopedic rendering of facts. It needs to be a story. (see note above)

*Think in terms of scenes - she actually blocks out her research materials into scenes. Each scene includes: a specific time, specific place, and one change.

*Ask: what does the reader need to know to get to the next scene - this is the bridge. The bridge contains only what is necessary to give context for the next scene.

*End Strong, "the purpose of the story is to lead readers to the ending." The ending should reinforce the vital idea; it should resonate with (haunt!) the reader; it should arrive "on time."


Thanks for sharing your notes, Jackie!

Here's a great story from Michigan member, Suzanne Klein:

I have been a member of an online critique group for about twelve years with seven wonderful ladies. We all met face-to-face for the first time at the Wild, Wild Midwest SCBWI Conference. We are from all over the United States (Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania), and one of our members is currently living in North Korea. It was a truly amazing experience to spend the weekend with this group, whom I now consider close friends.

Suzanne Klein's online critique group meets in person

The speakers and break-out sessions were also outstanding. We heard Lisa Cron speak several times, and her explanation of a “protagonist’s misbelief” really resonated. We talked for several hours that weekend about each of our current projects, discussing misbeliefs and scenes of origin. We have even decided to read Wired for Story by Lisa Cron together. And it wasn’t only Lisa that inspired us; there were many wonderful speakers—too many to name. I think it’s safe to say that we all left Naperville feeling energized and ready to dig deeper into our writing. Thank you to everyone who helped make this conference unforgettable!

Ruth McNally Barshaw, Carrie Pearson, Leslie Helakoski

Tracy Bilen, Lynn Baldwin, Kristin Lenz (me!), Deb Gonzales

Those amazing aviators above are the MI chapter leaders who spent countless hours planning and managing, but still took time out for fun at the Roaring 20's party. I always admire people who go to great lengths to plan costumes; alas, I am not one of them. (But hey, those boas were a lot more work than they look. I was picking purple feathers out of my clothes for days.)

Take a look below at some of the creative costumes - illustrators are the best!

Lori Taylor, wildlife painter

Angie Kidd and Beth Raynor (Picasso!)

Kara Marsee (Millions of Cats!)

Sondra Soderborg

Who's Eeyore? Julia Richardson! 

The wonderful art show overflowed into two rooms, and what a tough decision for the judges to choose the winners. Congrats to Michigan author/illustrator Heidi Sheffield (who also took many of these photos!) for taking second place.

Heidi Sheffield

By now, I think you've all heard about the spontaneous scholarship donation to We Need Diverse Books. (You can read more about it on Publisher's Weekly.) A week later, Heidi Sheffield jumped on board to auction off her award-winning print to raise even more money for the cause. And the donations continued even after the print had been awarded to the highest bidder!

Writers had a contest of their own with various New York editors serving as the judges for picture books, middle grade, young adult, and non-fiction manuscripts. See the winners here.

David Striklen, Charlie Barshaw, Ruth Barshaw, Leslie Helakoski

Here are two of the many volunteers who helped keep things running smoothly all weekend: Charlie Barshaw and David Stricklen. Charlie is merely a blur in the background because he's racing off to the next AV crisis.

Laura Seely, Ann Finkelstein, Nancy Shaw

Melissa Shanker and Georgia Shuler

Smiling faces, so much fun! Thanks again to all of the Regional Advisors and volunteers who contributed their time and energy to create this magical weekend. Keep riding this wave of momentum and create!

Kristin Lenz

Illustrator Interview: Heidi Woodward Sheffield

Thank you Heidi Woodward Sheffield for creating the first banner for our blog! We'll feature a new illustrator every three months, but this is Heidi's moment to shine. Read on to learn more about her artwork and career.

Q and A with Heidi Woodward Sheffield

 
Tell us about the banner you've created. How and why did this piece come about?
This pup was originally created for the Ann Arbor District Library’s “Born to Read” program and earned ALA recognition. This CD of songs and stories was given out to new moms. The idea came about when I was looking at an old button one day. As I gazed at it, the distressed texture, hair and face looked to me like a much-loved puppy.

How long have you been illustrating and how did you get started?

I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon, somewhere around two or three years old. I loved using bright beautiful colors, which is ironic as black was one of my favorite crayons to use. They just ran out faster than others. As a kid, I always wondered why there weren't two to a box. Drawing has always been something that I didn’t just like doing. I needed to do it, every day. I have a degree in art, but I wasn’t taught how to create. I was just born that way.

After earning a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, I attended College for Creative Studies, where I'd hoped to study illustration. Little did I know they were transitioning illustration out of their program (cut to 2014, where it’s been added back in). At the time, many teachers told me illustration was a dead art. One instructor felt a little sheepish and researched things for me. The only program he came up with for studying children’s book illustration was in Switzerland, at the time! (Yes, it was long ago.) So when the same instructors introduced advertising and design to me and said I’d make a great art director or copywriter, I went with it. “I’ll pursue illustration after I build up a nest egg and have children,” I thought. (Ha! I had no idea the path was so difficult and circuitous!) Around 2004 I began pursuing illustration full-timewith a series of posters for the Ann Arbor Book Festival. The Ann Arbor District library contacted me about creating work for them. Many of these illustrations were recognized by the ALA. They became springboards for picture book ideas.

What are some of the things you learned in your advertising work? Has this informed your children's writing and illustrating in any way?

You can’t work in advertising unless you can tell a good story. Ads are emotional. Great ads are elegant in their simplicity without being simple. With copywriting, I learned to use each word. Wisely! You also throw proper grammar out the window. You learn to write in sentence fragments, because that’s the way people think and speak. Another thing you do as an art director and copywriter is pitching ideas to the client. Tell them the story, get them to identify with it, and make it their own. Other things? You learn to fly by the seat of your pants, follow deadlines—“be creative” at the drop of a hat, and trust your instincts. That experience directly translated to elevator pitches in publishing and cold calls at conferences. It helped me introduce myself to various editors, art directors, and agents. That’s how I got my first agent. I was amazed with one of his talks at SCBWI NY. Afterwards, I introduced myself and thanked him. I kept it very brief, gave him one of my illustration postcards with a few words about how his speech had resonated with me. Within two weeks he offered me a contract.

What is the one thing in your studio you couldn't live without? What are your favorite tools?  What mediums do you work in? The one thing I can’t live without is a window. Something about looking out, beyond yourself, when you’ve spent the whole morning looking inward. Favorite tools? Plain white 8.5 x 11 paper for storyboarding and Uniball Deluxe Micro pens. The pens are hard to find, but nothing feels so right to draw with.

I love thumbnails—the fastness, the fluidity, the looseness of them. Keeps you limber and your thoughts flowing. It’s something from my advertising days. More often than not, I take the thumbnail and blow it up to create final art. If your art (and concept) can hold up as a postage stamp size, it’ll be good as a larger piece, too. Blowing up the thumbnail to use in the final helps maintain the vigor and freshness in the final piece.

Other tools? Gouache paint, water-soluble oils, Photoshop, a 8.5x11-inch wacom tablet, plus a Canon Digital Rebel for creating collages. And a crazy huge monitor. I use my camera a lot, but don’t consider myself a photographer. I use the Rebel over other cameras because it takes photos in real time with no shutter lag. That’s especially important when taking reference pictures of children. I’ve taken literally thousands of texture pictures, which often inspire different stories from the get-go. I must have been a bowerbird in another life, for my studio is chock full of bright and shiny things, buttons, and old stuff in general. I like to think about the person who lived with that item. What their lives where like. I also surround myself with hand-stitched embroidery from various cultures, old paper, books, textiles and vintage clothes. My new office mate Buster Brown, (a Boston terrier) helps keep things real.

When you're absolutely stuck, where do you turn for inspiration?
It’s unusual for me to get stuck art-wise. I’d say the writing side is sometimes a bit stickier.

I have a tiny 2-inch x 2-inch photo of my family when I was five. Looking at it immediately transports me to a simpler time. I read quotes taped to the bottom of my computer: “Without fear, there cannot be courage,”—Aragon,  “Do not let great ambitions overshadow small success,”—fortune cookie wrapper, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit,”—Richard Bach.

If I’m having a hard time letting my guard down and getting into the nitty gritty of an emotionally-filled piece, I listen to the blues. There’s something about the raw power of human emotion. I might listen to introspective tunes like “Help Me,” by Johnny Cash, “Let it Be,” and “The Long and Winding Road,”  by Paul McCartney. When I’ve chosen a direction to pursue art wise, I celebrate and amp up the volume listening to vintage Beetles, stuff like “Hard Day’s Night.” It helps keep my art loose and organic and keeps me moving forward, rather than nit picking details. And the experience becomes extra sweet, living in the moment. The art becomes truly organic, taking on a life of it’s own. There’s always something that surprises me.

Other things for inspiration? My seven-year-old daughter Lauren. She’s a whimsical little pixie and she inspires many sketchbook ideas. I go to the museum. Or visit online museums. I look at closeups of brushstrokes. Something about feels immediate, intimate, like the artist and I are present, together. The brushstrokes themselves feel private, like a secret that the artist is sharing with me. Sometimes I call my good friend Charlie. His enthusiasm inspires me. He makes me feel like I’m standing on my head and all the ideas come rushing down. We take cameras and go shoot stuff. Mostly pictures of the ground. We get lots of strange looks. But it’s worth it! Try it sometime. Look down. There’s a world in the granite you stand on.


A huge thanks to Heidi for creating our first blog banner and participating in our first Illustrator Interview!

Heidi created this image for t-shirts and book bags for the SCBWI Nevada Mentorship program. Come back tomorrow for part 2 of Heidi's interview and learn about her mentorships - maybe one of them will be a good fit for you, too. In the meantime, learn more at http://www.heidibooks.com/.

Welcome to The Mitten!

Welcome to the brand new blog for SCBWI-MI!  The Mitten began as a paper newsletter requiring a subscription and later evolved into a free e-newsletter. Our latest transformation is a public blog available to anyone with a love of literature and a desire to provide the best for children and young adults.
 
Why is our blog called The Mitten?

The state of Michigan looks like a mitten, and we're fond of holding up our hands to show where we live, whether it's in the thumb or way up in the upper peninsular.

A few years ago, our newsletter editor, Jennifer Whistler, held a contest to name the new e-newsletter. Lorri Casey was the winner with The Mitten. We're happy to carry over the name to our new blog.

We hope this blog space fosters a strong sense of community for our Michigan members and beyond. We want to encourage your creative growth, support your many small steps of progress, and cheer for your accomplishments. Whether you are a creator, publisher, reviewer, librarian, bookseller, educator, or if you simply love to read, whether you live in our backyard or across the world, we welcome you to join us.

Our goal is to post once per week, but we'll have occasional two-part interviews and coverage of special events over several days.

Heidi Woodward Sheffield created the first banner for our blog, and we'll feature a new illustrator every three months. Please stop by on Friday, Sept. 12th to read an interview with Heidi. We guarantee you'll leave with a healthy dose of inspiration.  Thank you, Heidi!

Here's a sneak peek at what you'll find on The Mitten in the weeks ahead:


Dear Frida...


Ahhhhh, Mackinac Island...

 









Click the links to learn more about SCBWI and our Michigan chapter.

Cheers!
Kristin and Jodie