Monday, July 19, 2021

Young reader visits Gizelle's old home

 The real Gizelle is no longer with us, but a young friend wanted to see her old home. He loved the book and was thrilled to see where Gizelle used to live.





Friday, June 18, 2021

The real Gizelle

 Gizelle the character in Gizelle's Silly, Soggy Day was inspired by a real sheep from our farm. Here is the real Gizelle:


Our Gizelle actually did fall into our creek and had trouble getting out when her fleece was soaked! She was fine after her adventure. 

Monday, May 31, 2021

So You're Thinking of Writing a Children's Book

By Michelle Hill

Maybe you're thinking that hey, it's only 28 pages of content, how hard can it be to write a children's book? I can answer that one since my cousin, Joy VanDertuin and I recently released Gizelle's Silly, Soggy Day (Amazon #1 bestseller in 5 categories).

Every word counts, every sentence matters. If you think it's easy to craft a picture book story for 2 - 8 year olds, think again.

Don't forget to write a story that has suspense and action. Every children's book needs suspense, tension and an actual plot. Even young readers need characters they care about and reasons to worry about them.

You don't want to write a story kids don't care about. Draw on your own childhood memories and on your observations and understanding of contemporary kids. There's nothing worse than an out of touch children's book author!

Bottom line: There's more to children's books than scribbling a cute story and adding pictures. If this sparks your interest, let's talk! Contact me at winningproof@gmail.com.

Young reader visits Gizelle's old home

 The real Gizelle is no longer with us, but a young friend wanted to see her old home. He loved the book and was thrilled to see where Gizel...