04 Apr Gayle Krause, New Book, Fabulous Giveaway!

One of the best parts of being involved in the children’s literature community is the friends I’ve made. I am so happy that the prolific author, Gayle Krause, is one of those friends. 

Thanks for dropping by, Gayle. I am thrilled to have you. 

Thank you for having me on your blog, Ellen, to help me spread the word about my newest picture book.

DADDY, CAN YOU SEE THE MOON? will be released soon, and I’m excited to tell everyone about it.  I know that you’ve written more than picture books. What drew you to writing a picture book?

My first published book was actually a picture book. That first book, Rock Star Santa, was unique because it was an original Scholastic Book Club acquisition and was not considered a trade book, nor was it available to purchase in a bookstore, or online. That was ten years ago. My YA and MG novels came years later.

Ah ha! That’s really interesting. Do you have a personal reason for writing DADDY, CAN YOU SEE THE MOON? 

DADDY, CAN YOU SEE THE MOON?  will be released in April, The Month of the Military Child. The inspiration for that story came from a combination of the news and my experiences as a former Pre-K Director. I’ve seen how young children operate in difficult adult situations such as divorce, separation, and deployment. And what adults don’t understand is that these children need to understand the “wounded warrior” experience at their own cognitive level. I hope this book will help the children of separated military families see what is actually happening to their family and that they’re not the only ones going through this serious situation.

10% of the royalties for this book will be donated to military organizations that support military children.

I love that you are giving back to military families. How wonderful! And of course, just by having this book available, you will be helping so many.

Please tell us a little bit about your process, your critique group, etc.

Well, for one thing…I am not a believer of “butt in chair” for hours with no spark of creativity on the page. I wait until a character speaks to me, or I overhear a conversation in an unlikely place that I take note of and later elaborate on.

I remember in one of my novels I had chosen the name Evangelina for the villain and had second thoughts about it being a too old-fashioned name for a teenager. But then I was sitting in a doctor’s waiting room and a father with his teen-age daughter sat across from me. She was called by the receptionist first, and guess what her name was? You got it…Evangeline! Just affirmation for the writing muses that I was on the right track.

So I guess I wait to be inspired. I’ve been known to turn two sentences into a whole chapter. 🙂

As for my critique partners, we are a diversified group. One has been an editor for well-known children’s online magazine and is published in a YA anthology, one is a recently debuted picture book author, and the other is an agented writer who focuses on MG novels. So we cover each genre, good for me since I write them all.

 Writing is so individual, and I thank you for pointing out that not everyone does it in the same way.

Do you have an agent? I do have an agent. Rebecca Angus of Golden Wheat Literary represents me. We currently have three books out on submission, one YA and two more picture books.

Good luck with those submissions! How important do you think having an agent is for serious writers?

This is a tough question. While being represented by a literary agent seems to be the pinnacle of children’s writers, one must be strategic in targeting their correspondence. Finding an agent is like searching for a college to attend— you can apply to a lot, but you can only attend one. Just make sure that “one” is a perfect match for you.

When and where do you do most of your writing?

I do most of my writing in the morning, while my husband is still sleeping. I have a loft office in my great room, but in the winter months, I like to write in a chair near the woodstove or the fireplace.

Are you a planner or a pantster? (Flying by the seat of your pants).

As you can tell from my answer above, I am definitely a pantster!

And for as organized as I am, an outline does not work for me. I guess I’m lucky because my brain keeps track of scenes and situations automatically.

What are some specific things that you feel helped you with your journey?

1. Critiques at SCBWI conferences.
2. Writing retreats.
3. And lot and lots of reading in the genre that I’m writing.

Can you tell us some of the best advice you’ve gotten in regards to writing?

Not to be discouraged if your topic seems to have already been published. Only YOU can tell YOUR story! And it doesn’t matter if there’s already one out there like yours……..it’s NOT yours.

You signed with a small press. What drew you to Clear Fork?

After having worked with a large press, where it seemed I was one-in-a-million- authors, I wanted to try a smaller press, hoping I could be involved in the feedback before the book was produced.

Note: With my first picture book, the galleys were ready to be printed and when they sent me a copy, I was horrified to see that my words said “red vest” and Santa was actually wearing a “green vest.” And nobody caught it.

When and where can we get our hands on your newest book?

The release date for DADDY, CAN YOU SEE THE MOON? is April 9, 2019.

It is available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at the Clearfork/Spork website. https://www.clearforkpublishing.com/store/p91/DaddyCanyouseetheMoon.html

I was lucky to see an advanced copy, and I can’t wait until I have an actual book in my hand. 

If you would like to be eligible for a signed copy, please help me spread the word about DADDY, CAN YOU SEE THE MOON?  Simply make a comment below and include the social media platform on which you shared the picture book news.   One winner will be selected at random.

Thanks so much, Gayle, for offering this prize and for giving back to the military community. Wishing you loads of success!