06 Aug Tonya Duncan Ellis and a GIVEAWAY

EL: I am happy to introduce my friend, Tonya Duncan Ellis to anyone who doesn’t know her. She is a fellow member of SCBWI-Houston and a wonderful writer and human being. Although when I first met her, she was known for her adorable Sophie Washington books, she told me about a picture book that would be coming out. And WOW! What a book! As someone who hadn’t heard of Juneteenth until I moved to Texas many years ago, I am thrilled that Tonya wrote this book. Using lyrical text told from the point of view of Houston’s Emancipation Park, readers learn the story of Juneteenth and the park itself. Ellis’s words and Jenin Mohammed’s gorgeous illustrations combine to make this a book that begs to be read over and over again. 

 Welcome to Writing Outside the Lines, Tonya! Will you tell us a little about yourself? What do you do when you’re not writing? 

TDE: I’m a married mom of three. I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, but I’ve lived in Houston, Texas, my current home, for over 20 years. Prior to writing for children, I wrote feature articles for a Houston area family magazine, and I’ve also worked as a newspaper journalist. Reading is my favorite hobby, and I prefer curling up with a good book to watching television or movies. My favorite genres are historical fiction, romance, realistic middle grade, and YA. I’m not a fan of horror or fantasy.

I’ve never been camping, but I enjoy walking, riding my bike, swimming, and being out in nature. I also love travel, and I’ve visited 49 states and over twenty countries.

EL: I think They Built Me for Freedom is a brilliant book. Please tell us your inspiration for the story and how you decided to write it from the park’s POV. It works so well!

TDE: I take field trips to museums and historical places for story inspiration, and one day during the pandemic, when debates were ongoing about making Juneteenth a national holiday, I decided to visit Emancipation Park in Houston’s Third Ward. I’d driven by the park many times but never actually walked the park grounds. Looking around at the fields and the Emancipation Park sign, I got chills imagining my ancestors celebrating their newfound freedom there. After I drove home, I did more research on Emancipation Park and its history and later wrote my first draft of They Built Me for Freedom. I shared the manuscript with my critique group and at a Highlights Foundation virtual summer camp, and my mentor there said I had something. This first draft told the story of a girl from Houston visiting the park with her family throughout the years. My agent wasn’t sold on that version, and I reworked the story, writing it from the park’s point of view after one of my critique partners suggested I read some other picture books that personified historic buildings. 

EL: You are known for your adorable Sophie Washington series. What made you decide to write a picture book? Was the transition difficult?

TDE: During the pandemic, I entered a middle-grade manuscript into an SCBWI Austin chapter conference contest. That manuscript won a mentorship prize. The agent who recommended my book wasn’t taking new clients, but she asked me if I also wrote picture books, saying the writing in my middle grade had a lyrical quality to it.

Prior to her comments I had been curious about writing picture books but felt intimidated. I was more comfortable writing prose as I did with my Sophie Washington series. During that same virtual conference, Author Kelly Starling Lyons read her book, Sing a Song, and everyone in the Zoom was in tears because it was so impactful. I vowed to write books like that one day.

After the conference, I read tons of picture books, watched webinars about picture book craft, and submitted picture book manuscripts to submission calls. Later, I joined the 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. I love the creative freedom I have writing picture books, the word play, the poetic elements, and the challenge of writing a layered story with just 500 to 1,000 words.

EL: Will you talk a bit about the road to publication with this book?

TDE: My literary agent signed me on with a novel manuscript. While I was on submission with that book, I realized that Juneteenth would most likely become a national holiday. I felt like the time was right for They Built Me for Freedom to be published and sent my manuscript to my agent. As I said, she wasn’t sold on the manuscript in its first form, which was written in the viewpoint of a little girl visiting the park, so I reworked it, personifying the park. My agent liked the changes, and we went on submission. A publisher offered to buy the book within weeks.

EL: Do you have a writing group? How do they help you? 

TDE: When I wrote They Built Me for Freedom I was in a great critique group with two other picture book writers. We disbanded when our schedules got hectic. Since then, I’ve joined another critique group with authors focused on middle grade and YA. Critique partners have been invaluable in helping me polish my work and are a wonderful sounding board and support through all the ups and downs of publishing. When I felt anxious or stressed during my They Built Me for Freedom book launch, I appreciated my critique partners’ listening ears. Since they experience some of the same things I do as creatives my critique partners understand what I’m going through on my author journey.

EL: Yes, Critique partners are invaluable! Do you have a writing routine? If so, will you please tell us about it?

TDE: I’m an early bird, and I prefer to write after I wake up in the morning, when my creative energy is high. I’ll write for a couple of hours, talk a long walk, then break for breakfast. In the afternoons I do marketing activities. If I’m working on a novel, I often have afternoon writing sessions as well. Once I’m going on a project, I become immersed, and I have to be careful to avoid a strained back and neck from being hunched over at my computer for hours.

EL: What do you do when the words won’t come?

TDE: When I’m stuck during a writing project, I take long walks to free my mind. I’m amazed at how many times I’ve resolved issues when I’m out in nature that seemed insurmountable before. If that doesn’t help, I’ll put my work away for a day or two, if I’m not on a deadline, and just relax. When I get back to it, the words generally start flowing again. I also find that reading other books or watching television shows and movies can spark ideas when the words won’t come.

EL: What do you think is the most difficult part of this job? And what is the best part in your opinion?

TDE: The most difficult parts of the author job are the rejections when I’m on submission with new work and how long it takes for things to get completed in traditional publishing. The best part is sharing my work with young readers. I love seeing kids excited about books and learning. Books literally opened the world to me as a child, inspiring me to travel, learn about different cultures and people, and aspire for more in life. I hope my work provides that spark to children.

EL: I’m sure it will do just that, Tonya. For more of a glimpse into Emancipation Park, take a look at these beautiful sculptures.

EL: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know? 

TDE: Here’s where you can find me!

Website – www.tonyaduncanellis.com

Instagram and Facebook – @tonyaellisbooks

X – @TonyaDEllis

My books are sold at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Bookshop.org, and fine booksellers everywhere.

EL: Thank you so much for joining us! And now it’s time for a

Tonya will give away a copy of  They Built Me for Freedom to one lucky winner in the U.S.

 Good luck! As always, to get into the running, comment on this post and let me know if you are a subscriber or if you share the post to get an extra chance to win.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

On a personal note, I’d love you to check out some of my books here. They are also available wherever books are sold. THANK YOU! 

DEBBIE’S SONG: THE DEBBIE FRIEDMAN STORY

https://bookshop.org/p/books/debbie-s-song-ellen-leventhal/18680277?ean=9781728443027

A FLOOD OF KINDNESS

https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-flood-of-kindness-ellen-leventhal/15150623?ean=9781546034582

Until next time,

Ellen