15 Oct Stephanie Wildman, Two New Releases, and a GIVEAWAY!

EL: Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m thrilled to welcome author Stephanie Wildman to Writing Outside the Lines today. A few years ago, I won a copy of Brave in the Water, and I was hooked on her writing. Today, Stephanie is celebrating the release of Ghost Writer, written with Cecelia Populus-Eudave and illustrated by Estafania Razo and the upcoming Miri’s Moving Day, written with Adam Ryan Chang and illustrated by Dream Chang. Although very different, both stories feature universal themes to which all children can relate, but the individual stories are so much more than that.

Welcome, Stephanie! Before we dig deeper into these stories, please tell us a little about yourself.

SW: I live in San Francisco. Not to play into stereotypes, but I have an active yoga practice that inspired me to introduce pranayama to readers in Brave in the Water, illustrated by Jenni Feidler-Aguilar, and to write about body scans and bedtime in Breath by Breath, illustrated by Estefania Razo. I also love to read, hike, and spend time with my grandkids. And any answer to a request to “Tell about myself” probably should include the word “chocolate” – as in “Save the earth – it’s the only planet with chocolate.”

EL: Ahh, Chocolate.  I agree! You have two books coming out very close to each other. What has that been like?

SW: Such a happy problem, having two books coming out within six weeks of each other! But it has been a little intense. Two different publishers, two different illustrators, and two different co-authors have all been a joy to work with, but I might not have planned it this way, if I had been choosing. I’m trying to enjoy each book, but it’s only natural to group them together, like in this post. Publishing is such a funny business; the books were not submitted at the same time, but the dates fell out this way. Ghost Writer (available in Spanish as Escritor Fantasma) (co-authored with Cecilia Populus-Eudave, illustrated by Estefania Razo from Lawley Publishing) is a Halloween/Dia de los Muertos story, so it really needed to come out in the window leading up to those holidays. Miri’s Moving Day (co-authored with Adam Ryan Chang, illustrated by Dream Chen from Kar-Ben Publishing) fit into that publisher’s schedule as a pre-end-of-year book, available for holiday gifts.

Cecilla-Populos Eudave

EL: Both are great books! What was your inspiration for each of them?

Adam Ryan Chang and
Stephanie Wildman

SW: Both books came from questions asked by different grandsons. For Ghost Writer, my youngest grandson and his family had lost a beloved pet. Each time I called, he would ask, “Grandma, did you know Julio {their dog’s name} died?” By the fifth or sixth time I realized he was trying to process this loss and how to talk about it. I had already worked with Estefania Razo on Treasure Hunt and Breath by Breath (and I adored her artwork) and with Cecilia Populus-Eudave who had served as the Spanish language translator for those two books. I thought what fun Estefania would have drawing costumes for these characters. Setting their grief in the holidays seemed a good way to soften the conversation and turn it toward joy.

Estefania Razo

EL: On another note, I think the illustrations are perfect for your books. Did you get to communicate with your illustrators? When did you see the roughs?

SW: Again, such different approaches exist within the publishing industry. For Ghost Writer, Lawley held a pre-publication planning meeting via Zoom with authors and illustrators to discuss how we all see the book. They encouraged us to be in touch along the way. In contrast Kar-Ben held the planning reins, showing us sketches and colored panels. But I have never had direct communication with the illustrator, which is too bad, because I’d like to thank her!

EL:  I know that feeling! Illustrators bring our stories to life. Do you have anything else in the pipeline you can talk about?

SW: I am excited to break the news here that another Flor, Roberto, and Luis book is coming – Story Power! — so I will be teaming up with Estefania Razo and Lawley Publishing again. This time the co-author is yet another grandson – he’s a co-author because this book was his idea! We can talk more about that story on my next blog visit! 

EL: That sounds good. I look forward to it! I want to share a few interior pages of  Cute, huh?

SW: I don’t want to conclude without giving a shout-out to my writing coven who make sure I’m “at it” many hours per week and to my amazing kidlit support critique group. I benefit so much from both the accountability time and the feedback.

EL: Again, something I can relate to. Thank you for visiting with us today, and congrats on these newest books!

Do you want to learn more about Stephanie? Of course, you do! Here’s where you can go.  http://www.stpehaniewildman.com
Her books are available wherever books are sold online.

And now time for a..

Today’s Giveaway is extra special because TWO people get to win! As always, comment on this post and let me know if you are a subscriber or if you share it to get an extra chance to win. Good luck!

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On a personal note, I’d love you to check out my school visit section on the website. I’m currently booking visits for this school year. Also, please 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