09 Jun Jenna Beatrice talks about ANNABELLE AND THE SPAGHETTI CONFETTI SURPRISE plus a Giveaway!

I’m thrilled to welcome Jenna Beatrice to the blog today. Her adorable book, Annabelle and the Spaghetti Confetti Surprise will put a smile on your face, for sure.  Annabelle, party planner extraordinaire, is working hard on her biggest project yet: the neighborhood block party! Every detail is checked and ready to go. Except for one. Things may not go exactly as planned, but that’s not always a bad thing.  I won’t give the ending away, but I promise that you will love it. 

EL: Welcome, Jenna! Please tell us a little about yourself. 

JB: Thank you for having me, Ellen. I’m so excited to chat with you about writing!  

 I live in northern New Jersey with my husband and our two young sons, Henry and Teddy. My boys are small (3 and 15 months), so I’m busy chasing after them and playing a lot. My older son is beginning to really use his imagination, so we’re having so much fun playing make-believe. His favorite game is “veterinarian,” which is where a dinosaur goes for a check-up. Exercising these muscles is great for brainstorming books! We also bake, explore nature, and of course…read!

EL: Of course a dinosaur needs to go for a check up! So much fun and imagination! I love all the asides and the speech bubbles in your book. Were these from you or your wonderful illustrator, Anabel Tempest?

JB: This is a great question! The speech bubbles and asides that appear in the book were written by me and drafted into the manuscript. I love when characters speak directly to one another in stories. I find the urgency of this kind of dialogue to be really helpful in moving the plot along, especially when you need quick pacing. To do this, I suggest writing the character’s name in caps followed by the dialogue in quotes, so it might look something like this:

 ANTHONY: “Baboons?”

ANNABELLE: “Balloons!”

 EL: This is great info, thanks. I know lots of people wonder how to format something like that. Do you have a writing group or groups? How important do you think they are?

JB: I think writing groups are incredibly helpful, and I recommend them to everyone. Critique partners are not only amazing at reading your work, giving feedback, and championing your stories, but they’re a great support system in a challenging industry. It’s really nice to have people who are in the same boat as you that can cheer you on or relate to/commiserate with any setbacks. Another great aspect of a writing group is that there are different levels of involvement, and you can find a group or partner that works at your speed. Some groups check in weekly or monthly, and some check in just whenever someone has something to share. I’m so grateful for these communities of writers!

 EL: I couldn’t agree more. Critique partners have saved me more than once!  What do you do when the words won’t come?

 JB: Yikes, writer’s block! I’d imagine this is something that affects everyone, no matter where they are on their writing journey. When this happens to me, I just take a break and put the work aside. This can be hard sometimes when I’m really excited or invested in an idea or manuscript, but I always benefit from taking time away. This way, I come back with fresh eyes. It could be hours or days or months. I think the strongest stories I’ve drafted have taken ages to write because when I come back, I see the story as a reader and not as the writer. Also, the best advice I’ve gotten for writer’s block is to go outside. Taking a walk and getting fresh air is restorative for me and has always been a creative reset.

EL: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring kidlit writers?

JB: The best advice I’ve received is the same advice I’d like to share: READ. Reading critically and inquisitively is the best way to learn the craft of writing. The more you read, the more you learn. When you read, I recommend taking note of the pacing, the page turns, how the book sounds when it’s read aloud, and, importantly, how you FEEL while reading the book. At any given page, what is your emotional state? Are you curious? Excited? Sad? Stressed? I think the emotional tug of the book is one of the strongest elements of writing, but also one of the hardest to pin down mechanically. Reading helps teach us how to inject that emotional element.

EL: Thank you, Jenna! Where can people find out more about you? 

My website is jennabeatrice.com, and I’m at @jennabeatricebooks on Instagram.

EL: Jenna, thanks so much for joining us today. And now a…

 Jenna is happy to give a copy of Annabelle and the Spaghetti-Confetti Surprise to one lucky winner. Good luck! Just comment on this post to get in the running to win. Let me know if you’re a subscriber or have shared the post to get an extra chance to win. 

Until next time,

Ellen 

On a personal note, I’m currently scheduling school author visits for the 2025-2026 school year. I’d love to visit YOU or a school near you! Please check out  https://EllenLeventhal.com.