Ever wondered what it's like to win both a Newbery AND a Caldecott award?

Author/illustrator and delightful human, Grace Lin, is with us today and she shares all the behind-the-scenes award info you've been looking for, plus:

• Why it's important that books serve as both windows and mirrors.
• Why books get banned.
• How a better solution beyond cultivating lists of diverse books might be to integrate diversity and inclusion into the curriculum at large: math, science, English, health, etc. and what that looks like.
• How many of our favorite childhood books are a little like that one out-of-touch relative we all have.
• The advantages of growing with a small publisher.
• Winning both a Newbery Award and Caldecott Award.
• The pros and cons of how books are labeled for the market.
• How she chooses her illustration styles.

And more! You don't want to miss this episode.

You can find Grace at her website, on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube!

Support indie bookstores and this podcast (affiliate links) by clicking on these links to purchase Grace's books through Bookshop.org.

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon
Ling and Ting: Not Exactly The Same!
A Big Mooncake For Little Star
When The Sea Turned To Silver
The Year Of The Dog
Starry River of the Sky

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty

Please leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts!

What's it like to write, publish, and promote a book a year?

Here to tell us today is middle-grade author Mae Respicio, author of the award-winning The House That Lou Built, Any Day with You, How to Win a Slime War, and more!

Mae shares her thoughts on:

• How our twelve-year-old selves greatly influence who we become as adults.
• Using a science project board in your outlining process.
• Research in the writing process.
• Setting realistic writing goals.
• Her incredible writing journey.
• Seeing yourself in books.
• Playing the long game.
• And, of course, the best recipes for making SLIME!

You can connect with Mae at her website!
Or on Twitter!

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty

All links to books are on Bookshop.org, and support indie bookstores and give a small percentage to support this podcast at no charge to you!

If you haven’t read The Verdigris Pawn, by Alysa Wishingrad, you’ll want to after listening to this interview!

"Time distorts all truths." The Verdigris Pawn

In both her book and this podcast, Alysa Wishingrad addresses this central theme—balancing our knowledge by searching for and understanding various perspectives on history. She graciously shares her knowledge about the writing and publishing process, and offers inside info on the creation of her debut middle grade novel, The Verdigris Pawn.

Author bio:

Alysa Wishingrad once had a whole different career working in theater, tv, and film, but nothing could be better or more exciting than writing stories and crafting worlds for middle-grade readers. 8-12 year-olds are truly some of the smartest, most open, and inquisitive people around, and Alysa is dedicated to helping them hold onto that magic as they grow up.

When she's not writing she's probably out walking her two very demanding rescue dogs, who came all the way from Alexandria, Egypt to share their shedding fur and love. Or she might be trying to figure out what to make for dinner - again! - for her family. But, if she's very lucky, she's out at the theater getting lost in a wonderful story.

Her debut, THE VERDIGRIS PAWN, was published by Harper Collins in July of 2021.

Some of her writing influences mentioned in the podcast are:
Francis Hardinge (The Lie Tree), Charles Dickens, Anne Ursu, Brian Selsnick (The Marvels, The Invention of Hugo Cabret), and Franny Billingsly.

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty
Clubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites
Or Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.