20 Questions: Our Favorite Podcasts

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

(Note that we enjoy the series so much we’ve decided to just keep the questions coming!)

This month’s question:

What book-related podcast are you listening to?

Candy Wellins

“What Should I Read Next?” with Anne Bogel

Guests share three books they love, one they hate and what they’re reading lately. Host (and book whisperer) Anne Bogel recommends three books that would make a great next read.  I have found so many titles to add to my TBR through this podcast as well as tips to improve my reading life. It’s a game changer as well as a really entertaining listen.

—Candy Wellins, author of A GEODUCK IS NOT A DUCK, illus. Ellie Peterson (Little Bigfoot, 2024)

---

Isabella Kung

“Literaticast” by Jennifer Laughran

I may be biased since Jenn is my agent, but it is popular amongst the kidlit community for a reason! Jenn has years of experience as a bookseller and a reputable agent. She is very knowledgeable about the children’s book industry and invites all kinds of interesting guests, from award-winning creators, agents, editors, booksellers, librarians, and more! Their conversations are fun, interesting, and I always learn something new from each episode—gaining a much deeper understanding about the inner workings of our industry, and her book recommendations are always stellar!

—Isabella Kung, author and illustrator of NO SNOWBALL (Orchard Books/Scholastic 2022)

---

Carrie Finison

“3 Point Perspective:
The Illustration Podcast” with Will Terry, Lee White, and Jake Parker

I’m not an illustrator, but I really enjoy listening to this podcast about both the craft and business of illustration. The hosts sometimes interview other artists—many from the children’s publishing world, but some not—about their practice and how they make a living in illustration; they sometimes take listener questions and review portfolios (they produce it as a YouTube show as well, so you can look at the illustrations they’re discussing); and they sometimes just banter and share information among themselves about the book publishing business, where they find inspiration, and what practices are effective for them (or not) and why.

—Carrie Finison, author of PIGS DIG A ROAD, illus. Brian Biggs (Putnam, 2024)

20 questions: Drawing from real life versus making things up

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

(Note that we enjoy the series so much we’ve decided to just keep the questions coming!)

This month’s question:

What in your latest book is drawn from real life, and what, if anything, is made up?

Valerie Bolling

“In my RAINBOW DAYS early reader series, Zoya and her puppy, Coco, love to create art together. In THE ORANGE WALL, Zoya paints her room. When she finishes painting, she decides to… (spoiler alert) paint a mural on one of the walls. The idea for what she paints on that wall was inspired by my own experience. I enjoy walking in the woods, and so Zoya paints a scene of herself, walking in the woods with her dad and Coco.” 

– Valerie Bolling, author of RAINBOW DAYS: THE ORANGE WALL, illustrated by Kai Robinson (Scholastic, 2024)

---

Candy Wellins

“A GEODUCK IS NOT A DUCK examines the very real geoduck, the world’s largest species of burrowing clams. Pronounced “gooey duck,” a made-up news crew (comprised of a talking Sea Star, giant Pacific Octopus, and Otter) is on a mission to find an actual gooey duck. A knowledgeable crab is full of real facts about geoducks that are misunderstood again and again.”

–Candy Wellins, author of A GEODUCK IS NOT A DUCK, illustraded by Ellie Peterson (Little Bigfoot, 2024)

---

Margaret Chiu Greanias

In HOW THIS BOOK GOT RED, Red, a red panda, recognizes that none of the books are about her kind of panda, so she decides to write her own. In the midst of struggling with writing her story, she sees a town where red panda representation is missing: in books, in merchandise, all the way down to the doll a baby red panda holds. The idea behind this story came from my childhood growing up with very little positive Asian representation in media and books. Like the baby red panda holding the giant panda doll, the dolls I played with looked nothing like me. 

– Margaret Chiu Greanias, author of HOW THIS BOOK GOT RED, illustrated by Melissa Iwai (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023)

---

Hope Lim

“In Sourgrass, when Sofia and May venture out into the wild field, they nibble the stems of sourgrass and giggle. This scene came straight out of my kids’ preschool years. I chaperoned a field trip to a community garden located up on a grassy hill, and watching them smile under the bright sunshine in a field of sourgrass is one of my favorite memories from my kids’ preschool era. The two characters, Sofia and May, and the resolution of their story are made up. However, all the fun things Sofia and May enjoy in their yards and beyond come from real life. As a child, I played outside all the time, running through the fields and climbing mountains, and my kids also loved being in nature, always finding ways to have fun. I used these real-life memories of being outside in SOURGRASS.”

– Hope Lim, author of SOURGRASS, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani (Beach Lane Books, 2024)

20 Questions: Our Writing Spaces

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

(Note that we enjoy the series so much we’ve decided to just keep the questions coming!)

This month’s question:

Where do you like to write? 

View fullsize

Melanie Ellsworth

“I write whenever/wherever I get the chance, sometimes at one of my local libraries, sometimes at the Y while waiting for my daughter, sometimes at the kitchen table while keeping an eye on the puppy. But my ideal spot is up in the office we added to our 1860s barn. The meadow view keeps me happy, and I’ve got binoculars for wildlife watching.

View fullsize

My office in its normal state.

View fullsize

The serene version that mostly lives in my imagination.

View fullsize

And my coworkers.

View fullsize

—Melanie Ellsworth, author of BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, illustrated by James Rey Sanchez (little bee books, 2022)

---

View fullsize

Carrie Finison

“One of the things I love about writing is how portable it is. I’ve written at coffee shops, libraries, trampoline parks, soccer fields, in parked cars, and on planes, trains, and buses. That said, my actual office space is on the third floor of our house. I love having a dedicated space, even though it is a little too hot in summer and a little too cold in winter. The wall is decorated with illustrators’ postcards I’ve collected at conferences that help inspire me. A cup of tea is also essential, although it often gets ignored. I also have a co-worker who helps me out from time to time.”

View fullsize

View fullsize

—Carrie Finison, author of PIGS DIG A ROAD illustrated by Brian Biggs (Penguin Young Readers Group, September 2024)

---

View fullsize

Kirsten W. Larson

“Because I write nonfiction (and have file boxes full of research), I write mostly from home where I can access my resources. I have two main spots: my cozy chair where I write, and my dedicated office, where I write, teach and will soon be voicing an audiobook. Chloe, my lhasa apso/poodle mix, is my constant companion.”

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

—Kirsten W. Larson, author of THE FIRE OF STARS, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle Kids, 2023)