By Laurie Armsgrong Gossy
More than 25 BATW members, Book Passage regulars and others gathered at the renowned Corte Madera bookstore on March 15 for a panel on “Kid Lit,” a different direction for travel writers Erin Deinzer, Kimberley Lovato, and Maxine Rose Schur, moderated by Ruth Carlson.
The group agreed that inspiration can come from anywhere – their own childhood or experiences, observations while traveling, even the kid next door. Regardless of the topic, the craft and structure of writing remains the same as in travel, with a few new rules when writing for young readers.
Where to find an illustrator? Deinzer reached out to her local arts center. Lovato was intrigued by a friend’s doodle. Publishers can also be a resource for artists. Shur now includes a line in contracts with publishers that she must see and sign off on all illustrations.
The panel discussed the ups and downs of publishing, including self-publishing and hybrid methods. “The stigma of self-publishing is gone,” Lovato said. Schur acknowledged that her publishers handle a great deal of promoting her books, leaving her free for other pursuits.
It turns out that libraries and educational outlets are the top markets for children’s books.
They agreed that they’re definitely not in it for the money. Only one percent of children’s book authors makes their living at it. But they get the satisfaction of seeing their visions come to life.
Erin Deinzer has been a writer most of her adult life, working as a copywriter, travel writer, and writing instructor. But some of the most fun she’s had was creating stories for her kids, who liked to challenge her by providing three things that absolutely, positively had to be included in each story…no matter how seemingly unrelated they might be. Her first book for young readers, Dracula’s Vampire Kitty, is coming out soon.
She lives with her husband, one independent and curious cat, and a loving rescue dog on a nine-square-mile island in the Pacific Northwest.
Kimberley Lovato has never met a journey she didn’t love and has written about the wonders of seeing and being in the world for more than 20 years. Her bylines have appeared in the National Geographic Traveler, Virtuoso: The Magazine, Saturday Evening Post, CN Traveler, Travel + Leisure, AARP, and many other print and online publications. Kimberley’s culinary travel book about the people and food of the Dordogne region of France, “Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves,” won the 2012 Gold Lowell Thomas Award, from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. She has also been recognized by the American Society of Journalists and Authors and Travelers’ Tales, which published several of her essays in its annual “Best Women’s Travel Writing” anthologies. Her first children’s picture book, Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness, debuted in the summer of 2024 and is a celebration of travel, Italy, and the importance of being kind to others, and yourself. She is currently at work on a Middle Grade novel. www.kimberleylovato.com
Maxine Rose Schur is a travel essayist, children’s book author and writing instructor. Her adventurous, round-the-world journey is recounted in her travel memoir, Places in Time which was named Best Travel Book of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association and received the Gold Award from the Society of American Travel Writers. Maxine has written for numerous publications and anthologies and has twice won the Lowell Thomas Award for excellence in travel writing.
Maxine’s books for young people range from the preschool Pigs Dancing Jigs to the YA novels, Sacred Shadows and Star Brother. Maxine’s most recent novel, The Word Dancer, received the Northern Lights Book Award for best Middle Grade fantasy novel and Brave with Beauty, her picture book about a little-known queen in Afghanistan, was named Best Picture Book of the Year by the Northern California Book Reviewers Association. Maxine’s 2024 books are A Tale of Bread and Thread, an original folk story, and the YA science fiction novel, Star Brother. www.maxineroseschur.com
Ruth Carlson has yet to write children’s literature but has written two travel books, Secret San Francisco: A guide to the weird, wonderful and obscure and Secret California: A guide to the weird, wonderful and obscure.