Your Life Yoda

July 28, 2020

Interview with Illustrator June Steube

Do you love nature? Animals? How about art? Do you wonder what it's like to embrace all three for a career in illustration and publishing? Nature artist June Steube shares her experiences in this incredible, in-depth interview. Learn about her journey, gain valuable insight into book publishing from an illustrator's perspective, see how she overcomes tough projects, and consider the tools she uses for success. Also, get a sneak peak into her upcoming children's book project about birds with OwlKids Press! This is one interview you do NOT want to miss.

July 25, 2020

Dr. Seuss Changed the World and You Can Too

Your attitude towards established rules says a lot about your inner workings as a creative. After all, rules are meant to be...broken? Enforced? Bent? Do the rules matter a great deal or do they not matter at all? What are the rules anyways when you want to express an idea? What are rules for entertaining? Rules for educating? What are the rules if you want to do something new? Something no one was ever bold enough to do? Living on the edge is different than living in the center. Dr. Seuss changed the world with his ideas and style of writing. But here's the real kicker. You can too.

July 18, 2020

Use Writing Prompts to Get Creative

Have you ever used writing prompts before? Most have. If you haven't, it's likely just a matter of time until you succumb to the cold, boring grasp of writer's block. Even if you are overflowing with ideas to write or blog about, writing prompts are still a powerful tool for writers of all experience levels. Here's how to use writing prompts most effectively.

July 11, 2020

Low Self-Worth is a Writer’s Archenemy

A fine line exists between self-interest and selfish. While the self-interested takes accomplishments, skills, needs, and wants of others into account as fuel for the pursuit of something remarkable, a selfish mindset views everyone and everything as a hindering comparison. Have you ever heard the saying, "If only the best birds sang in the forest, the world would be a quiet place"? This truth applies dramatically to us humans and it all starts at what we believe about ourselves. Is your view of yourself high or low?

July 4, 2020

Discipline Makes You a Great Writer

It's not in the beauty of the day that we writer's toil and strive but in the coolness of night and tiredness of eye. In the struggle of fear and the paralysis of wonder, a yearning writer fights for survival. Exhausted but not spent. Lacking but not empty. Discipline, a writer's best friend, leads us to accomplishment. It takes us by the hand when challenges abound. Do you look around and see not discipline? Is repetition, frequency, and consistency far away? Grab hold of discipline and renew your passion to write. Discipline makes you a great writer.

June 19, 2020

Magic Tree House Books – A Magical Motivator for Reading

If you're like me, it's not always easy finding books kids will love to read. Harder still is finding books we parents enjoy reading to them night after night, day after day. My wife, ever mindful of our children's development, was on the hunt for new reading material for them. She heard about Magic Tree House Books, by Mary Pope Osborne. Our friends loved them so we took a chance and bought the 28-book set (now there are 40 books in the series). We're glad we did.

May 24, 2020

Great Stories Leave Lasting Impressions

There are two primary camps when it comes to story telling - content generation and content consumption. Reader or writer. Baker or eater. Sure, we all do both, but one drives us. One we research. One we have goals and dreams about. The other is simply other. Regardless of the camp, lasting impressions are a game changer in the world of content. Here's why we should care and what we must do if we hope to leave lasting impressions with our readers.

March 24, 2020

Leaving a Career for a Love of Reading and Writing with Kaitlin Scirri

Have you ever considered leaving your day job for a life of reading and writing professionally? No doubt you have a passion for publishing, but what courageous steps have you taken to elevate it's priority in your life? How much time are you carving out to reach you goals? In this interview with traditionally published author, Kaitlin Scirri, see what barriers she chose to overcome and what life is like on the other side of the publishing curtain.

March 3, 2020

Author Illustrator Life with Shanda McCloskey

Wishing you were living that author illustrator life? Curious what it's like? Already consumed by books and looking for a little insight and encouragement? Children's picture book author and illustrator Shanda McCloskey shares her journey in this interview. Take a breath and grab some coffee because she's spilling the beans and taking us to school. Just make sure you've brought something to write (or draw) with...

December 3, 2019

Behind the Picture Book Grama’s Hug with Author and Illustrator Amy Nielander and Editor Courtney Burke

Would you leave a loved one without a hug? Come behind the picture book publishing scenes with author / illustrator Amy Nielander and her Page Street Kids Editor Courtney Burke where they share how GRAMA'S HUG went from #kidlit idea to bookshelf reality and how this whimsical story cut through the acquisition curtain.