Kathi Appelt

Writing Young Adult Fiction . . . for Dummy!

Greetings, Sports Fans!

A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting Deborah Halverson at an SCBWI retreat in Indiana. One morning, we got up early and took a leisurely stroll through the beautiful woods of Brown County State Park. I remember being so impressed with her warmth, her humor, and her smarts.

At that time, Deborah was an assistant editor at Harcourt Brace, really just starting out in her bright new career. Since then, she’s gone on to write her own young adult novels…

…and…

Not only has Deborah embarked upon a successful career as an author, she’s also continued to work as a freelance editor, including managing and running her wonderful blog, “Dear Editor.”

All this on top of being the mom to triplet sons, Darin, Vance and Kirk!

And now, she’s cooked up something else, something that I guarantee will be of use to anyone who is interested in writing for young adults. Check it out!

This book is seriously good! And that’s not only because she invited yours truly to be a contributor . . . really . . . it’s not! In fact, there are a whole boatload of contributors, including a forward by my homie, M.T. Anderson.

To learn more, be sure to check out the other stops [...]

By kathi|July 1st, 2011|Author interviews, Books, Cats, young adult books|4 Comments|

Questions about KEEPER

Hi Sports Fans!

Recently I’ve received a number of really great questions about Keeper from students around the country and the world.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, are my responses:

If you or your students have any other questions, please just send them to me. My e-mail address is: k-author@kathiappelt.com.

And while we’re on the topic of Keeper, here is a shot of the beautiful sculpture that sits on the Seawall in Galveston. It’s a tribute to the victims and survivors of the Storm of 1900 that was so devastating. But beyond that, to me the mother and child look just like Signe and Keeper.

Cheers!

By kathi|January 6th, 2011|Author interviews, Books, Cats, Family and Friends|4 Comments|

Merry Christmas, Merry Crow!

Morning everyone!

It’s the season, and to celebrate I thought I’d take a few moments to read my picture book, Merry Christmas, Merry Crow, which is beautifully illustrated by Jon Goodell..

Okay, I bobbled a couple of the lines, but it’s not that easy reading to yourself in the mirror image of my laptop. Give a girl a break.

And I also know that the video truly doesn’t do justice to the beautiful art that Jon created for this book. Here’s a better look at the cover:

Jon also illustrated my book, Alley Cat’s Meow, and as a bonus, here’s one of the spreads from that:

So here’s to reading a great picture book to the little and big ones in your family. Is there anything better than that? I think not.

Calloo, callay y’all!

By kathi|December 14th, 2010|Books, Cats, Family and Friends|4 Comments|

Is there a muse in the house?

Hello my homies,

I’m just now beginning work on my next novel and my big red cat, Hoss, decided to drop by and lend a paw. Thought you might enjoy seeing what he thought about letting a dog be the main character.

There’s a critic in every bunch.

By kathi|October 30th, 2010|Books, Cats|Comments Off|

Uma Krishnaswami–"Out of the Way! Out of the Way!"

While I was still in Vermont, I was able to catch my colleague, the amazing Uma Krishnaswami, to chat about her brand new picture book, Out of the Way! Out of the Way!, which is illustrated by…ahem…Uma Krishnaswamy. No, they’re not the same person with variations on the spelling of their last names. But they have joined together to create an utterly charming new book, one that has all the makings of a classic.

Uma is the author of several picture books and novels for children. She lives with her family, which includes four cats, in Aztec, NM. She is also the author the wonderful blog, Writing With A Broken Tusk, a blog about “story, overlapping geographies, and the creation of books for children.”

Out of the Way! Out of the Way! is published in nine different languages by Tulika Books in India, and will soon be released by the Canadian publishers Groundwood Books.

Uma teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’m so fortunate to call Uma my friend.

By kathi|August 1st, 2010|Author interviews, Books, Cats|Comments Off|

VCFA, Cats and Rita Williams Garcia's Dream House

I’m here at Vermont College for the summer residency. But leaving home is always a little bittersweet.

I love being here, but I do miss those cats. And seriously, people, have you ever seen anything cuter than Hoss and Peach in their snuggle mode?

Purrrrrr…

Then again, Rita’s dream house is pretty darned cute too, not to mention the lovely Rita herself…