Category Archives: CCIRA

by | August 31, 2023 · 4:02 pm

PAL LIAISON Interview in Kite Tales Magazine

A version of this interview appeared in the Spring 2023 RMC-SCBWI Kite Tales magazine.

Some volunteers make programs better. Some make them good. Others, like Rondi Sokoloff Frieder, take them to a whole new, exceptional level. Frieder grew the RMC-SCBWI Published And Listed (PAL) program from the ground up-cultivating it into one of the most enviable and productive in SCBWI. Susan Wroble, Co-Regional Advisor for RMC-SCBWI, said, “When I started in my leadership position, I was shocked to learn that most other chapters have very few PAL members, and for many, SCBWI is regarded as being an organization to get you published, not to stay in once you are published. However, Rondi has made being a part of our chapter worthwhile—and fun—for so many of our PAL members. In turn, they have been our mentors and Connect speakers and guides, and have brought up the skill level of the entire chapter. Without her work over these past nine years, we wouldn’t be nearly as strong a chapter.”

I had the privilege of interviewing Frieder before she steps down to focus on her own writing career.

Shelly Steig: How long have you been a member of SCBWI?

Rondi Sokoloff Frieder: A very long time! This is actually a great story. Back in 2000, my school principal said I needed to do something with my writing. I had been teaching kindergarten and first grade for over 20 years and loved writing plays, raps and short stories with my students. When I told my brother I was thinking about writing for children, he told me his son (my nephew) had a friend at school whose mother did something with children’s books. He suggested I email her. And guess what? It was Lin Oliver, the co-founder of SCBWI!!! I immediately joined and went to the LA conference that summer. I’ve been a member ever since.

SS: What has being a member of SCBWI meant to you?

RSF: So many things. First and foremost, I love the people! There is nothing like spending time with kindred spirits who totally get what you are trying to do. Writing for children is a challenging, and often discouraging, endeavor. I probably would have given up long ago had it not been for the support and encouragement of this writing community. It’s also where I met my critique partners, the brilliant and talented Story Spinners. We’ve been going strong for over twenty years and even have a blog: www.inthewritersweb.com.

SS: When did you become the PAL Liaison, and how did that come about?

RSF: Great question! I have been the PAL (traditionally published and listed authors and illustrators) Coordinator/Liaison for nine years. After I retired from the classroom, one of my critique partners challenged me to get more involved in the RMC-SCBWI. I looked at the volunteer positions available and noticed there was an opening for the CCIRA (Colorado Chapter of the International Reading Association) Coordinator. CCIRA hosts an annual literacy conference for teachers and librarians and the RMC-SCBWI usually purchases a table in their Exhibits Hall. This immediately resonated with me. I had been attending this conference for years as a teacher and always loved it. Plus, it was held at a hotel five minutes from my house! I emailed the Co-Regional Advisors to say I was interested. They were thrilled and also asked me to host a table at the annual Colorado Teen Literacy Conference. Our next Co-RA she asked if I’d be willing to expand my job. She envisioned four PAL events a year and changed the position title to PAL Liaison. Together, we developed the new model. Now, along with CCIRA, I coordinate the annual Book Birthday Bash, webinars tailored specifically to the needs of PALs, meet-and-greets at local bookstores and social/support gatherings. We even hosted the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) group at a reception when the American Library Association Conference was in Denver!

SS: What was your favorite part of being the liaison?

RSF: I absolutely love all the PAL events. Our authors and illustrators are a delight to work with and our programs are inspirational and informative. But if I had to pick my most favorite thing of all, it would be moderating a panel at CCIRA. I’ve used a variety of formats from Speed Dating with authors, illustrators and teachers to opening for keynote speaker, John Schu, librarian extraordinaire and former Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs. For the past two years, I’ve led an actual session at the conference and this year’s was over-the-top incredible! We had sixteen authors and illustrators present to a packed room of teachers and librarians. Their anecdotes took us from laughter to tears as we learned about the “stories behind the books.” I was so proud of our literary rockstars!

SS: What are you working on with your own projects?

RSF: I am smitten with middle grade! I recently submitted my time-travel, baseball, comic book, golem romp to a slew of agents. While I wait for their responses, I am working on a humorous MG story about friendship and grief that takes place in a summer camp in the Rocky Mountains.

SS: Anything else you’d like our members to know?

RSF: I’m very proud of the fact that our PALs have stayed super involved in the RMC-SCBWI. Apparently, this is not typical. In most chapters, after people get traditionally published, they disappear. By providing dynamic programming for our PAL authors and illustrators, we have been able to keep them engaged. Along with attending PAL events, they have become mentors, webinar presenters, and speakers at our annual conference. Also, being the PAL Liaison has enabled me to work directly with many of our outstanding local bookstores. We have held PAL events at Second Star to the Right, Book Bar, The Bookies, The Wandering Jellyfish and The Tattered Cover. Getting to know these booksellers has given me tremendous insight into the publishing world. Children’s book people are the best!

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Filed under 2023, Book Birthdays, CCIRA, Interviews, Kite Tales, RMC-SCBW

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by | February 15, 2023 · 5:22 pm

The Secret of Children’s Book Publishing

By Susan Wroble, February 2023

Psssst… Want to know the secret of children’s book publishing? At the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI’s panel at the CCIRA literacy conference in February, authors and illustrators shared some of the stories behind their stories. The answer? It’s simple and painful, both.

Persistence.

For some, persistence has meant staying focused over time. Author/Illustrator Kaz Windness is truly on fire, with seven book deals this year! But getting to this point? That took twenty years. And learning the industry also meant learning when a book would be best illustrated by someone else. Kaz wrote A BOOK IS A FRIEND (fall 2024) with illustrator Heather Brockman-Lee’s artwork in mind

Author Jennifer Chambliss Bertman joined SCBWI back in 2000. She worked on writing picture books for years, getting nowhere. She was ready to give up when she decided to try writing for an older audience, and began work on her highly successful middle-grade books instead. After 23 years, Jennifer’s debut picture book, A GOOD DEED CAN GROW, was released last month.

Bianca Schultz’s passion is literacy and growing readers. She founded The Children’s Book Review in 2008 with the goal of helping kids and their parents, caregivers and librarians find great books. The first of her popular “Dragon” series was published in 2020.

Persistence can come in other forms. For Laura Perdew, it meant being willing to write about lots of topics. She found one of the short-cuts into publishing—the work-for-hire market. WFH books are typically found in school libraries. The publisher, not the writer, determines the specifications. Laura now has more than fifty WFH books, along with her debut traditionally published picture book, THE FORT.

Author/Illustrator Gregory Barrington had published his first picture book with Harper Collins, but the editor wasn’t at all excited about Greg’s new manuscript. Greg was asked to write a fractured fairy tale instead. He wrote five completely different stories featuring Goldilocks and the Three Bears. He picked his favorite—and was too nervous to submit it. It didn’t come across the way he wanted on the page. Greg decided the solution was NOT to send it. He asked for a virtual meeting, then he read the manuscript aloud. GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE KNOCKS was released in November.

Albert Whitman had published Jenny Goebel’s book ADELITA, about a sea turtle, when they asked her to write one on insects. No problem, she thought. The catch? They wanted a book on insects as food. By release date, Jenny still hadn’t managed to eat an insect. Imposter syndrome hit hard. The Butterfly Pavilion was all out of edible insects, so Jenny spent the day in search of a bug to eat. Unfortunately, success came in the form of jalapeno-flavored fried crickets. She’s since discovered more easily purchased (and eaten!) “gateway bugs.” And just like her book, they are CHOCOLATE CHIRP COOKIES.

Both Julie Danneberg and Natasha Wing have had incredibly successful series—Julie with the JITTERS series and Natasha with THE NIGHT BEFORE series. And both have worked not only to keep those series going, but to publish in other areas, from nonfiction to jokes.

Sometimes persistence means a lot of research. Author Jessica Speer knew she wanted to focus on problems kids face in middle school. But she wasn’t exactly sure what the biggest challenges were. So she went to schools and listened. She surveyed students. Her book MIDDLE SCHOOL: SAFETY GOOGLES ADVISED focuses on the top ten problems identified by kids.

For authors Andrea Wang and Beth Anderson, persistence has entailed digging deep—sometimes into hard places emotionally—to find the heart of the story. For others, it has been work to find the words. Lynn Becker was hooked by the idea of a sea shanty. Finding just the right words for MONSTERS IN THE BRINY meant literally walking it out, pounding out the beat with her feet. With her novel-in-verse ALONE, author Megan E. Freeman struggled to find the best ways in each poem to convey the story in the fewest possible words, leaving the rest up to the reader.

Author/illustrator Julie Rowan-Zoch was faced with an unusual request—illustrating for a celebrity author. Saturday Night Live’s actor Bobby Moynihan had submitted sample illustrations with his manuscript NOT ALL SHEEP ARE BORING, but the publisher reached out to Julie instead. Many of her initial sketches were turned down before Julie hit the type of compositions the publishers felt comfortable with for this book that they knew would have a huge circulation run.

COVID in the family kept author Kellye Crocker from the CCIRA conference, but PAL Liaison Rondi Frieder told teachers about her book. What Rondi didn’t tell them was that DAD’S GIRLFRIEND AND OTHER ANXIETIES had been hit by supply chain problems, and the publication date had been delayed by months. Then the books didn’t even arrive on time for the rescheduled publication date. Kellye refused to give up, and held a launch party with advance reader copies of the book!

Sometimes, it is the characters who are persistent. Heather Mateus Sappenfield was an adult and YA author. When a fully-formed 12-year-old character named Rill hit her mind, Heather wasn’t remotely interested in writing middle grade. It took Heather and Rill more than a year together before Heather realized that Rill was just the right person to tell an important story. As a teacher, Heather had sometimes walked into her school to find clusters of children, crying. Their parents had been deported the night before. After her book was published, Heather almost threw away an envelope from the Colorado statehouse, assuming it was junk. Instead, it was a treasure—the Colorado General Assembly acknowledged her book’s importance in the state.

 

Whatever the form it may take for you, the secret is clear. Stick with it. Persist.

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Filed under 2023, CCIRA, Persistence, RMC-SCBWI, Susan Wroble

by | March 1, 2022 · 2:46 pm

The Joy of New Tires

By Rondi Sokoloff Frieder

In January, I realized I needed new tires for my car. The original factory-installed set was wearing thin and it was time to upgrade. Since I drive back and forth to the mountains every week, I was particularly interested in finding a brand that performed well in the Colorado snow and ice. My husband did some research and found rave reviews for the Michelin Cross Climate+. They’re apparently made of a softer rubber and have a unique tread that’s designed to literally push the snow out of your way. They sounded perfect, so we ordered them.

Every February, the CCIRA (Colorado Council of the International Reading Association) hosts its annual conference. I love this conference. I loved it when I attended it as a first grade teacher, and I love it now as a volunteer for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (RMC-SCBWI). For three days, I host a table of local authors and illustrators who share their books with teachers and librarians.

I also moderate a panel of these incredible local celebrities!   

The enthusiasm for literacy at this event is off the charts. Renowned speakers from near and far regale attendees with innovative ways to teach reading and writing to children. Close to a thousand teachers and librarians gather in workshops and banquet halls to discuss their struggles and triumphs in the classroom. And everyone, I mean everyone, is newly inspired.

For the past seven years, CCIRA was held at a hotel, five minutes from my house. It was one of the reasons I agreed to take on this volunteer position. But this year, the venue had changed. My drive would now be a little over a half hour. Except… here’s the thing… it always snows during this conference. Always. It might be a light dusting or a full-out blizzard. There was no way to know what would happen. But the snow rarely affected me. I LIVED FIVE MINUTES AWAY. But this was no longer the case. And as the conference drew near, I began to worry about my commute. Finally, I decided the best thing I could do to alleviate my fears was to reserve a hotel room for Wednesday and Thursday nights.

On the Sunday before the conference, there was good news. The forecast for Wednesday and Thursday was for sunny weather and unseasonably high temperatures. I was psyched, elated, energized! I canceled my hotel reservations. The roads were predicted to be clear and dry.

On Wednesday, I drove to the hotel in record time, set up my table, and greeted my fellow exhibitors. On Thursday, the sky was a bright blue and I got to the hotel without a glitch. Sun poured into the Exhibits Hall through floor to ceiling windows, creating a cheerful mood. Teachers and librarians stopped by our table to chat. Our authors and illustrators pitched their gorgeous books, handed out door prizes, and posed for photos with their adoring fans. My panel of fifteen authors and illustrators wowwed and zowwed the crowd with lyrical readings and articulate answers to thought-provoking questions And when I drove home that night, a colorful sunset dipped below the majestic Rocky Mountains.

But when I woke up on Friday, the weather had shifted. A gray haze loomed over those very same mountains. Snow was predicted for later in the day. After lunch, scattered flurries were spotted through the windows behind our table. Many of the exhibitors decided to leave early to beat the storm. I decided to follow suit and began packing up. Only by the time I was finished, the storm was in full force. I trudged to the parking lot and had to use my scraper to push off the three inches that already accumulated. And when I pulled up to the door of the hotel to load my boxes and bid farewell to my fellow exhibitors, there were hugs and exclamations of “See you next year!” and “Drive safe!” I scraped the additional snow that now covered my windshield, put my wipers on high, and merged onto the packed highway. The traffic was horrendous – a sea of cars and trucks moving at a snail’s pace while fat flakes flew at us like white bullets.

Only something was different. I felt unusually secure on the road. No sliding, no skidding, no getting stuck. I crept along, slow but steady. It was the tires! The zigzaggy Michelin Cross Climate+ tires really did push the snow out of my way. I was going to be okay. I would make it home. Don’t get me wrong, it took me almost two hours. But I got there without a problem, thanks to my new tires. So, you may ask, will I attend this conference again next year despite its distance from my house? I will! But I’ll also reserve a hotel room for Friday night – just in case there’s an even bigger storm!

 

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