Sue Heavenrich's Newest Concoction: The Pie That Molly Grew! Craft Chat & Book Review by Kathy Halsey

 

Sue with her newest creation!

Book Review by Kathy Halsey

If you’re ready for some cooler weather and pumpkin-anything (latte, bread, or, dare I say ... pie?), my author friend Sue Heavenrich is here to serve up her newest book, THE PIE THAT MOLLY GREW, illustrated by Chamisa Kellogg, who added all the best artistic “ingredients” to this timeless picture book.  

Sue and Chamisa mix up a delightful read that will have you wanting to grow pumpkins, helping pollinators, and, of course, making a yummy pumpkin pie that will bring the people together. 

The cumulative story structure, based on The House That Jack Built, will have readers hooked already as they easily fall into the rhythm and rhyme Sue’s created. Readers follow Molly’s pumpkin from seed to sprout to table and learn that patience, nature, and nurture are needed to create family desserts that become traditions.   

I love how illustrator Kellogg adds her own special touches, weaving the pumpkin and growth themes throughout the picture book from the typography on the cover to the eye shapes of Molly and friends that echo the shape of seeds. I enjoyed the inclusivity in the images, too. We have diverse groups of people all enjoying the fruits of growing their own food.

This is the perfect book to celebrate fall, holidays, nature, as well as the community nature of gardening. Make sure to let readers know that author Heavenrich has grown and harvested pumpkins, too, and so can they. (Thanks, Sue, for providing pictures from her own garden.)

The Pie That Molly Grew GROG Q&A

Kathy: Sue, I love the read aloud-ability this picture book has. I applaud the genius move of using the well-known rhyme scheme from The House That Jack Built. Tell us a bit about the decision to use rhyme over prose. Did you write both and then figure out the stronger of the two versions?

Sue: A line came to me: “This is the pie that Molly made.” That set the beat and I figured I would just go along with it. I tried (really tried) to write it in prose, but it came out half-baked. When the editor suggested starting with planting the seed, everything came together.

Kathy: The rhyme scheme begins on the third spread of the picture book with “These are the roots that reach down and branch out, to anchor the plant that began to sprout”.  Is that the case for The House that Jack Built, too, or did you alter where the rhyme begins?

Sue: I wanted to keep the feel of the original nursery rhyme, but I also wanted to play around within it. The original House that Jack Built repeats everything as it accumulates lines from one verse to the next. I decided not to do that because strict repetition can get … repetitious. So I shortened some lines, changed words, all the while keeping the rhythm of the story going - especially on the last two spreads, because who wants to wait so long to get to the pie?

Kathy: Today it is hard to sell a picture book as an author only. While crafting this story, did you think about including multiple hooks for increased audience interest and salability? Why pumpkin pie? (I admit that’s my favorite, too.)

Sue: I’m always thinking about how many different ways a parent or teacher can use a book. Perhaps that comes from homeschooling my kids, or maybe from creating STEM programs for summer camps and library programs. So I knew I wanted connections to garden, native plants, and pollinators. And I also wanted a deeper connection to gratitude.As for why pumpkin pie - it’s my favorite kind of pie! 

Learn to make and pie and how pollinators help!

Kathy: I know we are both nonfiction nuts who love back matter. I enjoyed  seeing four pages of back matter discussing the process of seed to fruit to table, pollinators, and how to bake a delicious pumpkin pie!  Did you add back matter later in the revision process or did your editor suggest it? How do you suggest writers advocate for back matter? Is there a standard number of pages authors should create for additional information?

Sue: I love back matter! When I was homeschooling, I always wanted to know more, and wished authors had included resources and activities. I started my writing as a journalist, and my articles for adults and children would often include sidebars. So when I began writing picture books I thought: Gee, where would I add sidebars to this? When I write the manuscript, I keep a list of things I want to include as back matter. Then, at the end of the story, I’ll put in a section titled “suggested back matter” with subtitles. For this book I knew I wanted to write about pumpkins as crop native to the Americas, and include my recipe (which my grandmother used). I also wanted to highlight the ecological services of bees and show the diversity of bees that help pollinate pumpkins and other squash.

Can you see Sue's pumpkin peeking out at us? Like Molly, she grows pie!

Kathy:What is your favorite spread in this book? (I love the spread with all the different tables that are placed end-to-end to make room for the pies!) What was your reaction to the illustrations when you first saw them? 

Kathy: Sue: I love the illustrations, and am so grateful that Chamisa Kellogg took on this book! Here’s the thing: we both love pumpkin pie, and we both grow pumpkins in the garden. Not only does Chamisa know pumpkins, but she brings such expressive joy to the page.

I have a couple of favorite spreads. One is where Molly and her brother are waiting (and waiting) for the seed to germinate … it takes such a long time that a bird builds a nest! And I really love the spread where Molly is in the garden with the bees, and she is journaling. 

Kathy: With The Pie That Molly Grew, you will now have 4 books out for young readers. How has the process of book creation stayed the same and changed over the years? 

Sue: I’m pretty sure the general process is the same: I’m minding my own business, perhaps weeding the beets or shoveling snow, when SMACK! An idea whaps me upside the head. And then I have to write it down before it flies away. And later I get curious, and start investigating this idea: is it a picture book idea? Does it need more words, and maybe a few chapters? And then I do some research on the topic, and then I fall down a rabbit hole and do more research than I’ll ever need… and then I scribble things on a page, cross them out, try again, and again… 

Kathy: How are l you celebrating this book launch and how can readers get involved? 

Sue: We are in the middle of a Blog Tour! And I am so grateful that you have offered a blog stop where we can stop, rest awhile, chat, and maybe get a cold glass of lemonade. Last week we visited Vivian Kirkfield, Maria Marshall at the Picture Book Buzz, and Carol Baldwin. On Friday I’ll be dropping in on Beth Anderson and then on Monday, the 28th I’ll hang out with Lauri Fortino at Frog on a Blog. 

My book release event will be September 9 at Tioga Arts Council in Owego, NY and co-hosted with Riverow Books. There will be reading, science and art activities, pumpkin cupcakes, and a silly song or two. I hope to visit a couple more blogs in October and November, and I know KidLit411 will be doing a giveaway mid-September. I’m so glad I saved those freebie calendars that come in the mail - I need one to keep track of what I’m doing and when!

Find Sue here on SM!

Website:  http://www.sueheavenrich.com/

Archimedes Notebook blog:   https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SueHeavenrichWriter

Sue's pumpkin flowers, just like spreads from illustrator Chamisa Kellogg!

DIY Blog Tour to Promote Your Book

 by Sue Heavenrich

Remember Blog Tours? Those week-long, sometimes two-week-long events came with a schedule for tour stops, author and illustrator interviews, drawings and giveaways. If someone missed a stop, they could link back to a previous post. 

Blog tours were a thing – until they weren’t. “What happened?” I asked a publicist.

“Blog tours are still happening,” she said, “but in a different way. Many of the blogs have migrated over to Instagram, and the content of the reviews has shifted as well.” Instagram, it seems, allows for more talking points, better photo opportunities, and briefer posts. 

Betsy Bird, who writes a wonderful blog, mused on blog tours recently. “… when blogs started to disappear, they left a significant gap in the marketplace,” she wrote. “When a publisher wants to get the word out about a book, what do they do? They can pay for advertising, but if you’re a small publisher you just don’t have a ton of money to do so, and if you’re a large publisher you’ll only be able to highlight a few titles from your upcoming season...”

Publishers may not be organizing blog tours, but some writers still do. Last year Annette Whipple organized a tour for her book Ribbit! the Truth about Frogs.

“I wanted to promote my book,” Annette said. “Despite the incredible feedback I’ve had from people about my books (including the other books in The Truth About series), most people hadn’t heard of them.” So Annette decided to use the power of the kidlit community to show off her newest book. She reached out through a couple of kidlit Facebook groups and her monthly newsletter. Once she gathered a team, she created a Facebook group where they strategized ways  to generate buzz around the book launch date. Then she emailed PDFs of the book to all of the bloggers and team members. She also mailed small packages of fun froggy swag to her launch team.

Teresa Robeson’s blog tour came about accidentally. She wasn’t planning to do a launch party for her book, but her friends wanted to share her book on their blogs. Vivian Kirkfield reached out to bloggers she knew and created enough posts for two weeks. That meant every day there would be something about her or one of her new books. 

Jennifer Swanson also reaches out to bloggers, offering to email a pdf or link to an e-galley. While many authors focus on getting the word out close to their book’s launch date, Jennifer is less concerned. “I'm fine with bloggers interviewing me and then spreading out their posting times – it extends the life of your book launch.”

Tips for a DIY Blog Tour

• Blog tours and book launch teams take an incredible amount of time, even when they’re small. 
• Read blogs and keep a list of the ones you like, where you see book reviews and/or author interviews. 
• A few months before your book launches, reach out to bloggers to create your team. Think about blogs that reach parents and homeschoolers, too. You want to end up with 6-10. 
• Organization is essential. Use a calendar or other means to keep track of when bloggers will feature your book – you don’t want them on the same date.
• Think about offering a book for a drawing (sometimes publishers are happy to provide a book).
• If a lot of friends want to help out, think of them as a “promotion” team. They can post a review on Goodreads or Amazon, ask their local library to buy a copy, and post things on social media such as a photo of your book and the caption “currently reading”
• If you don’t want to do a launch tour, think about a blog tour focused around a holiday.

A huge thanks to these folks who generously shared their blog tour tips and experience. Check out their websites and go read their books!

Annette Whipple   https://www.annettewhipple.com/

Teresa Robeson    https://www.teresarobeson.com/

Vivian Kirkfield   https://viviankirkfield.com/

Jennifer Swanson  https://jenniferswansonbooks.com/

More DIY Blog Tour Resources:

“Everything You Need to Know about Organizing a Blog Tour” from the Author Newsletter (Penguin Random House)

How to Get the Most Out of a Book Blog Tour, from the Writing Cooperative

Talking Story Facebook group

After the Debut: Strategies for Marketing Subsequent Books with Guest Author Laura Sassi + Giveaway, posted by Tina Cho

Author Laura Sassi is no stranger to the Grog Blog. You can see past interviews of her here and here. Today Laura shares how she markets her books #2, #3, and her latest #4 Love Is Kind, by ZonderKidz, August 2018.

There are many posts about marketing your debut book. But what do you do when it’s your second, or third… or tenth book?  Is your strategy the same?  If not, what’s different?  Well, the big difference is that as soon as book #2 is published, you are no longer a debut author so your marketing/promotion efforts should keep that new reality in mind. In my opinion, your new goal - with every new release - should be to generate interest in your new book along with renewed interest in all your titles.

With that in mind, here are 8 strategies I have found for effectively marketing - not just your debut book - but all the books that follow. I hope they generate even more ideas from your readers so we can work together to build a great list!

1.Keep your BIO updated. This should be obvious, but with each new release, be sure to update your bio, book info, and keep your headshots up-to-date on all your various platforms. And don’t forget to update your author page on Amazon, SCBWI, Goodreads and other sites that you don’t necessarily consider “your platform” but which include bios about you.

2. Go on blog tour, yes STILL. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I find blog tours to be a wonderful way to make a splash with even post-debut books.  I know, for example, that if I hadn’t set up my own blog tours for books #3 and #4, I wouldn’t have had many blog appearances, and each one of those blog visits, in my view, has been a great opportunity to let people know that I have new books out. My goal with each blog tour has been to make stops at a cross-section of readerships so that I get the chance to interact with folks in all those sectors.  For me that has meant visits to writing blogs, library blogs, and mommy/daddy blogs. 

3. Set up guest blog appearances (or write articles for publications) - as an expert.  Now that you have more than one book, it’s time to market yourself - not as the debut author - but as the expert. Writing posts from this perspective will give you a chance to reference your books in the context of a bigger topic which is a great way to get your name and your books out there in an interesting way. But even if you don’t reference your own books, and sometimes that won’t fit the topic you are writing about, you’ll still be on people’s radar as a seasoned author and your books will still be included in the bio at the end of the piece.

4. Maximize the Sales Impact at School/Library Visits. When arranging signings and school events, request that all your books be available for purchase on their order forms or on their shelves, rather than just the newest one. I’ve been pleasantly surprised how having this option at signings actually increases sales. Instead of buying just the newest release, folks often decide to get one or more of my other titles as well!  

5. Think outside the box when it comes to visits. For my first book, most of my events were your typical library and bookstore story times. I also did readings at local preschools. With my subsequent books, I still do a lot of those, but I’ve also broadened my visit opportunities by thinking outside the box. For example, instead of just having a book reading at my local library, next month I will present a workshop for ages 5+ where we’ll delve into the world of book jackets - using my latest release LOVE IS KIND as the jumpstart.  I did similar workshop-style events for previous books and they all had a waitlist! I’ve also spoken at MOPS groups, led a rhyming picture book workshop at my local SCBWI June conference, been the keynote speaker at a college women’s club scholarship luncheon, and was even the featured guest on a local faith-themed tv show - all events that provided opportunities to creatively promote my books. My publisher also asked if I’d be interested in doing a few radio interviews. Of course I said yes, and thus was open to even more out of the box opportunities. If this sounds interesting, the first step is to brainstorm creative presentation ideas that you’d enjoy in lieu of - or, better yet, in addition to - the typical author event readings and signings.

6. Network, network, network!  None of the above would have been possible, had I not first stepped out of my comfort zone, to gather and then reach out to contacts. The children’s author community is a great place to start networking and places like the SCBWI blue boards can be wonderful resources. I’ve also had success networking through social media and through chatting with parents, teachers, librarians etc. who often then offer to introduce me to the contact. Even if you’re shy, as I am, be sure to follow through on every contact because, as I’ve discovered over the course of four years and four books, reaching out often leads not only to that event, but it also open the doors to other opportunities. I call this the snow ball effect and I wrote a whole post about it. (link:   https://laurasassitales.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/marketing-the-snow-ball-way-2/) And be sure to loop back to each and every contact with each subsequent book. You might just be invited for a return visit with your newest release!

7. Develop extension materials for each book.  Educators and parents LOVE when they can extend a story with fun activities and/or learning-based follow up materials, so I think it’s well worth your time and effort to put together either a teacher kit or a series of activities for each book which are then available on your blog. Be sure to share these via social media  - and make them easy and eye-catching so others will share them as well.

8. Be smart about swag, book trailers etc. Different houses handle promo materials like posters, bookmarks and book trailers differently. I’ve been fortunate that Zonderkidz, the publisher of three of my books, has generously provided me with book trailers, bookmarks, event posters and coloring pages for each of my titles with them.   I’ve found the bookmarks and book trailers to be especially invaluable.The bookmarks are a hit because they are eye catching, useful, and promo-smart because they include my social media contact info etc. They, in essence, have become my business cards! The book trailer has also been a fun addition to blog tours and a visually effective way to introduce the book to potential venues for book engagements.

If you have to create these yourself, they can be expensive, so definitely decide how much you can spend and then decide which will have the most impact for your promo plans. My top four choices are bookmarks, event posters, coloring pages and, if possible, a book trailer.  Having a trailer professionally made can be expensive, but I just learned how to make a book trailer from a friend and the final clip is cute as can be!  I’m still waiting to hear back from the publisher on it, but I hope I’ll  soon be able to use it as yet another visual way to pitch bloggers, bookstores, libraries etc. about possible visits.  

YOUR TURN!  This list is just the beginning.  What would you add -either as a newbie starting out, or as a veteran.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!  And happy book promoting, all!

Wow, Laura. Thank you for all of these tips! I'm certainly going to bookmark this post so I can try these marketing tips for my forthcoming books. Please check the reviews for Love Is Kind here. It's a gorgeous FALL-looking book that can be used any time of the year. If you'd like a chance to win LOVE IS KIND, please leave a comment below how Laura's tips will help you or any questions for her. We'll choose a winner October 3rd.
To enter, you must be 18 years or older and have a U.S. street address to which Zonderkidz will send you the book. 

BIO: Laura Sassi has a passion for telling stories in prose and rhyme.  A graduate of Princeton University and UCLA, she had a successful teaching career before becoming a children’s author. She is the author of four picture books including the best-selling GOODNIGHT, ARK (Zonderkidz, 2014) which was a Christian Book Award Finalist, GOODNIGHT, MANGER (Zonderkidz, 2015), DIVA DELORES AND THE OPERA HOUSE MOUSE (Sterling, 2018) which was featured on BBC’s Cbeebies Bedtime Stories, and LOVE IS KIND (Zonderkidz, 2018).  She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and a black Cockapoo named Sophie.

Children's book author and poet

GOODNIGHT, ARK (Zonderkidz, August ’14)

GOODNIGHT, MANGER (Zonderkidz, October ’15)

DIVA DELORES AND THE OPERA HOUSE MOUSE (Sterling, Spring ’18)

LOVE IS KIND (Zonderkidz, Fall  ’18)

https://www.facebook.com/LauraSassiTales

http://laurasassitales.wordpress.com/

twitter.com/laurasassitales