Meet a GROGer: Tina Cho! ~By Suzy Leopold

ALL ABOUT TINA CHO

When did you first know that you would like to be a writer?    

Tina Cho
A beautiful smile!

I’m not one who always dreamed of writing. In fact, I hated writing papers in college. But while I was an elementary teacher, I fell in love with picture books and wanted to write a book to leave a legacy for my children. And growing up, I loved reading. 

Title page from a forthcoming book

            In 2008, I had an unplanned career change. We moved from Arizona to California, and during the hard economic times, I was unable to find a teaching job. So I surrendered to God’s leading, and He led me to the SCBWI web site. Someone there gave me Nancy I. Sander’s information because she headed a critique group in my area. She invited me, took me under her wing, and I took off learning all I 
could about the craft of children’s writing. 

My two kids next to a rice field.

What inspires you to write? How do you come up with ideas that you want to write about?

Most of my ideas come from my two children and the activities and places we go. When they’re playing together, I often eavesdrop. I hear good imaginative thinking that I jot down in my idea notebook. Also, when we go on family outings to some place new, a story idea churns in my head. It’s not too hard when you’re overseas.

The Cho Family 

Share your author history . . . How long had you been writing until you became published? 

I began writing the fall of 2008 and my first acceptance came three weeks later. This wasn’t for a book, but a children’s story for a private school’s reading curriculum. I became part of their cadre of freelance writers and sold over 20 stories to them. Since then I’ve published many articles, lesson plans, guided reading books, a coloring book, etc…much for the educational market. I have three nonfiction books forthcoming from Legacy Press Kids and something else in the works that I don’t want to reveal yet.

A Sweet Surprise
A rebus story

What words of wisdom or advice do you have for *writers under construction*?

It’s so important to find a critique group! I’m in two online picture book critique groups, and I’ve learned so much. Writers need a community to cheer each other on and to learn from each other. 

And also since getting a book published traditionally takes so long, it's important for authors to see their names in print via other ways so they stay encouraged. Be proactive. Don't be afraid to write for other markets such as magazines, educational markets, etc. . . . Send out queries to publishers and get contracts to write. I've written about some of these other ways on our  Grog blog.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? 

Nancy I. Sanders has been a terrific mentor to me since I first began, and I continue to email her with any questions.

Tina Cho and Nancy Sanders

If you could invite anyone to dinner who would you choose?

I would invite everyone in my critique groups. After years of having an online relationship, it would be wonderful to meet face to face.

What is your current WIP? 

My writing area
*Pictures drawn by my kids 
*Roses made out of soap from hubby
* A special Bible verse
*All my notebooks I use for projects and stories

I’m pretty much always on some kind of work-for-hire assignment for the educational market. But since I’m also in Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 challenge group, I write one new picture book draft each month. 

Do you have any hidden talents you want to share?

I play the piano. (I used to be the church and college pianist.)

Share something about yourself that very few people may know about.

For those who don’t know, I grew up in Iowa and am now living in South Korea. I’m homeschooling my two kiddos while writing. And I love Dr. Pepper; it helps me write—seriously! Thankfully, some places carry it here in Korea!

Seoul, South Korea

Where can readers find out more about you?

www.tinamcho.com 

Bio: Tina is an author of 25 guided reading books from Lakeshore Learning and Compass Media. A coloring book, God Is So Good, from Warner Press was published in 2013. Three nonfiction books are forthcoming from Legacy Press Kids.

A fun way to tour Korea.

Tina is a former elementary teacher who currently homeschools her 7^th grade daughter and 4^th grade son. Though she grew up in Iowa, she now lives outside of Seoul, South Korea.

Thank you for the interview, Tina. So nice to learn more about you, your family and your writing journey. I look forward to meeting you in person.

Typhoon is the Cause for Finding Hope: The Making of an eBook

Update: Finding Hope is now available in Spanish.   4/14/2015       

      
       

#78315349 / gettyimages.com

   by Janie Reinart

“If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed.” ~Barry Lopez

One year ago, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines stopped being just another terrible news story for author, Suzanne Albers. 

"I was upset watching the news of the catastrophe. It felt very far away. Then I spoke to a friend whose village was devastated by the typhoon, and that was when it really changed for me from a news story to a human story. "

#490584677 / gettyimages.com

"I thought a lot about how overwhelming an experience it must have been for the adults and especially for the children. That was where the idea for Finding Hope came from-- an e-picture book from the perspective of a child after the typhoon." 


Suzanne quickly wrote the first draft of Finding Hope with the idea of using it to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Next came a period of countless revisions and consideration on how to do the illustrations.


"A lucky break happened, when I received an invitation to a supporter event here in London for the charity, Plan UK, marking "Six Months On" from Typhoon Haiyan."

#184144240 / gettyimages.com

"I've sponsored a child through Plan UK for years, so I knew that it was a great organization. This gave me the opportunity to learn more about their work after Typhoon Haiyan and approach them about using Finding Hope to do fundraising for them."

After proposing the idea to the charity, revising and editing of the story continued, as Suzanne still struggled with what to do about the illustrations. 

The staff at Plan UK were incredibly supportive during this period, providing photos and feedback on the illustrations and how to best present information on Plan's work in the aftermath of Haiyan. 

With the anniversary of the Typhoon in mind as the deadline for finishing the e-picture book, Suzanne worked on it a couple hours a day for months.

"I work four days a week and have two little ones under five, so it was rare that I had a chance to work on this before 9pm. But I became good at using whatever minutes I happened to have free - 5 minutes on the tube or 10 minutes during my lunch break."

"I wish I could have done it faster, but I'm not an illustrator and I had no idea how to make an e-book, so there was a lot to learn during this time. I fell head over heels in love with two iPad apps - Book Creator and iDraw. Book Creator is both extremely powerful and straightforward to use. iDraw took more time to learn, but YouTube tutorials introduced me to its many features, and allowed me to learn by doing."

Finding Hope is a tender story that shows the impact of a natural disaster on a family and their courage and faith as they struggle to stay united and help others. Finding Hope  can be seen as a free video here.
 

Suzanne hopes her project will help people see that the devastation of a typhoon like Haiyan isn't over in a year. She offers her e-picture book to be used by parents and schools as a tool for discussing natural disasters with children. To help support this fund raiser, donate here.

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"I'd also like to thank the many people who helped me  produce the e-book and fundraising website. Thanks so much to my amazing husband, kids and both sets of grandparents who gave me time over the last month to finish this project."

"Thank you to my wonderful critique groups - the Scribblers and Spoons - and friends for your help on the many, many drafts of Finding Hope. Thanks again to the amazing people at Plan UK for all of their support."

Suzanne, we at the Grog thank you for taking the story that came to you, for caring for it and for giving it away where it was needed. You are a wonderful role model for all of us. Much success with your fund raiser for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.  

Suzanne Albers is a rating analyst by day, mother of two by night and weekends and a picture book writer for those occasional minutes between the two. She grew up in NJ and has lived in London for 14 years. 

Kate Samworth Earns the First Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature by Pat Miller

In January 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression, Virginia Kirkus began the Virginia Kirkus Bookshop Service. For a subscription, booksellers and librarians received her reviews of galleys submitted to Kirkus by 20 publishers. Today, Kirkus Reviews, published twice a month, reviews more than 7,000 traditionally published books and 3,000 self-published books annually.

On the evening of October 23, 2014, at a ceremony in Austin, Texas, the first winners of The Kirkus Prize were announced. The award was “created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large.” (www.kirkusreviews.com)   

The thousand books that received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews during the previous twelve months  were eligible for the first Kirkus Prize. Six finalists in each of three categories, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Young Readers’ Literature, were named. Each winner will receive $50,000, making the Kirkus Prize the richest literary prize in the world.

Each of the categories has three "highly regarded judges: a writer, a bookseller or librarian, and a Kirkus critic.” The 2014 Young Readers’ Literature judges were Dr. Claudette S. McLinn, Executive Director at the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature and life member of the American Library Association. Linda Sue Park is a Newbery Award-winning author. John Edward Peters is a former career librarian and a Kirkus reviewer.

                                     2014 WINNER: YOUNG READERS' Literature

Aviary Wonders Inc. Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual: Renewing the World’s Bird Supply Since 2031 written and illustrated by Kate Samworth. Clarion, 2014.

Fantasy, 32 pages, Picture Book

Entrepreneur Alfred Wallis capitalizes on the extinction of birds with a catalog of do-it-yourself bird parts and accessories to create one’s own artful automaton.

Read Kirkus review.

2014 FINALISTS: YOUNG READERS

El Deafo written and illustrated by Cece Bell. Amulet Books, 2014.

Graphic memoir, 248 pages, Middle-Grade

The author was four when she became deaf after recovering from meningitis. Told with humor, Bell relates her adventures with a hearing aid at a school without deaf classes. 

Read Kirkus review.

.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jennifer Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014.

Biography, 40 pages, Picture Book

Peter Mark Roget had a passion for words from childhood. His many lists eventually grew into the thesaurus we still use today in an updated version.

Read Kirkus review.

The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos. Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2014.

Realistic Fiction, 154 ages, Middle-Grade

The fifth and final book in the Joey Pigza series has him in charge of his baby brother, his hospitalized mother, and the search for his missing father.

Read Kirkus review

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by K. K. Johnston. Carolrhoda Lab, 2014.

Science Fiction and Fantasy, 305 pages, Teen

Sixteen year old Owen Thorskard comes from a long line of dragon slayers. Trondheim is threatened by dragons that compete with humans for fossil fuels. His grades are slipping, he’s too small for football, and the town looks to him to save them.

Read Kirkus review

The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell. Scholastic Press, 2014.

Nonfiction, 250 pages, Teen

Fifty years ago, in June 1964, three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, masterminded by Edgar Ray Killen.

Read Kirkus review

Picture Book Pointers from the Prairie ~ by Patricia Toht

What was I doing last Saturday night? 

Photo by Floyd G

White-knuckling it while skating my car home on icy roads. Sometimes I hate living in Illinois!

But, what was I doing last Saturday day? 

Glorying in 10+ hours at Prairie Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day, our state’s annual SCBWI conference. Sometimes I love living in Illinois!

This year’s faculty included:

• Esther Hershenhorn, writing teacher and coach

• Eliza Wheeler, author and illustrator

• Caroline Abbey, Senior Editor, Random House Children’s  Books

• Jordan Brown, Senior Editor, Walden Pond Press/Balzer & Bray

• Brett Duquette, Editor, Sterling Publishing

• Noa Wheeler, Editor, Henry Holt BYR

• Loraine Joyner, Senior Art Director, Peachtree Publishers

• Karen Grencik, Agent, Red Fox Literary Agency

• Rachel Orr, Agent, Prospect Agency

From Eliza Wheeler's opening speech to the final thoughts from faculty, the day was chock full of writing advice, tools, inspiration and laughs. Without a Harry Potter time turner, I couldn't attend every breakout session. As a picture book writer, I chose workshops in voice, revision, and craft that honed in on that format. Below are some helpful tidbits I gathered that day.

~ Oftentimes, a picture book needs an opening spread to tell you what to expect from the book; it initiates the voice and “trains” the reader in what to expect from the rest of the book. (Brett Duquette)

~ Your word choices should never be random. Choose words that have weight, especially action verbs. (Brett Duquette)

Photo by Alice Popkorn

~ Your characters need to go on both a physical and an emotional journey. (Eliza Wheeler)

~ Every character must serve a purpose in your story. If not, remove them – even the parents! (Brett Duquette)

~ If taking an illustrator on as a client, it’s important that the illustrator demonstrate that he/she knows how to make a picture book dummy. Try a dummy of a known story, such as a fairy tale. (Rachel Orr)

~ Don’t ruin the punch line of a joke by putting it into text when an illustration can have a bigger bang. Use an illustrator note. (Brett Duquette)

~ Craft matters! Take time to learn and grow. (Jordan Brown)

~ Don’t forget to be playful. And don’t be afraid to play with bad ideas, for something surprising may come of them. (Caroline Abbey)

~ You must want your manuscript to improve more than you want to be right. (Eliza Wheeler and Karen Grencik)

In their final advice of the day, the faculty reminded the writers and illustrators present to never be too nervous or afraid to ask questions. Editors, agents and other presenters are there to encourage and cheer you on.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

Meet a GROGer: Suzy Leopold! by Tina Cho

ALL ABOUT SUZY LEOPOLD

Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writer life. 

Perry & Suzy

In 2012, my husband Perry and I began a new chapter of our lives. Perry grew up in Edwardsville/Glen Carbon, Illinois and I was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While living in Texas, we made plans for our dream to return to the Midwest, the land that we love. Our life on the Illinois prairie is filled with many adventures as we set up our homestead and garden in Staunton, Illinois. Perry and along with his cousins, from Mic Construction built our modern farm house.

Our Farm House
on the Prairie

Springfield, the capital of Illinois, is fifty miles North of our home. Another fifty mile drive in a southwesterly direction and we are in St. Louis, Missouri. Crossing over the Mighty Mississippi River that designates the states’ borders is always impressive to me.

My husband and I are parents to five boys, three daughters in law, and seven grandchildren, Johannah [16], Joshua [11], and Jaxon [7], Henry [7] & Charlotte [4]; Lily [5] & Lane [4].

Seven Silly, Sweet Grands!

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? How long have you been writing?

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota
By Constance Van Hoven
Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

I have memories of my Mom, my sister Jill and I visiting a Minneapolis Public Library on numerous occasions and checking out a tall stack of books that included The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper, Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Curious George by H. A. Rey, The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, Farmer Small by Lois Lenski and many more classic titles. Mom said I always asked her to read favorite titles over and over, again and again. I truly feel she instilled the love of reading in my heart.

As a student in high school, I recall a semester of a required English class that included creative writing. The foundation of what good writing looks like began in college. And perhaps because of my love for reading, I always knew that I would study elementary education and become a teacher. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education I earned a Master of Education in Reading-Elementary, a Bilingual certification and a Reading Recovery certification.

Reading and writing go hand and hand and are paired up for a reason. The development of English includes listening, speaking, reading and writing. One cannot learn how to write without having knowledge of reading nor can one learn to read without knowing written letters and their sounds and meaning.

Read More Books and
Fewer Texts 

As an educator to hundreds of students, over my thirty-five year career, I taught many students how to read and write. All of my students were encouraged to keep a journal. This past summer, I provided reading and writing summer school lessons to three students. Their parents felt it was important for them to be engaged during the summer so that they would be ready for the 14~15 school year. Modeling for students in the classroom provided me with many opportunities to write and share stories. I still have many of those early stories, that I wrote, including some written in Spanish.

So, I have delved into the written word, throughout the years, however, in reality have become more serious about the craft of writing for children, since I first participated in PiBoIdMo by Tara Lazar in November 2013.

Do you have any publishing credits? 

Currently, as a Write Team member, I scribe columns for the Carlinville~Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat Newspaper. Many of my articles are educational in nature and provide information for parents and their school aged children to equal student success. Reading is Magical, Avoiding the Summer Slide, Make this the Best School Year Ever, Celebrate Our Earth and many more titles are examples of articles I authored.

Avoiding the Summer Slide

Make a Personal or 
Family Resolution & 
Fulfill the Promise

Recognize, Respect &
Pay Tribute this
Memorial Day

Do you have an agent?

No, I do not have an agent. However, I do know that it is important to find the right match for a writer when seeking an agent to represent my work. Since an agent is someone who I want to support my writing career, I feel it is important that the ideal agent should be knowledgable and supportive, as we work together sharing the love of literacy.

What inspires you to write?

Inspiration is all around me. My head is always spinning with ideas, and I feel it is important to listen to others and observe happenings around me. I am inspired by so many topics: *shadow type memories* of being a kid, the beauty of our prairie flower and vegetable gardens, riding my bike on the country roads, reading picture books to my children and students, classroom experiences of listening to my students learn and grow, and spending time and making memories with our seven, sweet, unique grandkids.

My Writing Desk

What has helped you in this writing journey? 

•  Reading a large collection of children’s picture books that I own.

•  Checking out tall stacks of picture books from the public library.

•  Reading books about the craft of writing that I own.

•  Checking out many resources from the public library.

•  Referring to resource books on my book shelf: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Rhyming dictionary, 100 Words Almost Everyone Mixes Up or Mangles, and many more.

•  Participating in writing challenges and webinars on the Internet.

•  Participating in several critique groups, online and face to face.

•  Networking with writerly friends.

What’s one thing that the writing community doesn’t know about you?

Mmm . . . I really need to give this question some thought. Just one thing? I suppose I could say I took piano lessons as a kid and wish I would sit and play more often and work beyond being a beginner! Kinda typical of most kids who took musical instrument lessons, I guess.

Nah, how about my sister and I are on a picture post card? That’s kinda unique; isn’t it! My parents owned The Sun Deck Motel, in Texas, and guess who is seated on the diving board beside the swimming pool? Yours truly!

The Sund Deck Motel
Postcard

Oh, I know, what I can share . . . I participated in an event that I created, Bicycling for Books. On my birthday, in March of 2011, I rode my bike 55 miles to solicit donations of books. I set up a “wish list” of suggested book titles that my students like and my family and friends made donations of books that were purchased and mailed to my school address. More than one hundred books were distributed to my students! I am thankful that my administrators allowed me to take a personal day, from the classroom to ride with Perry, my coach. I completed the ride with the following stats: Weather: Overcast, partly sunny; 54°to 68°; 20 + mph winds; Miles: Fifty-five.one; Time: Four hours one minute. I was so excited to share the love of literacy and to encourage physical activity with my students.  All of the kids were happy to select two, new books.

Bicycling for Books

What writerly wisdom can you offer to other writers?

Believe in your voice and the story that is in your heart. Write about what you know. Write about what you love. Most importantly, enjoy the journey of writing. Do not be in a hurry. Be in the moment. Learn and grow every day. Read, write and create every day.

What are your hobbies? 

Cardinals



Spring






Winter

• Painting with acrylics and watercolors



For the Grandkids

Sewing

• Sewing

• Gardening

Garden on the Prairie

Organic Goodness

A Bountiful Harvest

Cycling along the Mississippi River
  

My Marin Portofina

•   Bicycling

•    Baking

Do ya want a cookie or two?

May I serve you?

Where can readers find out more about you?

Word Press: Through the Prairie Garden Gate http://sleopoldblog.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzy.leopold
Twitter: https://twitter.com: SuzyK5
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/suzyl/

GROG Blog: http://groggorg.blogspot.com/p/meet-grog-authors.html

Thanks so much, Suzy! It was wonderful getting to know you more and seeing such lovely pictures!