The Write Marbles

CAROL: Thank you, Karen, for spending time here at The Write Marbles. And congratulations on your book “Papi’s’ Gift” being an IRA notable book! Could you share a little about that experience?

KAREN: Well, as we all know, reviews, awards and acknowledgements of a book when it first comes out can help sell the book to librarians and booksellers. So when I got the e-mail from Larry (my editor) congratulating me and the illustrator for being on the 2008 List of Notable Books for a Global Society I was super happy! To me that means that “Papi’s Gift” has made a meaningful impact. I especially like the global society part.

CAROL: As both an author and illustrator, you must have a unique view on how picture books are created. What was the creative process like for your book, MR. K AND YUDI? Did you write the story and then illustrate it or did you create the characters visually and then let them inspire your writing?

KAREN: Mr. K and Yudi were my neighbors. Their relationship (as I perceived it) inspired the story. I did the art after the story was written. The story takes a dog’s eye view and is shoe-centric. Yudi is separated from Mr. K and goes looking for a man wearing blue slippers. I had some shoe paintings that I loved so those images inspired my art for the book as well.

CAROL: What was the submission process like for Mr. K and Yudi? Did you submit an illustrated (or partially illustrated) manuscript or submit the text without illustrations?

KAREN: I sold that book as my 40th birthday was looming and I finally decided to let go of my long time career as an architect and seriously pursue a career in children’s books. I had submitted sporadically, but really got down to business when that big b-day threatened. I submitted a manuscript, book dummy and 3 sample paintings/illustrations from the book to 6 publishers and 1 agent. I landed in what is called the “slush pile” of unsolicited manuscripts. Of those 7 submissions, I got 3 rejections, one request for a rewrite, one offer to represent from the agent (which I declined), and one editor who called me as I was unloading my dishwasher and offered to buy the book. I took the deal and delivered the finished art 11 months later in New York City on my 40th birthday! It was really cool! The seventh rejection came about a year after the book was out. They had misplaced the manuscript, but rejected it anyway.

CAROL: Could you describe the revision process during publication? Both for the text and illustrations?

KAREN: I have worked with 2 different editors now and the revision process with both of them was pretty painless. They send notes on the manuscript saying where their problems/questions lie. Then it was up to me to solve those issues. They don’t rewrite for an author. I was happy with that process both times and felt that the books improved a lot from the editing. The art was more difficult since I am a self taught artist. I was told to “tighten up” and that was hard to do. In the end, they let me keep my intense and crazy palette, but I had to find a dog model to get a consistent dog image. It was a lot of work and a great learning experience.

CAROL: Your recent book, PAPI’S GIFT, was beautifully illustrated by Rene King Moreno. What was it like to have someone else illustrate your story? Did you envision illustrations differently?

KAREN: Since I am an artist myself it was hard for me to have another artist illustrate my book. All the publishers who considered “Papi’s Gift” (there were about 5 I think) all agreed that the illustrator needed to be Latin. I agreed and told them that Frida Kahlo would be fine, however she wasn’t available. I did not submit art for the book myself. When Boyds Mills Press, my publisher, told me they had hired Rene I looked at her art on line and liked it. I made a conscious decision to let Rene do the art for the book without me butting in to look over her shoulder. That would have been hard anyway since she is in Chicago and I am in California. Most authors and illustrators do not meet. I never saw any sketches or art from the book until after it was printed. Overall, I am glad I had the experience of doing a book as part of a team. It was very cool to see another person’s vision of Graciela and her world. The book is doing well and I met Rene for a book signing in Chicago after the book came out. It was fun. However my next book which I have an offer on from a different publisher will be illustrated by ME! I really love making art. And I would love to illustrate another author’s story sometime too.

CAROL: Where do you find inspiration for your picture books? Do you begin with a theme or problem or do you start with a character and weave a story around him?

KAREN: All of my stories have been inspired by the people around me. Relationships are what interest me. I notice that all my books (published and in the works) contain similar themes (love, loss, connection) but that was not a conscious thing. I am just attracted to those types of stories. My best work comes from a very personal place. I think that makes it easier for people to connect to the stories. When I write a story that is simply a good idea about something current (I wrote a story once about wind energy) it may be well written, but it is lacking that emotional drive that make my stories universally understood. The emotional journey is important to me. That’s what I like to write about.

CAROL: What advice could you give to writers on what part of a story to leave to the illustrator?

KAREN: For picture book writers my advice is to leave out a lot of description, but fill your story with opportunity for the illustrator. Give your story an interesting setting, action and great dialog. Your illustrator will take your words and make them her own. She will bring a whole new vision to the story. Just write your best story, make sure it creates visual images in the minds of the readers, and then let the illustrator do her job.

CAROL: For the teachers in our audience, how could they use your books in the classroom?

KAREN: I did a school visit today and the librarians told me they had included the book in a talk about Cesar Chavez and the plight of farm workers. There are some great books out on him—of course. But Papi’s Gift tells the story from a child’s point of view and in a child’s voice. I am always interested to ask the kids WHEN they think “Papi’s Gift” takes place. They always say “a long time ago” because kids today have a hard time understanding that people live today in poverty and do not have telephones in their house and have to milk the goat for their morning meal. I show pictures of the real child who inspired the story and I can see the kids starting to get it. Hmmm. You mean everybody doesn’t live just like me? Another great connection is with Father’s Day (even though it falls in summer). This book really celebrates the love between a child and her father. The SF Chronicle included it in a Father’s Day book review saying “Graciela’s touching story deftly operates on two levels, the personal and the political…As for the politics of poverty, the Rivera family’s plight gives context for understanding some immigration patterns.” May 27. 2007. The book offers an opportunity to talk about what is important in life. What should we be grateful for? The main character is named Graciela which comes from the Spanish word “gracias”. Gratitude, thanks. That was not an accident!

CAROL: How can teachers and librarians contact you about school visits?

KAREN: I have a website www.karenstantonbooks.com

CAROL: Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you’d like our audience to know?

KAREN: No, you covered it all. Thanks for asking! Wait! I would like people to know that I teach a Children’s Book Writing, Illustration and Publishing class at City College in San Francisco.
The website is http://www.ccsf.edu/Services/Continuing_Education/
It’s a lot of fun and I learn as much from my students as they do from me. So it’s a really friendly, warm supportive environment to learn. Thanks for the interview!! And good luck to all of you with your work.

CAROL: Thank you for sharing your insights with us, Karen. Good luck with PAPI’S GIFT and your upcoming projects.