Somewhere in the range of 15 years ago, I spent the summer with my aunt & uncle working at a camp for gifted & talented students in the DFW area. My list of responsibilities was simple, prepare snacks and set-up/take-down/extra-set-of-hands kind of work; the teachers were the ones in charge of the kiddos. If my memory serves me well, one of my favorite rooms to help out in was the art room. The teacher was funny, passionate, down to earth and none other than my guest today! You can imagine my surprise a couple years ago when I crossed paths with her again, this time on an aspiring author level of the picture book variety. (Shout out to the same aunt who helped us to connect happens to be one of my most loyal followers! š) Patricia didnāt remain āaspiringā for long after we reconnected and today, Iām thrilled to help her celebrate the release of her debut (and soon to follow second) picture book! Sheās had a fascinating journey to publication, so I hope youāll read onā¦
Hooray! Iām so excited itās finally here! Before we get started, you know me (and my people), I canāt invite anyone over to visit without offering a drink. So, whatāll it be?!? Good question! I love milkshakes :>) and Mocha Frappuccino, but I donāt splurge that often. So, thereās nothing better than really good ice-cold waterā¦like Ozarka from Arkansas.
I definitely think a book release calls for a splurge. Milkshakes for everyone!!! Your day job is an art teacher at an elementary school. How did you find picture books? Or better yet, how did picture books find you? It was through our visiting authors that got me excited about picture books. I used them with my lesson plans. And then there was the art history for kindergarten and 1st grade, which was Prehistoric Art. I wanted to teach the kids the substance of the art and I discovered The Altamira Cave located in Spain. That led to contacting the museum. In short, I created a power-point for the kids with maps, little stories, a printable coloring book and so on. Then in 2014 it turned into a picture book manuscript! Iāve revised many times and it will be published one day, I believe.
Oh, that sounds fascinating! Back at the beginning of your journey, what were the first courses/classes/conferences that helped you kick start your writing journey? Spring 2014, I found Kristen Fultonās archeological writing class, on line. That summer I attended her 1st WOW Retreat. Thatās what really kick started my writing as a picture book author. There I met agents, editors and authors. I also attended Pat Millerās Conference in Houston that following Fall and I took Susanna Hillās online writing class. These were within the first months of my writing efforts.
Yes! You helped me to connect with the online WOW Community! I attending an online course at your encouraging and learned a TON. Letās talk about your debut picture book, Mother Teresa: The Little Pencil in Godās Hand⦠CONGRATULATIONS!!! Where did you find the story nugget for this one? I always wondered how Mother Teresa grew into the woman she became. My book is dedicated to the caregivers in the world. I found my nugget by reading and found her childhood fascinating.
Talk about starting strong right out the gate. You picked such a famous MC! I can only imagine that was daunting, although Iām sure there was no shortage of research material. What was the hardest point of the writing process for this book? The writing process wasnāt as hard as making sure what I was writing was truth! I was shocked to discover that a lot of information in books about Mother Teresa is not true at all. For instance, many books claim she had a clubfoot. Well, thatās false which I discovered through reaching out to the Mother Teresa Center in Rome. I found out by accident because I needed to know for illustration purposes. Not only was that not true, but the quote I had chosen had been paraphrased. In the end, the Mother Teresa Center offered three other equivalent options. I had to get written permission to use the quote and they also required a copy of my book.
So, what youāre saying, is your book has a permanent home in Rome?!? I bet not many debut authors can say that! Can we talk a little about illustrating⦠you found yourself wearing both author and illustrator hats unexpectedly for Mother Teresa. Did that change your approach to the story at all? No, my story was already written and it never changed. Even though I have a BA in Art and Performance, an M.A. in Art and an MFA, I never thought of myself as an illustrator. At first, I felt awkward but I found myself enjoying the picture making process.
And now your writing resume is stacked! Iām always curious when talking with non-fiction writers⦠Do you have a favorite fact that you learned about Mother Teresa in your research that you didnāt include in the book? Whatās not in the story is in the back matter. I tried to get it all in and I think I did. Except I didnāt share how much Sister Teresa enjoyed teaching which is what she did in India. She later became the principal and Mother Teresa. I also didnāt share how she would help her brother climb up high to reach the sweets in their motherās cupboard. She never tattle-tailed on him. We canāt imagine Mother Teresa doing something like this. But you have to realize that she was once a little girl . . . just an ordinary girl. It should make us see the human child within her.
How wonderful (& adorably sneaky!!) That really makes her so relatable for all of us, but especially the picture book audience. You have a second book coming soon⦠Can we talk about that one, too? Yes, we can. Itās about the origin of the muffuletta sandwich. Itās a Muffuletta! Itās a Whata? Itās a fun book and it practically wrote itself. Iām anxious to get to the illustrations. Iāve contacted the owners of the āshopaā and weāll be making our way down to New Orleans in a few weeks just to introduce myself. (Check out this sneak peek of her illustrations!)
Itās one of the greatest cities on earth, thatās for sure! I always enjoy time spent in New Orleans because you never have the same experience⦠and itās definitely never boring. What a great place to have a story originate from. Now you really HAVE to go⦠aw shucks.š. In the midst of your travels, how are you balancing writing new stories with the marketing of these books? Iām not sure yet :>) Iāve spent my time making bookmarks, having pencils made and I taught for three weeks in June. Now Iām working on stuff that I ignored. I do know that Iām going to have to make a schedule of when to do what :>)
I have a book signing with Logos Book Store in Dallas, September 21st. Iāve also connected with Carole Weitzel @ Authors and More who will handle all my events. (Learn more here.)
Just by what Iāve seen over social media, you seem to have a great relationship with your editor. Tell us about how you two found each other? Clear Fork Publishing and Callie Metler-Smith are a great fit for me. I donāt know if itās a Texas thing or what but weāve been on the same page since day one. I submitted my manuscript and she responded with a few questions. Then a few weeks passed and on Good Friday, 2017, she emailed me with a contract and apologized for taking so long! Really? I was on cloud ten :>) It seems like Callie is the Energizer Bunny. She owns the townās newspaper, sheās on the school board, sheās a writer, and she has a family to raise. Callie is definitely an inspiration. I love Callie and I feel extremely blessed to know her. Established in 2009, Clear Fork Media published its first book in 2014 and is well on its way.
Whatās next? Do you have anything coming down the pipe? Iām really excited about an Early Reader series that I started working on last November. It could end up being a chapter book series? I have five written. The MC is Wesley Rose a nine-year-old girl living in Texas. A few years ago, a cute, blonde, blue eyed nurse introduced herself, āIām Wesley Roseā. I had to smile, āwith a name like that, you should be a country western singer.ā I never forgot :>)
Oh, she sounds adorable! I canāt wait to read more! So, where can my readers find & follow you on social media? Where can we get our hands on a copy of Mother Teresa: The Little Pencil in Godās Hand? My website http://www.patriciasaunders.com, on Twitter @writersaunders & Facebook.Ā
Mother Teresa: The Little Pencil In Godās Hand can be purchased at: www.clearforkpublishing.com and on Amazon (click here).
And the best news is, sheās doing a giveaway! Enter HERE⦠winner be chose one week from today and will receive a copy of Mother Teresa: The Little Pencil in God’s Hand (plus maybe a few other goodies!)Ā
Iām so glad you stopped by today! I love nothing better than celebrating the success of one of my first writing friends. More good things to come⦠I hope no one is melting in this heat!
Thanks for reading, come back anytime!
-JP