Where Do Authors get their ideas?

Ever wonder where authors get some of their spectacular ideas for picture books? I do. So I have compiled a list of authors and where they got those winning ideas.

Kelly DiPucchio, author of Zombie in Love, said she got her idea from her editor who “had the title Zombie Valentines stuck in her head.” Read the full interview here.

Tammi Sauer said finding good ideas is hard. “Crazy hard.” She even said it took her over a year to come up with the idea for Me Want Pet! She finally got her ah-ha moment in the PetSmart parking lot. I guess one never knows when the best ideas will strike. Read the full interview here.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal came up with the idea for the book, Exclamation Mark, when a thought flashed through her mind: “my son is an exclamation mark.” Wow. Read the full interview here.

Bob Shea came up with the idea for his book, Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great, when he was on his way to his son’s soccer practice. He saw some goats in a yard. It was unusual, and got him thinking. Read the full interview here.

Zachariah OHora got the idea for his book, No Fits Nilson, from his son who was in the middle of his terrible twos and threes. He said it was “like wrestling a gorilla out of the supermarket, that lead to the creation of Nilson the gorilla.” Read the full interview here.

Looks like winning ideas for picture books come from all different places.

Why the Bathtub is My Writing Friend

As a mother of young children, finding time to write can often be a difficult and impossible task. That is why one must be creative in order to get creative. I have found that the bathtub is just the thing for me. My son loves the bath. So much so, that he will often stay in there for over an hour. Now you might think that I would use this time to clean the pile of dishes in the sink. Nope. Or maybe I would tackle that pile of wrinkled laundry that has been sitting in the basket for a week. Nope. Or maybe I would take the time to actually mop the floors. Wrong again. I use that time to write. The dishes can wait. The laundry can acquire more wrinkles. And clean floors are overrated. But time by myself to write, that is precious; and I have to take advantage of every opportunity I get.