Congrats to Tina Cho, who recently won the COWBOY CHRISTMAS book prize giveaway as part of my interview with Rob Sanders.
Tina Cho is an author of 22 guided reading books from Lakeshore Learning and Compass Media. My Mini Pet Shop and The Christian Girls Guide to Grace (a book about etiquette), both with Legacy Press Kids, and a coloring book with Warner Press will be out in 2013. She is a former elementary teacher who currently homeschools her 5th grade daughter and 2nd grade son. Though she grew up in Iowa, she is now living outside of Seoul, South Korea. She is participating in Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 in 2012 picture book challenge and Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo.
You can find out more info about Tina at http://tinamcho.wordpress.com.
What advice do you have for aspiring picture book writers?
I had to read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by the late Stephen Covey in college, and one of those seven habits stays by my side. “Be proactive.” If you really want to learn how to write picture books and get one published, you can! Join a critique group. Read writing craft books. Read writers’, illustrators’, editors’, and agents’ blogs. My children’s lunch was delayed today because I was so engrossed in reading blogs! Read picture books every day. And join picture book challenges. Not only are they fun, but they connect you to other writers like yourself.