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The leaves are dropping along with the temperatures, Thanksgiving is almost here, and our Fantastical Fall issue is making its way to readers. That means it's time to start thinking about our next issue. While most Little Thoughts Press issues have included a sprinkling of nonfiction, this one will be special. It’s ALL nonfiction! We’re calling it “Fabulous Facts: A Celebration of Nonfiction for Kids.” So, what does that mean exactly? Here’s some information to get you started: Dusty, boring, dull...nope, not on our watch! We want to celebrate the wonderful world of the astonishing facts kids love to learn. Bring us your mini-biographies of outstanding inventors, scientists, and creatives. Send your best STEAM stories and narrative nonfiction poems. Have an out-of-the-box informational fiction idea or illustration? We’d love to see it. Back matter is welcome, but we ask you to keep it brief due to limited space. For fact-checking purposes, please include citations/sources/references for information that isn’t common knowledge. (References will not be published.) I hope your nonfiction wheels are already turning. But, if you’re anything like me, you probably want an example or two. I’m glad you asked. Here you go: What makes one a “yes” and the other a “no?” It comes down to the fact that in a magazine (unlike a picture book text), the illustrations are minimal and more decorative than informational or storytelling. The space for back matter is minimal. Therefore, a piece must do most (or all) the heavy lifting for itself, giving the child reader what they need for comprehension within the text. You can see this at work in the two texts above. The “yes” example doesn’t need much in the way explanation. However, the “no” piece needs illustrations and/or extensive back matter to support the text. Without a picture or sidebar, the reader won’t know that Maria’s “harnessing seawater and sunlight” describes her inventing a solar powered still which turned seawater into fresh, drinkable water. If your piece must include back matter, keep it short and simple. Here’s an example that could accompany our “yes” piece THE LIST: Monarch life stages: Egg, larvae (caterpillar), pupa (when the caterpillar turns into an ooey-gooey bit inside the chrysalis case), butterfly. Learn more about monarchs (give book title, etc. here).” Now, you may be thinking, “Wait – both the YES and NO examples are narrative! What about expository nonfiction? Kids love that, too.” We say, “Absolutely - bring it on!” Either way you go, we encourage you to find the hook and framework to get and keep a fact-loving kid reading. (Here is a great article from the master of expository kidlit herself, Melissa Stewart, with some lovely examples of both narrative and expository approaches and various ways of framing them.) We hope you’re starting to get as excited about this upcoming issue as we are. Keep in mind these general guidelines. Submissions for Fabulous Facts will be open from November 27, 2023 - January 1, 2024. All submissions will receive a response by January 15, 2024. We can’t wait to celebrate your fabulous nonfiction kidlit with you and our readers.

A photograph of Little Thoughts Press Issue Five: New Beginnings with a sneak peek of the poem "January Blues" by Jacqueline Shirtliff. A white page with black text. Jacqueline Shirtliff is a primary school teacher and a children's poet from the Isle of Man. She has had her poems published in The Caterpillar, TygerTyger, The Dirigible Balloon and Northern Gravy. She lives in a rose-covered cottage near the sea, and when she's not at school or writing poetry she enjoys gardening, crochet and playing the tuba and harp, but not all at the same time! Little Thoughts Press: I love how your poem "January Blues" captures the sadness so many of us feel at the beginning of a new year, but also offers an element of hope and uplift. When writing for young kids, it can be tempting to present a fully sunny picture of the world. What guidance would you offer to other writers on how to approach writing about difficult emotions and experiences? How do you suggest acknowledging the sadness and gloominess that is often present in our lives, while still balancing it with a sense of hope and progress for young readers? Jacqueline Shirtliff: As a primary school teacher, I'm very well aware that life is not always sunny and happy for children. A number of my poems reflect this, because I see when children are sad, and it's part of my job to come alongside and talk over why they're sad and try to find a way out of that sadness. Sometimes it's that a classmate's made fun of them, or that they've fallen out with a friend. At other times it's something that's happening at home, which I can't do anything about, but I can listen and try to understand. I would encourage other writers to tackle difficult emotions and experiences in their writing, though I've found it can be hard to find homes for sad and reflective poems. I think it's really helpful for children to read poems and stories about other children going through sad or tough times because then they know they're not alone. It's good to remind children (and ourselves as well) that there is almost always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if sometimes it's just a tiny glimmer. As a writer, it's far easier to write about these issues if you have opportunities to talk with children, to understand their concerns, and to listen to their ideas and solutions. Watch how they resolve difficulties or sadness themselves or with their friends. I learn so much every week from just being with children and I get almost all my ideas for poems from the children in my school, though they don't know it! Little Thoughts Press: Issue 5: New Beginnings is all about fresh starts and new experiences. Can you tell us how you started writing kid-lit and what drew you to creating stories for young readers? Jacqueline Shirtliff: I've always enjoyed writing. I was writing and making poetry books to sell to my mum and dad when I was five. I found one when I was having a sort-out in the holidays. The rhymes are truly awful! I stopped writing creatively, even in my spare time, when I went up to high school, though I did keep a diary. Then when I took some time out of teaching to look after young children I seized the chance to write whilst they were having their afternoon naps. I started with stories, but poems are quicker to get finished and shorter to edit, so I sort of fell into writing poetry for children instead. Initially, I found it hard to know what to do with my poems, but with the internet, it's now so much easier to find publishers and I was amazed and delighted when Rebecca O'Connor wanted to publish one of the poems I'd sent her in The Caterpillar and that gave me a lot of encouragement and a reason to take my writing more seriously. Little Thoughts Press: What do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for a young audience? Jacqueline Shirtliff: I find it hard getting started! Even if I have an idea, I can sit staring at a blank page for ages before putting pen to paper. The most rewarding thing is seeing my poems in print, or reading them in school. The amazement on the children's faces with new classes who don't yet know I write is priceless! Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up? Jacqueline Shirtliff: I loved Swallows and Amazons! I wanted a boat of my own, to sail to islands, to camp. Needless to say, I read the Arthur Ransome books to my own children, who enjoyed them as well. I really liked fantasy too, especially The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit. and Ursula le Guin's Earthsea trilogy. Little Thoughts Press: And what about today? Any kid-lit writers you love and want to shout out? Jacqueline Shirtliff: That's a hard question as I am always discovering new books to read alongside the classics! I read Narnia to every class I get the chance to, but I love Wonder by R.J. Palacio and The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q.Rauf. Both of these books tackle difficult issues but children soak up every word. More recently I've really loved The Worlds We Leave Behind by A.F. Harrold, but it's a bit dark for my current class of 7 and 8-year-olds! As a poet, I obviously read a lot of poetry with my class, but I wouldn't know where to begin with shout-outs. The children's poetry group on Twitter is so supportive and kind and I wouldn't want to leave anyone out! There are so many fantastic contemporary children's poets in the UK and further afield. If anyone's new to children's poetry, a good starting point would be to check out the CLPE poetry awards for the most recent collections of poems for children. Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers? Jacqueline Shirtliff: What I tell all my classes: don't worry about your spelling! Just write. And read as much as you can. Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share? Jacqueline Shirtliff: Yes! Firstly, I was recently longlisted for a collection with the Emma Press. Secondly, I currently teach full time, but I'm hoping to work a little less next year, so that I can go into schools to lead poetry assemblies and writing workshops. I'm very excited!

When my son was two and a half years old, he suddenly developed night terrors. My husband and I spent the summer passing him back and forth over and over until dawn as we tried to help him sleep. Worried and desperate, we reached out to our pediatrician for guidance and she informed us that we could expect the problem to last roughly six months (she was right), and offered the following suggestion for our son’s bedtime to help ease him to sleep and (hopefully) reduce the likelihood that he would wake screaming from nightmares at three in the morning: place a chair just outside the threshold of his open bedroom door and sit in it until he fell asleep. We were not supposed to engage with him, apart from reminding him that it was bedtime, we were right there, and he was perfectly safe. Some nights, it took nearly two hours for him to stop popping up to peer over the edge of his crib to see if we were still sitting there. I found this experience maddening—having to avoid making eye contact, resisting the urge to respond when he chattered away at me, being stuck in one spot like a trapped animal. I kept myself sane by using the chair time to write. I’d stretch my legs out in front of me, press my feet against the opposite wall, and turn my lap into a table for my computer and then I would start typing, doing my best to get lost in my work and ignore the sad, tiny child whimpering for my attention from only a few feet away. I wrote eighty thousand words of a YA novel this way, stuck in a dark hallway, illuminated only by the light of my laptop screen. I have yet to finish this manuscript, but I’ve returned to it every few months or so in the years since and am always pleasantly surprised by my ability to slip back into the world I’ve created there. I add a little bit and then put it away for a while, but I fully intend to finish it someday and hope to get it published. I would love to hold in my hands a book that was born from the most difficult period of my early parenting experience. A book, written in the dark, that brought me some much-needed light. Where We Write is a blog series that aims to showcase the spaces and places that are the backdrops of your creative work. We would especially love to highlight unique or unconventional writing spaces. While we will be prioritizing posts from past contributors, we welcome any writers who wish to share a little bit about where they write to submit essays for blog publication to littlethoughtspress@gmail.com (please put Blog Submission in the subject line). If you’re comfortable, please provide a few pictures of where you write, as well as a short post that addresses any/all of the following: How did you come to choose or create this space? What is unique about it? What specific challenges/inspirations does the space provide? What is your favorite thing you have written there? Take us on a tour of where you write!

Cynthia Mackey is the author of Katie Shaeffer Pancake Maker and The Lullaby Monsters, and her poetry appears in The Dirigible Balloon and Little Thoughts Press. Her debut picture book, If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, will be published by Yeehoo Press in 2024. Her blog, Kid Lit Village features interviews with authors and illustrators of newly released children’s books. Cynthia lives with her husband in Victoria, Canada. For more info, see booksbycindy.com. Hi, I’d like to thank Claire for the opportunity to write for the Little Thoughts Press blog. When I started out, my writing was done in the spaces between other things, so I needed to be flexible. Like other moms who write, it happened while waiting for my children at their soccer, basketball, or curling (a popular Canadian sport) and piano and guitar lessons. My office could be the coffee shop, the car, or the waiting room at the orthodontist's office. In the early mornings, my office was the living room couch. I’ve even written on ferries, trains, and airplanes. In fact, I prepared materials to send to an agent earlier this year while traveling on Via Rail from Ottawa to Toronto. It is a long enough trip to fit in a good block of time and there aren’t many distractions, plus they have coffee. Sadly, the agent passed on my materials, but her request for more work came while I was traveling, and I didn’t want to make her wait. I recently created a home office, and here are my favorite things: IKEA office stool: I love that it moves with me when I need to wiggle. I’m like a kid that way! David’s Tea container: I’ve repurposed it as a pen and pencil holder. Sketch Book: I am not an illustrator, but I like to do sketches to envision what the spreads might look like. Sofa: For when I need to read or be more comfortable to write. Tivoli radio: I use this with my iPhone to play music when I need a little more oomph to get through the writing. It has a fabulous sound! Most of the time, though, I prefer quiet. IKEA face-out picture book shelves: I love that I can change what’s face out and put out the picture books I’m using as mentor texts or for inspiration. My dream to fill these shelves up with my own traditionally published books is coming closer to reality. My debut picture book will be released in 2024 with Yeehoo Press, and I’m looking forward to the day when I can add If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe to sit alongside books by my critique partners. That will be a day to remember!

Lauri C. Meyers writes for children and people who used to be children from a book nook in her New Jersey home. You can find Lauri's work in Little Thoughts, Clubhouse Jr., Spaceports & Spidersilk, Stinkwaves, and Guardian Angel Kids magazines, as well as the upcoming publication of a poem in Highlights High Five and a YA short story in Ember. She is a member of SCBWI and 12×12. Find her tweeting about squirrels and other nonsense at @laurimeyers or blogging at www.laurimeyers.com. A few years ago, I became very annoyed with a storage cabinet thingy in my bedroom. Perhaps because I read The Littles when I was younger, I knew this little space under the eaves could be turned into a lovely space. I didn't want the space to feel like Harry Potter's room under the stairs, so I opened it up. I created a tornado amount of noise and dust. I remember young me always wanted a window seat, so I added a window! A little book nook appeared, perfect for reading, writing, or taking a "what does this character really want?" nap. This project turned out to be the start of a new workspace (my old space was stolen lovingly passed to my husband during the pandemic). My desk is simple, which is the way I like it. I admit this picture is quite faked…I removed a banana peel, yesterday's tea, a busy notepad, and 13 Post-it notes prior to capture. My nook holds lots of ideas … books I love, trinkets from loved ones, memories of the past. Most importantly, you can fit 18 STACKS OF PAPERS! Oh, how I love piling projects, especially because I often work on picture books, poems, and short stories simultaneously. So it usually looks like this: I keep adding (vintage, reclaimed) storage pieces to deal with my piling problem. My file cabinet has a lid that opens up, which I really dig because I can visually see all my manuscripts. My drawer stand stores journals, pens, and Post-its. I recently added a paper sorter to help me keep up with what was on submission or needing revision. But the piling persists. (Let's be honest—if I were an animal, I'd probably be a beaver piling up papers until I had a good dam!) Though I do spend a lot of hours at my desk, I write lots of places. In the car waiting for a pick-up, in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil, in a lawn chair waiting for the dog to do his business…stealing those otherwise lost minutes can turn into a lot of writing. Did you know J.K. Rowling wrote a lot in a pub? Hmm…I wonder if they allow piles?

Image of Michael Scott from The Office with text that reads "An office is a place where dreams come true." Brandy Bellittera has been a Kindergarten teacher for 15 years. She finds daily inspiration in her students, as well as her own three children. Brandy is an unwavering Gryffindor who possesses a huge nerd heart. If you quote lines from The Office while wearing a StarWars or MARVEL t-shirt, you are instantly best friends. She has studied her craft of writing at the Institute of Children’s Literature and is a member of SCBWI. She is also an active member of the Writing Community on Twitter and Instagram. She has been published in Little Thoughts Press magazine twice, (August 2022 and October 2022) and has a piece forthcoming in Cricket’s Spider magazine in September 2023. You can find her at @inkedauthor31. “Writing stories is a kind of magic, too.” ― Cornelia Funke, Inkheart Setting up a writing space was one of my favorite tasks when I decided it was finally time to pick up the pen and never put it down again. Luckily for me, I had just the space. We have a fourth bedroom that has been utilized in many different ways over the seven years we have lived in our house. It’s been a “junk” room, guest bedroom, LulaRoe closet (when I was a consultant many moons ago!), “Junk Room 2.0”, a playroom, and then a den. Just as I was looking around Pinterest for ideas on how to create a home office that suited the space (and getting super excited about the possibilities), I was given the best gift God could give me. After not feeling well for a few weeks, I discovered that I was expecting my youngest kiddo, Maverick. Needless to say, I was quite surprised by this development. Even though I was overjoyed to add to my family, it meant I had to halt my office plans. Designing his nursery became a priority and I stored most of the furniture I had been collecting in the garage. The nursery is still a very special project for me as its creation is the last project I was able to do with my momma before she passed. It still looks exactly as it did before he was born. Even though he will be turning four this year, Maverick doesn’t seem to mind. I am grateful for that. After Maverick was born, I gave myself some time to acclimate to being a mom of three kiddos. But those long nights provided plenty of time to scroll Pinterest and think about what I could do now that my office space needed a new home. After talking to my husband, he agreed that I could take a corner of our primary bedroom and convert it into a small writing space. This allowed me to not have to get rid of all of my furniture and still have enough storage to keep all of the things I would need for my journey without losing my style. It takes up a good portion of the room, which was a challenge at first, but with some careful rearranging, we are making it work! I still have a few furniture pieces tucked away in the attic for now (before I know it, my kids will be grown) and I will find myself in that spare bedroom again. For now, I love my cozy little author nook. It has everything I need when I have time to work from home. My favorite piece is my navy/teal hutch to house works-in-progress and mentor texts, along with some fun trinkets that make me smile. So… TADA Here it is in all of its cozy glory. And lucky for you, my Editor in Chief was feeling photogenic today. With the zoo I have, there is ALWAYS a fur baby lurking nearby. Hedwig just happens to be the boss. Photograph of the author's writing space.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our 1st Annual “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest! We were absolutely blown away by the quality of your entries. You all made it so hard to choose! We are thrilled to announce our WINNER... SARA KRUGER If I could fit inside a keyhole, one thing I would do: We’d never have to search for keys—I’d somersault right through! But soon as I was on the floor, I’d notice something sad: Being small helped me get in, but didn’t help my dad! Congratulations, Sara! Your poem packed so much fun and imagination into a small package and left us somersaulting with joy! Here are more of our thoughts on this winning piece: Claire: The image of a kid shrunk down to keyhole size is so fun and clever! I love somersault as a word choice in this piece because it provides such vivid, active imagery, as opposed to walking or even jumping through the keyhole. Smart, specific choices like that are so important in a short poem where you want every line to have a strong impact. Carrie: "If I could fit inside a keyhole..." - The opening immediately captured my imagination and set my portal fantasy wheels spinning. What would happen if a kid could fit through a keyhole? Putting the imaginative and humorous premise together with a fun "read-aloud" rhythm turned this piece into a top entry for me. There were so many wonderful entries to choose from that we couldn't settle on just two Honorable Mentions, so please join us in congratulating our three HONORABLE MENTIONS... JENNIFER THOMAS Claire: This poem is fun and has tons of kid appeal, while at the same time, as the parent of a picky eater, it had me laughing as well. The vegetable struggle is real! I really enjoyed the combination of universally-loved sweets and snacks in pie and pretzels with the very kid-specific food item of playdough. That cracked me up! It can be hard to create a tight, complete piece in just a few lines, but this poem was a well-rounded, truly satisfying bite! Carrie: I loved this piece's playfulness and appeal to kids and adults alike. Because, really, who doesn't love pie? The little zig-zag into absurdity with "playdough for lunch," as well as the contrast of the formality of the title with the silliness of the verse, added to the fun. It's a nice reminder that kidlit doesn't always need a lesson or a more profound message snuck in like those much-maligned veggies on a kid's plate. NATASHA ZIMMERS Claire: I love how much tension is built in just five short lines! The shadowy nature of the seal is nicely reinforced by describing the water as murky and churned by storms and the use of shiver for the whiskers pushes the reader into a heightened awareness. This poem is packed with information and the structure mimicking a seal diving downward is a really nice touch. Carrie: With its active verbs and well-chosen use of alliteration, all tightly packaged into five lines that form the shape of a seal diving – this little poem was a delight. I can easily see it as a part of a nonfiction or information picture book told in verse. JENNY MATTERN Claire: Not only is it cleverly shaped like a kite, but the language has a soft, drifting quality that also reminds me of kites in the sky. The imagery is strong throughout and I can picture this poem so clearly—the kites and the sunshine coming into view against the backdrop of a snowy day. This is such a tranquil poem. Reading it made me feel calm and at peace. Carrie: I always appreciate and admire the creativity that limitations can bring to a writer's work. Creating a kite-shaped haiku was a double challenge, and Jenny made the most of it! I enjoyed the vivid imagery and the layers of seasons, memories, and nostalgia that she packed into twenty-two words. And as a treat, my six-year-old represented young readers by selecting his favorite. The winner of our KID CHOICE is... ANDY SPEARMAN Ben, on why he chose Foodle for Poodles: "I just think it’s super funny! I really like the first line. It’s so good." Congratulations to Andy, and shoutout to our two runners-up for Kid Choice: Julie Hauswirth "I especially like the glitter bomb at the end. I think that’s funny.” & Sharon Korzelius "I like that there are animals. Plus I think it’s funny that animals are going on a field trip to see live humans when it’s supposed to be the opposite.” Congratulations to all our winners! Please message @LTPmag on Twitter or email me at littlethoughtspress at gmail to claim your copy of a past issue and coordinate shipping. Thank you again to everyone who participated. We loved seeing the treasures you created and we hope you'll join in when we do this again next year! In the meantime, we are open for submissions until September 15th for our Fantastical Fall issue. We'd love to read more of your magical treasures!

Photograph of a framed illustration of Ysabelle the Starwife, by Robin Jarvis. Emmy Clarke is a children’s writer and poet living in Shropshire, UK. Her work has been featured in Stories of Care’s “Tales of the Bold, the Brave, and the Beautiful”, Little Thoughts Press, and Storytime Magazine. She is also the Founder of Changeling Annual, a publication for children featuring poetry, art, and fiction solely by neurodivergent creatives. Changeling has just celebrated the publication of its first issue. Emmy can be found at emmy-writes.com. Hello there! I’m Emmy Clarke, neurodivergent children’s writer, poet, and Founding Editor of Changeling Annual. You may have read “The Autumn Vixen,” my story in Issue 4 of Little Thoughts Press. Today, I’d like to talk to you about a story that inspired me to start writing: The Deptford Mice trilogy by Robin Jarvis. This series of books follows Audrey Brown, a short-tempered, determined young mouse, and her friends in their fight against Jupiter, the living god of the rats that live in the sewers below Deptford, London. The trilogy came to me second-hand when I was around nine years old. I was hooked at once, instantly connecting with Audrey. We came of age together, in a way. I dressed as her for World Book Day two years in a row, and when I finished the series, I cried for the loss. It was the first time I cared so much about a fictional world. The Deptford Mice is quite gruesome and scary for a children’s series. Characters die, even fan favourites, and not all the imagery is as beautiful and wholesome as you’d expect from a story about talking mice! But that is what I loved about it — it felt like Jarvis wasn’t talking down to me just because I was a kid. His world was full of magic and danger, bloodthirsty cults, and lost loves. The characters were complex, and they didn’t always act as you wished they would. I appreciated that he handled tough topics with ease, emotion, and often the sort of bluntness the narrative required. As a kid, I would often daydream about the characters and doodle them in school, copying carefully from his illustrations. These stories gave me an early taste of writing fanfiction. Even today, Jarvis’s approach to storytelling has inspired me in my approach to writing for children. My work today is not as fearsome as Jarvis’s, but the rush of magical excitement and wonder I felt when I read the Deptford trilogy for the first time is something I want to pass on to the next generation. Jarvis also didn’t shy from including spirituality and magic in his work, even creating his fictional deities, much like I did in “The Autumn Vixen.” A few years ago, an old friend visited Robin Jarvis at a publishing event and took some of my well-loved copies to be signed. As Jarvis was aware that we had been championing his books online and interacted with us a few times, he’d prepared sketches of our favourite characters for us. Ysabelle the Starwife sits pride of place on my desk, reminding me of the stories and characters that inspired me to begin writing in the first place. She reminds me of how far I’ve come, but also how connected I am to my younger self. This connection to the inner child is important when writing for younger audiences, and I’m ever thankful to walk hand in hand with ‘little Emmy’ as we brave the many wonders of being a grown-up author.

Little Thoughts Press and the Revision Raccoon are excited to announce the 1st Annual “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest! Rather than throw out our darlings, what if we remade them? Take a discarded darling and make something new! Send us a lyrical haiku, funny limerick, inspiring quintains, creative free verse, or whatever your imagination dreams up. What: Take a discarded-but-loved line from one of your kidlit pieces and use it as a starting point for a poem. Be it fiction or nonfiction, funny or a little dark, quirky or inspirational – whatever direction you go, the work should be appropriate for kids 12 and younger. LGTBQT+ and diverse themes are welcome. The first line of your new poem must be a line that you previously cut from a different piece. We're working on the honor system here! Please do not submit a poem that doesn't include a previously discarded line. Who: Agented, pre-agented, published, pre-published, kids of all ages— any and all kidlit creatives are welcome to enter! When: The contest submission period is from August 1st - 4th. A winner and two honorable mentions will be announced here, on the Little Thoughts Press blog, and on Twitter @ltpmag on Friday, August 11th! Selected poems will be featured on the blog and winners will receive a free copy of their choice of one of our past issues. Winning entries will be selected by Little Thoughts Press editors, Claire and Carrie. How to enter: Post your entry as a comment on this post anytime between midnight (EDT) on August 1st and 11:59 pm (EDT) on August 4th. Entries posted outside of this window will not be considered. Details: There is no word limit, BUT there is a maximum length of five lines per piece. 1 entry per kidlit creator. Feel free to include a sentence or two about the reason this is a “darling” and the inspiration behind the reimagining of it. Grab your copy of our Revision Raccoon participant badge and help spread the word by sharing #trashtotreasure on your socials! We can't wait to see how you turn your trash into shiny new treasures!

Photograph of author Sheila Schmotzer seated in a plane's jumpseat. Sheila Schmotzer's debut picture book Plane Party, independently published through Wander Wall Books, is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can also find it on the shelves of Bay Books of Coronado at the San Diego International Airport. Sheila's story, "The Snow Ballet," was published in Little Thoughts Press's Magical Winter issue in December 2021. A woman of many talents, Sheila is a former dance studio owner with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. An IMDb member, she appeared in Netflix's The Do-Over and the feature films Magic Mike XXL and Baywatch. A member of the World Animal Foundation, Sheila enjoys volunteering at her local wildlife refuge center and traveling. In addition to creating magical flights of fancy for kids, she's a flight attendant with a major US airline. Sheila resides in South Carolina and is based out of Orlando, Florida. If you'd like to learn more about her journey, visit Sheila's website, connect with her through Twitter at @SheilaSchmotzer, and join the fun on her Tik Tok account "Sky Girl Author" @SheilaSchmotzer. Welcome aboard. My name is Sheila, and I'll be your flight attendant on today's writing journey. One of my favorite times to write is when I'm flying. After I complete my preparation, duties, and service, or when traveling in general, I brainstorm, write, and revise. I love creating humorous children's stories, narrative nonfiction, and picture book biographies. Sometimes, I bounce ideas off my crew or even the passengers! Wheels up. My airline's aircraft feature animals domestic to our destinations and endangered species on the tails and wings. These amazing images and a few of my favorite pets in the cabin and service animals warm my heart and keep my creative wheels turning. I often fly through the starry nighttime skies while much of the world sleeps. For safety and security—I must remain alert. Red-eye travel is the perfect opportunity to write, revise, and read, as it provides very few distractions. As the cabin drifts off to slumber and snores, I take to my jumpseat and pull out my notebook. Jotting down my thoughts helps time pass quickly on the longest of legs. On these flights, I get some of my best story ideas. Adventure awaits. I've had the good fortune of visiting incredible places on my layovers. Once on a San Diego stay, I searched for all things related to Dr. Seuss! I discovered his iconic work in an art gallery and located the library named in his honor. I'll never forget my "search for Seuss" and getting to see his drawings and original sketches from his work process. From walking on beaches, exploring caves, observing architectural wonders, or taking in glorious sunsets…inspiration is everywhere. Destination arrived. Thanks for flying with me today. Fly high, dream big, and may you always get the window seat.

Photograph of an open notebook with a pen resting on it. Via Wix Media. C.K. Malone (they/them) is a Bigender (Intersex) educator and coach/teacher at the secondary level. When not grading essays or helping students, they're busy helping design culturally and LGBTQIA2+ responsive units for the district and working as a climate and culture coach. They adore advising their district about diverse voices through alignment with the Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network. Their debut picture book, A COSTUME FOR CHARLY, released from Beaming Books in 2022. They are published in two editions of LITTLE THOUGHTS PRESS. Their newest book, ALL SOULS’ SONG, will be released by Beaming Books in the fall of 2024. They are honored you are reading their words. I could go on and on about the whale book my mom read me every night she could when I was in first grade. Or I could cite some phenomenal book that was a bestseller back then. I could even share the most gorgeous book I have ever read. (DM me if you want to know!!!) But. The first book that truly made me want to be a writer was this book about body types and the clothes these “types” should wear. No, this isn’t another LGBTQIAP2S+ message or blog post by yours truly. In fact, it has nothing to do with my gender identity at all. (Mostly.) Bear with me, dear friends. Background I’d been teased about being fat for the past year. This was due to scarfing down mayonnaise and peanut butter sandwiches because we were poor. The calorie count made it so we wouldn’t go hungry. And you better believe when that ration of mayo and PB arrived, we ate as much as we could and as fast as possible. Add to that eating whatever I could whenever I could—birthday parties, pool parties, etc.—and I got a bit big. You do some drastic things when you think there might not be food. But then everything changed. In fifth grade, I saw this book in a ______ Book Fair pamphlet—you know the kind—where students would order books and wait for someone to deliver their order to their classrooms. It promised I could “dress for my size” and look amazing. It didn’t matter what gender you were—you would be the most gorgeous kid on the face of this Earth! I chose it for my BOOK IT! win. Once the book arrived, I devoured it faster than I ate the free Turkey dinner at the hospital my mom worked at during this time. I learned I was an “Apple Shape.” Basically, it meant I was heavy up top with skinny legs. Then the book told me to wear certain fabrics and clothes. I showed my mom. Obviously, we couldn’t afford them. I begged my cousins who sent us hand-me-downs for clothes that looked like this. They sent me overalls my mom spent nights patching so they would fit me. And yeaaaaahhhh. Not the best. Mirrors Matter We, as authors, hear about Mirrors, Windows, Doors, etc. Mirrors matter, peeps. After so many attempts to make myself into something other than an “Apple Shape” and failing, I got tired. And I was in FIFTH GRADE, my friends. I was worried about my identity, but I was more worried about my shape. So when Mrs. M. asked us to create a poem book using different techniques, I knew what to do. I wrote all these different poems—complete with HORRIBLE illustrations—in different forms and formats about being “big.” I wrote poems about giraffes and elephants who didn’t fit in. I wrote poems about people finally telling me I was amazing the way I was. I wrote about super-sized heroes taking down the _____s and the _____s of the world who made fun of me every day. And when my teacher spiral-bound these “poetry” books and sent them home, I was so proud. Here was a book that showed just how I felt about that “other book.” About how that “other book” defined who I was. My mom keeps it on her shelf even now. I thought about keeping that “other book” a while back. I kept it until I was 39 years old. Every time I even attempted to hate myself for how I looked and my “Apple Shape,” I dragged it out and stared at it. Then I began to write for the person I am now. I’m now published and sharing who I am. That “other book”? It’s probably recycled into couch cushion filler where it belongs.

A photograph of Little Thoughts Press Issue Five: New Beginnings with a sneak peek of the poem "A New Bike" by Kimberly Horch. A white page with black text and a graphic of a bike. Kimberly Horch is an author, mom of 5, and a self-proclaimed "agent of joy.” She bakes, homeschools, and paints murals on the walls of her faux homestead in an Idaho suburb. She writes picture books full of joy and beautiful words. Kimberly runs the Instagram account @thedaybrighteningcommittee where she encourages intentional kindness and making the world a brighter place. Her picture book by the same name will be published in March 2024. Little Thoughts Press: I saw you mentioned in a tweet that your story "A New Bike" was inspired by the experience of your twins learning to ride bikes. How often do you draw inspiration from your children in your storytelling and how do you balance incorporating their unique experiences with a story that feels universal for young readers? Kimberly Horch: Most of my stories are sparked by my children. They are so interesting and unpredictable that I no idea how writers without children come up with stories. From that spark, I look for the threads of truth. My focus is not as much on making the story universal as it is on making the story relatable, with a universal insight. In "A New Bike," the universal insight is that when one sibling can't do something that the other can it makes them more determined, whether or not they have a bigger sister. In my upcoming picture book debut, The Day Brightening Committee, the insight that helping other people makes a person less focused on their own struggles is true and relatable even for children who have never made a club to help others. Little Thoughts Press: Issue 5: New Beginnings is all about fresh starts and new experiences. Can you tell us how you started writing kid-lit and what drew you to creating stories for young readers? Kimberly Horch: I rediscovered writing when my oldest was a toddler and I wanted to introduce him to his great-grandparents who were no longer around. I wrote about their stories of struggling through the Depression and growing up on on leased farms. I tried to capture the funny moments and the hope and the values like hard work that kept them going. After that, I just fell in love with writing stories for my kids and wrote and illustrated a dozen or so that I had printed by Shutterfly. It was when my mom showed one of those to her friend in spin class, and he wanted a copy, that led me to think about writing for a larger audience. I still think of my children first when I write, and if it’s not a story that would interest or benefit them, then it’s not one I’m going to choose to focus on. Little Thoughts Press: What do you find most challenging and rewarding about writing for a young audience? Kimberly Horch: That’s a great question. Honestly, the part I find most challenging is dealing with all the adult business of what a picture book should look like. Kids are less tied up with rules about page numbers and having a good conclusion than we adults are. But what I find most rewarding is finding the insight, that relatable truth that kids can identify with. When I can find one that really rings true, that’s the reward for me. Little Thoughts Press: Which kid-lit authors and books were your favorites growing up? Kimberly Horch: Anything my mom read out loud. She was a teacher and had the best read-aloud voices. I am loving revisiting those stories now with my kids like A Little Princess, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Hobbit. In high school, I discovered the narrative essays of E.B. White. I found it amazing how he could take a small moment in time and use it to comment on something as big as society or the human condition. And of course, he validated my sparse writing style with his call to “omit needless words!" Little Thoughts Press: And what about today? Any kid-lit writers you love and want to shout out? Kimberly Horch: Yup. I love Julie Fogliano’s beautiful and joyful style, and I have her book When Green Becomes Tomatoes framed on my wall (I turn pages with the calendar). I also love Sophie Blackall’s insight and illustrations, Carter Higgins is my favorite for a perfectly-said phrase, and I dream one day to have a book illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Little Thoughts Press: What advice would you give to young writers? Kimberly Horch: You will write a lot of not-awesome things before you write something awesome. Don’t give up, each one is a stepping stone. This video illustrating a quote by Ira Glass was huge for me as I got started. Part of what he says is, "It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.” My husband and I say “It's part of a volume of work” to each other when projects turn out less than how we hoped. It helps to keep in perspective that as long as we are willing to learn from each attempt, it isn’t a failure, it’s a step. Little Thoughts Press: Is there anything else you wish I had asked? Any upcoming projects, publications, or other news you'd like to share? Kimberly Horch: I’ve probably got a dozen stories underway including a middle grade novel in verse. You can watch for my picture book, The Day Brightening Committee, in the Spring of 2024, followed by other stories coming soon I hope!