The Guest Book

Michelle A. Barry, author of the PLOTTING THE STARS series, the 3rd of which is ASHGARDEN, and Janet Sumner Johnson, author of the WINTERTON DECEPTION series, the 2nd of which is FAULT LINES, talk to Holiday House Trade Marketing Manager Alison Tarnofsky. From plotting mysteries for middle grade readers to expanding stories over multiple books, don’t miss this latest conversation from The Guest Book! 

PLOTTING THE S...

Digital Marketing Coordinator Melissa See speaks with Marissa Eller and Natalie Leif about their respective titles JOINED AT THE JOINTS and TAKE ALL OF US. From chronic pain, fictional vs. real-life pandemic scenarios, to the decision to write for a Young Adult audience, check out this highly insightful conversation in the latest episode of The Guest Book.

JOINED BY THE JOINTS and TAKE ALL OF US are available everywhere book...

Holiday House Editor Alex Aceves speaks with Authors Laekan Zea Kemp and Ana Crespo about their respective titles DESERT SONG (simultaneously published in Spanish as CANCION DEL DESERTIO), illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández and SAUDADE, illustrated by André Ceolin. From working with illustrators to visualize abstract components like sound and smells to the importance and power of language and traditions, from Portuguese wor...

Holiday House Publishing Editor-in-Chief Mary Cash speaks with Author Lesa Cline-Ransome about her new verse novel ONE BIG OPEN SKY. From researching the history of Black Homesteaders of the 19th century to navigating the intricacies of familial relationships in a family of formerly enslaved people coming into their own power. Check out this episode for a look at the making of a powerful story told in verse about a family finding f...

Peachtree Publishing Editor Jonah Heller speaks with author Marc J. Gregson and Book One of the Above the Black trilogy audiobook narrator Vikas Adam about SKY’S END. From whether or not writing a NYTimes Bestseller gives you street cred in a classroom to the audiobook recording process (including which SKY’S END character was the most fun to voice), check out this conversation for behind the scenes looks at one of the mo...

Peachtree Teen Senior Editor Ashley Hearn speaks with authors Andrew Joseph White (HELL FOLLOWED WITH US/THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH) and Autumn Krause (BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE HERE) about gothic horror, body horror, and the horror of societal expectations. From video games to Johnny Appleseed, catch up with these authors about the things that inspired their historical horrors!

THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH and BEFORE THE ...

Holiday House Trade Marketing Manager Alison Tarnofsky speaks with Creators Landis Blair (THE NIGHT TENT, Margaret Ferguson Books) and Tom Gauld (THE LITTLE WOODEN ROBOT AND THE LOG PRINCESS, Neal Porter Books). From their shared beginnings in illustrations for adult publications to the incorporation of dark themes in books for young readers, check out this episode for more information from these renowned creators about their most ...

Just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month, Holiday House Associate Editor Alex Aceves speaks to Michael Genhart and Illustrator John Parra about their new book SPANISH IS THE LANGUAGE OF MY FAMILY, which was simultaneously published in Spanish as EL ESPAÑOL ES LA LENGUA DE MI FAMILIA. Centered around the National Spanish Spelling Bee, which was started in 2011, the story explores intergenerational connections through language. Inspi...

Author Suzanne Slade and Illustrator Thomas Gonzalez talk to Peachtree Vice-President and Associate Publisher Kathy Landwehr about their book BEHOLD THE OCTOPUS. From how to choose which of the hundreds of octopuses to represent to their preferred methods of research on octopus trivia, check out this conversation about many folks’ favorite cephalopod and how to do it justice in both text and art.

BEHOLD THE OCTOPUS is availa...

Author Amy Hest and Illustrator Philip Stead speak to Vice President & Publisher Neal Porter about their new book, SOMETIMES IT’S NICE TO BE ALONE, which centers around a child’s imaginings and celebrates being alone (sometimes). Check out this episode of THE GUEST BOOK for a discussion about their collaborative creation process and the technical details on what made SOMETIMES IT’S NICE TO BE ALONE such a beautiful book.

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Jay Hosler, creator of SANTIAGO RAMÓN Y CAJAL! ARTIST, SCIENTIST, TROUBLEMAKER, talks with Holiday House Associate Marketing Manager Darby Guinn about the process of introducing Cajal’s life and legacy to kids. The Spanish Nobel Prize Winner, known as the “Father of Neuroscience,” whose illustrations of brain cells are still used today was indeed, as the subtitle indicates, an Artist, a Scientist, and a Troublemaker all in one. Fro...

Jamie Pacton, author of THE VERMILION EMPORIUM, talks with Peachtree Teen Editor Ashley Hearn about her whimsically magical young adult romantic fantasy novel from pitch to finish. Through loss, hope, historical inspirations, fantastical world creation, and the need for happy endings, catch up on this conversation about the book and the unlikely sources of inspiration that brought it to life.

THE VERMILION EMPORIUM is avai...

Tom Phillips, author of THE CURIOUS LEAGUE OF DETECTIVES AND THIEVES series, and Taylor Tyng, author of the CLARA POOLE series, discuss their experiences with Dyslexia and how it shaped their paths to becoming debut authors. From text-to-speech and other modern tools to work around reading difficulties, to making the transition from working for the screen to crafting a series narrative for middle grade readers.

You can vis...

MURDER FOR THE MODERN GIRL Author Kendall Kulper and Holiday House Senior Editor Sally Morgridge talk about writing dual perspectives, 1920’s slang, the birth of forensic science, and why sometimes you just need to get your frustrations out with a story about a girl who kills those who hurt others.

MURDER FOR THE MODERN GIRL is available everywhere books are sold. You can find Kendall Kulper at @Kendall_Kulper on Twitter and @...

LULI AND THE LANGUAGE OF TEA and THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE/LA CASITA DE ESPERANZA both center around the immigrant experience—through shared experiences, shared spaces, and shared words. The authors discuss many aspects, from the research behind the 10 different languages featured in LULI and the personal family stories that helped inspire LA CASITA, to both illustrators’ contributions to the books. Listen (with a cup of t...

Author JaNay Brown-Wood discusses her “Where in the Garden” Series of books (Amara's Farm, Miguel's Community Garden) with Em Shipman, Executive Director of KidsGardening. From the importance of encouraging curiosity about the natural world to the importance of diverse representation, as well as the way in which education can encompass both hands-on work and more traditional media, this conversation covers a lot of ground.

Associate Marketing Manager Alison Tarnofsky talks with LITTLE MONARCHS Author/Illustrator Jonathan Case and SWALLOWTAIL LEGACY #1: WRECK AT ADA’S REEF Author Michael D. Beil. From first child worries and monarch butterfly migration patterns to new families, maps, and dealing with big changes in your life (and solving mysteries as you go).

LITTLE MONARCHS and SWALLOWTAIL LEGACY #1: WRECK AT ADA’S REEF are available whereve...

Peachtree Publishing Vice President and Associate Publisher Kathy Landwehr talks with KING AND KAYLA Author Dori Hillestad Butler and Illustrator Nancy Myers. From the history of the Geisel Honor award-winning series, to investigating mysteries and the collaborative nature of creating early reader books, the King & Kayla series has a place in both Butler and Myers’ hearts only comparable to their love of canine companions.

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Holiday House Executive Editor Grace Maccarone talks about the inspiration for STITCH BY STITCH: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckly Sews Her Way to Freedom, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, with author Connie Schofield-Morrison and Illustrator Elizabeth Zunon. From prophetic dreams to intriguing textiles, Elizabeth Keckley’s story proved to be inspiring for both author and illustrator.

Born a slave in 1818, Elizabeth lived through many hardships fr...