by Bethany | Apr 24, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
On this episode of The Porchlight, Bethany interviews her friend and fellow author, Lynne Kelly. As a former special education teacher and now a sign-language interpreter, Lynne has always loved words.
She also loves animals, and they have been the catalyst for her debut middle grade novel, CHAINED, as well as her latest book, SONG FOR A WHALE, which Publishers Weekly called “a finely crafted novel.” Lynne lives near Houston, Texas with her adorable dog, Holly. You can find Lynne online at lynnekellybooks.com and on Twitter @lynnekelly.
During the interview, Bethany and Lynne discuss the importance of feeling heard and the longing for connection and community that is a universal feeling and also one of the themes of SONG FOR A WHALE. To help all children feel seen and heard, Lynn does school visits and has spoken at both schools for hearing children and those for the deaf community, who have been delighted to see themselves represented in Iris, the main character in Lynne’s book. To make sure her novel was authentic, Lynne worked with two sensitivity readers who helped her best convey the deaf experience.
One of these readers also came up with the book’s fitting tag line, “Make waves about something.” In the episode, Lynne also discusses how she works with her agent, Molly O’Neill, and the background that led them to one another.
Sam Bond Photography
Bethany and Lynne delve into the benefits of critique groups and the importance of fostering relationships with other industry professionals at conferences and workshops. Enjoy this episode of The Porchlight today!
Lynne Kelly has always loved reading, and fell in love with children’s literature all over again when she worked as a special education teacher. Her career as a sign language interpreter has taken her everywhere from classrooms to hospitals to Alaskan cruises. She lives near Houston, Texas with her adorable dog, Holly. Song For a Whale is her second novel. Find her online at lynnekellybooks.com and on Twitter @lynnekelly.
by Bethany | Apr 17, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
In this brand new episode of The Porchlight’s popular installment Courage to Create, author Bethany Hegedus talks about the F word. Yes you read me correctly. The dreaded F word: Failure. We’ve all been there, whether it be a rejection or a bad review or any of the other small failures we encounter in our daily lives as humans, failure is inevitable. But it is not fatal, nor is it final.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchil
Using this quote as a catalyst for the episode, Bethany Hegedus, discusses some of the many private and public failures writers and creatives come face to face with. We’re often searching for ‘stamps of approval’ in order to feel validate in our work. But what happens when that need for validation gets in the way of the work itself? When the endless stream of stamps of approval takes away the joy that writing brought you in the first place.
That is when we need to take a step back and reflect on our many successes, be thankful that we have something that brings us joy, and continue nurturing and protecting our passion, rather than worry about future failure.
The Writing Barn’s founder and published author Bethany Hegedus. Photo courtesy of Sam Bond Photography.
Bethany Hegedus’ picture books include the award-winning Grandfather Gandhi and Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story, both co-written with Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), as well Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, and the forthcoming Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People: Dr. Maya Angelou, and Hard Work But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter. Her books have been included in numerous “best of” lists such as A Mighty Girl’s Best Books of 2018 and Kirkus’ Best Books of the Year. A former educator, Bethany is an in-demand speaker and mentor who speaks and teaches across the country about writing, creativity, resilience, and privilege. She is also the Founder and Creative Director of The Writing Barn in Austin, Texas and host of The Porchlight podcast, which includes the popular Courage to Create series. She graduated from the Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.
by Bethany | Apr 10, 2019 | Courage to Create, Podcast
Hey listeners! The Porchlight is back with all new author interviews and Courage to Create segments brought to you by Bethany Hegedus in conjunction with The Writing Barn. This season is packed with passion, creativity, honestly, and community. We hope you enjoy!
In this episode of The Porchlight, Bethany Hegedus interviews friend and local Austin author Lindsay Leslie whose debut picture book, THIS BOOK IS SPINELESS, has one of the finest first page turns ever according to a review from Booklist. Lindsay was a journalism major who worked as a public relations executive, but it wasn’t until she found her way into the world of children’s literature that she felt safe and at home. She began telling bedtime stories to her children and realized she wanted to write stories as well. In fact, the inspiration for THIS BOOK IS SPINELESS came from her son’s messy room when she stepped on a picture book and feared she’d broken its spine
During the episode, Bethany and Lindsay discuss all the picture book rules and when and how to break them. Lindsay talks about her love of meta picture books and how they allow such a deep connection with readers by pulling them in to be participants in the story. Creation gives Lindsay courage, and writing helps her handle anxiety.
Her hope is that her stories will also help readers handle anxiety, which she says is only one of our feelings and not one that deserves the grand stage. Also, she tells listeners the story of how she first got a book contract offer via a Twitter pitch contest and got an agent second, which flips the usual pattern of things on its head. Tune in today to this funny and inspiring episode of The Porchlight. For more about Lindsay and her work, go to https://lindsayleslie.com/
A diary keeper, a journal writer, a journalism major, a public relations executive—Lindsay Leslie has always operated in a world of written words. When she became a mom and began to tell her kids bedtime stories, Lindsay connected the dots to children’s literature. She likes to bring her unique outlook on life, quirky humor, and play with words to the page in picture books.
Lindsay is the author of THIS BOOK IS SPINELESS, her debut picture book (Page Street Kids). Her second picture book, NOVA THE STAR EATER (Page Street Kids), will launch on May 21, 2019. Her third picture book, DUSK RAIDERS WANTED (Page Street Kids), will launch in the spring of 2020. Lindsay lives with her husband, two young boys, and two fur-beasts in Austin.
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