Christmas | Mindy Baker Books

On Christmas Eve, many families read Dr. Clement C. Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Now, thanks to Glenys’s beautiful words, they can share the story of Jesus’ birth to the familiar rhythms of an old classic.

In my opinion, Glenys has a natural gift and flair for rhyme and rhythm.
Here is a sample from one of the darling pages:

“Now donkeys, now cows, now pigeons, and sheep,
Now oxen and mice in the manger did peep.
His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples so sweet,
As they nuzzled his fingers and cute little feet.”

One of my favorite rhymes describes the shepherds:

“They ran to the stable and peeked through the door,
And saw something never imagined before!
There, in a manger, a baby boy lay–
No blankets, no pillow, his bed made of hay.”

It is a wonderful book! If you would like to buy it, here is the link on Amazon:

Link to buy ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas on Amazon

And, as a treat to all of you, Glenys is here today to answer some of my questions.

Hi Glenys, welcome! I’m so glad you could join me on my blog! Let me congratulate you on your newest book (well at least I think it is your newest) ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas. I absolutely love the cover with the three wisemen. But it is the rhyme and content of the words that I admire the most.

But, since I can’t wait anymore to hear your answers to my questions, let’s get started…

First, do you have a process you use in order to tell God’s story in such new and creative ways?

Well before I begin any new project, I pause to ask God to help me and to be with me as I write. Since I believe that God’s creative, Holy Spirit is limitless, and IN all of us, I always pray that God would show me a new, creative way to share the story.

That is beautiful. God definitely answers that prayer! In my opinion, you have a special way with word choice, rhyme, and rhythm. Besides that being a natural gift, is there anything else you have done to improve that skill?

I do three things in particular: Firstly, I pay attention to other writers, such as Crystal Bowman (who is the queen of rhyme), to see how they do it. Secondly, I always read my poems out loud because it helps to see if the words fit and flow. The third thing is that I literally count the syllables on my fingers,to make sure that the rhythm of each verse is consistent and concise.

I can picture the counting on the fingers thing, because I have tried it. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who does this! Another question I have is, Looking back over the last three years as an author, how has God surprised you?

When I look back on the last three years, I am completely and utterly amazed that one little book became a series of four (soon to be five!), which led to another series (Snuggle Time) and more titles beyond that. I can honesty say that although I work hard as a writer, I don’t really know how that happened. The only possible explanation is the principle of Ephesians 3:20 at work in my life: God is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than all I could ever ask or imagine.

God has done an immeasurable blessing. And as your friend, I have had a chance to see how genuine you are. I love how your beautiful heart shines through everything you do. I am sure may people reading this are wondering, what advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Pray a lot, work hard, be patient, and NEVER give up.

That sounds like great advice! I do want to know, what is the most rewarding part for you in writing picture books for children?

For me, the most rewarding part is reading my words to them. Children are a great audience! Also, because I’m British, but live in the USA, when I visit schools here to read to the children, their reaction is, “Ooh…it’s the British author.” Then, when I visit schools in England to read to the children, their reaction is, “Ooh…it’s the American author!” It is so cute, and a total win-win for me!

I can see how that would be very rewarding. Also, I would love to visit Britain! I have been there before, but I can never get enough travel. And btw, I do love your accent. It is very charming!

My last question is…What’s next? Do you have any new projects that you are able to share with us?

Well EASTER LOVE LETTERS FROM GOD will be on the shelves in January, along with two cute titles for Mother’s and Father’s Day, called GOD MADE MOMMY SPECIAL and GOD MADE DADDY SPECIAL. I’ll also be making an exciting announcement soon, but I can’t say any more about that at the moment!

Three new books around the corner is so exciting! And I can’t wait for your announcement. Well I guess I will wait, but it will be exciting 🙂 So thrilled for you, and I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I wish you all the best! Thanks, Glenys!

About the author: GLENYS NELLIST was born and raised in a little village in northern England. Her stories and poems have been published in children’s magazines where her writing reflects a deep passion for bringing the Bible to life for young children. Glenys lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, David.

Glenys Nellist’s Website

Twitter: @Glenys Nellist

Facebook: Glenys Nellist: Author

Book Review and Author Interviews, Writing tips

Interview with Laura Sassi about GOODNIGHT, MANGER and other AUTHOR INSIGHTS

October 4, 2017February 17, 2019 admin

Book Trailer Link

So excited to have Laura Sassi here today to tell us about her holiday-themed title, GOODNIGHT, MANGER.

Laura, thank you so much for joining us! I would love to hear how you came up with the idea for GOODNIGHT, MANGER!

First of all, thanks so much for having me on your blog, Mindy. It’s wonderful to chat with a fellow Zonderkidz author. Christmastime is a favorite season at our house and I love to decorate in anticipation and that what’s led to my moment of inspiration. One the centerpieces of our Christmas decor is a little plastic nativity set. It’s plastic because, when my children were little, I wanted them to be able to interact with the figures and really get a hands-on sense of the story of the birth of Christ. Well, one day, I overheard my daughter playing with the little Baby Jesus. She was gently carrying him around the house saying things like, “Baby Jesus crying. It’s okay, Baby.” As I watched, she gently fed him with an imaginary bottle. Then, she sang him a lullaby until he stopped crying. Finally, she placed him ever so softly back in the manger. Before listening to this tender play, I’d never thought of Baby Jesus as ever crying. After all, we rarely see him crying in the Christmas cards we send and he doesn’t even sniffle in the carols we sing, but he was human (and God) and so he must have cried. And that’s how I got the idea for the story.

What a beautiful image of your sweet daughter. My kids loved to play with our nativity sets, too. I can easily picture them doing things like that even though it has been a few (just a few ha ha) years since they were that little.

2. You seem to have a special way with word choice and rhyme. Are there any techniques you use that help you to choose “just the right word?”

Well, I’ve used this analogy before, but it’s a good one, so I’ll share it again. Writing in verse is a lot like knitting. To flow smoothly and be pleasing to the ear, the piece must have a consistent form both for the rhythm and for the rhyme. My poems and stories in verse tend to follow an AABB or ABAB rhyme scheme and I’ve used a variety of meters. The important thing is not so much which pattern I choose for the rhythm and rhyme, but sticking with it. As with knitting, the fun comes in finding creative ways to express myself within that structure. This is where “choosing just the right word” comes into play. Sometimes, I’ll spend pages and pages, or even a whole notebook, playing with words for a story in progess. And I as think about word choice, I’m thinking about so much more than just the rhyme. Each word I choose must, in its own way, push the story forward – either via plot or character development. I make it a rule never to use a word just because it rhymes. That’s not good enough. It also has to be the best word possible that makes sense for the story. Done right, writing in verse enhances a story – making it extra pleasing to young ears. My technique for this: many, many rounds of revision. =)

Revision is definitely key for any author! I like the idea of selecting the word that not only rhymes but pushes the story forward. Very insightful.

3. I also noticed that you have developed some arts and crafts and extension activities to go along with GOODNIGHT, MANGER. Can you tell us about them?

Oh yes! Reading GOODNIGHT, MANGER is just the beginning – the conversation starter, so to speak, to what the Christmas story is all about – that God sent his son in precious human form, to be the Savior of the world. And that, just like each of us, Jesus, too, was once a baby who felt all the things we feel and who even cried – and what joy this brings to know that He can relate to each and every one of us on this very human level. I have several extension activities perfect for little ones on my blog.

Extension activities (From Laura’s blog)

You can find more ideas at my guest appearance on Noelle Kirchner, The Ministering Mom’s website.

The Ministering Mom’s Website

8 activities to teach little ones about the Nativity

Sounds very helpful for new moms. I loved nurturing my own children along in their faith through activities like this. What wonderful resources. Thanks for sharing them!

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

In addition to writing daily and being involved in critique group (which I highly recommend), my biggest recommendation for serious writers hoping to publish a book traditionally would be to seek agent representation. I’m convinced that it was that, coupled with many, many hours of writing and improving my craft, that landed me my first book contract. And even with an agent, landing that first contract took well over a year. Especially nowadays, when the competition is so intense and so many of the large publishing houses are closed to un-agented submissions, I think seeking representation of a good agent is crucial. Other than that, my biggest word of advice for aspiring picture book authors is to be patient. Keep honing your craft and don’t be in a rush to send your manuscripts off. Let them settle and then revisit them at regular intervals, allowing them to improve with age.

That’s great advice. It is hard to be patient, but being a writer takes lots of patience!

5. What has been the most rewarding part of publishing children’s books?

This is a hard question, Mindy! It’s rewarding on so many levels. First, it’s just such a joy for me to write. And that in and of itself is a wonderful reward. I’m very easy to please – just give me a pen and a scrap of paper and I’m happy as can be! It’s also a rewarding, yet humbling, feeling to know that the story you wrote so carefully and poured all your heart and soul into, is now out there for children to read and enjoy with their families. I would also add that I am LOVING this post-publication stage where I get to go to schools and libraries and bookstores and share my stories and interact with my readers. I’ve always loved writing and I’ve always loved interacting with kids and now I’m getting to do both.

The photos that I have seen of these events seem wonderful. I hope I can attend one sometime!

6. Finally, what’s next? Are there more picture books in the pipeline?

2018 is an exciting year for me because I have two new books coming out. The first, which releases in March with Sterling Children’s Books, is called DIVA DELORES AND THE OPERA HOUSE MOUSE, about an opera-loving mouse who wants to help and the diva who thinks she deserves bigger help than a mouse. The second, which releases next December with Zonderkidz, is called LOVE IS KIND, about a little owl who searches for the perfect gift for his beloved grandmother and learns about love along the way. I can’t wait for these to release so I can share them with my readers.

What fantastic news! You must be absolutely thrilled. Congratulations.

Thanks for having me, Mindy! It’s been so lovely. And I do hope that NEXT Christmas – when your book comes out – that you will join me at my blog so we can chat in celebration of your holiday release!

Yes, I would love to join you to share about my book when it comes out NEXT Christmas!!!

It has been wonderful having you visit my blog. I admire and respect your work, and I wish you all the best!

P.S. Laura will be running a Goodreads Giveaway of copy of the hardcover edition of GOODNIGHT, MANGER, signed by both author and illustrator which makes it extra special!

Check back to my blog for the link in the upcoming days…

Bio: Laura Sassi has a passion for telling stories in prose and rhyme. Her picture books include GOODNIGHT, MANGER (Zonderkidz, 2015), GOODNIGHT, ARK (Zonderkidz, 2014), DIVA DELORES AND THE OPERA HOUSE MOUSE (Sterling, 2018) and LOVE IS KIND (Zonderkidz, 2018). She lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children, and a black Cockapoo named Sophie. She is represented by Lara Perkins of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

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