# 9 - Kent Davis

Kent Davis is the author of the middle grade trilogy, A Riddle in Ruby. The second book in that series,  A Riddle in Ruby #2: The Changer's Key, was just published by Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins). Kent is also an actor, director, and game designer. Maybe you have seen him on television playing, in his words, the role of "concerned friend, overbearing flunky, or odd-yet-amusing next door neighbor." On today's episode, Kent and I discuss how Hollywood prepared him for a career in writing, why it's okay--and awesome--to be an introvert, and the joy of helping young creative writers find their voice.

Find all things Kent Davis at www.kentishdavis.com and @kentishdavis on twitter.

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#8 - Tom Watson

If you are a regular listener of the podcast, you've heard me mention Tom Watson before. Tom is the author of the wildly popular Stick Dog and Stick Cat series. His latest book for elementary school readers, Stick Dog Slurps Spaghetti, will be out on October 4th. Tom is also one of the first authors I had the pleasure of touring with and I picked up (stole) a lot of great ideas while out on the road with him. Join us as we talk about sunburns, Skype visits, and HarperCollins' Class Acts tours, and revisit the infamous trail mix food-poisoning incident of 2014.

Find Tom, Stick Dog, and Stick Cat online at www.stickdogbooks.com

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#7 - Jennifer Underhill

I talk about kids lit gatekeepers a lot on this podcast and today I get to chat with one. Jennifer Underhill is the Chair of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) committee, Florida's statewide reading program designed to encourage students in grades 3-8 to read independently for pleasure. Each year, over 70,000 Florida students vote for their favorite book as part of this wildly successful program. Jenn is also a K-12 librarian based in Tallahassee, and freely admits that she is the one in the library most in need of "shushing." Join us as we talk about this year's SSYRA list, school library trends, getting your hands dirty in library makerspacers, and shushing the librarian.

You can check out this year's SSYRA lists and learn more about the program HERE. By the way, there happens to be a little book called The Luck Uglies on this year's grades 6-8 list. Also, follow @FloridaSSYRA and @pauldurhambooks to join a live Twitter chat with me on Thursday, September 15, beginning at 7:00PM. The chat series SSYRA authors continues throughout the school year on the third Thursday of every month. 

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#6 - Lou Anders

Lou Anders is a Hugo Award-winning editor, Chelsey Award-winning Art director, and most recently, the author of the Thrones & Bones series of middle grade fantasy novels. The third book in that series, Skyborn, has just been published by Crown Books for Young Readers. Lou was nice enough to spend some time with me on today's podcast. Join us as we talk about Lou's many accents, video-gaming as inspiration, and the utility of collapsible Viking helmets. Lou, if you're reading this, you had to have known I was going to pick the picture of you in the helmet, right?

Be sure to visit Lou online at:

www.louanders.com

www.thronesandbones.com

Twitter: @LouAnders

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThronesandBones/

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#5 - Markus Hoffmann & Claire Anderson-Wheeler

It's my pleasure to welcome literary agents Markus Hoffmann and Claire Anderson-Wheeler to the podcast. Markus and Claire are agents at Manhattan-based Regal Hoffmann & Associates LLC. They represent adult and children's authors (including this one) and regularly travel the world on behalf of their clients. They also happen to have really cool accents. On this episode we talk about selling literary rights internationally, discuss the differences between the adult and children's book markets, and learn what the heck a Literary Scout is (hint: It's kind of like a spy). 

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#4 - David Teague & Marisa de los Santos

Today's podcast features David Teague and Marisa de los Santos. Marisa has published three New York Times bestselling novels for adults. Her latest novel is The Precious One. David is the author of the critically acclaimed picture books Franklin’s Big Dreams and The Red Hat. Their first joint middle-grade venture was the Texas-Bluebonnet-Award nominated Saving Lucas Biggs, and their second collaboration, Connect the Stars, appeared in September 2015 and is a Scholastic Book Fair pick.  They live in Wilmington, Delaware, with their two children, Charles and Annabel, and their two dogs, Huxley and Finn, and they like nothing better than visiting schools, libraries, and community centers to talk about books.

Listen in as we talk about school visits, the challenges and rewards of collaborating, and a whole lot more. Visit David and Marisa at:

www.davidteague.net

HarperCollins site for Marisa de los Santos

Marisa de los Santos on Facebook

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#3 - Sarah Dotts Barley

In this episode I'm joined by the wonderful Sarah Dotts Barley, Senior Editor at Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan. Sarah edits Flatiron's Young Adult list which includes recently released AMERICAN GIRLS by Alison Umminger, IF I WAS YOUR GIRL by Meredith Russo, and the forthcoming CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber. Prior to joining Flatiron, Sarah was an editor at HarperCollins where, among other great books, she worked on The Luck Uglies series with me.

Sarah and I catch up to talk about the process of acquiring and editing books, the challenge of capturing male readers in the YA market, and what makes a good author-editor relationship.  

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#2 - Christopher Healy

Today I welcome Christopher Healy, middle grade author of the much beloved Hero's Guide series, which includes The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle, and The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw. Chris's books have been praised by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and have been translated in far-flung places--most recently Japan. He's also a really funny guy. Just like his books.

Christopher Healy

Join Chris and me as we discuss our experiences at BEA (Book Expo America), what stand-up comedians and children's authors have in common, and the hazards of eating trail mix while on author tours.

www.christopherhealy.com

Twitter: @christophrhealy

Christopher Healy on Facebook

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#1 - J.A. White

J.A. White

Middle grade author J.A. White joins me for the very first episode of Telling Lies to Children. He is the author of The Thickety series, which has been a smash hit with reviewers and kids alike. He's also a third grade teacher and an all around nice guy. Among the series' many accolades, The Thickety: A Path Begins was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and won Jerry the Children's Choice Debut Author Award. The third book in the series, Well of Witches, is out in hardcover now.

Today we talk about author tours, the famous but unexpectedly elusive bats of Austin, TX, our mutual social media incompetence, and a whole lot more.

www.jawhitebooks.com

J.A. White on Facebook

Twitter: @jawhitebooks

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TEASER: Telling Lies to Children Premieres August 2

Telling Lies to Children with Paul Durham - Premieres August 2!

Shhh...don't tell the kids.

Librarians, media specialists, teachers, parents, and all adult kids' lit enthusiasts, this podcast is for you. Although there are thousands of podcasts available, I have found few, if any, hosted by children's authors but intended for adults who live and breath children's literature. We all work with children every day, but sometimes it's nice to talk like adults with adults who share our love of children's books and publishing.

I'll be packing my mic and headphones to chat with editors at the world's biggest publishing houses, agents, award-winning children's authors, booksellers, librarians, and even young readers. The weekly podcast will be casual, conversational and unscripted, and I hope to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at all areas of children's writing, publishing, and most importantly--reading.

Join me and my guests as we give you a candid, behind-the-scenes look at children's fiction publishing--the business of telling lies to children. But only the best kinds of lies, of course!

PREMIERES AUGUST 2ND! LISTEN TO THE TEASER NOW.

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