PB23Bunch Features: Allen Wells

Hello wonderful (and extremely patient) readers! It's been a minute. Thank you for sticking around and coming back! I had a lovely summer making memories with my children, but there were also some hard things. Between my health and some needs from extended family members, things were a lot. But everything is on the up and up now, and I'm jumping back i with both feet. I want to thank my PB23Bunch for their understanding and support while I was away for a bit. We'll be jumping back in to the features now, and you are absolutely going to love learning about this amazing bunch of creators!!

So today, join me in welcoming Allen Wells! You might remember Allen from my Tuesday From The Trenches series. His 13 year journey to finding an agent was absolutely inspiring and now, he's back with a debut right around the corner! I love these success stories so much! So give a big hello to Allen!

Kailei: Hi Allen! And welcome back! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey?

Allen: Sure. By profession, I’m a mechanical engineer in the building design industry.

Well i’ve been writing since the second grade. First day of school, my teacher gave everyone a black marble composition notebook. She told us we would spend thirty minutes every morning writing in our journal. Realizing I was an introvert at a young age, journal writing gave me an opportunity to express myself. This was when I learned the definition of imagination and the art storytelling. I would open with “what I did my summer vacation…” and toward the middle flying dragons would’ve overthrown a king!

Kailei: Oh my goodness, I love that so much! Such fun imagination. So tell me, what inspired your debut book?

Allen: Well it all started when the one and only Grace Kendall at FSG, who had an idea to do a picture book celebrating queer parents, perhaps centered on baby’s first Pride Parade. Grace and I had had previous interactions when my agent, Erin Murphy, submitted my picture book manuscript, DANTE PLAYS HIS BLUES (HarperCollins Summer 2024) to FSG. Erin said that I would be “absolutely perfect to take on this project”, so Erin, being the Rockstar that she is put us together and now we have “IT’S PRIDE, BABY!”

Kailei: How exciting! I love hearing stories about unconventional paths and how cool that an editor reached out to you, and not the other way around. Those agents are amazing. Also, side note, congrats on DANTE as well!

"IT'S PRIDE, BABY!" sounds like such a joyful and needed book. What message would you like for your readers to walk away with?

Allen: That you are loved no matter who you love.

Kailei: Simple, powerful, wonderful. When does your debut hit shelves?

Allen: It’s Pride Baby is now slated to be released in 2024. It’s currently available for pre-order.

Kailei: Wonderful! I'll need to get mine ordered soon! Readers, make sure to do the same! So Allen, where can we follow you online?

Allen: You can find me:

Twitter: AllenWritesWell

IG: Allen_writes_well

FB: Allen Wells

Website: Allenwriteswell.com

Kailei: Thank you so much, Allen! I can't wait to see more about your journey!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!

Allen is generously offering one lucky reader a query critique!

To enter:

1. Follow Allen on Twitter

2. Follow PB23Bunch on Twitter

3. Retweet THIS Tweet

Optional bonus entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog in the bottom corner and tell us in the comments that you did (or comment that you already follow)

2. Tag 3 friends in the tweet above

About Allen Wells

Allen Wells grew up in Jackson, MS where he spent a lot of his time with his head stuck in a book or creating worlds through his words or solving problems and puzzles.

When he isn’t writing, he’s trekking across the world, designing building engineering systems, in Alexandria, VA where he currently resides.

About PB 23 Bunch

The PB23Bunch is a diverse group of 12 authors and illustrators with Picture Books debuting in 2023. We cannot wait to get our books in your hands!!

PB23Bunch Features: Ha Dinh

Hello, friends! And happy June! (checks notes... it's July already??) Can we please just pretend it's June still and like I got this up when I was supposed to? But seriously... is anyone else feel like they just barely have their heads above water this summer? I actually really love having my kiddos home. But it is b-u-s-y. Add to that some health challenges in some family members needing my care, and I dropped the ball. Thank you to Ha for being so understanding. But I promise you all, this is 100% worth the wait. Because this book is going to be FIRE and I cannot wait til I can read it and share it with you all. So please, join me in welcoming fellow PB23Bunch Member Ha Dinh to the blog today!

Hi Ha! Welcome. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey?

From the moment that I held onto the very first book that I was able to check out in our school library in kindergarten, I knew I wanted to be a Children’s book author. I had just arrived in America and didn’t know much English, so having access to beautifully illustrated picture books accompanied with simple and descriptive words not only helped me to learn the language, it also opened my eyes up to so many amazing things in the world. I was in love!

I followed that love of reading and writing into college, but decided that I would make my other dream of being an elementary teacher a reality first after graduation.

While I taught, built an online community of teachers to share my teaching ideas, and began to grow my family, the desire to write never left me. Once my children were of school-age, I decided that it was time for me to dive back into my first love of writing to share stories based on my lived experiences and culture.

Oh Ha, that sounds absolutely wonderful. I love how all of your life experiences brought you to this moment. Can you tell us what specifically inspired your debut book?

My debut book is a love letter to my young self as a Vietnamese child refugee in the Philippines, who felt lost and unsure of moving across the Pacific Ocean to her new home. I wanted to document that very important historical time of our family at the refugee camp and the beautiful friendships made there before our emigration to America through the eyes of a young child.

That sounds absolutely incredible, and so very needed. I can't even begin to imagine what all of that must have felt like. How important to get that story out to both young and old alike. What message would you like for your readers to walk away with?

My hope is that it serves as a mirror for any child who is a child refugee, has ever felt anxious and worried about moving, or making big life changes in their lives that they know there is hope and they will continue to grow. I also hope that it is a window for other children to learn about this important time and place in history that is often overlooked and not written about in Children’s books.

This book truly sounds wonderful. I know that I personally can't wait to get my hands on it! So... When does your debut hit shelves?

We are hoping for it to hit the shelves June 2023 just in time for World Refugee Day which is June 20th.

That would be perfect timing! Fingers crossed for you in this wild publishing world. And truly, best of luck. I feel so grateful to be on this journey with you. Now, before I let you go, where can we follow you online?

You can follow me at @hellomrsdinh on Instagram and Twitter.

Thank you, Ha! Now readers, Ha is generously offering one lucky reader a PB critique! To enter:

1. Follow Ha on Twitter

2. Follow PB23Bunch on Twitter

3. Retweet THIS tweet

Optional bonus entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog in the bottom corner and tell us in the comments that you did (or comment that you already follow)

2. Tag 3 friends in the tweet above.

About Ha Dinh

Ha Dinh is a primary school teacher, blogger, author, wife to her high school sweetheart, and mama of two. Her debut picture book, WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW was inspired by her experiences of living in a refugee camp in the Philippines as a child. It is set to be published in the Summer of 2023, and she can't wait!

About PB23Bunch

The PB23Bunch is a diverse group of 12 authors and illustrators with Picture Books debuting in 2023. We cannot wait to get our books in your hands!!

Together We Ride: Perfect for Father's Day and Every Day

Hello, friends! If you've been around for awhile, you know that I have partnered with my dear friend, Valerie Bolling in the past. We've hosted the KidLit Dance Parties along with Kaitlyn Sanchez and many of you attended those fun events. And if you are following me on Twitter, you've probably seen that Valerie and I cowrote a book, I SEE COLOR, slated for 2024, that we are very excited about.

But what you might not yet know is that Valerie is an extremely prolific writer. A couple years ago, she published Let's Dance and since then, she has sold 6 (!!) picture books PLUS an early reader set! Truly, Valerie is one talented author. And I am blessed to call her a dear friend.

Today, I am thrilled to be talking with Valerie about her most recent picture book, Together We Ride. Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

This book is absolutely wonderful. I love the sparse text paired with the gorgeous illustrations. A story about a dad teaching his daughter to ride a bike, this book is perfect for Father's Day, so make sure to visit your local bookstore and grab a copy for one of the men in your life. But even beyond that, the book is perfect for any child and grown-up relationship. We'll talk more about that below! As a whole, it is a stunning look at the courage and confidence a child can gain with the support, encouragement, and love of the grown-ups by their sides.

I'm thrilled to introduce Valerie Bolling back to the blog today to talk all about her process and what it's been like to create Together We Ride.

Hi Valerie, and welcome! I'm so excited to talk about this great book. Can you tell us about what inspired Together We Ride?

During the COVID shutdown of spring 2020, my husband and I took daily “mental health walks” together. We noticed many children riding bikes in our neighborhood, which was the inspiration for TOGETHER WE RIDE. In particular, there was a five-year-old girl who had just learned to ride a bike. Her mother told me that all of the time they were spending at home had provided the opportunity for her to learn quickly. Since learning to ride a bike – without training wheels – is such an exciting milestone for children, I decided to write a story about that experience.

I love that so much! My oldest child learned how to ride a bike without training wheels during the early days of the pandemic, so that really resonates with me. I know you’ve mentioned before that this wasn’t originally a daddy-daughter story. How did your partnership with your editor and illustrator help get Together We Ride to this point?

You’re correct, Kailei, that when I wrote TOGETHER WE RIDE, originally titled BIKE RIDE, it wasn’t originally a daddy-daughter story. In fact, I didn’t write with gender in mind. I just knew there would be a child and a supportive adult. My editor, Elizabeth Lazowski, however, had a clear vision that she wanted this to be a father-daughter story. Here’s an excerpt from her offer letter: “What excited me most about BIKE RIDE wasn’t just the energetic, joyful, lyrical text, but the opportunity for the illustration to showcase a loving and positive relationship between a dad and a daughter. I’ve been thinking a lot about how picture books are a great place to combat the narrative of the ‘absentee dad’ in the Black community. I’ve been thinking a lot about projects like Sean William’s The Dad Gang, and I think this project is a beautiful, and loving way to continue those conversations.”

Oh that is so exciting. I love where this project landed. It's so fun to see multiple people come together to make a picture book. Now that it does specifically highlight the daddy/daughter relationship, I'd love to know... What has the reaction been from Dad readers? I’d love to specifically hear about any Black dads who have felt moved seeing themselves in your book.

Truthfully, I’ve mostly shared TOGETHER WE RIDE with young students (grades pre-K, K, and 1), and they’ve enjoyed it. There is one dad who shared his thoughts with me though. At my virtual launch celebration of the book, I was in conversation with my friend, Cornelius Minor (dad, educator, and author), and this is what he said about the book: "When I learned about this book, hearing about dads and daughters and bikes was exciting to me, but SEEING this book for the first time -- a BLACK dad and his daughter -- felt spiritual to me.” That’s certainly high praise, isn’t it? If someone has a spiritual experience as a result of reading a book I wrote, that certainly exceeds my expectations. I hope other fathers are touched by this book, too.

Oh I love that so much. I truly think this book will have that impact on many, many dads.

Do you have any fond memories with your own dad that you’d like to share with readers?

I actually never knew my father. I know there will be other children who read this book who may not have a relationship with their fathers either, but I believe they can still enjoy the book. Hopefully, they can connect with the experience of riding a bike and whatever adult is/was there supporting and cheering them on through the experience. Even if they don’t have a bike or are unable to ride one, I think they will be able to think of other things they enjoy with a special adult. I also hope they’ll remember times when they’ve tried something difficult, perhaps struggled a bit, and were overjoyed when they eventually succeeded.

That is so beautiful, Valerie. And you are so right! I love that this book is all about that special connection between child and grown-up, whoever that grown-up may be.

Can you tell us a bit about your own experience learning to ride a bike as a child?

That was so long ago, Kailei, so my memories aren’t strong. I do remember my mother teaching me how to ride, but not the details. What I do remember clearly is that I enjoyed riding my bike with my cousins, Ronnie and Randy. I also rode with kids in the neighborhood. It was such fun!

Love that memory! I don't have many memories of learning, but I do remember the first time my dad let go of the seat and let me fly. It was exhilarating and somewhat terrifying at the same time. There were surely stumbles, but my parents were always there to get me up again. And then the joy and freedom that riding a bike brings. Nothing like it.

Tell me, what do you hope readers will take away from Together We Ride?

I hope readers will take away whatever they need. For young readers, they may be inspired to learn how to ride a bike or to learn something else. I hope they’ll know that it’s OK to try and fail but that if they keep trying, they’ll succeed. I hope adult readers are reminded of that, too. I also want them to remember how important their support and encouragement is to a child’s success. And, of course, I want child and adult readers to experience joy and connection as they read and re-read this book.

Love that so much. I know that we have felt that as I've read the book with my kids. I truthfully haven't had my husband read it yet, because we're saving that as a Father's Day surprise ;)

And speaking of Father's Day Surprises, make sure to see below for a generous GIVEAWAY opportunity! But first, I have to thank Valerie for taking the time to join me and for her patience with me as I was in the middle of Covid when this feature was originally set to run. Valerie of course responded with grace, and I am truly grateful.

Readers, you don't want to miss your chance to grab this gorgeous book. A great addition to every home, school, and public library, please go get a copy of TOGETHER WE RIDE!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!

Valerie is generously offering one lucky reader a free copy of TOGETHER WE RIDE. To Enter:

1. Follow Valerie on Twitter or Instagram

2. Retweet THIS Tweet

Optional Bonus Entry: Comment below with a memory you had with a grown-up as a child, or one you are making now with a child.

Thank you, friends! Winner will be announced on Twitter June 23rd.