PB23Bunch Features: Jen de Oliveira

Hello, friends! Nothing like sneaking this feature in on the last day of the month, huh?? My apologies. Life has been a lot. But believe me, this interview was worth the wait! Because Jen is super awesome and you are in for a real treat! So join me in welcoming Jen de Oliveria to the blog today!!

Hi Jen, welcome! Let's jump right in. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey?

My name is Jen de Oliveira (pronounced: olive-AIR-uh). I’m a writer, cartoonist, and elementary school teacher from California. Ever since I could hold a crayon, I wanted to be an artist. Through the encouragement of my family and teachers, I studied animation and illustration in college, with the goal of becoming a story artist in animation. After I became a teacher, I fell in love again with children’s books. Just for fun, I started my own comic strip about a spunky kid penguin (REGGIE); and now I’m very lucky to be making two early reader graphic novels about him!

Wow! That is such a cool story! I love that you've had this passion for your whole life. And how cool that your comic is becoming an early reader graphic novel. That's super exciting. So what inspired this debut book?

REGGIE is inspired by so many things! The humor and expressiveness of Reggie himself is influenced by animated cartoons, which had a huge impact on me as a kid. The REGGIE books are a collection of short, fun, everyday adventures, which is a bit similar to the AKISSI stories by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin about a lively, mischievous little girl in Ivory Coast. And, of course, my elementary school students have inspired Reggie and his antics. I think sometimes we forget that children also are complex and have a range of emotions, which is something I strive to convey in the REGGIE comics and books.

Oh my goodness, I love him!. Reggie really is so much fun. Given all of that, what message would you like for your readers to walk away with?

I hope that all readers, regardless of age, tap into the sweetness and silliness of childhood. For my kid readers, I hope reading REGGIE will make them laugh and understand that even “small” stories are worth telling. And maybe it will spark some kids to write stories or design characters of their own. That would be a huge honor, to play a little role in their creativity.

I think you definitely will spark that creativity. I know that my kiddos LOVE graphic novels. Something about the art form really reaches kids.

Lately, we’ve seen an increase in graphic novels for kids – particularly middle grade and younger readers. I want to thank all the grownups (teachers, librarians, parents) who are encouraging kids to read comics. It sends the message that comics are real books, and that all books matter, especially if they foster a love of reading.

So, so true, Jen. And I'm super excited to get my own copy of REGGIE... When does your debut hit shelves?

REGGIE will be released in Summer 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, with a second book coming out the following year. I hope readers will enjoy his antics!

I seriously am SO excited to get to know him. This has been a blast. Before I let you go, where can we follow you online?

You can read the Reggie comic strips (of which there are more than 100!) online at reggiecomic.com

Social media-wise, I’m on Instagram and Twitter at @jendeoart

And, if you sign up for Sunday Haha (sundayhaha.com), you can receive free comic strips for kids every week in your inbox! (I’m the co-editor of Sunday Haha, along with illustrator/cartoonist Mika Song.)

Wow! How fun. I'm definitely headed over right now to sign up. My kids would LOVE that!

And speaking of things my kids would love...

Jen is offering a super amazing GIVEAWAY!

One lucky reader will receive a collection of Reggie comic strip zines and an interactive comic-making workbook.

Seriously, what kid won't want to make their own comics??

To Enter:

1. Follow Jen on Twitter

2. Follow PB23Bunch on Twitter

3. Retweet THIS tweet

For bonus entries:

1. Comment on this blog post below.

2. Tag two friends in the tweet above.

About Jen de Oliveira

Jen is a writer, cartoonist, and elementary school teacher from the Bay Area, California. She is also the co-creator of Sunday Haha, a free weekly comics newsletter for kids. REGGIE, the first in a series of early reader graphic novels,

will be published in Summer 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

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!!

Introducing the Rising Stars Picture Book Mentorship

Hello, friends! I hope you're all enjoying the beginnings of summer. I personally adore summer. I love having my kids home from school, fun days by the pool, and lots of time to read!

Today, I am BEYOND thrilled to announce that I've partnered with Ebony Lynn Mudd to launch the Rising Stars Picture Book Mentorship!! This program will be unlike any other PB mentorship, so I hope you'll read all about the process of creating this opportunity and why we're doing what we're doing.

As I listened to the excited buzz surrounding the PBChat Mentorship, Justin Colón's amazing program that has consistently led to book deals, offers of rep, and more, I thought how much I'd love to someday be a mentor in that program... but even with multiple book deals under my belt, I didn't think I'd ever feel "qualified" to mentor at that level. But PBChat was instrumental in my own journey...I was chosen as Bridget Heos's runner up in 2020, and gifted a phone call where Bridget told me my books were ready! It was a HUGE turning point for me. And since then, I've wanted to give back.

Still... the imposter syndrome is real. So I started thinking that it would be great to do some sort of low-stakes mentorship. Something where the person I mentored realized that I was new to mentoring and would be learning the ropes myself. But also something valuable and worthwhile. Something that would help me develop mentoring skills while also providing a meaningful and educational experience for a mentee. Something that would prepare me to mentor in more "official" mentorships in the future.

So I did what I tend to do when these types of ideas pop into my head... I put it out into the universe on Twitter:

And I was beyond humbled by the response! People were so kind and I was blown away by how many people would actually be interested in something like that. And even more exciting? Fellow agented authors with their own upcoming debuts chimed in that they had been wanting to do something similar! How cool would that be?

Ebony Lynn Mudd was one of those authors who chimed in. She and I had connected in the past, so I reached out and asked if she would be interested in partnering with me to make this kernel of an idea into something more official. And I will be forever grateful that she enthusiastically agreed! And not only did she agree, she hit the ground running! She has done SO MUCH to get this mentorship off the ground, and you all are going to be blown away by her. She is a force and I adore her!

Anyways... Ebony and I started gathering mentors.

We knew that we wanted mentors to be agented with book deals. Because we wanted this to be about more than giving critiques. We want mentors who can help mentees navigate things like agent calls, offers of publication, contract language, and more. And let me tell you, the kidlit community showed up! We have the MOST AMAZING mentors lined up, and cannot wait to reveal them!

The idea behind this mentorship is that we want to create a program where new mentors can come and be tutored. Where we will invite experienced authors and mentors to come and teach us how to be the mentors of tomorrow. And where we will get "on the job training" so to speak... learning by doing. So we will each take on one mentee, help them polish and prepare manuscripts for querying, and provide guidance on the industry. Mentees will understand that we are all new at this and learning as we go. This will be a low-stakes mentorship, with no agent/editor showcase at the end. But we do guarantee experienced mentors who will be with you each step of the way. And we do expect mentees to be serious, dedicated to their craft, and willing to work hard to get their manuscripts ready for querying and submission.

So what will this look like?

Well, everything will be happening over on https://www.pbrisingstars.com/ so we hope you will hop on over there to subscribe and follow along.

Then, tomorrow, Saturday the 21st, Ebony and I will start releasing teasers about the mentors. You can follow us on Twitter (@ebonylynnmudd and @Pew Kailei) and make your guesses on each of the mentor teasers.

Then on June 1st, we will reveal the complete mentor list, including what they are looking for in a mentee.

Applications will open on Monday, June 6th and close at midnight on Saturday, June 11th (please see https://www.pbrisingstars.com/ for the eligibility requirements to apply, or scroll to the bottom of this post to see the requirements).

Applicants can apply to up to two mentors.

Mentors will spend 3 weeks reviewing applicants, and may ask for additional manuscripts or even a phone call to help make their decision.

Mentees will be revealed on July 1st and the mentorship will begin officially on July 5th and run through September 30th.

In the meantime... please help us spread the word by using #PBRisingStars on Twitter!

We seriously cannot wait to see how this develops and all the good that comes from it! We hope you will join us for this amazing ride and consider applying to the Rising Stars PB Mentorship! We're so grateful to those of you who have already expressed support and excitement, and even helped us to choose a logo (designed by the amazing Ebony!) through our Twitter poll. We truly think this is going to be a wonderful experience, both for mentors learning the ropes and mentees developing their craft. Thanks for joining us on the ride!

***

Rising Stars PB Mentorship Eligibility Requirements:

The ideal applicant is serious about their craft, and actively working toward traditional publication. This includes, but is not limited to, participation in active critique groups, participation in webinars, workshops, or classes, and participation in the kidlit community. They have multiple completed picture book manuscripts or dummies.

We especially encourage creators from traditionally marginalized backgrounds to apply.

Applicants may apply to up to two mentors. Applying to more mentors will result in disqualification. Kailei and Ebony reserve the right to read all applications and prescreen applications for any mentors.

Applicants must:

1. Be currently unagented

2. Not have been mentored as part of another picture book mentorship within the last year.

3. Be willing to not query during the duration of the mentorship

4. Not have been traditionally published with a picture book (Note: if you have self-published in the past, you are still eligible to apply if you are now working toward traditional publication).

5. Fill out the online application, including an MS or Dummy upload between June 6th and June 11th. (Note: For any neurodivergent or disabled applicants who are unable to complete the full application, please reach out to Kailei or Ebony. We will happily create an inclusive opportunity for you to still apply).

If chosen, mentees will be expected to:

1. Participate in the full mentorship, running from July 5th through September 30th.

2. Communicate with their mentor following an established plan agreed upon by both mentor and mentee.

3. Edit and revise at least one PB MS or Dummy over the course of the mentorship, as agreed upon by both mentor and mentee.

4. Pause (or wait on) querying for the duration of the mentorship, unless a unique opportunity arises, agreed upon by both mentor and mentee.

5. Attend the virtual mentee orientation on July 5th or watch the replay within the first week of the mentorship.

Each mentor will choose their own mentee. Both mentor and mentee will have access to either Kailei or Ebony for check ins and can reach out for additional support as needed.

PB 23 Bunch Features: Marietta Apollonio

Hi, friends! It's been a minute, hasn't it? Things have been busy around here! I'm guessing for you, too! But I'm so excited to feature another PB23Bunch Member! If you missed last month's post, then you might not know that I'm a member of a debut author group with picture books releasing in 2023. It's been so awesome to be part of a group of people going through the same thing I am, and I highly recommend participating in a debut group!

This month, I'm super excited to chat with Marietta Apollonio, author-illustrator of the upcoming JACK THE LIBRARY CAT. So join me in welcoming Marietta!

Hi Marietta! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey?

When I was a kid, after running around outside, bike riding through the neighborhood, and watching cartoons, I spent a lot of time drawing from comic books and creating characters. In ‘98 I attended an art college in Boston thinking I wanted to be an animator (in the times of VHS), but ended up really wanting to be a picture book illustrator. I wrote random stories, but never thought that I could write and illustrate. It took me almost 20 years working in different fields (selling mattresses, sign artist at Trader Joes, managing a graphic design firm, co-owning a co-op gallery) to get to a place where I could finally sit down and put it all together. In 2016 I became a stay at home mom. Accumulating picture books for my son and reading to him everyday, reminded me how much I had wanted to create my own books. Still having this creative idea that I loved and had wanted to do, but had always told myself I didn’t have time.

I went to my first writer’s workshop in 2018, met writers and illustrators, began attending more workshops, retreats, watching webinars, and joining critique groups. In 2020 I joined Storyteller Academy to workshop a story about a cat I was working on. I couldn’t remember how to put a book dummy together, and forgot most of what I learned in college. Once I had a stack of versions of that dummy done, I decided to start querying agents with it, while also writing other stories. People say that querying is hard. They’re right. It is. But it also made me hopeful because when I got requests for more work, even though those didn’t pan out, I thought, well, there must be something here. In 2021 I entered PBParty as an author-illustrator, and got a spot as a finalist that March, signed with my agent (super star Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at ABLA) that April. We went out on submission with JACK THE LIBRARY CAT immediately. He found a home that October with Albert Whitman. And as I’m writing this out, I’m still thinking, what just happened over the last 22 years? Haha!

That is so awesome! I love that your journey came back to picture books. Sometimes our dreams take some detours, but so wonderful to get back to it. And congrats on your PBParty success! I love that so much. Really cool that you went out on sub right away. So what inspired your debut book?

My main character, Jack, is actually inspired partly by a real life cat named Max. This intrepid feline, who was not a stray, would leave his owners house daily to visit the nearby college campus. Often he was found in the library. If you google him, you’ll find articles and the sign on the campus library door that asks students/staff not to let him into the library. Poor guy. I took that notion of a cat who just really really wanted to be in a library, and thought about the different reasons that might be. And voila! JACK THE LIBRARY CAT was born.

That's so awesome! I love taking inspiration from true stories too. I hadn't ever heard about Max and will definitely look him up. Your book sounds so wonderful. What message would you like for your readers to walk away with?

We all know that literacy is so important for kids. But not all of us are comfortable practicing our reading with people. I know I wasn’t as a kid. I was always petrified that I’d mess up, pronounce something wrong, miss words. That someone would laugh at me. One of the big themes in JACK THE LIBRARY CAT is not only literacy, and the importance of libraries, but how animals can play a huge role in kids building confidence in themselves when reading. Animals don’t judge. They don’t laugh. So, that was a huge part of writing a story about a stray cat who loves story time, sees the library as a home, and how he manages to help kids and endear himself to the library staff.

I love that so much! So, when does JACK hit shelves?

Spring 2023

Yay!! That will be here before you know it. Where can we follow you online?

Instagram and Twitter: mar_illustrates

Perfect! Thank you so much for joining me today, Marietta! I had a blast chatting and cannot wait for JACK THE LIBRARY CAT to hit shelves!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!!

Marietta is generously offering a a piece of original art to one lucky reader! To enter:

Follow DK on Twitter

1. Follow PB23Bunch on Twitter

2. RT THIS Tweet

For bonus entries:

1. Tag 2 friends in THIS Tweet

2. Comment on this blog post

Good luck! Winner will be announced on Twitter May 5th.

About Marietta Apollonio:

About PB 23 Bunch

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