Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish: 100,000 copies sold!

In celebration of Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish selling over 100,000 copies, I thought to post this fun interview with illustrator Debra Ziss. Enjoy!

1. Can you describe your process, Debra?

i usually see something in my head the moment i read the manuscript. then i sit down at the computer and "sculpt" in illustrator. by this i mean that i draw shapes and refine them until they begin to look like something. what i see in my head is NEVER what appears on screen. i'm usually pleasantly surprised by the end result.

2. Want to share an early sketch?

you can see sketches on: debbiedoesdoodles.blogspot.com i posted my original ideas for the book along with some finishes so readers could see the process. Like this:


3. Do you have any totz in your life now?

i sometimes test out my drawings on my "peanut gallery", my friends kids. if they like and understand what i've drawn, i know it's good!

4. Um, do you like to eat fish?

sushi is a personal favorite. good nite fishies!

Thanks, Debra! I love how our work came together. Thanks also to editor Rotem Moscovich and Scholastic. *hugs* And final thanks to everyone who has purchased copies!

Here's one last look at that sweetie pie reading to us:

Rotem Moscovich, MY EDITOR!

One of the very best parts of ALA was meeting my Cartwheel/Scholastic editor Rotem Moscovich! She's a gem and a new friend! Here we are in Millennium Park where we talked about Argentina, board books, and ice cream.


And then she was my host at the Scholastic table during the Newbery Awards Banquet. So much fun! Let it be known she ate her entire cayenne apple. Woohoo!

Here's to meeting fellow creators who challenge you to be your best. May we collaborate on many more books together!

Now, to commission my very own Rotem handbag...

Press Release for Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish

CO-FOUNDER OF READERGIRLZ AND READERTOTZ CELEBRATES A NEW BOARD BOOK: BEDTIME KISS FOR LITTLE FISH

Author/illustrator Lorie Ann Grover’s new board book for babies is “utterly serene from start to finish,” says Publishers Weekly.

June 1, 2009 (Seattle, Wash.) – readergirlz and readertotz co-founder and author/illustrator Lorie Ann Grover’s new board book Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish has just been released from Scholastic/Cartwheel. Endearingly illustrated by Debra Ziss, the work beautifully expresses soothing images of sea creatures preparing to sleep. A small orange fish instructs:

"Night is dark, baby shark.

Make no fuss, octopus."

Lorie Ann says, “I love the short rhymes offered up by the tiniest fish as he encourages the sea life to go to sleep. Thanks to my editor Rotem Moscovich for realizing the baby fish needs a bedtime kiss as well!”

Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish introduces sea life and adds a quiet calm to babies’ evenings.

About Lorie Ann Grover, Debra Ziss, readertotz, and readergirlz

Lorie Ann Grover is the author of three young adult verse novels (Loose Threads, On Pointe, Hold Me Tight) and three board books (When Daddy Comes Home, Hug Hug!, Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish). http://lorieanngrover.blogspot.com

Debra Ziss is an illustrator and hand lettering artist from New York. Her clients include: Scholastic, Random House, Houghton Mifflin, Grosset and Dunlap, Barnesandnoble.com, The Gap, The Limited, and American Girl Magazine. http://www.debraziss.com

readertotz is a blog which showcases infant-toddler books as important additions to children’s literature. http://readertotz.blogspot.com

readergirlz is the foremost online book community for teen girls, led by five critically acclaimed YA authors. The site is the recipient of a 2007 James Patterson PageTurner Award; the Association for Library Services to Children, ALA, Great Web Sites Award; and the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize. www.readergirlz.com

Where is everything?

Sometimes as an author you stop and say, "Wait. Where is everything?" So here's where it's all at right now.

Hug Hug! comes out December 16th from Little Simon. I'll be doing something very fun for the launch with my amazing friend Joan Holub.

The new paperback of Rainy Day Slug comes out March 1st.


Hm. Then my Scholastic Cartwheel board book, Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish comes out in June, I think. I have the cover but don't know if I can share it yet! Debra Ziss has made the sweetest Little Fish.



My novel about Korea is in the hands of my amazing agent, Elizabeth Harding. Will I need another rewrite or not, is the question! This part is very nervy making. (The following photos are my collages or visual maps of my works in progress.)

Then my prose fantasy is off to my fab critique group buddies, Joan Holub and Dia Calhoun. I expect at least a month of work when they send their comments back to me. My dear friend Justina Chen Headley may read it in October in China. Then there will be--another rewrite.


So what right now? Well, there's a first draft of a verse novel I can get back to in the meantime. I wrote a work after the experiences of my daughter's friend Sarah. (Sarah is in the foreground, and Emily is in the background.)


There's much to do on the work. Sarah's story is chilling, and I'm so ready to get back to it. I'm right at that juncture where I need to breakaway away into fiction. Opening your hand and letting the truth go to make a better story is a distinct step in writing from life experiences. That is exactly where I'm at. And I have a few minutes right now to get going!