Happy Thursday Critters! I hope you are all staying warm out there— because it is freezing in Ohio! So it seems fitting that we are chatting with a debut author today from sunny Los Angeles to warm things up a bit.

Please welcome Jeff Goodman to Critter Lit!

Where do you live?

My wife, daughter, and I live in Los Angeles, where I was born and raised. It’s a crazy metropolis that doesn’t make sense in many ways, but it’s beautiful all the same.

When did you know you wanted to write picture books?

Writing a children’s book has been a goal of mine for many years. I really got inspired to make it happen after the birth of my daughter, which reconnected me to children’s literature in a new and more meaningful way.

Tell us about your road to publication; what did that involve for you?

It all started with a birthday present: Through an elementary school auction, my wife bought me a consultation meeting with a local publisher. That initial meeting led to many months of revising, editing, and market research — all before finding an illustrator, creating a draft layout, and putting the finishing touches on the book before making it available to the public. The process required ample collaboration, and as a debut author I was grateful to have the guidance and encouragement of experienced professionals. I now have a much better understanding of how much work goes into the creation of a 24-page children’s book! 

Can you share a bit about your process?

My concept — a children’s book about a dozen eggs, each cooked differently to reveal a different emotion — became an exercise in trial and error. It required lots of mixing and matching! In addition, since I wanted to make a rhyming book, it took significant time to find age-appropriate words to fit into the ABCB stanza structure. It helps that I’m a bit of a word nerd; I enjoyed the challenge of emphasizing the right syllables in each line while maintaining the desired meaning. My thesaurus got a great workout.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

Spend time with children. As a parent, uncle, and literacy volunteer (shout-out to Reading to Kids), I’m always amazed at the new insights and fresh perspectives I glean from the little ones in my life. Their curiosity, fascinations, and sense of wonder are contagious!

Anything you can’t live without while you write?

I love listening to music, but I find that I often get distracted by lyrics when I’m writing. So, I usually opt for instrumental artists: Ludovico Eindaudi, Lance Allen, Chris Thile, The Greyboy Allstars, and The Six Parts Seven, to name a few.

Any authors and/or illustrators who inspire you?

I’ll always admire Shel Silverstein’s clever use of language; his work manages to be fun, memorable, and poignant. And I’m truly inspired by the brilliance of Gabriella Urbina, who illustrated my debut children’s book; I still marvel at her technical skills and her ability to convert ideas into images.

Dream project to work on?

I’m a huge basketball fan, so it would be pretty special to incorporate my love of hoops into a children’s book somehow.

Tell us about your debut book.

Feel Like Eggs? is about a carton of a dozen eggs, each cooked a different way to reveal a different emotion. It’s the rhyming answer to the question, “Why express yourself when you can eggs-press yourself?” Featuring plenty of wordplay and charming illustrations, the book is a fun foray into social-emotional learning for the little ones in your life.

What’s up next for you?

I have a few additional manuscripts for children’s books in the works, and I hope to bring them to life in the near future.

And last, but not least, favorite 80s movie?

Hmm ... either Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or Rain Man, depending on my mood.

Huge thank you to Jeff for stopping by Critter Lit today! Congrats on your debut!

JEFF GOODMAN wrote Feel Like Eggs? to help kids understand and express the feelings they experience in their daily lives. As an award-winning journalist and school communications specialist, Jeff has written extensively about education, child development, and social-emotional learning. He currently works in communications at UCLA. An alumnus of UC Berkeley, Jeff lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Jeff and his book, visit his website at jeffgoodmanauthor.com or follow him on social media:

Facebook: fb.me/jeffgoodmanauthor

Twitter: @jeffgodman2

Instagram: @jeffgoodman2

ORDER THIS BOOK To order a copy of Jeff’s book, click here.

WIN A COPY! Want to win a copy of FEEL LIKE EGGS?! Leave a COMMENT below or RETWEET this post on Twitter. One lucky winner will be announced on Thursday, February 17th! US addresses only please.