Cover Reveal for ANIMALS IN SURPRISING SHADES: POEMS ABOUT EARTH’S COLORFUL CREATURES by Author Susan Johnston Taylor

Susan Johnston Taylor’s collection of poems, Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems About Earth’s Colorful Creatures, is set to release on March 28, 2023! Congratulations, Susan! She took the time to tell us more about her writing journey, the book, and the publication process!

Pre-Order ANIMALS IN SURPRISING SHADES: POEMS ABOUT EARTH’S COLORFUL CREATURES by Author Susan Johnston Taylor, Illustrated by Annie Bakst

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First, we’d love for you to tell us about your new book!

In Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems About Earth’s Colorful Creatures, readers learn about fascinating and colorful creatures throughout the world. It’s a STEAM-themed collection of poems that doubles as an introduction to kid-friendly and fun poetic forms.

Where did the seeds of the story come from?

In early 2020, I read about these squirrels in India that have fur in really vibrant colors, unlike the neutral-colored fur we see in North American squirrels. I started to think about writing a concept book about animals that come in unexpected colors, and I decided to try it as a poetry collection. I wrote a poem about the squirrels, but for multiple reasons, that one didn’t make it into the final manuscript.

I realized much later that the seeds of this project actually go much further back. When I was a kid, some of my classmates bullied me about my bright red hair and I often felt like I didn’t belong. This book celebrates creatures that come in all shades, especially those you wouldn’t expect, so it turns that negative childhood experience on its head.

What’s your connection to The Writing Barn and Bethany Hegedus, Author/Founder of TWB?

I first met Bethany during a Picture Book Intensive in fall, 2016, and I’ve been a Writing Barn regular ever since. I even became a Writing Barn fellow in 2020.

When and how did you see the cover? Did you see initial sketches or designs, or just the final version?

I first saw a version of the cover in spring 2022 during a Zoom with my editor. It’s changed quite a bit since then, but I love all the colors.

Time for props to the team behind the cover!

Kudos to Annie Bakst for her gorgeous interior illustrations, Bonnie Kelso for design, and Gnome Road publisher Sandra Sutter for her editorial support.

Where and when can readers find your book?

Animals in Surprising Shades’ official release date is March 28, 2023, just before National Poetry Month in April. Please ask for it wherever you buy books.

Where and how can we follow you and the Animals in Surprising Shades illustrator Annie Bakst?

Annie is on Instagram at @anniebakststudio.

I’m on Twitter at @UrbanMuseWriter. I also belong to a 2023 picture book marketing group called PB Spree, which is on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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About Author Susan Johnston Taylor

Susan Johnston Taylor is a Writing Barn fellow, a Courage to Create visionary, and author of Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems about Earth’s Colorful Creatures (Gnome Road Publishing, 2023). Her poetry also appears in 10.10 Poetry Anthology: Celebrating 10 in 10 different ways. As a freelance writer for over a decade, she’s written over a dozen titles for the educational market and published nonfiction articles in children’s magazines including FACES, Highlights for Children and Scout Life. Her writing for grownups has appeared in The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, Entrepreneur and Fast Company. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and their two rescue dogs. 

Twitter: @UrbanMuseWriter

Instagram: @UrbanMuseWriter