A round of applause for author and Writing Barn success story Annette Murray! She is gearing up for the release of her new picture book, ABC, What Do You See? Rolling Along Route 66.
Annette was a previous Write. Submit. Support. (WSS) and Courage to Create (CTC) student with WB founder Bethany Hegedus, and her upcoming release is a result of being a Writing Barn student! She has written 12 novels so far, and has big plans to write even more now that she has launched her writing career.
When not writing, she can be found in libraries, swimming pools, coffee shops, on pickleball courts, a yoga mat, or her favorite chair in her writing studio.
1. Please tell us a bit about your new book! ABC, WHAT DO YOU SEE? ROLLING ALONG ROUTE 66 is a non-fiction PB for ages 5-8 about America’s historic highway from Chicago to Santa Monica. My illustrator, Joyce Harbin Cole, and I both live on Route 66. As children we both traveled on Rt 66 with our families.
2. How long have you been writing/working on this specific project? I spent two years researching the history of Route 66. Then, I spent about a year writing my ABC book. It went through at least 20 revisions before I sent it out to publishers.
3. Where did the seeds of the stories come from? My story came from my love of ABC picture books and my love of travel. It was the perfect storm. I was a first grade teacher for 20 years and a school librarian for 8 years. I’ve always loved reading about places around the world.
4. What is your connection to The Writing Barn and/or Bethany Hegedus’ Courage to Create Community? I signed up for Courage to Create (CTC) with Bethan at the same time I signed up for my first writing course at The Writing Barn. They were just what I was looking for. A thorough crafting course for writers AND a group to be part of for learning about the world of publishing.
5. What fears/hopes did you have before participating in WSS or a WB class/intensive? I hoped to develop my knowledge and skill level as well as learn how to prepare to submit my stories to the world.
6. Did the WB programming aid you in the craft and the business of writing? If so, how? Yes, it definitely prepared me with the tools to write and the knowledge of how to get my stories out into the world. I learned about the business of being a writer from those who began long before me. This built my confidence and guided me to jump right in. In the WSS six-month course I wrote 12 picture books. Some I loved. Some I didn’t. Now I know how to reflect and review every single page before it leaves my keyboard.
7. What is a takeaway you will carry with you far beyond this good news as you continue to build and develop your career? One takeaway is to believe in myself and my story. Listen to critiques, rewrite with purpose, and stay passionate about my work even when rejection looms in the wings.
8. Any advice you have for writers/creatives having trouble staying the course while pursuing their goals? One thing that helped me was the artist dates in WSS. When I step out of my writing studio/place and enjoy the world, I retain the sense of wonder and happiness that writing brings. Take those breaks. Drink that coffee. Talk to your friends about what you are doing and dreaming.
9. Who in the kidlit world are you currently reading, excited about forthcoming books? Powwow Day by Traci Sorell and Madelyn Goodnight, Honeybee: Busy Life Of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann, and The Staring Contest by Nicholas Solis.
10. Where can readers order your books? Barnes & Noble, Ingramspark, and Amazon!
Annette LaFortune Murray is a life-long learner always seeking new things, people, places, and books to read.
After a thirty-year career as educator and school librarian, she jumped into writing courses just as COVID season began. Having taken various classes at OSU-Tulsa and The Writing Barn, she found a passion for the written word and the art of storytelling. She joined Courage to Create and Write Submit Support, and credits instructors Hannah Barnaby, Lisa Katzenberger, Carmen Oliver, and WB founder Bethany Hegedus for providing the resources to make her a writer.
ABC, WHAT DO YOU SEE? ROLLING ALONG ROUTE 66 is a 40 page non-fiction picture book for ages 5-8 that highlights historic Route 66.