Book Giveaway: Who Will? Will You? by Sarah Hoppe

Author Sarah Hoppe has a new picture book titled, Who Will? Will You?, illustrated by Milanka Reardon. It hits book shelves on August 1st.

Sarah has agreed to share a book with one lucky winner. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you do to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you.

Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. Thanks for helping Sarah and Milanka!

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Lottie makes an unusual discovery while beachcombing one day. She’s found a pup, but it’s not your ordinary pup. Lottie quickly decides that she needs help. “Who will care for this little lost pup?” she asks along the beach. “Will you care for this little lost pup?” But no one wants her pup. Just when she is ready to give up, Lottie finds the perfect person to take care of her very special find. Throughout this beautifully illustrated story, children are kept guessing what kind of creature Lottie has found while they learn about nature’s different kinds of pups along the way.

BOOK’S JOURNEY:

Who Will? Will You? came together in pieces and all at once.

My dad likes to quiz people. During one trip to visit my parents, my dad’s quizzes were all about animals.

What’s a group of owls called?

A parliament!

What’s the name for a baby mouse?

A pup!

What’s the name for a baby bat?

Also a pup! And so, the seeds for my story were sown.

Living with a boy who devours non-fiction means you learn new things all the time. My oldest son went through a seal phase. He told me everything seal related, including what their young are called. Once again, the word pup was front and center in my brain.

The format for this story just came to me one day, ready to go. It would be a case of pup confusion! I had the structure, now I had to fill in the blanks. I worked to flesh out the story by researching the many kinds of pups in the animal world. But the creative side of my brain didn’t enjoy being beholden to the structure. It was always trying to veer off as I learned new, exciting pup facts. Eventually, I figured out a flow that satisfied my creative spirit and got the story written.

I knew I wanted back matter, but I had to see what people thought of the story first. I posted the full manuscript for critique in 12×12. Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge is just that. It’s a group of picture book writers, challenging themselves to write one picture book a month for a year. For me, it’s essential.

I also asked my critique partners to take a look. I revised based on all the feedback and got the story where I wanted it.

I took a break at that point. I knew I needed back matter, but writing it seemed daunting. I procrastinated for a while until my brain and I were ready to dive in. I checked out books about the animals featured in my story. I read the books. I wrote, revised, distracted myself online, cried, questioned my sanity, and wrote some more. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad (it kind of was, though) but I wasn’t ready for the back matter to take as long as it did. Creating something that was fun to read, and full of accurate information takes a while though, and I’m proud of the result.

I got feedback on the back matter and when that felt solid, I decided to query. Who Will? Will You? chalked up a few rejections before I read about Blue Whale Press. It was a new, small publisher that wanted to showcase new writers. I thought it sounded perfect for my story, and the lovely folks at Blue Whale thought so too!

It has been amazing to see my story become an actual book. Blue Whale found the perfect illustrator. Milanka Reardon brought the characters to life in a beautiful way. All my questions have been answered along the way, and just recently, I got my first peek at the ARC!

SARAH’S BIO:

Sarah Hoppe is a born and bred Minnesotan, a photographer, and an author who loves to write weird stories and be outside with nature. When she isn’t with her camera and family traipsing about the woods, she can be found inside working at her computer and creating different worlds.

Sarah loves dogs, books, campfires and pizza, and she used to be a third-grade teacher. Living in Rochester, Minnesota with her husband, two boys and two dogs, you can often find Sarah and her family out on an adventure or trying craft projects with lots of hot glue. You can visit Sarah at https://www.sarahhoppe.com/.

ILLUSTRATOR MILANKA REARDON’S BIO:

Milanka Reardon learned to illustrate at a very young age. When she emigrated to the U.S. from the former Republic of Yugoslavia at the age of six, no one in her school spoke her language, so her teachers sketched images of the English words for her. But instead of copying the words, Milanka took it upon herself to improve their work and draw more interesting pictures. Later, Milanka went on to earn a children’s book illustration certificate from the Rhode Island School of Design and was awarded the 2016 R. Michelson Galleries Emerging Artist Award. She is the central New England illustrator coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). You can read more about Milanka and see some of her artwork by going to http://www.milankareardon.com/.

Thank you Sarah and Milanka for sharing your book and Journey with us. I am sure children will be drawn to the text and the beautiful illustrations and it should appeal to animal lovers and budding environmentalists. Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy