Valerie Bolling’s debut, LET’S DANCE! (illus. Maine Diaz, Boyds Mills & Kane), was published in 2020 and won a 2021 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. In 2022 Valerie is happy to welcome TOGETHER WE RIDE (illus. Kaylani Juanita, Chronicle) and RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN! (illus. Sabrena Khadija, Abrams). Sequels to these books (TOGETHER WE SWIM and BING, BOP, BAM: TIME TO JAM!) as well as RAINBOW DAYS, a Scholastic early reader series (illus. Kai Robinson), are slated for 2023. Valerie has been an educator for almost 30 years, teaches classes at Westport Writers Workshop, and is a WNDB mentor. She is deeply immersed in the kidlit writing community, particularly involved with SCBWI, the 12X12 Picture Book Challenge, and Black Creators HeadQuarters. Today I have the honor to talk with Valerie about her new book, TOGETHER WE RIDE and her author journey.
- Congratulations on your new book! What was your author journey like? What brought you to picture books?
My author journey has been exciting, Helen! My debut, LET’S DANCE!, released on March 3, 2020 – days before the Covid shutdown. I was able to celebrate with a launch event on March 7, which over 200 people attended. (See some photos here, if you’d like.) If my event had been scheduled for a week later, it wouldn’t have taken place. I enjoyed sharing my book virtually with schools, bookstores, and libraries throughout the spring and summer. That summer I also signed with my agent, James McGowan, which has been a game changer for me. James facilitated two two-book deals for me within a month after signing with him, and the following year we sold four more books. Of course, I’m hoping to sell more this year.
What brought me to picture books is a love of children and writing as well as a belief that children need to see themselves in books and should have a variety of joyful, engaging books available to them. I want to be an author who provides these books to children.
- Where did the inspiration for you book, TOGETHER WE RIDE come from? And do you have any personal connections or stories surrounding bicycles yourself?
I don’t really have a personal bike story myself, though my cousin, Randy, credits me with teaching him and his older brother, Ronnie, to ride bikes. The three of us enjoyed riding our bikes together.
The inspiration for this story came from seeing children ride bikes while taking my daily “mental health walks” with my husband during the COVID shutdown. In particular, there was a five-year-old girl, Maeve, who had just learned how to ride a bike. Learning to ride a bike – without training wheels – is such an exciting milestone for children that I decided to write a story about that experience. And Maeve was definitely excited about learning how to ride a bike!
- What do you hope readers will learn or discover from reading TOGETHER WE RIDE?
I want young readers to learn that with perseverance and resilience, they can accomplish what they want. I want adult readers to realize how important their support and encouragement is to a child’s success.
- How was the editorial process? Did you do any revisions?
My editor, Elizabeth Lazowski, didn’t suggest any changes at first. She went to copyediting with the version of the manuscript that was accepted at acquisition. When Elizabeth saw the text paired with the illustrations, however, she requested that I consider deleting one word. I agreed that would be best and even suggested removing additional text that I felt wasn’t needed, and Elizabeth concurred. Thus, it was a smooth editorial process.
- What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Question: Why did you decide to feature a father and daughter in this story?
When I wrote TOGETHER WE RIDE (titled BIKE RIDE at acquisition), I didn’t have particular genders in mind for the adult or child. It was my editor, Elizabeth Lazowski, who had a clear vision that this would be a father/daughter story. For her, the story provides redemption for her own bike riding experience with her dad as well as an opportunity to showcase Black love and joy. The first sentence of the description she wrote for TOGETHER WE RIDE is: “Hair Love meets bike rides in this loving portrait of a father-daughter relationship.”
- What’s up next for you?
RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN! will be here in October. It’s another joy book about the different ways children have fun outdoors. There’s a sequel to TOGETHER WE RIDE titled TOGETHER WE SWIM that will be released in 2023. The mother in the family teaches the younger brother to swim. Also scheduled for 2023 is a sequel to RIDE, ROLL, RUN and my early reader series with Scholastic, RAINBOW DAYS. Other books are on their way, but they haven’t been announced yet.
- What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
Here’s what I wrote recently in an email to someone who reached out, saying “I have so many ideas in my head for stories.”
1. READ as many books as you can in the genre you intend to write. Some people say that you shouldn’t write a picture book until you’ve read at least 100 of them.
2. STUDY the basics of writing by taking a class or going to writing conferences with workshops. I teach classes. Here’s my page: https://www.westportwriters.org/valerie-bolling.
3. WRITE those ideas down and turn them into stories.
4. GET FEEDBACK on your stories. Find a critique group.
5. JOIN writing communities, like SCBWI, 12 X 12 Picture Book Challenge, and Black Creators HeadQuarters*.
*(if you’re Black, of course)
Thank you Valerie Bolling for stopping by and sharing your new books and publishing journey! Find more about Valerie at linktr.ee/ValerieBolling
TOGETHER WE RIDE, written by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, published by Chronicle Books.
Hair Love meets bike rides in this loving portrait of a father-daughter relationship.
Learning to ride is no easy feat! But with a little courage, a guiding hand from her dad, and an enthusiastic bark from her pup, one brave girl quickly learns the freedom that comes from an afternoon spent outside on a bike.
Experience the fear, the anticipation, and the delight of achieving the ultimate milestone in this energetic, warm story that celebrates the precious bond between parent and child.
Purchase links: https://www.rjjulia.com/book/9781797212487
You may purchase the book from your favorite bookstore.
