At-a-Glance
Latest book: Tortuga in Trouble
Lives in: Los Feliz
Used to be: A social worker
Favorite restaurant: Vermont Restaurant
Website: www.annwhitfordpaul.net
Ann Whitford Paul is a writer of children's picture books and early readers who published her first book, Owl at Night, in 1985.
In her own words: "It was not until I was thirty-five years old and had just given birth to the third of my four children that I began to think about writing books. The inspiration came from my children. As you can imagine, life was chaotic in our crowded house—someone always needed a diaper changed, or a drink of apple juice, or a tear to be dried—except for that time when darkness wrapped around our house Then I would sit with each child in a rocking chair, or in bed under the covers. Without noise and distractions, we read a book together.
It took me five years of submitting eighteen different stories a total of 180 times before I made my first sale. That number isn't meant to be discouraging, but encouraging. Persistence is the name of the game. Those who give up will never succeed. Those who keep trying will either succeed, or at the very least, have a wonderful journey along the way.
My advice to people who are thinking about writing for children is to first of all, get to know yourself and what interests you. Secondly, read lots and lots of picture books, especially those published in the last ten years. Picture books have a form. It behooves you to learn that form before you experiment with ways to break it. And third—write, write, write and write some more. Fourth, don't be shy about seeking knowledge from others. And last and most important of all, enjoy the process!"
Ann's books include: Fiesta Fiasco and Mañana, Iguana, Hello Toes! Hello Feet!, The Seasons Sewn: A Year in Patchwork, All by Herself, and Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet. Her picture book, Little Monkey Says Good Night was a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, and Kirkus Reviews praised it as "a perfect good-night read." Ann Whitford Paul lives in Los Angeles, with her husband, two dogs and a cat.
SoCal Book Scene Exclusive (Mini) Interview:
SCBS: What did you do before you “officially” became an author?
AWP: I was trained as a social worker and worked in hospitals and adoption agencies. I stopped when I had my first child. With four children, I racked up a lot of bedtime and naptime reading which inspired me to write books that other grown-ups and children could share.
SCBS: How do you spend your weekends?
AWP: My weekends aren’t all that different from my weekdays. They usually start with a long walk with my husband and our English bulldog named Willy. After that we treat ourselves to a fancy breakfast—pancakes, omelet, etc. Then I usually write until dinner time. We prefer going out during the week and so mostly spend our weekends having dinner at home with friends or babysitting for our granddaughters.
SCBS: What’s your favorite restaurant in Southern California?
AWP: We love Vermont Restaurant in Los Feliz. The owners are so friendly and they just hired a new chef who is fabulous. Also we especially like that it’s a walkable, although long, distance meaning we don’t feel guilty when we order dessert.
Available now at your favorite local Southern California independent bookstore:
