Anastasia Suen - Developmental Editor

Video Animation and Photography
by Anastasia Suen (Author)

Booktalk: Easy to follow video and photography production makerspace projects using free and inexpensive software for library, classroom and home.

Yes, this is one of my books! A few weeks ago I discovered it was a Junior Library Guild January 2018 selection.

I also found this School Library Journal review of all the Make It! series books I wrote:

Make It! series review: “The projects in STEM activity books often function solely as concept demonstrations and do not result in durable, useful, or fun creations. By contrast, the five projects in each volume of this series are attractive (Lego monogram in Craft and Design), handy (DIY touch screen gloves in Circuitry), or undeniably cool . . . ” ~ School Library Journal

For the Video Animation and Photography book, the School Library Journal reviewer said:

“Video Animation and Photography is particularly good, quickly explaining key elements of filmmaking, such as action and reaction, establishing shots, and lighting while teaching good planning exercises that don’t overwhelm or take the fun out of the process.”

I was quite pleased that the reviewer called out the key elements that I teach in my online children’s book writing workshops. We don’t focus on lighting the scene when we write a children’s novel or a picture book, but all of the other key elements of a story apply.

As for planning exercises, using graphic organizers with questions (as a plotter) is how I tame the chaos that emerges after letting every word that comes to mind flow onto the page (as a panster) during a free write.

Yes, I am a tweener (a panster and a plotter). I always do both when I create something new. I need to try out ALL of my ideas before I narrow things down and try to fit it into a book. That’s how my creative process works.

Like Vanessa
by Tami Charles (Author)

Booktalk: In this semi-autobiographical debut novel, thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin watches as the first black Miss America is crowned. It’s 1983 in Newark, New Jersey, and Vanessa’s life is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with family, friendships, racism, and self-confidence. When a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and asks Vanessa to enter, Vanessa decides there’s no way. But with help from Pop Pop and her cousin TJ, Vanessa prepares for the challenge. Add in the neighborhood mean girl, a mysterious envelope addressed to Vanessa, and trying to make monthly ends meet, and eighth-grade is as stressful as it gets.

Snippet: The table is as festive as I can get it. In the center there’s a turkey I made out of paper towels, and beside each plate, I fold pieces of toilet paper into the shape of a feather. This is about as much Thanksgiving as I can create for what little we got.

If I had a mother, our Thanksgiving dinner table would look a lot different. There’d be no way that she would allow me to serve turkey-leg-shaped Spam balls. Mama would’ve roasted us a big turkey, even if she had to go to some remote woods and kill the dang thing herself. There would have been macaroni and cheese, collard greens with smoked ham hocks, and sweet-potato pie with a side of vanilla ice cream for dessert.