Self-Publishing Journeys

School of the Free Mind Student Spotlight: Sandra Gonzalez, Skillful & Soulful Press

When Matthew and I changed the format of our School to be independent study as well as more financially accessible, our hope was that folks would take full advantage of all the numerous materials to support them and their publishing endeavors. Publishing a children’s book, whether through traditional means or …

Self-publishing is a radical, powerful act.

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker I’ve met a lot of powerful children’s book makers over these past few years teaching The Heart of It: Creating Children’s Books that Matter. I decided from the beginning that whenever …

Falling, Fire and Fierce Creativity

The Release of Whaleheart and News of the Next Season at our School plus NEW BOOKS from the Community!

The Falling. It’s that delicious time of year when there’s a detectable shift in the seasons. I can feel the changing, the Falling, as everything around me shimmers through yet another of our eternal cycles. I’ve been craving this shift, longing for it. Today after a hot spell, the skies …

the story of Whaleheart

(....or how a wild idea became reality!)

I’ll never forget it. In February of last year I had this wild idea that I thought just might work…. It was at that critical mass moment right before the diversity conversation exploded in the children’s book world with assistance from the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign later that summer. Many of us …

Peace & Children’s Books

[Interviews with Students] the effects of Believing is Seeing 11 months later

[28 days ’till Daily Peace] Several students that I’ve worked with regularly over this last year are aspiring children’s book makers and yet our first time working with each other came through the  Believing is Seeing e-course. Because of how I approach children’s books, working with peace and how we …

From Manuscript to Thumbs to Final Art

The first ever Heart of It Collection children's book is beginning to manifest!

While my first Heart of It e-course officially ended back in May, that was by no means the end of the experience! Over twenty artistauthors decided to contribute to our first ever Heart of It collection children’s book. (The “official” title is yet to be decided.) Since the end of …

Join me for a Webinar this Thursday, March 20th!

Reflecting ALL Our Children: Creating Inclusive Children's Books

There’s always a lot of discussion about the lack of diversity in children’s books but what can we each do to begin changing these statistics? Join me for an informal discussion this Thursday, March 20th and let’s talk about ways we each can contribute to creating a more reflective and …

True to Your Self/Exploring Inner Knowing and Self-Trust

Claiming Face blog series with Maya Gonzalez - Part 3

Over the years I’ve had a lot of opportunity to reflect on my work and its development, particularly when I’m being interviewed. A clear pattern often develops between the interviewer and me. I’m always grateful for a really good interviewer, one who gives me myself. Over and over again I …

“You write beautifully but…

....there's no market for this"

Perhaps you’ve heard these words before when submitting a story? Or maybe, “this is a great story, but we already have a [insert community here] book.” What gets published, especially with larger publishing houses, is often driven by what the perceived market is for a story and less about the …

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