1.22.2019: Strive to Fail

January 22, 2019 Anica Rissi

Writing about Writing (and Talking about It Too)

I wrote a piece for the February 2019 issue of The Writer magazine (on newsstands now) called Strive to Fail (published online as Six Counterintuitive Goals to Shake Up Your Writing Routine), in which I suggest some attainable—and perhaps surprising—objectives to set, such as Aim Lower, Seek Rejection, Slack Off, and Read Terrible Books, to aid in the pursuit of your writerly ambitions.

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with author Mindy McGinnis for her podcast, Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire. We discussed redirecting anxiety into creativity; writing across age categories; the nuts, bolts, and vulnerabilities of publishing personal essays; and more. You can stream or download the episode here, or find it on your favorite podcast app.

I’ve been spending January away from social media, burrowing deep into my YA draft (and giving Anna, Banana book 8 a final polish), and exploring nearby trails with my favorite pup, Arugula. Here’s a photo from a recent adventure:

Happy trails to you, too!

1.13.2018: Picture-Book Revision Tips

January 13, 2018 Anica Rissi

From Promising to Polished

I wrote a piece for the January 2018 issue of The Writer magazine (out now!) about how to revise a picture-book manuscript. In it, I share my best tips, tricks, questions, and approaches to keep in mind as you play and experiment with your draft. To read a PDF of the article, click here.

Speaking of picture books, this week I got to see early sketches for Watch Out for Wolf!, my 2019 picture book with Charles Santoso, and I squealed louder than Pigbert—or Piggle, Piggleton, Piggit, or Piggums, for that matter. I can't wait for you to meet all five little piggies (and Wolf, of course) when the book comes out next April. As soon as I'm allowed to share a peek of the cover and interiors, I will. (If you'd like to add the book on Goodreads, you'll find it here.)

In the meantime, I'm finishing up revisions on Anna, Banana, and the Sleepover Secret (book seven in the series, coming in October), drafting what I hope will be my next YA novel, and trying to contain my nerves and excitement as advance reader copies of Always Forever Maybe make their way into the hands of booksellers and reviewers. Some fun news: In addition to the hardcover and ebook editions coming in June, HarperCollins will also publish Always Forever Maybe as an audiobook! (Available for pre-order now, wherever you like to purchase books.) Huge thanks to the B&N Teen blog for including Always Forever Maybe on their list 21 of Our Most Anticipated Debuts of 2018. They said: "This is a story about first love, sweet until it turns bitter....Rissi has a deft touch on a heavy topic, addressing abuse while still managing to infuse this meaty debut with romance, real #BFF goals, and dashes of humor."

And here are some photos of my dog with her new teddy bear.

8.31.2017: Extra, Extra! Read All About It

August 31, 2017 Anica Rissi

It was an author dream come true to see The Teacher's Pet recommended in the New York Times last weekend, along with four other fun back-to-school picture books. If you missed the review, here it is:

Meanwhile, my dog, Arugula, was delighted to find herself on the cover of the the Princeton Echo. Dan Bauer wrote a lovely profile on us (and my books) for the September issue, which you can read online here.

If you'd like to see me in person, rather than in print, please come to one of my many September events. I will be doing a The Teacher's Pet story time and launch party (with prosecco, homemade cookies, and cheese!) at Community Bookstore in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Sunday, September 10th, at 11am. On Saturday, September 16th, you'll find me on the Picture Book Stage at the Brooklyn Book Festival Children's Day at 11:30am, and at the Back to School Picture Book Bonanza (together with many other picture-book creators!) at Books of Wonder from 1-3pm. I'll be at the Princeton Children's Book Festival in Princeton, NJ, on Saturday, September 23rd, and the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA, this coming weekend (see my schedule, below). For more details on any of these events (and more coming up!), please visit the public events page of my website.

Happy back to school, happy start of fall, and happy reading!

3.31.2017: Book news! More Bananas

March 31, 2017 Anica Rissi

March comes in like a lion, goes out like Bananas....

I'm pleased as punch to get to write two more books in the Anna, Banana series (books seven and eight!). Thank you to all the readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents whose support is making this possible. And thanks to illustrator Meg Park, editrix Alexa Pastor, agent Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, designer Laurent Linn, and the whole fabulous team at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. I'm having a lot of fun creating these stories and can't wait to see where the adventures lead next!

Here's the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace:

The first four books in the series will soon be available in Danish as well. Here are the covers for the first two translations, coming from Carlsen publishers in May 2017. Google tells me the titles translate to "Enemies" and "One, Two, Many." Please tell all your friends in Denmark!

There's still time to preorder book five, Anna, Banana, and the Little Lost Kitten, which comes out in hardcover, paperback, and ebook on May 2nd. You can find it online at Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, Target, BAM, and iTunes, or ask for it at your local bookstore or library. Thanks for your support! Here's Rooga reviewing the first typeset pages: