Creator Chat: Keila V. Dawson
It started with a dare!
This time on Creator Chat I’m welcoming picture book author Keila V. Dawson. Keila is the author of many picture books including The King Cake Baby* and Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book*. And she is the co-editor of No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change* and No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History*.
Read on to find out how Keila’s career started with a dare, her advice about learning more about the industry, and building your writing community (a subject near to my heart).
Welcome to Creator Chat, Keila! Tell us about your background and how you became an author.
Thanks for having me on your blog, Christine.
My road to writing began with a dare! On a gal pal trip, my friend Jacquie asked each of us to name something on our “bucket list”. I said I’d always wanted to write a children’s book and laughed at her Nike response, “Just do it”. But I didn't have a story idea. A few months later during Carnival, I couldn’t find a baby to hide inside a king cake I baked. And shouted into the universe, “Where’d you run off to, baby? It’s not a king cake without a baby!” And that night I wrote the first draft of my runaway tale, The King Cake Baby, set in my hometown of New Orleans.
It was a sloppy copy based on my memory of the Gingerbread Man story. I knew nothing about writing a manuscript, so I found a local writer’s group to join, took some online classes and became a member of SCBWI. Thanks to mentors, I learned a lot about the craft and how to submit to publishers. And to my delight, the first story I’d ever written, sold within months.
What would you go back and tell your beginner-writer self if you could?
We are often told once your manuscript sells, write the next story. But I also think it’s important to learn and engage in the business side of the industry. Ask publishers what they plan to do to promote and market your book. Ask yourself what you can do, too. Some would say selling the first manuscript I wrote in under six months is a blessing, but I knew little about the industry or agenting, promotion, marketing, what a publisher does, or what was expected of me. I didn’t know about opportunities to connect with readers or gatekeepers. So, in hindsight, while searching for that next story idea, I would have paid as much attention to the business side of the industry as the creative side of writing.
“…in hindsight, while searching for that next story idea, I would have paid as much attention to the business side of the industry as the creative side of writing.’” - Keila V. Dawson
What’s been the most rewarding moment of your creative career so far?
It’s hard to pinpoint one moment, so I’ll use the collective “moment in time” to describe what’s been most rewarding for me. Throughout my writing journey, I’ve connected with other writers, writing communities, and, of course, readers. Collaborating with Lindsay H. Metcalf and Jeanette Bradley on our poetry anthologies No Voice Too Small, No World Too Big, and the forthcoming No Brain the Same has been extremely rewarding to both my creativity and my lifelong goal of advocating for young people. And I would not have connected with them if I didn’t engage with our wonderful children’s writers’ communities.
And readers would not have discovered my books if I didn’t learn from others about what makes a story worthy of a child’s interest and curiosity. Being nominated for and having won awards and stars, and landing on “best of” lists is a testament to craft, but seeing my books selected for Reader’s Choice Awards by children validates my purpose as a writer—sharing stories that kids believe matter.
What three pieces of advice would you give any creators hoping to get published?
1. Join a critique group. I’ve learned from having my work critiqued by other picture book writers and by critiquing their work, too. I enjoy the revision process and always consider how ideas from others can make a project more accessible to the audience I’m writing for. And critiquing the work of others is another way of seeing examples of word choice, structure, page turns, dialogue, voice, leaving room for the illustrator, etc—and think about what’s working and isn’t working and why.
2. Connect with the kidlit community. There are many wonderful children’s writing communities that offer free and paid memberships. Take advantage of free opportunities to hone your craft by participating in Tara Lazar’s annual Storystorm, the Nonfiction Ninja’s NF Fest, Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday and Create Engaging School Visits, to name a few. Sign up for newsletters and seasoned writer’s blog posts like Kidlit411 to stay current. If you’re able to join a paid community, SCBWI, 12x12 Challenge, Storyteller Academy, The Writing Barn, and The Writer’s Loft offer craft webinars. Re-energize by attending conferences and writing retreats. Susanna Hill’s Making Picture Book Magic is a perfect class for beginners. Don’t just join, engage!
3. Learn how the industry works and how to work in the industry. Writers are entrepreneurs who need to juggle writing, negotiating contracts with publishers, agents, schools, other organizations, and making appearances. Finding your balance will help you decide where to focus your energy.
“Don’t just join, engage!” - Keila V. Dawson
Do you have any rituals (eg light a candle, make tea, go for a walk) that help you get a creative session started?
Nowadays, when I get an idea, I often think about it for a long-long, long-long, long time before I write a first draft. I have to work it out in my head before I put anything resembling my thoughts on paper. I consider myself a slow writer who does a lot of revisions before subbing. But for the first time, I pitched a story, got the thumbs up, and wrote a draft in a month that’s with my editor now. You just have to follow the muse!
Is there something else creative that you’d like to learn how to do? (e.g. illustrate books, play an instrument, embroidery etc.)
I’m learning how to use Canva. I like how making graphics, IG stories, and video shorts mix creativity with promotion. And to me, that’s a win-win.
Any 2024 goals you’d like to share?
Lindsay, Jeanette and I are in deadline mode editing text for No Brain the Same: Young Neurodivergent Activists Shaping Our Future. That book releases in 2026.
My 2024 book tour schedule is filling up! I’m excited about going to the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University to share Yumbo Gumbo* with young readers in March! I subbed a proposal along with Katey Howes and Carrie Tillotson to return in June to present to the joint NCTE-NCTM conference using that title to show how to use literature in mathematics and or ELA lessons, so I’m hoping for an acceptance to that, too.
Thank you for joining me today, Keila!
Keila V. Dawson is a former educator who writes fiction and nonfiction picture books. A two-time Ohioana finalist, her books have been nominated for awards, featured on the many best books and state reading lists. She is a coeditor of No World Too Big: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, a companion title to the award-winning title, No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, and the forthcoming No Brain the Same: Young Neurodivergent Activists Shaping Our Future. She is the author of The King Cake Baby, Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book, and Yumbo Gumbo. A native of New Orleans, Dawson has also lived and worked in states from coast to coast, and abroad in the Philippines, Japan, and Egypt. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Find out more about her and her books at www.keiladawson.com.
Follow Keila on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X/, and Bluesky.
P.S. links marked with a * are affiliate and may earn me a small percentage of the sale at no cost to you.
We're all happy you accepted that dare!