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Hi Ginger,
I’m thrilled you’ve agreed to answer questions about your debut picture book "Carmen's Sticky Scab" and about writing picture books in general.

--Hey, thanks for asking!

First, whatever inspired you to write about scabs?

--Well, as much as I would like to say that it filled a huge literary need, I was pretty much just going for laughs at a picture book class. I played with the idea of girl who couldn't sit still, but the only thing anyone in class cared about was that she had a scab she wanted to pick--it set off a whole scab discussion: worst scabs, best scabs, who eats scabs. So I wrote a story all about a girl and her scab just to make my class laugh. They did--loud and long. Voilà, the birth of "Carmen's Sticky Scab".

Could you tell us a little about Carmen and her friends?

--You bet. Carmen is an adventurous redhead prone to accidents and a bit of obsessive behavior. Her best friend, Molly, loves swimming and animal trivia and always keeps Carmen's best interests at heart--everything you want in a friend. And Andy, Carmen's nemesis, is a bit misunderstood but tends to get his way regardless.

What was your most interesting scab?

--I would have to say the one inside my mouth between my gums and my upper lip. While chewing a pen I accidentally sliced that little flap of skin that keeps your lip attached to your gums. This was in art class and though I was sick from pain I just kept my mouth shut--less mess that way. It never grew back properly so now I have extendable upper lip talents that most people only dream about.

So what is this I hear about scratch and sniff scabs?

--That was what my husband likes to call his brilliant idea for interactive illustrations. He also thought a lift-the-flaps type book would be fun. Um, where in the world did you hear about that? I obviously didn't learn how to keep my mouth shut well enough in art class.

You’ve taught writing classes online for InDepth writing. What advice would you give to aspiring picture book writers?

--Write to the children, not to their parents, librarians and principals. (Then hope you run into many parents, librarians, principals and publishers who love children and their perspective as much as you do.)

What do you see as the most common mistakes new picture book writers make?

--Thinking that writing a picture book is easy.
--Too (oooooooo) many words.
--Writing a picture book when they really want to write a novel.
--Not believing that every single word is important (even after I tell them).

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process?

--Absolutely. First, I come up with a character (name, age, gender, quirks). Second, I come up with their problem. Third, I brainstorm several ways they can try to solve their problem and get themselves into deeper trouble or create more problems (my characters don't like me very much sometimes). I pick the best of these and, fourth, come up with an ending that perfectly matches the problem put forth in the beginning. In writing a children's book I keep it true to a child's voice, make sure the action happens quickly and make sure every word earns its place on the page.

Does picking scabs put you on Santa’s naughty or nice list?

--Santa doesn't care so much about scabs as long as you don't intentionally cause them in other people. Truth be told though, he's willing to forgive a lot for white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies.

Is Santa an alien?

--Depends on who you ask. Oh, you're asking me? Fantastic that you brought it up, I have a fabulous middle-grade manuscript I could send you that would answer that exact question...

Who published "Carmen and the Stick Scab" and where can we find it?

--Tanglewood Books (bless them, praise them, shower them with love and money). You can link to them from my blog at gingerunplugged.blogspot.com or my website at www.gingerchurchill.com and also find links to locate an independent bookseller near you, Amazon.com, and Tanglewood's book distributor--National Book Network. You can also find it at Borders and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you so much Ginger.

--My pleasure. Thanks, Patty!

*If any of you have favorite scab stories, we’d love to hear them!