Writing for Joy, Opening Doors to Community, and Hannukah Pajamakkahs with Author Dara Henry

Please welcome Dara Henry to this episode of Getting to the Heart of Why We Write! Her latest picture book, Hanukkah Pajamakkahs is out at a store near you now. 

It was so fun hearing about her community involvement and the connections and joy within the writing community. I hope you enjoy!

Author Dara Henry

Some Highlights:

The doors that open when you find your writing community.

Sharing rejections to celebrate actively querying.

Taking a break when facing obstacles. What would we do if we didn’t write?

Writing for joy, connection, readers, reflection, and celebration.

The value of patience. It’s something to exercise and work on–it’s a slow process.

Writing the words to write. Not every manuscript has to be published because all writing is purposeful–every bit improves our stories.

Love of pajamas.

Links Mentioned🔗:

Dara’s website

Dara on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

The 12×12 Picture Book Challenge

Kidlit 411

PBSOAR24 on Twitter and Instagram

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

Read Across America

Book Recommendations📚:

Hanukkah Pajamakkahs by Dara Henry, illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov on Bookshop, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

The Imposter by Laura Bower, illustrated by Kerisa Greene

Call Your Mother by Tracy C. Gold, illustrated by Vivan Mineker

The World-Famous Nine by Ben Guterson

Author Dara Henry

Thank you, Dara, for talking with me and thank you, listener, for being here! Stay tuned for the next episodes with authors Ellen Levanthal and Jena Benton. And listen to your favorites in the meantime! This interview with author Vivian Kirkfield is one of my all-time favorites.

Gina is a professional ghostwriter with over three years of experience and special expertise in content marketing. Her narrative nonfiction short story, “Bullet Hole,” was published November 2019 in Potato Soup Journal and again in their spring 2020 anthology of favorites. She has written for Imperfectly Perfect Mama, Thrive Global, Property Onion, and more. She is an active member of SCBWI and 12x12 Picture Book Challenge.
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