Tag Archive for Laura Sandoval Herrera

It’s Official! (But Whatever Happened to That Hat?)

August 7, 2026 / / One comment

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Somewhere between the first blush of inspiration and the final published book, there’s “the announcement.”

Agents, in particular, love the announcement. It’s the best advertisement they can feature. Because if you can sell a James Preller book, you can sell anything!

This ran in PW, I believe. As an author, I’m firmly in the camp that doesn’t particularly follow “the business.” I can see how having a handle on what sells and what’s hot can be good information. But, yeah, I’m not really into “industry news.”

I do, to varying degrees, at different times, try to stay abreast of the best books.

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The folks at PW have been using this old photo — gotta be 15 years old at least — in every announcement. Boy, do I miss that hat! It was a wonder! It used to sit right on top of my actual head!

And, yes, that actual head is a little weather-beaten these days. The Irish eyes have gotten smaller, the lips thinner, the hair grayer. The whole thing just, collectively, worse. Such is life.

So, yeah, fine. Keep using that ancient photo, folks!

Nonetheless, here is the latest nugget of good news. I’m very impressed by illustrator Fred Blunt, though I’ve only seen the process that led us to the cover. He has a loose, energetic style that feels just right for the story. It’s actually a little book about verbs but it’s been decided, probably wisely, not to tell readers that.

“Hey, Kids! I know you’ve all been clamoring for more books about Parts of Speech!” 

Maybe keep that on the down low. 

Anyway, I’m very glad to be publishing again for emergent readers. I first broke out in 1994 with Hiccups for Elephant and Wake Me In Spring, and I’ve long had a special affection for the easy-to-read genre. Tricky to write, or to get right, and the pay isn’t great. Now with my “. . . and a Moose!” series — the third book is coming out in 2027, Two Astronauts and a Moose — I feel like I have some good, new, inexpensive books on school visits for the PreK-K crowd o go along with the new “Bigfoot and Dodo” series, Jigsaw Jones, Scary Tales, the upcoming “Survival Code” books, plus the assortment of middle-grade titles I’ve done over the years: Blood Mountain, Bystander, etc. 

Just wait until you see my upcoming picture book, What Dogs Don’t Know. I’m really, really happy with that one! Illustrated by Laura Sandoval.  That’s coming in 2027, too.

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Category: the writing process / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Summer Hours, Publishing News, School Visits . . .

July 1, 2025 / / No comments

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It’s July 1. Boy, that happened fast. 

As the sole proprietor of James Preller Dot Com since May of 2008, possibly the longest continuously operated blog within spitting distance, I’ve learned that readership quiets down during the summer. 

This aligns with schools and the lives of teachers and librarians. 

So I kind of back off on content. You are out getting a tan anyway. 

But I actually keep working through the summer.

Here’s two pieces of news from Publishers Weekly:

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And also this, from further back:

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Exciting, right?

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I’ve got a 3rd “. . . And a Moose!” book coming out for early readers, Two Astronauts . . . and a Moose! And I believe I’ll be seeing copies of Two Ballerinas . . . and a Moose! any day now. 

 

 

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I’m going to write another Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, and those books are just pure entertainment. 

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And there are two more even bigger projects in the works (a graphic novel series and something else that’s super exciting in the very, very early stages of development — so hush that mouth, Jimmy). 

And all I can say is that I am grateful and proud to be survivor in this bunny-eat-bunny business. 

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Summer hours, indeed!

 

SCHOOL VISITS

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Yes, this is a great time for librarians and PTA members to start thinking about next year’s author visits. Calendars fill up, time flies. For me, I love beginning with a query and a phone call. I mean, there’s written information to find on the site. But it’s just warmer and easier if we can chat briefly and see if there’s a match. Or send an email to [email protected] and I’m happy to answer any questions. From there, we can go amiably forth!

I am fairly unique in the business because I have recently published, age-appropriate titles from PreK-8. Almost all of them in paperback at affordable prices. 

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While I do a majority of my visits in elementary schools (this past year brought me happily to Tulsa, OK!), I also get to a number of middle schools. During a June visit, we enjoyed “Cupcakes and Conversation” with a small group of students. The fabulous librarian, Rebecca Ekstrom, served these . . . 

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I think that’ s more than enough for today. Sorry for all the me, me, me context. Sometimes it has to be done.

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Oh, wait. 

I’m excited to see the paperback of Shaken, due sometime next year (hardcover available now). Bank Street named it one of the best books of 2025. 

I think they were right!

Ha.

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HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, FOLKS!

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Category: Musings, School Visits, The Survival Code / Tags: , , , , , , ,
 
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