O U R
L A T E S T
OBSESSIONS OUR EDITORS’ MOST RECENT FINDS WILL HAVE YOU HOOKED, TOO
SCULPTING STORIES Linda Ashman weaves magical tales for kids
W
PHOTO BY AMY STERN PHOTOGRAPHY
ritten in harmonious verse, Linda’s fanciful stories explore a diverse array of plots and themes. Her most recent release, “Rock-a-Bye Romp,” reimagines the familiar lullaby by taking baby on an adventure. Linda says she enjoys reading this tale to enthusiastic audiences. “I’ve heard laughter at the wilder parts and ‘Awww’ on the final page when the baby’s snug in bed,” Linda says. Having produced more than 30 children’s books, Linda shared with Assistant Editor Laura Zolman Kirk how she does it. “Book ideas come from all sorts of different places, but the stories themselves seem to begin the same way – as a shapeless lump. The challenge is, always, how to turn that amorphous lump into a story that works as a picture book. Many books – like ‘Henry Wants More!’ and ‘Hey, Coach!’ – were inspired by my son Jackson when he was young. Others – like ‘All We Know’ and ‘Castles, Caves and Honeycombs’ – came out of my interest in animals and the natural world. Sometimes, I want to explore an idea visually – like the contagiousness of moods in ‘Rain!’ or the concept of exclusion in ‘No Dogs Allowed!’ And at least once, I’ve stolen an idea from someone else’s life: ‘Samantha on a Roll’ was inspired by my husband’s disastrous attempt to skateboard down a very steep hill when he was a kid (I gave Samantha’s adventure a much happier ending).”
I SPY CHAPEL HILL Linda and her family moved to town four years ago, and she couldn’t help but be inspired by her new surroundings. The publication process is such that stories with connections to her life here have not yet been published, but be on the lookout for the local highlights to come in “Will’s Winter Nap” (2017) and “When the Storm Comes” (2018), both inspired by Chapel Hill’s unruly weather patterns.
28
chapelhillmagazine.com July/August 2016
Linda’s books have been included in yearly best book lists by The New York Times and Parenting magazine.