Update - Winner Announced! Head Back to School with Debbie Herman!

9/4: Congrats to Hilary Margitich  on winning Debbie Herman's giveaway! We'll be in touch soon with more details.

A special thanks to everyone who joined us for our Back-to-School event!

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Hi, readers, writers, and book lovers, too! You're in for a real treat today. We have Debbie Herman, author of Carla's Sandwich with us, sharing her newest adventure with Carla, Carla's Glasses. When Carla hears about vision tests at school, she hopes she doesn't pass - she would love a pair of glasses so she can stand out! But not her friend Buster who doesn't like being different. So, when Buster fails his eye test and is feeling blue, Carla devises a plan to help him fit in. Want to know more about Debbie, her new book Carla's Glasses, PLUS want a chance to win a copy of your own? Read on...

Q: Hi, Debbie! Thanks so much for joining us at #SeasonsOfKidLit for our Back-to-School event. We’re so excited to have you and hear more about you and your book, Carla’s Glasses that releases September 3rd! Can you share a little bit about yourself and how you became a children’s author?

A: Thank you! It’s great to “be here!”

I love creating - whether it’s writing or drawing, making videos or designing t-shirts. If it’s creative, I’m in!  So, I definitely have a bit (or probably a lot!) of Carla in me. I enjoy doing things just a little bit differently, and have an appreciation of the weird and wacky.

I got into writing from my mother. She's a published children's book author and she’s been writing ever since I was little. When she’d finish a chapter of a story she was working on, she'd gather my siblings and me together and she'd read to us what she wrote. We loved that! Sometimes she'd ask us for our opinions – like what a character's name should be, or what should happen next.

So writing is in my blood. When I was very little (according to my mother), I'd flip through the pages of a picture book and “read” the story aloud based on the illustrations. When I was a little older – and this I remember well – I would make up impromptu stories and my mother would type them out on her typewriter. Eventually, I was filling notebooks with stories. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to write children’s books. 

Q: In Carla’s Glasses, Carla loves being different and standing out! When it’s time for a vision test at school, she hopes she doesn’t pass so she can be the only student with glasses in her class. Her friend Buster, doesn’t want to be different, and hopes he passes. But, when Buster fails and Carla sees how blue he is, she devises a plan to cheer him up.

This is such a cute story about accepting differences and true friendship! Where did the inspiration for this story come from? 

A: Thank you! The inspiration came when I was getting glasses for the first time, a number of years after writing Carla's Sandwich. I went to a store in the neighborhood that was filled with cool and funky frames, and I said to myself, "Carla would love this place!" And the story started forming in my head.

At first, it was going to be a very different story, where Carla herself needed glasses. But in the end, I flipped it on its head, and even though it’s called Carla’s Glasses, it’s really Buster who needs them. With this story line, I was able to focus on another trait of Carla–her caring, kindness, and creative problem-solving abilities!

Q: What makes Carla’s Glasses an important read, especially for those headed back to school? What do you hope young readers take away from it?

A: I hope they'll take away the message of looking out for friends and classmates, of being empathetic and finding ways to help them. I’d also like them to learn that while kids can be different from you (maybe they like to blend in while you like to stand out!) these differences should be appreciated.

We love that message!

PS Readers, check out these amazing illustrations by illustrator Shelia Bailey!

Q: What's a tip you have for writers who are looking for story inspiration but might be stuck?

A: Well, a common question I’m asked is where do I get my ideas from? My answer is anywhere and everywhere. My antennae are always up, on the lookout for ideas. They can come from experiences, memories, interesting articles, or something someone might say. Almost no conversation occurs between my mother, brother (also a children's book author) and me, which doesn't at some point include the sentence, "That's a great idea for a book!"

Your "antennae are always up" is probably the BEST way I've heard this described. Thanks for sharing!

Q: What other books of yours can we check out ASAP? 

A: Carla's Sandwich, of course!

And Rosie Saves the World.

Rosie can't wait to start doing good deeds to save the world. But as she helps the people in her neighborhood, she is soon so busy saving the world that she doesn't have time for her own family! It turns out, though, that the greatest acts of tikkun olam—repairing the world—start in her own home.

BONUS QUESTION: What was your favorite thing about heading back to school as a child? 

A: School supplies! As much as I hated the thought of summer vacation ending and school starting again, there was something fun about buying new school supplies – binders, pencil cases, markers, and more! I also enjoyed the first day of school. It was  fun seeing kids I hadn’t seen all summer, finding out who my new teachers were, and using said school supplies. There was always something exciting about it. Unfortunately, that feeling never lasted longer than one day.

Thanks again for joining us, Debbie! It was a pleasure having you and learning more about you and your books, especially your new release, Carla's Glasses.

Readers, want to know what we thought of Debbie's book? You can find our reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Q: Would you like to leave a treat for our readers?

Yes! Flashlight Press is giving away a copy of my book to one lucky reader.

What a sweet treat! Thanks Flashlight Press, and thanks again for joining us, Debbie!

Giveaway Instructions: Readers, to enter this giveaway please 1) like and share/RT this post on social media and 2) thank Debbie and Flashlight Press for stopping by and for their neat treat! You'll get an extra entry for each place this is shared so let us know where it was shared, too. Back-to-School themed GIFs are appreciated and welcomed.

Giveaway winners will be drawn and announced on or about 8/30!

Note: Books will be shipped in the US only. Winners must have a US address.

About Debbie Herman:

Debbie Herman is a writer and editor living in Jerusalem. She is the author of several books for children, including Carla’s Sandwich. She hopes to save the world one book at a time.

For more about Debbie and her books, you can visit her website at debbieherman.com or find her on X/Twitter at @debbiebherman.

To purchase Debbie's books on Amazon or to leave a review for them, click here.

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