Fall is my favorite season. Apple harvest is here! Fresh-from-the-tree apples are so yummy! I wanted to take advantage of the new crops to dehydrate some apples for tasty treats later this winter.
I purchased two boxes of apples (Honeycrisp and Golden) from a friend who is also a farmer. They were harvested the night before I met her to get them. Very fresh!
Wash. Slice. Spread out.
Add to the dehydrator and plug it in. I don’t add anything to keep them from browning. They do great without that step. I keep the peel on as well.
My tiny dehydrator has four small circle trays, but the results are just fine. I don’t have to slice apples for hours to fill it. I get a break, then repeat the next day. (And the next and the next . . . because I have two boxes.)
Cash (left) and Cowboy LOVE apple harvest season! They get the cores. I am currently a favorite person.
Here is batch one. Not all of them, but a pretty bowl full to show you. I store them in gallon zip bags or gallon lidded jars. And later, when I need a snack and taste of summer during the cold dreary days of winter, all I have to do is pop open a container and munch away.
Happy book birthday, Doll Trouble! Congratulations, Kim and Natasa, on your new picture book! I can’t wait to see this book in person!
NOTE: Clavis Publishing Inc. has agreed to send a copy of Doll Trouble (US & Canada only) to one reader who comments on this blog post by September 22 (one week from today)! Be sure to read to the end and comment to get your name in the hat. You will also find other ways to get bonus entries!! Be sure to let us know what you do so we can get the correct number of entries for you.
More importantly, Kim Larson is joining us today to celebrate this special book release. Welcome, Kim!
Tell us about your writing journey.
I wrote as a hobby for many years. Then in 2010, I was laid off after a 23-year career in mortgage lending. It had always been my secret dream to write full-time, and with our two sons almost grown, my husband gave me his blessing to pursue it. I took three creative writing classes at the same college my son attended, then started a critique group that met in my home for many years. I went on to publish twelve short stories and poems in regional anthologies and penned a few picture books along the way. However, it wasn’t until I stumbled onto a local SCBWI writing group in 2018 that I switched to writing for children exclusively.
You really put in the work and effort, Kim! Writing for children takes a lot of work.
What was your inspiration for Doll Trouble?
I fondly remember my favorite childhood doll named Teresa, and I often wish I still had her. Being the oldest of five siblings, my toys rarely “lived” to see old age. Between a house full of kids and a particularly destructive brother, I spent a lot of my childhood figuring out how to keep loving my dolls after they ended up with missing limbs or shaved heads. Those early lessons in empathy—learning to love something even when it isn’t “perfect”—became the emotional heart of this story.
But the specific spark for Doll Trouble really ignited when I watched the kids next door playing while their dad mowed the lawn. It took me back to a childhood memory of my cousin, who tragically lost several toes in a lawnmower accident. I wanted to weave those two worlds together: creating a narrative that celebrates the resilience of a well-loved toy, while gently alerting children to the very real dangers of lawnmowers.
This is a great story spark! Lawnmowers are helpful, but also dangerous for small children (and toys).
Tell me about your publishing experience with Clavis. Were you involved with the illustrator at all?
I submitted this story to Clavis Publishing on December 3, and just seventeen days later, I received an email stating they wanted to publish it! Working with Clavis has been a uniquely international experience. Because they are based in Belgium, the book actually made its debut in Dutch first under the title Mijn pop voor altijd (My Doll Forever), which was a fun collaborative process working alongside a translator and editor.
When it came to the artwork, it immediately reminded me of the movie James and the Giant Peach, an absolute favorite of mine during my boys’ younger years. When the publisher asked me to comment on the initial sketches, my only minor note was that the doll needed to look a bit more physically damaged—she had been run over by a lawnmower, after all! Natasa took that feedback and did a wonderful job balancing the humor and emotion of Emma’s worn-out doll. The final illustrations are just beautiful and perfectly capture the soul of the book.
I love this! The illustrations do have the feel of James and the Giant Peach. And how fun to have it publish in Belgium!
I’ve seen that you’ve been busy promoting Doll Trouble at elementary schools. Tell me about that experience. Do you have any plans to do more visits?
I was incredibly blessed to receive a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, which supported me financially as I embarked on a presentation tour across the state. I visited 15 public schools and delivered 47 interactive, 30-minute PowerPoint presentations to elementary students.
During these workshops, I used a practical “5 Ws and How” framework to teach kids the foundational building blocks of storytelling. We examined snippets from various picture books as mentor texts to show examples of each. It was an absolute joy to watch the students’ eyes light up as they identified these elements and at the end we created a story together. (You can check out photos from these amazing school visits on my website!)
Because I was able to share Doll Trouble early with so many students during the spring tour, I don’t have additional elementary visits scheduled for this fall. Right now, I’m focusing my energy on book launch events and finishing a first draft of my middle grade novel!
This is amazing! How cool that you were supported by a state grant!
Do you have any tips you would give to a new picture book author or illustrator?
Never stop learning. Never give up. And never lose your joy in writing. Staying actively connected with other creators in the KidLit community is the absolute best way to accomplish all three. The children’s writing community is uniquely encouraging, helpful, and supportive of one another. Connecting with fellow writers truly makes the creative journey so much more fun.
All true! This is a good reminder for me.
Surprise us! What else would you like to share?
On a more serious note related to the theme of the book, here’s a sobering safety fact from Mercyone.org:
“Each year, nearly 10,000 children are injured by lawn mowers, with 9,000 of those children needing to go to the emergency department. These injuries are one of the most common causes of amputations in children. Despite increased mower safety specifications and requirements, lawn mower injury incidence rates have remained essentially unchanged for the past 40 years.”
My hope is that Doll Trouble can open the door for parents and educators to have a lighthearted but important conversation about outdoor safety. Families can find great, practical lawnmower safety tips on their website.
This is a good reminder and warning about lawnmower safety. Thank you!
Thank you for visiting today, Kim! Congratulations on the book birthday of Doll Trouble! Hooray!!
Author Bio
Kim A. Larson is the children’s book author of Doll Trouble (Clavis Publishing, 2026) and Goat’s Boat Won’t Float (The Little Press, 2024). She’s a recipient of the SCBWI Ann Whitford Paul Award and multiple grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Lake Region Arts Council. She writes to entertain, educate, and foster a lifelong love of reading in children through stories that are warm, humorous, and full of heart. Kim lives in Minnesota, and when she’s not writing, you may find her working in her garden or playing Sequence with her husband.
Clavis Publishing is offering a copy of Doll Trouble (US & Canada only) to one lucky winner! Comment below for a chance to win. Please let us know if you share this post on social media and I’ll enter your name for an extra chance to win. This opportunity is open until Tuesday, September 22!
Here’s my social media handles to tag me, if you would please. (And publisher.)
One of the grands loves creating and spending time outside dinking around. This summer she asked permission to make a fairy house and garden in my potted lavender. I like fairy gardens, seeing kids use their imaginations, and watching them be involved outside, plus this is right where we would benefit from some nice garden decor! Yes, please, create away!
This is fairy house location number 1. Sadly, the lavender did not want a fairy house and/or garden in the pot. So, the grand had to relocate to a more fairy house friendly neighborhood.
Below is the artist at work at fairy house and garden location number 2. Sunflowers don’t care. They make excellent tall trees for fairy houses and gardens. And shade for the construction workers. Plus. Big leaves and strong stalks for walls and a roof!
Garden shears in hand, additional permission was granted to gather leaves and thick stems. Add rocks, water, dirt, and shells, and utilize existing cement blocks and nature protection from sunflowers and potted plants. Excellent ideas.
Et voila!
We were instructed to water carefully to avoid damaging the new location. We followed the instructions very well. But the leaves dried up, the wind blew, and the stalks fell over.
Never fear though. Miss Architect visited regularly to repair and rearrange the fairy house and garden.
She even established a bathing pool across the brick patio in the cement bird bath/waterer. I missed grabbing a photo of this when it was otherwise occupied by one of the fairy residents.
Imagination. Nature. Plenty of loose parts. Equals the best childhood!
I’m afraid to say that the fairy house might have to migrate south for the winter to escape snow and ice. But we shall see how mild or tough the winter is. Until then, we might consider charging a tiny bit of rent. ;0
Written by Angie Quantrell, Illustrated by Gayle West
Woman’s Missionary Union, 2026
I was honored to write this book with Woman’s Missionary Union. As many of you know, writing may be done alone, but it takes a team to make an idea and manuscript into the best version of itself it can be. I had such a huge team of collaborators who offered feedback and suggestions, from WMU friends and co-workers to preschool leaders to publishing experts to critique partners to the North American Missions Board (NAMB) and the International Missions Board (IMB). I think I counted at least 38 people who read and commented (some multiple times) during the writing and revision process of What is a Church? Thank you to all! What an amazing community! I appreciate every one of you!
One fun tidbit about What is a Church? is how we sourced the photos used in the illustration process. We reached out to NAMB and IMB asking for photos of churches. Not only church buildings, but the people who made up the churches. We wanted to show that church is not just a building (though that is certainly one use of the word “church”), but a church is the people! And people can gather anywhere in the name of Jesus as a church. That is exactly what we hoped to portray in this picture book, and the photos Gayle used (and did her special process on them to make them appear like paintings) showcase people all over the world meeting together to worship God, learn about the Bible, and fellowship with others who love Jesus. Not everyone meets in a church building! I love that!
I’ll leave you with a “book in the wild” sighting. Nova took a break from water and rock play in Nana’s garden to have a look and a listen. She loves books!
Despite my recent lack of much blogging, I have been filling my days with words and more words and even photos and illustrations! Most of the words have been in my head, at my fingertips, scribbled on paper scraps, sitting in Notes on my phone, and spread throughout various Word docs filling my computer. Haha!
I’m excited to announce the cover reveal of my newest picture book, What is a Church?
Published by Woman’s Missionary Union (2026), What is a Church? has been beautifully illustrated with a variety of photos from around the world! Gayle West did an amazing job turning photos into painting-like images.
What is a Church? is written with preschoolers in mind. As the youngest audience for books, preschoolers enter the world of “church” with few preconceived understandings of church, other than they go with their family, they see (eventually) familiar faces, and spend time playing, singing, and hearing Bible stories. What is a Church? will help preschoolers understand that church is a happy place and going to church is a part of God’s plan for their lives. Not only that, but preschoolers can begin to understand that they can go to church and be a part of the church too! Because church is not just a building. The church is made up of people-the family of God!
As one can imagine, there were all sorts of readers and comments and revising and updating. It truly takes a community, and I have a fabulous community to walk beside me. Here’s a giant THANK YOU! to everyone who contributed or assisted in any way to help bring What is a Church? to life!
What? It’s Make a Friend Day! How awesome it is to have friends as we travel our life’s journey!
After I ripped off the previous day from my days of the year calendar (Read in the Bathtub Day), I was excited to see today is for friends. I started thinking about things I like to do with my friends. Rubber stamp, hike, explore, share meals, find quaint teashops, travel, talk, take photos (oh, so many photos), learn new things, laugh, go on adventures, fellowship at church, study the Bible. My list is pretty long. Mostly anything I like to do, I can enjoy it twice as much when I do it with friends. My friends list also includes the ones closest to me, like my honey, my kids, my grands, and my extended family.
Pondering the joy of having friends, I thought about preschoolers and how they are just beginning to learn and practice the social skills needed to make and maintain friendships. Parents, grandparents, childcare providers, and early childhood educators, you know what I’m talking about. It takes work, grace, apologies, squabbles, conversations, and time spent repeating all those things!
If I were a preschooler making a friend, I would want to do things with my new friend. Stomp in mud puddles, chase butterflies, build giant block houses (knock them down), create masterpieces with messy craft supplies, make believe in our imaginary world, slurp drippy ice cream. And much more.
Make a Friend Day. Do you have anyone in mind? What do you like to do with friends? Let’s do this, friends!
It’s been a minute or two since I’ve posted. So Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Hope the time you spent with family and friends was beautiful and blessed.
December was exceptionally busy, and January is off to the same start. But you’ll be happy to know that so far I’ve gotten the year correct when I’ve needed to write it down. 2026! If this year goes as fast as 2025, I better start practicing writing 2027, because I’ll need it next week.
I’m just back from an enriching trip to Birmingham, Alabama. (This year I made it, unlike last year when an ice storm in Birmingham sent me back home from Denver.) I went for the January Board Meeting at National Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), but it was anything but boring. It was inspiring and filled with great connections, ideas, discussions, planning, information, and fun. Loads of fun! And good food.
I still haven’t landed on a word of the year. But I did read this verse today on K-love, and I think it might be a great focus verse for 2026.
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” -Ephesians 3:20 NLT
I think that will set up my year quite nicely.
We’ve had an unusually warm and weird winter. One mild snow event, bucket loads of rain, warm weather, foggy sock-ins, and that’s about it. Well, maybe wind and occasional frosty mornings. My daffodils are coming up. Pansies are still blooming, and buds are appearing on a variety of plants. The good news is that the reservoirs are filling with water from all the mountain rain, which will be helpful this summer.
Forward and on! Hoping you have a fantabulous 2026!
This adorable board book is just perfect for Thanksgiving AND any other day of the year when we want to express thanks to someone we meet. As you can tell by the cover, this is not a Thanksgiving book, yet I can see how fun it would be to share it with little readers to give them ideas of how to tell (and show) others thank you. As far as the rest of the year, The Thank You Book is just right.
Colorful illustrations and simple text come together in a delightful package. The rhymes roll easily off the tongue, making it fun to read aloud. From the back cover:
Thanking is easy. Thanking is fun. Can you find a way to thank someone? This lovely book shows us all the ways we can be thankful!
I love how we read about not only ways to say thank you with words, but ways to say (and show) thanks in other ways.
So to you, my readers, thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate you!!
