​We are ecstatic to have YA author Brittney Morris on our blog today! Read more about her upcoming young adult book, THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA.
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KLiC: What was your inspiration for THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA? 

Brittney Morris: As a gentle parent breaking cycles of trauma in my own family, I’ve done a lot of unlearning what I’ve was taught as a daughter—that parents should get their way because they’re bigger and stronger (and in my case, louder) than you, that unconditional love means abandoning your own boundaries no matter the cost, and that biological family is the only family you need. I’ve been teaching my son that he owes me nothing, that no one is entitled to a breach of his boundaries (family or not), and that found family is sometimes the strongest bond one can find in the known universe. Any of these things could’ve inspired a book in me, but somehow they all came together to inspire just one.
 
KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 

BM: I like to keep my writing process simple and straightforward: Swift drafting, slow editing. I take about 24 hours to outline the entire book on one page, using a bullet point for each chapter. Then I write the first draft faster than my inner editor can keep up. I can’t hit the backspace button if I don’t give myself time to. Once I get notes back on my first draft, that’s when the slow, methodical, increasingly precise dissection happens. That’s the hardest part for me. I sold this book on option, so it sold in a matter of weeks.
 
KLiC: What kind of research did you do for THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA? What’s the one thing you want teens to take away from your book?

BM: Well for one, I watched both Mamma Mia and The Godfather 1, 2, and 3, none of which I’d seen before. For Tuesday’s POV, I listened to a lot of early 2000s pop-punk and top 40 music and really tried to immerse myself in my own childhood—remembering how driving directions were printed, how we would rush home from school to catch our favorite shows before streaming existed, and how we didn’t have the language to articulate or even recognize gaslighting, stonewalling, or narcissistic behavior in general, especially in our own parents. Zinnia’s POV is much more enlightened about such behaviors, thanks to the prolificness of search engines, social media, and widespread access to and endorsement of therapy and self-care. But they also cause her distress. I think with so many overwhelming reminders that we could be improving our lives with therapy, self-care, emotional maturity, and striving to be a better human, there’s pressure on teens today like never before. If there’s one thing to take away, it’s that it’s okay to pursue quiet. Ease. Simplicity. The average life. It’s okay to be just okay at something—at everything, really. No matter how much social media would have you believe you’re being graded on this stuff, the grading system is mostly made up, and your happiness is what matters most.
 
KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?
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BM: “Write what you love” is a cliche for a reason. Don’t worry about writing what sells. Worry about what lights you up. When your passion shows up on the page, the market will meet you.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brittney Morris is the author of SLAY, The Cost of Knowing, and The Jump, and has written video game narrative for Insomniac Games’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for PlayStation 5, Unknown Worlds’s Subnautica: Below Zero, and Soma Games’s The Lost Legends of Redwall. She is the founder and former president of the Boston University Creative Writing Club. She holds a BA in economics. You can find her online at AuthorBrittneyMorris.com and on X or Instagram.
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Find out more about This Book Might be About Zinnia here.

Book Release News for GOAL SETTING IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM: BUILDING STUDENT AGENCY, INDEPENDENCE, AND SUCCESS

​Book Description 

Goal setting is an integral part of life. But when and how do we teach this important skill to students? And how can we do so in ways that are engaging, rewarding, and nestled into our other priorities in the writing classroom?

In Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success, Valerie Bolling breathes new life into the work of goal setting with students. Bolling guides teachers, step by step, through helping students set goals, monitor progress, revise (and sometimes even abandon!) goals, and celebrate their achievements along the way. Moreover, Bolling illustrates how teachers, themselves, can set their own goals so that they are learning alongside their students and serving as models for them.

Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom draws on Valerie Bolling’s experiences as a teacher, instructional coach, and children's book author to offer relevant and engaging stories, lessons, strategies, and graphic organizers to help all students become successful and independent goal setters and writers.

Pre-Release Buzz 

“When it comes to motivating writers, self-selected goals are much more powerful than school-selected goals, and this book offers practical steps that not only help students to make and revise goals, it also offers reflective practices that foster continual improvement. I like how Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom positions the students to do the thinking.”
―Kelly Gallagher, author of Write Like This and Teaching Adolescent Writers
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“Valerie skillfully blends her experience as a children’s author and middle school writing teacher to offer practical strategies that help students set and achieve personal writing goals. This book is a valuable tool for educators.”
―Dr. Towanda Harris, author of The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices

“In Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom, Valerie Bolling shares her knowledge and experience as an educator, author, and human that gives new meaning to the term mentor author. Students will love learning about her process, can reflect on her work and find easy to implement steps to improve their own writing. She shares her secrets to meaningful goal setting ‘that leads to confidence, perseverance, and self-reflection.’ Read, write, reflect, and repeat.”
―JoEllen McCarthy, educator, literacy advisor, and author of Layers of Learning: Using Read Alouds to Connect Literacy and Caring Conversations

Release Date and Purchase Information

Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success is released TODAY on June 20, 2025.
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You may order here:

Bookshop
Routledge
Amazon

How This Book Came to Be

My editor, Kassia Omohundro Wedekind, saw me present on a panel during the 2023 NCTE annual conference. After the conference, she emailed me to see if I’d be interested in writing a book for teachers. I wasn’t sure at first because I’d never written such a book. Though I’d been an educator for 30 years, I doubted if I’d be able to do it, especially when I was told that I’d need to write a minimum of 30,000 words! (This book is almost 40,000 words.) After careful consideration – and encouragement from my husband, agent, and friends – I decided to accept the challenge. Having only published children’s books before, I was hesitant, but Kassia assured me that she would be a collaborator throughout the process, and she kept her word. Each step of the way she was there, and I’m so grateful for her guidance and support.

Why It Made Sense for Me to Write This Book

I believe in goal-setting, personally and professionally, and I have witnessed how taking this action has contributed to my success as well as my students’. My husband and I set goals every year as a couple and as individuals. When I was a classroom teacher and instructional coach, I set goals each year. I determined what I would study and learn to develop a particular skill or gain an understanding of something new. I also looked at student data to set goals for what I wanted students to learn and improve. As a writer, I set goals, too. I have set goals to study and write new genres, read a certain number of books, and schedule events to promote and sell my books. Most importantly, I have achieved or surpassed most of the goals I’ve set, and many of my students have exceeded their goals. My 30 years as an educator and five years as an author of 11 children’s books make me a credible source for writing about this topic. 

What’s Next

I’m working on my second book for teachers, which I’m co-authoring with Pamela Courtney. My first picture book biography, A Flea for Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change (illustrated by TeMika Grooms) will be released on Sept. 16, 2025. I also have another picture book, The March for Hope (illustrated by Monica Mikai), scheduled for release in 2026 and a board book, Chloe’s Community Garden (illustrated by Felicia Whaley) slated for 2027.​

Valerie Bolling is an award-winning educator and author. She was an educator for 30 years, teaching grades 2, 4, 5, and 8 and working as an instructional coach and planning professional development for middle and high school teachers. She has been an author of children’s books for five years, having published more than 10 books. Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom is her first book for teachers. A graduate of Tufts University and Teachers College, Columbia University, Valerie has always loved teaching and writing, and she enjoys connecting with both children and adults and inspiring them to write their own stories.

Connect with Me

Website: valeriebolling.com
Instagram: instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor 
Bluesky: valeriebolling.bsky.social
Facebook: facebook.com/ValerieBollingAuthor
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/valerie-bolling-223a92271

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We are so excited to interview the talented author-illustrator, Corlette Douglas. She has two books coming out on June 24th: LEO WAKES UP GRUMPY and LEO TAKES A BATH. For this interview we talked to her about LEO WAKES UP GRUMPY.

KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book?
CD: My favorite illustration in the book is the one where Leo is screaming and the words Ah appear on the wall, as well as the one where Leo is tossing his toys, making a big fuss. 

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?
CD: Learning to express one's emotions is vital for a developing young mind. But at times, it's essential to take a step back and breathe, think about our emotions, and if we can't do it alone, there's always an adult to help you remember that the grumpy way we're feeling will only last for a little while.

KLiC: What’s next for you? 
CD: My goal is to keep writing fun stories and explore my illustrating and writing process.

KLiC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book(s)?
CD: I hope the readers can see a little of Leo in themselves as they read these stories. We were all once or are becoming toddlers learning new helpful emotions for the first time, and patience goes a long way when handling toddlers who have tiny bodies and big emotions.

Corlette Douglas is a Guyanese-American artist and author of children’s books from Brooklyn, New York. She's a 10-year veteran in children’s media with work ranging from animation to print, creating content meant to educate and entertain. Readers will soon discover that she is a vibrant and colorful human being who carries those characteristics over into her work. Corlette adores creating characters that are compelling, authentic, and relatable. Her characters often deal with the everyday struggles of making hard choices, overcoming intimidating situations, or dealing with big emotions in a small body. Learn more about Corlette and order her books here.