So does every author writing one.
Thats whatOur Story Beginsis all about.
Our Story Beginshits bookstores July 4th.
Credit: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
But you canpreorder it here.
Other daydreamers had their heads in the clouds.
(Or, most of it, anyway, if you didnt eat the food.)
Simon & Schuster
I only wish Id never stopped journaling.
Kwame Alexander (The Crossover)
This was my first real poem.
My mother still has the same frame in her living room.
Simon & Schuster
(I spent most of my paycheck as a busboy on that frame.
Back then, minimum wage was $3.35 per hour.)
What I lacked in actual craft and skill, I certainly made up for in confidence.
Simon & Schuster
When I finished, I just knew I was the next Langston Hughes.
Id use it to sculpt things like flowers and dinosaurs.
According to the lore, this was my introduction to art.
Simon & Schuster
Ive drawn and made things ever since.
My kindergarten teacher wrote on my report card,Brian is a good artist.
My teachers Mr. Jones, Ms. Feder, and Mr. and Mrs. Koppel were all very important to me.
Simon & Schuster
I also took art classes after school with Eileen Sutton.
I was her student from around fifth grade until I graduated high school about seven years later.
I learned so much from her, and were still in touch.
Simon & Schuster
The first thing she taught me was to put a little white highlight in peoples eyes.
Its the little white highlight that really brings the face to life.
I think of her every time I put a little white highlight in peoples eyes.
Simon & Schuster
Id copy their work from books for hours.
My favorite painting wasMadonna of the Rocksby Da Vinci.
The angels sublime face was a particular favorite.
I still use crosshatching when I draw.
Alex Gino (George)
As a kid, I was determined to write a book.
but what do they actuallydo?
They would even design a cover for you.
Of course, I didnt really want to pay them.
There are several versions in my folder, as I added details and perfected the story.
(I put perfected in quotes because Ive since learned that perfect isnt actually a word that describes writing.
Okay, enough with the writing lesson.
