Author Interview: Katie Clemons

As the month of May leads to summer months of play, I am excited to share this newest book by author Katie Clemons, The Daily Family Conversation Starter: 365 Ways to Nurture Connection, Inspire Play, and Empower Your Kids.

For my own mental health and as a mom of four, I am always on the lookout for things to do, especially around the kids' interests as they got older. Actually knowing their interests required being engaged in their lives. Just ten minutes a day conversing, reading, playing games, cooking--downtime with your loved ones can lead to lasting memories and conversations--with responses of more than one word. So I was totally inspired by Katie Clemons and her The Daily Family Conversation Starter, filled with activities for every family, in just five minutes. Read our Spotlight Review.

In playtime I mean any activity or hobby which a person does for creativity and personal fulfillment. No deadlines or obligations. Just dedicated downtime, alone or with the family. And I have come to fully comprehend the importance of such "playtime" for growth and brain health. Art has proven therapeutic benefits in boosting overall mental health. In fact, mental health in children is the main reason I personally made a career move to specialize in writing and working in the world of children's books.

And for all moms, parents, homeschoolers, child care providers, this book makes a great activity book for many situations. Complements of Harper Celebrate, we are excited to share The Daily Family Conversations Starter as the Ink-a-Dink Bookstore May Giveaway (details here), and thank you to Katie Clemons for sharing more about you, your books and your writing process. And I LOVE seeing your kids' favorite reads!

I know helping others tell their story is one of your passions. What would you say continues to inspire you to write?

I love talking to other moms. Or rather listening to other moms! You and I can have the best conversations at the playground where we’re watching our kids, engaging with them, and getting interrupted by them. You don’t get deeper in the trenches of chatting about mom life than that.

What do you hope readers take away from your latest book, The Daily Family Conversation Starters?

Sometimes just a few nudges can help to build the family bond you’ve always wanted. I hope the family conversation starters and activity prompts in this book—whether it’s the serious or silly ones—do that for your family.

Why do you believe playtime is important part of childhood?

A kid’s best ideas come when they let their minds wander and believe anything is possible. This is true for adults, too. Our form of “play” is just different. We don’t know how to jump into it so easily. (That’s part of why some of the 5-minute activities in my book are just about giving yourself permission to think silly.)

Any advice for parents about inspiring creativity and playtime with children?

Each week, I give out a FREE family printable. Families loooooove these activities! My printables are unique, whimsical, relevant, fun for kids . . . and fun for YOU, too. I’d love to have you join me! You can get them here: https://katieclemons.com/newsletter/

If you could do a signing anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Australia. My kids and I have been reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day a lot lately.

Where is the most unusual place you have promoted your book?

A non-English speaking mom really wanted to keep My First Mother Daughter Journal with her first grader. I showed her how to use Google Translate on her phone. Did you know the camera feature will translate the text on a page?

What is your favorite genre to read?

I’ve got books I’m in the middle of all over the house. Let’s see. . . My kids and I are reading Bad Dad aloud. My current go-to is A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Neighborly Words of Wisdom from Mister Rogers. I also dog ear a lot of parenting books and read fiction on my phone during the tiny pockets of my day.

Do you have any all-time favorite books or titles that inspired you as a writer?

I would read anything my mom would bring home. I certainly had an edge—she was a school librarian!

What do you find the most challenging part of writing?

For me, the biggest challenge is finding uninterrupted chunks of time. I work from a home office, and I’m not very good at writing when my kids are home.

You are a mom 4. I am mom of 4, two boys and two girls, now adults, youngest 20, would love to know what your kids are reading? Current favorites of kids in different age groups (wouldn't need names, but if willing my 10 year old likes..., etc).

• My 10 year-old is reading: The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
• My 6 year-old is loving: Nate the Great series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
• My two toddlers are reading and rereading so many books. This week it’s a lot of: Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Do you have a favorite book quote or quote from a fictional character?

Miss Havisham fascinated me when my freshman high school class read Great Expectations. We were all feeling this intense pressure to assimilate and look “cool.” Meanwhile, here’s this incredibly complex lady who’d been wearing her wedding gown every day for years, and if I recall, she didn’t care what anyone thought about it.

Please let me know if you have anything else you would like to share?

Just a huge thank you for having me here. <3

Hopefully I’ll catch some of you over on my free weekly printables newsletter. https://katieclemons.com/newsletter/

THE DAILY FAMILY CONVERSATION STARTER UNOFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER, created by Robert E. Carter

Award-winning author Katie Clemons has made a name for herself with her guided journals. Katie is a fifth generation Montanan whose super power is asking questions. Luckily in our increasingly distracted, technology-fueled society, she had chosen to use this power for good and has since crafted multiple #1 Bestselling journals. With poetic wit and creativity, Katie’s beautifully illustrated journals approach serious and silly topics in families' lives with ease, turning non-writers and journal lovers alike into passionate wordsmiths and storytellers. “I believe your story is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give yourself and the people you love,” says Katie, who’s mission is to inspire connection, kindness, and empowerment—one story, one moment at a time through her content and products. Follow her and learn more on her website, KatieClemons.com, and her Facebook and Instagram.

Kim Childress is an award-winning editor and author of hundreds of books for children and adults, including Find Your Future in Art. She is a product developer in children’s publishing, book editor for Girls’ Life magazine since its 1994 debut, and former middle-grade acquisitions editor for HarperCollins (Zondervan). She has maintained a successful career while raising a personal focus group of four children through diapers, doctors, broken bones, college, and plagues. Learn more about Kim and follow her adventures at ChildressInk.com and Ink-a-Dink.com. You can purchase her workshops at penconeditors.com, including on editing middle-grade and YA fiction and nonfiction, creating books of excellence for young readers, How a Book is Made from Start to Finish, and Trends and Opportunities in Fiction and Nonfiction Picture Books. Find these and more workshops from editors of excellence at penconeditors.com.