Woo Hoo!
Time for Tuesday Debut!
So exciting when we have gone 10 weeks without one! How did we survive???
Beginning today, we’ve got a whole bunch of good ones to look forward to, though, so hurray for that!
Before we get started, we have a little giveaway business to attend to! (And by “a little” I mean holy moley there’s a bit of tidying and catch-up necessary! 😊)
There were a number of giveaways before the summer that I’m not sure were ever collected. It is possible I lost track of the emails somehow and these prizes were actually collected, but I don’t believe they were.
When I announce giveaway winners, I ask them to contact me because I am not always able to procure an email address for them. I tried to track everyone down in order to connect them with their prizes, but I believe I was unsuccessful for 3 giveaways: Sandhya Arachya’s, Andi Chitty’s, and Jenna Johnson’s. So, I am trying one more time to announce those winners here in hopes that they will contact me. If you won a prize you do not wish to collect, I would be grateful to know that so I can choose another winner.
The winner of Sandhya Arachya’s giveaway of winner’s choice of either a written critique of a fiction picture book manuscript (up to 750 words) or a 30 minute AMA Zoom call – was koala bear (Kimberly Zhuo?)
The winner of Andi Chitty’s giveaway of winner’s choice of a signed copy of BANANAS IN THE BATH or a PB MS Critique or a 30-minute AMA Zoom call was girlscout72091 (Sharon McCarthy?)
The winner of Jenna Johnson’s giveaway of a signed copy of her forthcoming sing-along picture book EVERY BODY MOVE! was happilyhiggledy (Jodie Houghton?)
Kimberly, Sharon, and Jodie please email me so I can connect you with your amazing prizes!!! Alternatively, please let me know if you don’t want them so I can give them to someone who does.
In addition, due to going on summer blog break, I did not have a chance to announce the winner of Lydia Lukidis’s giveaway of a copy of GROUCHO THE GROUCHY GROUNDHOG (Volume 1) – THE PANCAKE PANIC! courtesy of AMP Kids!
And the winner is. . .
Cathy Stenquist!!!
Congratulations, Cathy! It’s a delightful book! I hope you enjoy it! Please email me so I can get your prize to you!
And in addition to the in addition, we ALSO have a new giveaway today! PRH is kindly offering a copy of SQUASH & PUMPKIN: #SquashGoals to one lucky winner (US addresses only, please)! All you need to do to get yourself in the running for the random drawing is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday September 15 at 3PM Eastern! If you’d also like to share this post or SQUASH & PUMPKIN or today’s debut author on social media, that would be very kind of you and I’m sure our debut-ess would appreciate it! 😊
Now, FINALLY! let me introduce you to today’s Tuesday Debut-ess! Please join me in welcoming G.G. McQueen! Just wait til you see her book! I think we’re all going to want to hear a talk on comedy writing from her 😊
Title: Squash and Pumpkin: #SquashGoals
Author: G.G. McQueen
Illustrator: Michael Slack
Publishing House: Penguin Random House. Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: 8/26/2025
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 3-7
It’s not easy being best friends with Pumpkin. Each fall, she’s everyone’s favorite gourd. The queen of lattes, the ultimate pie, the STAR of autumn—pumpkin spice is EVERYWHERE! But now Acorn Squash has #SquashGoals. She’s going to prove she has something to offer too. Voila! It’s Acorn Squash everything! In this heartwarming and humorous tale of seasonal rivalry, plucky Acorn Squash is determined to step out of Pumpkin’s trendy shadow and into the autumnal limelight.
SUSANNA: Welcome, G.G.! Thank you so much for joining us today! We are all very excited to hear how it occurred to you that Acorn Squash needed a little time in the limelight! Where did the idea for this book come from?
G.G.: This idea came to me in a magical, catching-lightning-in-a-bottle way! I was babysitting my 11-month-old niece weekly in the fall one year and I’d stroll her to a farm stand. She’d pick out a gourd and we’d explore the mums and the pumpkins. I was looking at this incredible array of squashes. There were so many varieties I’d never heard of before. And I thought, “What does it feel like to be one of the other gourds when pumpkin is the star of autumn?” When I got home I wrote down everything I knew about what the story would be. Much of which ended up in the final manuscript. It was like writing in a fever dream. I said the idea out loud to some loved ones, which I don’t always do when an idea is brand new. Maybe this book wanted me to talk about it! It was ready to be real!
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
G.G.: This was quite possibly the fastest I’ve ever gotten a manuscript from idea to polished, submittable draft. Again, some stories just feel magical in that way! I wrote my initial notes down in September 2021 and submitted in January 2022.
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
G.G.: I went through a handful of really productive revisions on this story. Most notably, when I wrote my initial drafts, I had been resistant to making Squash and Pumpkin friends. I had read many, many picture books about friendship around that time and I was becoming exhausted by the topic. But when I thought about who Squash and Pumpkin were to each other, I knew they had to be friends. And actually, they had to be best friends for Squash to be so emotionally impacted by Pumpkin’s stardom.
In addition to workshopping the story with my excellent critique partners, I’m so grateful that the timing lined up for me to take an incredible workshop on the concept of “misbelief” with the author Joanna Cooke while I was working on this manuscript. I used exercises from Joanna’s talk to infuse Squash’s misbeliefs throughout the story. That really helped the story shine because Squash’s wants are totally based on the misbelief that she will be happier if she is beloved by everyone like Pumpkin is. And she believes Pumpkin is happy, when in actuality she’s not.
There’s also the anti-revision process. There were many jokes I was told to remove when I paid for professional critiques, but those jokes are now in the published book! (That’s why I’m so lucky that I found the right editor.) I think people can be afraid of comedy in kids’ books. They assume kids won’t get the joke. I never assume that. I studied comedy for years. I’ve performed it, have written it for the stage and screen. I trust my gut when it comes to funny. I don’t underestimate kids. I pay attention to what they find funny and how they use new words. I love using language that will make kids have a hilarious vocabulary. There are kids in my life who now know the word “bisque” because of the book, and we laugh together when we describe it as a thick soup. Bisque and thick soup both make me laugh! And it’s ok if it doesn’t make everyone laugh!
That’s all to say, trust yourself and your strengths. Trust the work you want to put out into the world. That’s a major part of the revision process.
SUSANNA: Such great advice, G.G. And I have to say, I think humor is hard to write well. So much timing is involved. So kudos to you for getting it right! When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
G.G.: I had a submission deadline I wanted to meet. Even if it would change in the future, I felt good about the manuscript––it was the story I wanted to tell at that time. I had gotten enough positive reinforcement from my critique partners and my loved ones who read my work. It felt like it was ok to send it off into the world.
I also keep this in the back of my mind when I am writing and submitting: I had a sitcom writing teacher, Jim Mendrinos, who would say to me, “It’s only finished when you click ‘send’.” When I would submit sitcom specs to contests and fellowships, I knew I was just “clicking send” on that one version. There would always be more versions I could write.
So, with Squash and Pumpkin, I could have kept working on it, tweaking, polishing, deciding. But the deadline helped tell me it had to be good to go.
SUSANNA: “Clicking send” is difficult. It’s hard to stop agonizing and just send your baby out into the world, so I’m sure your perspective will be helpful to people. When and how did you submit?
G.G.: I attended the Funny Women of Kidlit Confab online through The Writing Barn. Frances Gilbert, the editor at Doubleday Books for Young Readers did a fabulous Behind the Book talk with author Tammi Sauer for their book No Bunnies Here, illustrated by Ross Burach. Frances was open to submissions from conference attendees for a time.
SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?
G.G.: From January 2022 to September 2022.
I submitted January 2022. Frances wrote me back within 3 hours! (How incredible!) She told me what she liked and what changes she wanted to see––a new ending and some alternate titles. We had a handful of exchanges over email– I ran some options by her, sent my final revision–and by September, Frances took the manuscript to acquisitions. I heard back the next day! (How incredible!) And that’s when I received the offer!
SUSANNA: Amazing! How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
G.G.: It took a full year before I received my contract to sign.
September 2022 offer.
September 2023 contract to sign.
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?
G.G.: I LOVED editing this book with Frances Gilbert. Frances did an initial pass on the manuscript and she made cuts that allowed the pace and reveals to shine. I can’t even remember what was lost, that’s how you know the edits were the right edits.
Frances also really liked the way I peppered in jokes and asides in speech bubbles. She asked me to add more of that throughout. I had a blast coming up with punchlines. That’s where my comedy and TV writing experience comes in. As a TV comedy writer, creating ALTs (alternate joke options) is a big part of the job. It was really fun to send Frances ALTs and to see which ones resonated with her. I’m so happy with the ones we chose for the final manuscript.
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
G.G.: I am SO LUCKY when it comes to the illustrations for Squash and Pumpkin. The publisher was kind enough to inquire if I had any illustrators in mind. I submitted a list of illustrators whose work I loved and who I knew would nail the comedy, cuteness, and color––those were my visual concerns for Squash and Pumpkin. I’m DOUBLE LUCKY because one of the very funny and talented illustrators on my list, Michael Slack, signed on to do the book! And with comedy, cuteness, and color, he beyond delivered.
text copyright G.G. McQueen 2025, illustration copyright Michael Slack 2025, PRH/Doubleday Books FYR
I often use art notes to tell visual jokes where the art note is the punchline to the setup in the narration. I’m very glad that my editor respected my use of art notes. Actually, I call them story notes. With my background in writing for stage and screen and working in television production, I am a visual writer. I have trained working in media where you include information to help your fellow creators tell the story visually. I’ve never understood all the hullabaloo about art notes in this industry. Any information I include in a script or manuscript is to serve the story. We are all here to serve the story.
text copyright G.G. McQueen 2025, illustration copyright Michael Slack 2025, PRH/Doubleday Books FYR
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
G.G.: It’s so exciting as more and more reviews pour in. I feel so many of the reviewers are really getting the intention of the book. They are resonating with all the takeaways, all the emotion, and the humor. Reviewers are tuning into the cultural touchstone with the pumpkin spice craze, the friendship, the relatable sadness and self-doubt, deepening a friendship, demonstrating resilience, overall silliness, and fall festival fun!
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
G.G.: Conceit: September 2021
Submission: January 2022
Offer: September 2022
First Copy in Hand: August 2025
Isn’t that wild?!
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
G.G.: There are so many people behind the scenes at the publisher making grand efforts to help make this book a success. I’m not always privy to the ins and outs, but I have an idea of the overall plan. There’s been roundups and reviews, social media posts with fabulous collaborators, there’s a giveaway collaboration. I absolutely love the book trailer featuring Drama Mama Reads.
SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
G.G.: Oh my gourd! I’m doing so much promotion. I have an entire fall filled with weekend events at bookstores, farms, and fall festivals. I was able to make bookmarks using Michael’s art from the book and it really draws kids to the table. The publisher made a drawing prompt activity sheet I print for my events. I also print a list of my events to hand out to the grown-ups and I use Canva and Instagram and my website to share my event schedule.
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
G.G.: I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. In my first career, I worked in TV production and eventually wrote professionally for television. Then I got into PB writing in 2016. I took a break from it for a few years and then got serious about it again in 2021.
SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up and coming writers?)
G.G.: Be true to yourself at every point in the process!
SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?
G.G.: I’m just so happy it’s here! It has been big magic from idea to publication.
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, G.G.! We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from you and wish you all the best with this and future titles!
Readers, if you have questions for G.G., please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
Author G.G. McQueen (who loves baked goods 🧁 😊)
https://www.ggmcqueen.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ggmcqueenwrites/
https://www.instagram.com/randomhousekids/
You may purchase G.G.’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)
Indiebound/Bookshop.org
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:
– purchasing their books
– recommending their books to friends and family
– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians
– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores
– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries
– sharing their books on social media
– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.
Thank you all for stopping by to read today! Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday! Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊
Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts? Check them out HERE!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
What a perfect time of year for Squash and Pumpkin. I will be looking for those adorable characters at farm stands in PA.
Can you elaborate on paid professional critiques and when and why you needed them?
Thank you for a great into to your book and congratulations!!!
I know, Robin! Isn’t it just perfect for this time of year? When the world abounds with pumpkin spice everything?! WHAT ABOUT SQUASH???!!!
Correction: “intro” to the above comment! I need a proofreader. ♥️
Haha 🙂
Wonderful interview. This book looks adorable, and it’s perfect for this time of year. Thanks for the post.
So cute, isn’t it, Rosi? And that theme of feeling overshadowed or jealous is one a lot of kids can relate to!
So Cute! Congratulations!
Thanks for stopping by to read and encourage, Karan!
Congratulations! This book looks to be perfect for fall!
It sure does, Rose! And what’s great about it is it’s got layers that make it readable at other times of year too!
Oh, wow! I can’t wait to read this one! Nothing like some humor to brighten one’s day – your child or yourself. And, congratulations, omg, you waited a long time to see it.
I LOVE books that do humor well, Barbara! It’s such a hard thing to pull off, and when it’s done right it is SO FUN!
What a fun story! Thank you for sharing your path to publication, I learned a lot!
So glad you found it educational, Kate!
This sounds amazing and hilarious! Cannot wait to read!
Me, either! I haven’t seen the whole book yet and I’m dying to!
I’m excited to read this! Glad that squash is getting its chance to shine.
I know, right, Kate??!! Pumpkin cupcakes. Pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin coffee and lattes. Pumpkin ravioli. Is there anything that doesn’t get pumpkined this time of year? Squash deserves to shine too!
Thank you! I loved the interview and learning the process of bringing this wonderful book to life. I can’t wait to read and enjoy the captivating illustrations!
So glad you enjoyed the interview, Jean!
So fun! Was excited to find that my library has a copy already and it’s ready for me to pick up! Congratulations!
Oh, wow! That’s amazing, Cathy! Lucky you!
I write humorous PB’s and I agree that you can really give kids more credit. I absolutely love the trailer. Thanks for sharing your journey. Congrats G.G. I agree that the illustrations are awesome. I can hardly wait to read the whole story.
I know, Deb. According to my agent (who points this out in the kindest possible way 🙂 ) I have a penchant for hammering people over the head 🤣
What a fun story! And I appreciate your insights on writing and staying the course. Congratulations.
This is why it’s so great to be part of a writing community, Kathryn. It’s HARD to stay the course, but so much better when you remember you’re not alone!
I enjoyed reading about how this book came about. I look forward to reading it! Congratulations.
Glad you enjoyed the interview, Claire!
Thanks for the tips. Hope the book sells well.
Lots of good tips! And I hope that, too. Sales can be so tricky to predict!
Thanks for sharing your journey! Your PB sounds delightful! Look forward to reading it!
It’s so great to get to hear all these different writers’ journeys, isn’t it, Susan? Each one unique, and yet relatable because so many aspects are shared by a lot of us!
Absolutely!
Never underestimate kids indeed! And I loved the comment on the hullaballoo over art notes being overdone and silly.
Yeah, kids are smart! And the art note thing always seems to be a hullaballoo! 🤣
Loved this interview, and your book looks so adorable! What a fast timeline as well, wow! So much congratulations to you, G.G.!!
So glad you enjoyed the interview, Andi!
I saw the cover of this book last week and put in an order request at my local library. Congratulations! I can’t wait to read it. I am always on the lookout out for humorous stories. Holiday tie ins even more fun.
It has a great title and cover, doesn’t it Ashley? Makes you want to read it immediately!
This looks so cute!! I love learning the backstory of how books came to be. I also really appreciate the perspective of only hitting send on that one version. That makes it feel a little less scary! Congrats on your book!
I love hearing the backstory of books, too, Lindsey! So interesting! And glad that perspective was helpful!
This is such a cute and clever idea! I love how you got the story by visiting a farm stand. The heart behind your story is universal and I can’t wait to read your book. The word play I already see is making me laugh. Congratulations! Danielle Hammelef
Just goes to show ideas are everywhere, Danielle! We just have to keep our minds open!
Can’t wait to read this adorable picture book! Thank you for sharing your journey, G.G. I’m surprised it took a year to get the contract to sign. And, I love~Love~LOVE your sunglasses! How fun.
I know! Those sunglasses are AMAZING, aren’t they???!!!
Your book sounds amazing, G. G.! I can’t wait to see it on your table at the Rochester Children and Teens Book Festival. Congrats!
It’s going to be another great festival, Jim!
Thanks, Susanna. I hope you are doing well.
I am, Jim, thanks! Hope all is well with you, too, and that one of these days I’ll have a new book out so I can come to Rochester again!
We would greatly enjoy having you back.
I would love to come again – you run a great festival and everyone is so nice!
Wow! This is adorable! I LOVE the fall theme and Squash and Pumpkin! What an awesome idea for a picture book. Can’t wait to read it! Congratulations!!
So glad you like it, Angie! I’m looking forward to actually getting to read the whole thing!
Yes!
Pumpkins and squash–the perfect pair! I need a copy of this one. Thank you for sharing your story, and congrats on the book. 🙂
The whole concept is so perfect for this time of year, isn’t it, Kelly? But it’s a story that works at other times, too, so really well done!
Hi Susanna and welcome back to Saturday Morning Debuts! Oh it’s just me reading this on Saturday morning, it’s been a long week! I really did miss you and I’m so glad you enjoyed your summer. I think I’ll be seeing you in person soon because I moved and we are not that far apart now!
G.G. this book sounds fantastic and I love how you talked about Squash’s misbelief! Congratulations.
Hahaha! You sound like me when I’m doing my let’s pretend it’s still Friday editions of PPBF 🤣 And oh, how exciting that you’ve moved closer! We must have an email and see if we’re close enough for visiting!
Susanna, I would love that! I am sure we can make something work. I’m not part of the festival but I’ll be going to Chappaqua in two weeks and I’m an easy bus ride away from NYC.
I have never managed to get into Chappaqua, but I’ve heard it’s amazing! I will email you so we can figure out where we are in relation to one another!
Humor is so hard to do well. Thanks for all the insights into your process and congrats on a fantastically clever book!
I agree, Marty! I can’t tell you how many times I *think* I’m writing funny but I’m the only one laughing 🤣🤣🤣
Great interview, G.G. and Susanna! Pumpkins can be heavy to carry so a gourd story will have gourds flying away in little hands. I love that G.G.’s “yes” came so quickly. What a rush that must have been! I have the misbelief that this would be a good thing for me, LOL.
I think we would all love a quick “yes”, Wendy! It never seems to happen for me, but a slow “yes” is better than no “yes” 🤣 I love going to farm stands and seeing all the beautiful little gourds and smaller squash (squashes?) – they are so pretty! And you’re right – way easier to carry!
yes… i’m koala bear! kimberly. The winner of Sandhya Arachya’s giveaway of winner’s choice of either a written critique of a fiction picture book manuscript (up to 750 words) or a 30 minute AMA Zoom call – was koala bear (Kimberly Zhuo?)
Great! Thanks!