Welcome to Tuesday Debut, everyone!

Today our debut-ess and her debut are appearing on their book birthday!

And you know what that means. . .

😊 CAKE!!! 😊

Dig in, everyone! Let’s celebrate!!! 😊

While you’re enjoying your cake, we can make it even more celebratory by announcing the giveaway winner from last week, given by Hilary Echols: winner’s choice of a copy of WHAT IF THE WORLD IS A LETTER, OR a PB critique (up to 800 words), OR a query letter critique!

And the winner is. . .

KATHRYN LEROY!!!

Congratulations, Kathryn! What a fabulous choice! Good luck choosing! Please email me at your earliest convenience so I can get you hooked up with your prize!

And, we have a new giveaway this week! Our debut-ess, Kathy Raggio would love to send one English copy and one Spanish version of her book HOME MOVES WITH ME to separate people–2 winners!!! All you have to do to get in the running to be the randomly selected winner is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday June 15th at 3 PM Eastern!

Now, I know you’re as eager as I am to hear about this book’s publication journey, so please join me in welcoming today’s debut-ess, Kathy Feedham Raggio!!!

Title: Home Moves With Me
Spanish: Mi hogar se muda conmigo
Author: Kathy Feedham Raggio
Illustrator: Quinette Cook
Spanish language translator: Gabriella Aldeman
Publishing House: Elva Resa Publishing
Date of Publication: June 9, 2026
Fiction: Picture Book
Age range: 4-8 
ISBN: English – 9798887520353
ISBN: Spanish: 9798887520360

SUSANNA: Welcome, Kathy! We’re so delighted to have you join us today to share your journey to publication with this wonderful and much-needed book! Where did the idea come from?

KATHY: Back in 2016, when we lived in Texas, I took a class at The Writing Barn taught by Cate Berry; she read us a book titled Windows by Julia Denos, illustrated by E.B. Goodale. I remember her saying that it was a remembrance story from Denos’s childhood… walking around the neighborhood watching all the lights come on- in houses, apartments, etc..- as darkness settled. We were tasked to think of something from our childhood that could be made into a story. I remembered the many moves we made and how I always felt at home because my family, memories, and traditions came along, wherever we went. A story was born!

(I moved frequently- both as child and spouse to an Air Force pilot with our 3 kids, so it’s both childhood and adult experiences combined to ultimately make this story work)

SUSANNA: A wonderful idea that many kids will be able to relate to! How long did it take you to write this book?

KATHY: The initial draft was written within a week. I wanted to have something to take to the next class. Cate helped me see that the first version was actually two stories in one and I needed to pare down and dive in deeper. Of course I hesitated thinking my first version was perfect. Lol. After a while though, I saw her wisdom and the meat of a family moving story about home came through.

SUSANNA: Were there any mentor texts that helped you zero in on the direction you wanted to take your book?

 KATHY:  Love is… by Diane Adams, illustrated by Claire Keane helped in formatting my story first called Home is…

            Windows by Julia Denos, illustrated by E.B. Goodale helped with pacing

            Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peńa, illustrated by Christian Robinson helped me see, in the revision process, how to add the senses

            I read many picture books about moving to make sure mine was different and unique—When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler was one amongst others.

            I read books about home for the same reason— Home is… by Hannah Barnaby, illustrated by Fran Preston Gannon—same title, very different stories!

            I also searched military moving picture books to make sure my story was unique in this space; I Move A Lot and That’s Okay written and illustrated by Shermaine Perry-Knights is one example amongst many, but different than Home is…

SUSANNA: That is so helpful, Kathy! Thank you for sharing. Did you go through many revisions?

KATHY: I continued to revise this story from the moment I wrote it— a word here, a punctuation change there, sentences rewritten and cut everywhere—until I sent it off in the summer of 2023 to Elva Resa Publishing when they had an open window for submissions.

Kathy’s work space: blue chair for writing, table for business 😊

SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?

KATHY: I knew it was ready to be submitted as I had good feedback from my critique group and an editor I sent it to said it was well written, but they didn’t know where on their list they could place it. A champagne rejection! At that point, I knew I couldn’t just keep sending it out to every publisher or agent; I needed to find it’s niche, that is an agent, editor, or publishing company that understood a lifestyle of frequent moves!

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

KATHY: I do not have an agent, so I did my research and found Elva Resa Publishing in 2022 right after their open submission window closed—darn it—determined, I decided to watch and wait for their next open submission window. I continued to look at Home is… every month or so to see if there were any other revisions I needed to make. I also used the time to see what Elva Resa’s submission policies were and spent months writing up a book proposal so I would be ready when the open window arrived!

SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?:

KATHY: It wasn’t too long after I submitted, maybe a month, I received an email that stated the publisher of Elva Resa, Karen Pavlicin, would like to have a Zoom call with me. I cried, tears of joy!

SUSANNA: There aren’t too many moments better that that! Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?

KATHY: It took two years to get my contract, but I knew Elva Resa was the company to publish this book; they publish books for the military community, so they know a lifestyle of moving. I used the time to strengthen the story and make it the best it could possibly be. I did speak to Karen several times over the two years and by then  we had changed the title to Home Moves With Me.

The contract itself was pretty straight forward, but I asked my brother-in-law, who is a patent/literary lawyer, to take a look and he gave me a couple points to bring up. I was nervous negotiating, but Karen was a pro and we were both still smiling when it was all over.

SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

KATHY: The editor I worked with, Terri Barnes, had the patience of a saint; we worked in real time over phone calls, emails, and an occasional Zoom call with the three of us (author, editor, publisher). Elva Resa wanted to add more at the beginning of the manuscript and move around a couple verses within the manuscript for a better flow and I conceded a few word changes here and there, but the overall message and story remain the same. I am quite happy with the finished product!

SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?

KATHY: Karen was happy for me to make suggestions for the illustrations, but I was not in meetings with the illustrator, Quinette Cook, and they did not always use my suggestions. Karen sent me a couple of pictures partway through the illustration process and I was blown away! They were in hues of blue so the final color was not added; I couldn’t stop looking at them!  I saw the final product right before Thanksgiving 2025; the color was added and at first, because I loved the hues of blue, it took me by surprise and I had to set it aside for a bit. We were leaving for a week, so I let it sit until we got back home. I knew I loved the actual illustrations, the color jarred me for some unknown reason. When we returned, I kept looking at it, reading it out loud, and studying it… after Christmas, when I was emailed the final copy before printing. I fell in love with the whole book, there are many creative details in the illustrations and I knew it was perfect for children who move frequently!

text copyright Kathy Feedham Raggio 2026, illustration copyright Quinette Cook 2026, Elva Resa Publishing

text copyright Kathy Feedham Raggio 2026, illustration copyright Quinette Cook 2026, Elva Resa Publishing

SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

KATHY: As of now, I don’t know of any major reviews for Home Moves With Me. There is a positive write up in both The Stars and Stripes Newspaper and Military Families Magazine.

(Side-note: Elva Resa was in talks with a 501C-3 company called United Through Reading when my manuscript was acquired. Both companies work with books for the military. My story was chosen, when it was still in manuscript form, by United Through Reading as their 2026 Book for the Military Child! Since moving is integral to military life, this story speaks to them and their families. This honor, before it was even a book was the absolute best!)

SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

KATHY: My contract was signed in March of 2025 and I received my first copy in late February/early March of 2026. Home Moves With Me was released in English and Spanish concurrently and although, I did not receive an advance, I did get  20 copies of each title along with royalties. I’m not sure what the actual first print was, but I do know that United Through Reading purchased 14,000 copies to distribute worldwide to military children and families.

SUSANNA: Wow! Terrific! What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

KATHY: Elva Resa has helped market this book by providing me with a one page information sheet, a coloring page, and distributing it at the 2026 Public Library Association Convention in Minneapolis, MN where Elva Resa Publishing has their offices and the illustrator lives, so Quinette was there signing books! I know Elva Resa has promoted this book on social media and I am positive they have done many other things. I don’t know everything, but I do appreciate all their hard work in bringing this story to life and getting the word out about it.

SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book:

KATHY: Home Moves With Me has two release dates. The first was into the military community by United Through Reading starting April 1, 2026 because April is the Month of the Military Child, that is when the 14,000 copies were sent out. I read Home Moves With Me for the first time in public at Tyndall Air Force Base on that same day. I worked with the base librarian and other personnel who set up, tore down, and had snacks and coloring pages at the ready! I have been to Spring Fest at Naval Support Activity Panama City; they received books from United Through Reading, so I was able to read, handout, and sign those books. Next, I went to Hurlburt Field AFB and Naval Air Station Pensacola for their story-times. I had bookmarks made, and purchased little dragon and dog stuffies to hand out after each reading (the kids love to find the family dog and dragon on each two-page spread). I’ve also been doing social media posts mostly on Instagram.

My official retail release is today, June 9, 2026 and I have plans to read to four preschool classes nearby. I put together folders to hand out around town that had the  one-page information sheet, the coloring page, my business card, a bookmark, and a QR code to militaryfamilybooks.com/home; this is where the book could be purchased prior to retail release. I already have plans to visit other military bases in the nearby area, plans for projects to provide some summer fun and I’m looking forward to going into schools in the Fall.

SUSANNA: Ooh! Have fun with all those preschool classes! 😊 How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?

KATHY: I started taking writing more seriously in 2002 when we moved to California from Iceland. There I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). This was my introduction to SCBWI and in that small town, out in the desert, I met fellow SCBWI member, Terry Pierce, author of Two Tales of Hawaii and many other books for children; she taught me so much, I can never thank her enough!! Unfortunately, military life doesn’t allow families to stay put so we kept moving base to base and I kept joining SCBWI groups across the country and taking classes or joining on-line writing places like the Children’s Book Academy, Courage to Create, and  Storyteller Academy. Many conferences, retreats, critiques, classes, six moves, three grown children (plus 2 grandchildren), a retired military husband, and many friends, 25 years later, I finally have my debut! Phew! There were times, in the middle years, when I thought about giving up, but ideas and writing always drew me back.

SUSANNA: Good for you, Kathy! That is determination and perseverance – important things to have in this business! 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?)

KATHY: If you want to be an author of a children’s book, keep writing, join SCBWI and meet other writers, take classes, find a critique group (it’s hard to hear your work is not perfect, but if you really listen, others are trying to help make your story better and in the end, it is your choice to use or not use their advice), believe it will happen, be patient, persistent, and make sure to submit to the right agent or publisher-do the research—find your niche!

SUSANNA: Great advice! Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?

KATHY: Writing this story helped me explore what Home is to me and I hope children who move frequently see themselves in this book.

Thanks for having me!

SUSANNA: My pleasure, Kathy! Thank YOU so much for taking the time to join us today and share your knowledge and experience with us so we can learn! Best of luck with this and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Kathy, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond. And remember, your comment on today’s post puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of one of Kathy’s wonderful giveaways of either an English or a Spanish copy of her book, HOME MOVES WITH ME if you leave it by Monday June 15th at 3 PM Eastern!

Author Kathy Feedham Raggio

Website: kathyfeedhamraggio.com
Insta: author: @kathyfeedhamraggio picture books- @getthebookreadit

Illustrator Quinette Cook – Insta: @quinettecook
Translator Gabriella Aldeman – Insta: @write_between
Publishing House – Insta: @elvaresapublishing

You may purchase Kathy’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)

Indiebound/Bookshop.org (couldn’t find it here!)
Amazon
Barnes&Noble (or here!)

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!