Dashka Slater's picture book Baby Shoes was named one of the best children's books of 2006 by both Booklist and Nick Jr. Magazine, and placed on the Texas Library Association's 2 x 2 list of 20 recommended books for children from age two to grade two.

Dashka says, "When I was starting out as a journalist, my computer malfunctioned an hour before deadline, and I lost an entire 1,500 word story. When I called my editor in tears, he said, 'Go take a walk around the block. Then, sit down and write it again.' His advice taught me the importance of knuckling down and just writing the damn thing, no matter how impossible it feels."

To take "How to Write a Children's Picture Book. And sell it, too" with Dashka, click here

-Taffy Brodesser-Akner