Creator Interview: Tonnye Fletcher

Host of PBJamz and Author of MUSIC PLANTS HOPE!

I first "met" Tonnye a few years ago through the Mighty KidLit community. Right away, Tonnye struck me as warm and friendly. If you're reading this, you've probably run into Tonnye in the kidlit space. She hosts the fantastic PBJamz, a show that celebrates picture books with musical hooks, and she's active in kidlit community social media channels. Her debut picture book, MUSIC PLANTS HOPE (Reycraft books, illustrated by Natalia Bruno) is available TODAY, MAY 26TH! Everyone join me in wishing Tonnye a HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!

This book is special for so many reasons. The illustrations are vibrant and lovely. The story is unique and captures a moment in time where music helped lift the world back up after the pandemic turned everything upside-down. And Tonnye's lyrical writing expertly weaves together the sounds of the quartet's instruments and the emotions the music evokes. The book is available for purchase TODAY: bookshop.org; Barnes & Noble; amazon.com; or check out the reviews on Goodreads.

Tonnye is generously offering one reader their choice of a copy of MUSIC PLANTS HOPE OR a PB critique (fiction or NF, NO rhyme, up to 700 words) OR a virtual visit (either an AMA with another creator or a classroom/school visit for an educator). Read on to find out how to enter the giveaway!

"Picture books have so much to teach and share. I believe that picture books are for EVERYONE and I am incredibly honored to get to create stories shared in the kidlit community and beyond."

Tell us a bit about yourself. What do you love to write/create? Do you have an agent? A book deal? Published works (books, poems, short stories, etc?). Any awards? Feel free to BRAG!

I’m Tonnye – educator, podcaster, music lover. I’m married and a woman of faith. My family all lives close on a family farm in rural NC. I love connections and intersections, and that’s how I write. Connecting music and teaching and nature through my writing is important to me. In my fiction projects, family plays a prominent role as well. I write stories of hope, music, and wonder. I am agented by the amazing Joyce Sweeney at Seymour Agency. My debut picture book comes out May 26, 2026!

How did your journey as a KidLit creator begin?

I began writing for kids soon after I started teaching, but I have always had a very full plate. I squeezed it into the cracks for years, but never really had time to dig in and focus on craft. I wrote. I even queried, but I had no clue about the market. For years, every Christmas I put the Children’s Writers’ Market Guide on my list – and each year, I read and perused publishers and agents I thought were a good fit, but got nowhere (no surprise there! LOL) I think I always had a plan to retire from teaching and write eventually, but in 2019, I was doing some research into writing and publishing, and I decided if THIS was my retirement plan, I’d best get serious. So I did. I dug deep into the writing community in 2019. I joined Word Weavers locally and met some great people, but over time, I just naturally and gradually slid into kidlit. Eventually I left Word Weavers because most of them wrote for adults. I began to search out kidlit community, and on Leap Day 2020, I dove head first into Kidlit.

What is your favorite thing about creating for children?

I think as a teacher, it’s a very natural fit for me. I’ve spent 28 years with 5-8 year-olds and I enjoy picture books immensely. I enjoy reading in general, but there’s something magical about picture books. After years of reading them, I wanted to write them. I’ve always loved eliciting emotional reactions. When I was on stage in high school in my first dramatic role, I was fascinated that I could make people cry – and laugh. My favorite thing about reading picture books to kids is watching them get so engrossed – and reacting. And learning. Picture books have so much to teach and share. I believe that picture books are for EVERYONE and I am incredibly honored to get to create stories shared in the kidlit community and beyond.

This is an industry full of high highs and low lows. What are some of the peaks and valleys you've experienced in your career?

So many lows, so many challenges, rejections. It is very tough! A couple of lows that stand out was when I had been experiencing some success with kidlit contests, etc. and then I knew I was close in the running for a mentorship, and I entered Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words (which I had at least gotten an honorable mention every year), and everything was a massive rejection after thinking I was so close and my yes was around the corner. It was incredibly disappointing, but around the NEXT corner WAS my BIG yes! It’s a tricky business. Allan Wolf, an author friend describes it as crickets and kabooms, and that’s as apt a description as I’ve

ever heard.

Another real low was when an agent posted the concert for plants and said she wanted a picture book about it, and I got busy! I wrote three distinctly different takes on the concert, polished them up with the help of CGs and sent all three to her, and she was like, “No, not what I had in mind. . .” But, who knew, that would LEAD to my first big YES! AND it will be my debut book – just not with her.

In my experience, the lows are inextricably linked to the highs. You can’t have one without the other, and often they sidle up very close to one another.

The highs – early on, winning some of the kidlit contests – or at least placing kept me going for a while. Eventually the really BIG high was when Winsome Bingham called me from Reycraft Publishing and said she wanted to BUY my book!!!! :-D and then when Joyce called it STUNNING!

Most recently, the biggest and best high ever was holding my book (unexpectedly) in my hands at my surprise book launch at the NC Reading Conference. Having authors I have looked up to buy my book and have me sign it was absolutely surreal. Having friends shedding tears with me because they are so happy for me. . . .the highs are absolutely worth going through the lows, so DON’T GIVE UP!

Do you have a "day job"? If so, what is it, and how do you create balance between your "day job" and your work as a creator?

I am a k-2 music teacher by day, and I love it. Singing and dancing and planning lessons around books and music and musicians is a great way to spend my days.

I don’t know that I do a good job of balancing. I always have a very full plate, and I focus on “the next big thing” – whatever that is. I’m really good at multi-tasking and juggling lots of things thankfully. I fit a lot into the cracks of my schedule on the daily. And when I need to I stay up late to finish something I need to finish.

My basic schedule is work from 7:30 - 3:30(ish) and then I go home and work on writerly stuff (and home stuff) for the rest of my days. Weekends are a balance of writing, family, and pleasure.

I’m finding it pretty challenging currently as I’m leading up to launch day, but I just try to get as much done as I can each day.

Describe your perfect writing/illustrating/creating day.

I love days when I can have a leisurely morning, a tasty breakfast and hunker down for the rest of the day in my WordSmithery – writing, connecting, reading, revising.

I also really enjoy days when the weather is very nice and I can sit outside and read, write and create.

What motivates you to keep going when this industry gets you down?

There’s an old song (from the 70s maybe?) that says, “It’s too late to turn back now.” And that is how I feel. I’m not normally great at pushing through hard things to get to the reward, but in my writing I can and do. I think this is just a testament to the fact that I am 100% meant to do this. If I give up, I will always wonder if my next big Yes would have been around the next corner and I’m not willing to take that chance!

What is a favorite craft tip you'd like to share with other creators?

1. Never, ever give up. Keep on trying until your crickets become kabooms.

2. Do something every day to advance your craft.

What are your top 3 favorite books of all time (any age range)?

1. Miss Suzy by Miriam Young and Arnold Lobel

2. The Magic Tree House chapter books by Mary Pope Osbourne

3. (adult) The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

4. (cheating, I know, but. . .) ANYHING written by Kate DiCamillo

Who are some authors or illustrators that inspired your style as a creator?

I don’t know. My style is my own but it is an amalgamation of everything I’ve ever read and loved. I adore Kate DiCamillo. When I first started writing for kids, I tried really hard to write Munschesque (as in Robert Munsch). Everything we read and love becomes a part of our inspiration.

What advice do you have for someone considering starting their journey as a KidLit creator?

Buckle up, Buttercup! It’s a wild ride! Thicken your skin, steel yourself and GO for it! Learn everything you can from everyone you can. Read voraciously. Give yourself grace. Be patient and NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Speed Round: This or That!

Let us get to know you better! You must pick ONE- no "I don't know" or "neither" allowed! Ready... Go!

Summer or Winter?	​Winter
Chocolate or Vanilla?	Chocolate​
Cats or Dogs?	Cats​
Playlists or Podcasts?	Playlists​
Text or Call?	Text​
Unicorn or Dragon?	Unicorn​
Ice Cream or Cake?	Ice Cream​
Physical Books or E-Books?	Physical Books​
Sunrise or Sunset?	​Sunset
Fiction or Non-Fiction?	Fiction​

It's Giveaway Time!

Tonnye is offering one reader their choice of a copy of MUSIC PLANTS HOPE OR a PB critique (fiction or NF, NO rhyme, up to 700 words) OR a virtual visit (either an AMA with another creator or a classroom/school visit for an educator). 

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

That's it! The giveaway closes on Tuesday, June 2nd at 11:59pm EST!

Be sure to connect with Tonnye! Visit her website or follow her on social media:

X: @tonnyef

Bluesky: @tonnyef.bsky.social

Instagram: @tonnyefletcher67

You can also find her PBJamz Podcasts on YouTube.

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