Friend of the Writing Barn Debbie Zapata’s debut picture book UP AND ADAM is coming out in May of 2022 (congratulations, Debbie)! She took the time to tell us more about the book and the publication process.

Pre-Order UP AND ADAM by Author Debbie Zapata and Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang now!

First, tell us about your new book!

I’m happy to be sharing the cover of Up and Adam with you; a big thank you to The Writing Barn for featuring it!

Up and Adam is my debut picture book with the incredibly talented illustrator Yong Ling Kang. The book is an uplifting story about Adam, a young boy with Down syndrome who helps his neighbors in the aftermath of a storm in a way only he can. Adam and his dog, Up, do what they can to pitch in with the cleanup. But it turns out, Adam’s most important contribution to his community is one he doesn’t even think about — his smile. Because when anyone sees Adam smile, they smile, too.

Where did the seeds of the story come from?

When I had my first child, the doctors told me that my baby had Down syndrome. My parents flew from Texas to New York City to meet Adam. Like all of us, they landed head over heels in love with him. Even as an infant, his open-hearted and infectious smile brightened our days. My parents instinctively knew he would carry that light into the world. My dad would say, “Up and at ‘em, Adam!” It soon caught on as a catchphrase that inspired a story.  My mom suggested that the character Adam could have a dog named Up as his sidekick. We now had a title and the main characters.

When Hurricane Sandy struck New York City, I was reminded how fiercely resilient New Yorkers are in times of need. More of the story started to come to me as I imagined the fictional town of Portville akin to Coney Island.

Fast forward nine years — I finally wrote a first draft version of Up and Adam as a student-of-the-week project for my son. I soon discovered that I didn’t know how to develop the story into an actual picture book. Luckily, a few months prior, I had tagged along with my best friend to a Write Away Day at the Writing Barn.

What is your connection to The Writing Barn and Bethany Hegedus?

The Writing Barn is sheer magic!

I enrolled in the Writing Barn’s Picture Book I class taught by the amazing Carmen Oliver, and Christina Soontornvat was our class TA. I jumped right into Picture Book II with Carmen and continued to dive deeper into picture book craft learning.

When PB II ended, I joined the original Write. Submit. Support. group and finetuned the story with one-on-one work with the extraordinary Bethany Hegedus.

I basically spent a day at the Barn for a Write Away Day and never left. I have attended numerous picture book intensives, six-week courses, one-day classes, and I had the honor of serving as a Writing Barn TA. The Barn is my writing home and community.

When and how did you see the cover? Did you see initial sketches or designs, or just the final version? 

My incredible editor Debbie Rogosin at Kids Can Press sent me the final version of the cover last August. I had been anxious about my kids returning to in-person school. It was the perfect gift for a stressful time, and I loved sharing it first with my family. It has been hard to keep such beautiful art private, but I’m overjoyed to finally share Yong Ling Kang’s amazing work with the world.

Time for props to the team behind the cover!

Yes! Yong Ling Kang was raised in tropical Singapore and is a full-time freelance illustrator based in Toronto. Kids Can Press selected the perfect artist to bring the character Adam and his world to life. It was important to the team to find an illustrator with an eye for inclusive representation for the book.

Yong Ling’s style is beautiful, soft, and honest which I think are all traits of the character Adam. I mean — the smile, Adam’s upbeat personality, his friendliness — It’s almost too good to be true!

Karen Powers did an absolutely perfect job on the design work for the jacket. The cover is breathtaking, but the interior shares the world of Up and Adam with readers. I cannot wait for you to see it. I am so happy and grateful to the entire team at Kids Can Press for the love and care they’ve given Up and Adam.

Where can readers pre-order your book? 

Up and Adam will release on May 3, 2022, but it’s available for pre-order now at Book People, Black Pearl Books, Indie Bound, Barnes and Noble, Target, and Amazon or at your favorite indie bookstore. You can even request it from your local library with ISBN 9781525304415.

Where and how can we follow you and the Up and Adam illustrator Yong Ling Kang?

You can follow me on:

Twitter: @debbieazapata

Instagram: @debbiezapata.author

Or learn more at:

Website: www.debbiezapata.com
Kidlit Caravan Debut Group: https://www.kidlitcaravan.com/

You can see more gorgeous illustrations from illustrator Yong Ling Kang on her website https://www.yonglingkang.com/