Hi!
I’m Nell Cross Beckerman and it’s so nice to meet you! Here are some things I can tell you about myself:
I grew up in California and spent weekends with my dad in San Diego. He is a biologist. I played a lot in his lab and he taught me about animals. My weekends were fun and relaxing, with lots of reading, bike riding, and having fun at the beach. I had no brothers or sisters and often played alone. My mom was a librarian and loved books. I was lucky to have two parents that valued creativity.
I’m Nell Cross Beckerman and it’s so nice to meet you! Here are some things I can tell you about myself:
I grew up in California and spent weekends with my dad in San Diego. He is a biologist. I played a lot in his lab and he taught me about animals. My weekends were fun and relaxing, with lots of reading, bike riding, and having fun at the beach. I had no brothers or sisters and often played alone. My mom was a librarian and loved books. I was lucky to have two parents that valued creativity.
I have two daughters. When they were little one of my favorite things to do with them was read books. Having that cozy, cuddle time, talking about the books, doing funny voices, and getting lost in the art made me appreciate picture books in a way I never had.
Sometimes, when my girls couldn’t go to sleep, I would turn off the lights and just make up stories to help relax them. They loved these stories, and as they grew older, I thought it could be sweet to write one down and try to self-publish it, just as a keepsake. So I signed up for a picture book writing class at UCLA Extension.
During an in-class writing prompt, I had the idea for my first book, DOWN UNDER THE PIER. 30 drafts later, it became a book. And then I got to go back to UCLA extension and share what I had learned in the process.
During an in-class writing prompt, I had the idea for my first book, DOWN UNDER THE PIER. 30 drafts later, it became a book. And then I got to go back to UCLA extension and share what I had learned in the process.
Along the way, I recruited three women from the class to join a writing group with me. Everyone talks about how lonely the writer’s life is, but I had the opposite experience. Becoming a writer gave me amazing friends. As a group, we are so supportive of each other and help each other grow, and laugh a LOT. I thought having a published book would be the ultimate dream come true, but having my writing group is even better. Follow these talented ladies: Chelsea Lin Wallace, Erica Rich, Sasha Mayer, Carter Higgins, Julia Wasson, and Gela Kalaitzidis.
My mission is to share my enthusiasm of the magic of the world, and inspire connections—connection to yourself, connection to others, and connection to the world. My other mission is to have fun!
Official Bio:
Nell Cross Beckerman writes books for children, inspired by the magic of free play and exploration in nature.
Her debut, DOWN UNDER THE PIER, is illustrated by Rachell Sumpter and published by Cameron Kids, exploring the fun ON TOP of a lively beach pier, then revealing the hidden world DOWN UNDER the pier, where the animals of the intertidal zone live.
Recently released are the poetic non-fiction books, WHEN THE SKY GLOWS (Beach Lane Books/ Simon & Schuster) illustrated by David Litchfield and CAVES (Scholastic) illustrated by Kalen Chock .
She is a former documentary TV producer/director and produced shows and websites for Nickelodeon, MSNBC, MTV, VH1, New Line Cinema, and The Discovery Channel in NYC. Today, she lives in Culver City, CA with her two daughters and husband, and her poodle-mix, Teddy.
Interviews.
|
|
|