7 WONDERS OF DEBBIE RIDPATH OHI'S WORLD — THE NEEDLE AND THE KNIFE

In the lead-up to the launch of Beatrice and Barb, I was beyond excited to receive an email from Debbie Ridpath Ohi, a Canadian kidlit superstar, asking if I was interested in being interviewed about my book for her blog. As someone new to publishing, I was touched and encouraged that a veteran like Debbie was generously willing to share my work.

Debbie is the author and illustrator of so many incredible books for young readers, including Where Are My Books?, Sam & Eva, and the I’m series, written by Michael Ian Black. Oh, and did I mention that Debbie illustrated the jackets for Atheneum Books For Young Readers’ reissue of Judy Blume’s middle grade classics? She also did interior illustrations for three of Blume’s books. Like, no big deal, right?

Debbie is also a powerful and positive force within the children’s literature community. Her fantastic website is full of resources that helped me as aspiring picture book writer, including her thumbnail templates, which have become an integral part of my drafting process. She’s helped to establish a thriving and productive kidlit community on Bluesky, and created a great post designed to help other creators to engage with the platform successfully.

Debbie is on the SCBWI Advisory Council and contributes to the Conference Blog during events with SCBWI Team Blog. She is also a member of CANSCAIP, The Authors Guild, The Writers’ Union Of Canada, The Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and the League Of Canadian Poets. She lives with her husband in Toronto, Canada. You can find out more about Debbie at DebbieOhi.com.

Debbie’s BRAND NEW BOOK, I Want To Read ALL The Books (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) is available NOW where ever you like to buy your books!

I’m so excited to share 7 WONDERS OF DEBBIE’S WORLD, and I truly hope you’ll share I Want to Read ALL the Books with the book loving kids in your life.

1. My Celtic harp

I may not be able to play it very well, but I do love my Celtic harp. It was commissioned from Larry Fisher, a harpmaker in Winnipeg. He helped me choose the types of wood as well as the Celtic pattern he hand-painted. For those not familiar with harps, a Celtic harp is different from an orchestral harp. The latter is bigger and has pedals instead of levers. The latter makes it easier for orchestral harp players to quickly change keys while playing. The advantage of a Celtic harp is that even if you don’t really know what you’re doing, it usually sounds nice!

When I neglect my harp, which is often, it gets back at me by breaking a string at an unexpected moment. Restringing and then retuning is somewhat of a hassle so if I’m in a busy time, the broken string often ends up dangling pathetically for weeks until I replace it.

2. Collage art

I’m just starting to dive deeper into collage art these days. I find it fun and often therapeutic. The example above was one I did digitally after taking Petra Zehner's online course - the assignment was to introduce ourselves with collage.

More recently, however, I’m experimenting more with mixed media that includes a collage component and an illustrative element — either paint or ink.

3. Fountain pens and fountain pen inks

I love fountain pens and fountain inks! My favorite pen is a Pilot Falcon with a Soft Fine nib that my husband bought me. It’s my fave because it’s a reliable starter (even if I haven’t used it a while, it still writes) and the nib is delightfuly flexy.

My favourite fountain pen ink brand is Iroshizuku. Don’t you LOVE this blue?

At this point, though, I try to resist acquiring any more pens or different types of inks because not only do I have enough but I’m also much pickier.

4. Miniature things, including travel art kits

I am fascinated by all things miniature, especially handmade tiny food or tiny furniture. I remember yearning desperately for a dollhouse when I was a child, but we couldn’t afford one. Now I’d rather look at OTHER people’s dollhouses because we don’t have the space in our house, plus I’m leery about falling down the rabbit hole of making my own miniature furniture.

I have an obsession with travel-size art kits, both DIY and commercial. I refuse to say how many because it’s way too embarrassing! DIY art kits are especially fun.

Photo by Debbie Ridpath Ohi - DebbieOhi.com

My burning desire to always have a travel art kit with me at all times paid off when I did a live drawing event with Michael Ian Black at the New York Times, at the end of a book tour. My paints never did arrive at the Simon & Schuster offices, but I only found out right before the event. Happily, I had one of my Altoids tin DIY watercolor travel kits, so I used that instead.

5. Obsidian (the app)

I use Obsidian for keeping track of all my book projects, research, prep for presentations, travel plans, short-form writing, and more. It’s like a digital notebook where every note you write can have multiple links, each of which links to other notes. As I work on fleshing out the world-building, character, and plot for a middle grade novel, for example, I can link character names to my character notes, etc. This makes it much easier to get back into the creative headspace, especially if I’ve had to put that project on the back burner for a while. I also use Obsidian for my picture book projects, keeping track of various rounds of sketches and final art, reference images, feedback from my editor and art director, promotion and marketing ideas, bookstore and educator notes, and so on.

If anyone’s curious about Obsidian, I recommend checking out Nicole van der Hoeven’s beginner tutorials on YouTube.

6. 7 Wonders (the board game)

My husband are avid board gamers. Because of the theme of this post, I feel compelled to list one of my favorite board games: 7 WONDERS, published by Repos Production. The game designer is Antoine Bauza, and artists are Dimitri Chappuis, Miguel Coimbra, Etienne Hebinger, and Cyril Nouvel. It’s a strategy card drafting game in which players take on the role of ancient city leaders, each working on building a unique wonder. I like it because there are multiple ways to victory, like scientific advancement rather than military strength. Because everyone takes their turn at the same time, it’s fast-paced. Before rushing out to buy the game, though, I strongly advise watching some “how to play” videos, especially if you’re not familiar with Euro-style board games. 7 Wonders won the Kennerspiel des Jahres (Connoisseur/Expert Game Of The Year) in 2011; this category is for more complex games that appeal to experienced players or those seeking deeper strategy.

My sweet spot in board games, though, is co-operative horror.

7. Ethan’s Letter

One of my favorite letters from a young reader is this one, which I have pinned up on my Inspiration board. Whenever I get mired in the weeds of the publishing industry, I re-read it to remind myself of what’s really important.