Rising Stars: Meet Danielle Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Davis.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong and now I read, write, and roller skate in Los Angeles; I’ve lived in Silver Lake, Chinatown, and recently DTLA. I’ve been immersed in children’s books as an adult since reading the picture book for all ages, THE RED TREE, by Shaun Tan. And of course I was immersed in the handful I owned as a child, reading them in the forts I built in my room. As a children’s book author, a couple of years ago I had the idea to combine two things I am super passionate about: writing AND teaching writing to kids. With THIS WRITER’S LIFE, my YouTube channel, my goal is to help 8 to 12-year-olds develop their identity as writers, discover their own writing process, and tap into their unique voice and imagination. I hope it’s of use to kid writers as well as their parents and educators. Episodes walk through writing activities, tools, guidance, and encouragement for any writer’s life. Plus, each one features someone I admire in a creative field offering a piece of advice from their own process—my favorite part! My novel for kids is called ZINNIA AND THE BEES and my first picture book, illustrated by Mags DeRoma, will be called TO MAKE and comes out in 2022. I also have a picture book blog called This Picture Book Life that brings picture books to life.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a LONG road as a writer for sure! It was a number of years between writing my first children’s book manuscript and that book getting published. But I spent the time well—writing, learning, reading, developing my artistic voice, and writing some more. Then after my first novel came out in 2017, I’ve had the pleasure of facilitating events and writing workshops for kids at bookstores, conferences, and art venues, and now online, which is one of my very favorite things. One of the biggest struggles I still have is the overwhelm that can creep in when approaching revision on a project. It’s so easy to feel like: “This is beyond me and there’s no way I can do it.” But part of writing or any pursuit is persistence and finding the energy to keep at it, taking on the stuff that feels overwhelming. And one trick to that is connecting to what got you started on that creative project in the first place. Why did you begin? Why does it matter to you? How do you think it will impact and have value for others? What’s at its heart that will resonate? That’s the stuff that keeps me going when the task feels intimidating.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
With This Writer’s Life, I want to encourage young writers to stay true to who they are and express their uniqueness in their unique way.

In my own work, two things I’ve been doing more of lately are breaking rules and collaborating with others, both of which are totally rewarding and inspiring.

What does success mean to you?
I think success is being committed to your creative pursuits: taking them on, investing in them, and doing your best to make them happen (even when that means one challenge after another). That way, you are accomplishing what’s most important to you, aligning with what makes life meaningful, and marking your own milestones along the way regardless of all the outcomes you can’t control.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.danielledavisreadsandwrites.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writesinla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisPictureBookLife/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/writesinLA
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZxYISAt8Opcql7i7QEKqOA?sub-confirmation=1

Image Credits
The personal photo of me was taken by Rippin Sindher. The one of the “writer” pins was taken by Meiko Takechi Arquillos.