Inspirational Journeys Presents: The Joy of Writing Chapter Books with Tonya Ellis

My special guest and I have a fun and exciting conversation about our love of writing children’s books. Even though today’s episode is audio only for the most part, I get so excited to show off a new toy I made, that I forget that I don’t have my camera on, and turn it on for a brief second. So, if you’re listening on YouTube, please disregard my split second video shot. For those of you listening to the podcast episode, you can see the picture of the crocheted ice cream cone I talked about here.

TONYA DUNCAN ELLIS is author of the award-winning, 13-book, SOPHIE WASHINGTON children’s chapter series and THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM (HarperCollins, Balzer + Bray, 2024). She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, and the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation-sponsored Amplify Black Stories storyteller cohort. Tonya has spoken and taught at writing conferences at the Highlights Foundation and for SCBWI in New York City and for SCBWI Houston and Austin, TX chapters. A former journalist and freelance magazine writer, she holds a BA degree in French from Centre College of Kentucky and an MBA degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Tonya is represented by Sara Megibow of kt Literary. She lives in Houston, Texas and is married with three children.

Tonya’s longest running chapter book series is called the Sophie Washington Series.

There are 13 books in the SOPHIE WASHINGTON chapter series geared toward kids ages 8 to 12. African American preteen Sophie Washington and her friends deal with common tween issues like fighting off bullies, squabbling with siblings, managing social media and video games, getting schoolwork done, fitting in, and puppy love, with a Texas-twist. Sophie lives in the suburbs of Houston, Texas and sees alligators on neighborhood bike rides, goes muttin’ bustin’ at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and experiences flooding and hurricanes, which makes for all kinds of exciting adventures. Books in the Sophie Washington series include Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee, Sophie Washington: The Snitch, Sophie Washington: Things You Didn’t Know About Sophie, Sophie Washington: The Gamer, Sophie Washington: Hurricane, Sophie Washington: Mission: Costa Rica, Sophie Washington: Secret Santa, Sophie Washington: Code One, Sophie Washington: Mismatch, Sophie Washington: My BFF, Sophie Washington: Class Retreat, Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day, and Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach.