What if you’ve been invited to a Monster party? Would you know the etiquette?

I’m so terribly excited for today’s picture book from one of my tried-and-true critique partners!

Heidi Yates is an author, illustrator and nature photographer from the home of the sasquatch (Pacific Northwest). Heidi loves Halloween, mythical creatures, and creating spine-tingling stories. Monster Manners A to Z is her “dé-boo” picture book. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.

MONSTER MANNERS A TO Z is a picture book with multiple hooks. Yes, there’s monsters. Yes, there’s the alphabet. However, there’s also an SEL component with the “manners” that’s sure to please every parent and teacher who might be reading this book. It will also induce fits of giggles from young readers: the boogey man has a cold (boogey man; boogers! get it?), and the cyclops might not see “eye to eye.” All of the combinations of monsters and manners are brilliant.

Welcome Heidi!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? When did you start writing picture books? How has that brought you to writing this picture book?

Heidi: I have been crafting stories for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had a huge imagination, and I constantly used sketching and writing just to sort through all the ideas bouncing around in my head. My thoughts naturally turn into stories, and in my opinion, the absolute best stories are the ones with pictures!

Getting a book out into the world has been a long, bumpy adventure. I hit the jackpot with an amazing support system of family, friends, and teachers, but my college English professor gave me the ultimate push toward publication.

Hands down, discovering the writing community has been the best part of this experience. My path included joining SCBWI in 2011, entering Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Writing Challenge in 2014, matching with Josh Funk for a 2021 mentorship, and partnering with my agent, Elisa Houot, in 2022. It all paved the way to signing an offer for MONSTER MANNERS A to Z in 2025.

Me: I remember seeing a rough draft of this story! It is a perfect ABC concept book with such a wide variety of monsters and a wonderful list of manners. What gave you the idea for this story?

Heidi: Thank you, Jena! The inspiration really came from a mix of my favorite things. I’ve always wanted to write an alphabet book because I love the tidy organization of a list, and I wanted a fun way to bring my favorite Halloween characters together for one big monster bash.

I was also inspired by conversations about needing more kindness and manners in the world. Blending etiquette with monsters totally tickles my funny bone because it is the exact opposite of how they usually behave. Ultimately, I wanted to create a book filled with humor and wordplay that would let readers share a laugh together. I had so much fun with this project!

Me: Your text is deceptively simple with some hilarious lines thrown in. Did it undergo a ton of revisions to get to its finished state? Or was this story a gift from the muse that was good from the first draft?

Heidi: It’s funny, because the concept came very naturally and the first draft required hardly any revision. However, the fun challenge was doing some structural shuffling. I had a specific lineup of monsters I wanted to feature, and fitting them into an ABC sequence was like a brain teaser. For instance, the Abominable Snowman became a Yeti to make room for Aliens, and Witches & Wizards turned into Enchanters for the Werewolves’ sake.

Me: Ha! I love that. Can you talk about how you came to publish with Beaming Books? Did you only pitch to them? Or did you shop the book around and they were your first yes?

Heidi: I went on submission to a select handful of editors in January 2025 and received an offer from Beaming Books a few weeks later. One of my critique partners had published with them and had a fantastic experience. Knowing that, I felt like the story was landing in good hands, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Heidi: The most surprising part was the speed of the entire process, moving from the first draft in August 2024 to a published book by August 2026. A two-year turnaround feels like a whirlwind in the publishing world.

Me: The illustrations by Yana Kozak are pitch perfect! She did such a wonderful job of including the monsters all throughout the party, not just on the page where they’re introduced. There is such personality in every character! Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?

Heidi: I love Yana’s illustrations so much! They are incredibly colorful, silly, and filled with expressive characters. The best surprise was seeing all the fun details she added to each spread. I find something new each time I scan through the book. Some of my favorites are Cyclops having a face-to-face with a three-eyed alien, the random items suspended inside Slime Blob, and the characters’ hiding places for Yeti hide-and-seek. Hilarious!

Me: I know this is your “dé-boo” picture book, but you’ve been writing for quite some time. Do you have any advice for aspiring picture book writers?

Heidi: Don’t give up, and don’t be afraid to try something new! Play around with different story structures, POVs, or genres. All of my earlier projects featured a traditional story arc. (I still love the traditional story arc too!) But after hearing people in the writing community talk about experimenting, and having my agent suggest it too, I decided to just go for it. It completely changed the game for me, so this is easily the best advice I can pass along.

That is great advice. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today Heidi.

Dear readers, this book publishes next week. Keep an eye out for it. It’s a hilarious new setup on monsters AND manners that you won’t want to miss.