Danielle Sharkan grew up in the Chicago suburbs. She has a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Jewish Studies and master's degrees in Middle Eastern Studies and Education. Danielle has taught English to kids and adults in three different countries. Her stories are inspired by nature, her life experiences, history and culture. Danielle now lives in Boulder, Colorado, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her two children and Goldendoodle, Charlie Brown. Danielle's new picture book, Sharing Shalom, is illustrated by Selina Alko and published by Holiday House.
1. What one piece of advice would you like to give to aspiring kidlit authors?
Everyone’s journey looks different. It is full of ups and downs, twists and turns, wins and losses, joy and heartache, near misses, apologetic passes and frank rejections. Keep participating, keep learning, keep honing your craft. Write from your heart. Write your truths. Write the story only you can tell. As long as you don’t give up, you will get there.
2. What three things bring you joy?
My kids, nature, yoga, and good food (ok, I cheated, but food is so good!)
3. What do you feel you’ve gained from being a part of the children’s writing community?
The children’s writing community is amazing. I have not only learned how to be a better writer, but I have also gained critique partners, mentorships, twitter pitches, contest wins, and life-long friends. As a result of being part of the community, I can now confidently call myself an author!
I probably wouldn’t have made it this far without the support and encouragement of a lot of people, so I’d like to give a shout out to a few. Jenna Waldman brought me into the kidlit community and has guided me throughout my journey. I saw my first contest win with Kaitlyn Sanchez and Lydia Lukidis’ Fall Writing Frenzy, which earned me a critique with the fabulous Vivien Kirkfield. Shortly after, I placed in Vivien Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words contest, and then was chosen by Elisa Boxer for Justin Colon’s PBCHAT Mentorship. A few months later, I was offered representation by my agent, Charlotte Wenger, and six months later I got my first book offer for Sharing Shalom!
4. Where did you get the idea for Sharing Shalom? What was your inspiration?
I wrote this book in Fall 2021. I wanted to write a meaningful story. A story only I could tell. I thought back to my childhood. I tried to mine experiences that were impactful. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago that was orderly, calm, and traditional. There was some diversity, and I was never the only Jewish person around. That being sad, I never really felt different for being Jewish, until High School, when I traveled overseas. Never, except one time. I had almost forgotten about it. I was in third grade, and sometime around winter break, I was watching the news with my parents. We listened to a story about an act of the vandalism at my synagogue, along with other Jewish centers in the area. I didn’t understand why it happened. We didn’t talk about it. Hebrew School was closed for a few weeks, and when we returned, nobody talked about it. I felt like a sense of shame and confusion. Why would someone do this? As a parent, I was becoming worried about the increase of anti semitism and hate crimes I heard about in the news. I wanted to write a book that would help parents and children talk about this difficult topic. I also wanted to help instill a sense of pride to young Jewish and non-Jewish readers and help celebrate the richness diversity.
5. Was this always the title for this project?
This project went through three different title! The original title was Not So Different. Then, it became Leila’s Links. These titles didn’t convey the essence of the story. Sharing Shalom, was the product of a brainstorming session with my agent, Charlotte. It was perfect, not only because of the sweet alliteration, but because it perfectly captures the heart of story.
6. What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing this book?
A challenge I faced while writing this story was how to explain hate/racism/anti semitism to a child. Emotionally, I was mad that I even had to explain it. I imagined having this conversation with my daughter. I didn’t want to have this conversation with her. But I know that there will be a day when I will have to. And when I do, I want to her to be proud of who she is. I don’t want any child to feel ashamed for her heritage, culture, background, or religion.
But I think the most challenging part was trying to put myself in the minds of the people who perpetuate these crimes. What do they really believe? It was extremely difficult to answer to Leila’s question, “But why?" Selina’s beautiful, bittersweet illustration does an excellent job showing the depth of emotion a child might have after experiencing such an incident, and to elicit empathy from the reader. In the end, I think that emotional response may be more powerful than any explanation.
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