From both professional and personal experience, I have learned that the right story improves a child’s ability to navigate the world, transforming pessimism into optimism. As a school psychologist, I’ve written countless reports and presentations outlining challenges and how to overcome them. Translating complex concepts into simple terms, I love helping young children with learning, emotional, social, and impulse-control difficulties. My published work in that arena includes a relaxation-training curriculum, book chapters, and peer-reviewed research.
Since 2020 I have studied picture-book writing with SCBWI, Highlights, Writers.com, Manuscript Academy, 12x12, Picture Book Summiteers, Rate Your Story, and Children’s Book Insider. A graduate of Children's Book Academy, I now contribute monthly to the CBA Blogfish page, highlighting SEL and Jewish picture books. My picture-book entry won First Place in the 2023 Florida SCBWI Rising Kite contest, My manuscripts reflect the children I’ve assisted, my New York/Jewish background (especially tales from my Dad's Brooklyn boyhood) and my quirky sense of humor.
Welcome to my world! - Debra Collins
Represented by Jen Newens, Senior Literary Manager/ MLM