This episode of Dad Up features a mom. Tamara Girardi writes children’s books often inspired by things her four children say or do.During our conversation we talked a lot about her experiences writing children’s novels. It’s one of her passions as a writer. One of her writing challenges is to write a new picture book idea every day, and she succeeds by going stealth and spying on the kiddos in their natural habitats.No spying was necessary to develop her first book, Why, Daddy? Why? Her then four-year-old daughter regularly asked questions framed with the word parents everywhere dread: why!An author of young adult fiction as well, Tamara signed a book deal with Wise Wolf Books in June of 2021 for six young adult contemporary novels to release in 2022 and 2023. The first is Gridiron Girl, set for released in March 2022. Also an academic, Tamara is an Associate Professor of English at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College where she teaches creative writing, technical writing, composition, and literature online. She has a PhD in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and studied fiction at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She has co-edited the essay collections Young Adult Literature in the Composition Classroom: Essays on Practical Application (McFarland), Hero or Villain?: Essays on Dark Protagonists of Television (McFarland), and Theories and Strategies for Teaching Creative Writing Online (Routledge).Dad Up!https://linktr.ee/Daduptribehttps://youtube.com/c/DadUpPodcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dad-up-podcast/id1486764562Dad Up Merchandise https://www.teepublic.com/stores/dad-up?ref_id=26174Please make sure you check out her books and website at https://www.tamaragirardi.com/https://www.tamaragirardi.com/linkshttps://www.instagram.com/girarditamara/--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daduppodcast/support