Tracy C. Gold

I often find myself wondering “how is this my real life” when I get to work on some of my editing clients’ picture books. “The Cheese Tax,” by Ron and Roberta Lenert, is one of those books! This team wrote and illustrated this book, and it is forthcoming from Lawley Publishing, so I get to share about it coming out in the world soon! It publishes on October 13th, and you can preorder it on Amazon (affiliate link) or via the authors’ website.

The book is inspired by the famous video about having to give your dog some cheese whenever you open the cheese drawer. In my house, this is the “hardboiled egg” tax–I don’t like the yolk so my dog knows to come running every time an egg cracks! Unfortunately, when I’m baking with raw eggs, he’s sadly disappointed.

I did a little interview with the authors below. Enjoy a good chuckle!

Tell me about your real-life inspiration for the book.

Roberta: One afternoon our daughter played the ‘cheese tax’ song on her phone, and someone gave our dog Kona a bit of shredded mozzarella.  We started singing the song and we fed the dog every time we ate cheese that week. Then it became our routine.  

Ron: We had written drafts for a few other children’s books and had an open ear for more ideas. Then it hit me that that our cheese tax was fun, and I wanted to write a book that was, above all else, fun to read.  Then the rhymes started flowing and started keeping me up at night.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only eat one kind of cheese for the rest of your life, what would it be? What would your dog say to that question? 

Roberta: Caramelized onion cheddar cheese from Trader Joe’s.   

Ron: Cheddar.  Doesn’t really matter what kind, but I will put shredded cheddar on a disproportionate number of my meals at home.

Kona: Kona’s favorite kind of cheese is the type she is offered! She is not picky! We devoted an entire page of the story to comment on her very low standards.  For her Instagram page, we have tried several ‘taste test’ posts, and they are just chaos.

I’m so excited that you can now preorder (way, way ahead of time) “Everywhere You Go,” my newest picture book. It doesn’t come out until June 2027 (tentative), but if you see this now, maybe you want to order before you forget! Preorders help let booksellers know people want this book! They’re more likely to order more copies if they see early interest.

This adorable book, illustrated by the amazing Susanna Covelli, is now available for preorder! It’s about a dog and a kid who want to go everywhere together. When the kiddo faces scary things, like fights with friends, the dog is always there to help. Then when thunder comes around, kiddo is there to comfort the dog.

I don’t know how Susanna Covelli did it, but she managed to make the dog look JUST like my beloved late dog Ollie. She’d never seen a picture of him. I didn’t ask for that. It’s just a little bit of book magic!

You can preorder “Everywhere You Go”:

On Amazon (affiliate link)

Via The Ivy Bookshop

Via Park Books

Via Charm City Books

Via Bookshop

Via your own local bookstore (probably–you may need to wait until it is closer to launch at some!)

Here is the amazing cover:

Book events mean book swag! If you’re an author trying to figure out what supplies you need before a busy season of book events, I’m here to help! I have a full post about this on Dawn Prochovnic’s blog, “Have Swag, Will Travel.” Here, I have links to buy some of these products. These are mostly affiliate links. I bought a lot of these products a long time ago, so sometimes I’ve swapped a link when something is not available. That said, I need to restock for this year, so I’ll come back and change things around if I find out a product isn’t great.

Here we go!

A folding wagon and/or rolling bag: This will save you if you have loads of stuff to bring in! I’m still looking for my dream wagon, but I have a Hulken bag (bought on Prime Day sale–and yes, I totally fill up the large size) and one of these wagons–heads up, neither of these has a brake to lock it in place like a stroller.

Scissors: Look, always have a pair of scissors. These are a great cheap option if you are like me and lose all your belongings. I also do crafts involving scissors and get kid-scissors in bulk. Most places where I have events do have some basics like kid scissors, so I don’t need a thirty-pack, but that exists too. The kid-scissors definitely get lost and incorporated into my household. I suggest blunt tips unless you’re working with older children.

Crayons: The crafts I bring involve crayons. I like having little packs to hand out so kids aren’t searching through a pile of crayons making a mess. If the crayons get returned, great, if not, they were cheap.

Tape: In my normal life I always have duct tape in my truck, but for kids crafts, I go with Scotch. This can come in really handy for table set up, not just crafts.

Mesh/clear bags to keep everything organized: I like these laundry bags for bigger things, and these more structured bags for smaller craft supplies. I do go through the multipacks, but only because I use them around my house as well. Note that I do not have bags for purchases. People are pretty used to bringing their own bags these days.

Clear bins: I like Container Store brand clear bins because they fit into my Ikea Kallax shelving at home, but it is great to have small, stackable bins to hold all this stuff. Make sure that your bins fit into your wagon or vice versa!

Sharpies: Huge must-have for making signs and signing books! If you have a board book, hot tip: metallic sharpies work the best.

Post-it notes: I mostly use these to practice writing names before I sign!

Little white board: Make a sign on the spot! I like how this one has a little clip so I am less likely to lose the marker.

Book stands: So helpful for vertical displays!

Personal amplifier: To save your voice, especially if you’re outdoors!

Sign holders: Clear acrylic holders help keep things organized! See Dawn’s blog for what kind of signs you need!

Baskets: I have bought baskets to hold craft supplies online in the past, but I’d highly recommend hitting up your local thrift store, as they tend to be overflowing with all kinds of cute baskets. Foldable is great for easy transport. I collect wicker baskets so that I’m always equipped to make a bundle of books for a silent auction.

Tablecloth: Again, this is a great thing to find in a local thrift store, but you can be more particular about colors online. Don’t bring anything that you don’t mind getting ruined by Sharpies/crayons!

I know this seems like a lot. If you don’t have it all on day one, that’s ok. You can slowly thrift/scrap/repurpose and figure out what you need for the specific kinds of events you do most.

Remember to hop over to Dawn’s blog about book events and check out the full breakdown of what to bring!

What: Authors Amanda Rowe and Tracy C. Gold are so excited to welcome you to Tranquillity ManorFarm for a spring story time with critters. Bring a blanket or chair and we’ll bring snacks, books, and critters to pet and feed.

Who: Babies through 8-year-olds will enjoy experiencing books surrounded by animals. Older children are welcome, too! Please bring enough adults to keep children closely supervised and safe. This is a working farm with tractors, trucks, and many animals that are in training or rehabbing from injuries. Please have everyone wear close-toed shoes.

When: 11 am – 12 pm, Saturday May 23, 2026

Where: Tranquillity Manor Farm, 4101 Stansbury Mill Road, Monkton, Maryland. Drive all the way down the driveway, past the rings and large indoor arena, until you see a cluster of barns. Leave 5-10 extra minutes for the long and bumpy driveway. Watch for unmarked speed bumps. Drive slowly; anyone walking with or riding a horse has the right of way.

Why: Have fun building your child’s literacy while they enjoy the farm animals!

Weather: This event is rain or shine! If it is raining, we will gather inside a barn.

How much: Free! Books are available for purchase ahead of time or at the event.

Feel free to show up last minute, but we appreciate RSVPS so we can provide the right amount of fun snacks for humans and animals. RSVP and preorder books here: https://form.jotform.com/260553733013045.

I just had to share this adorable video/podcast that the kids at Krieger Schechter put together during my last visit to their school. I am the Silverman-Brown author in residence this year, which means I am coming for three visits over the course of the year. In my first visit, I talked with children about coming up with ideas and research. In my second visit, we talked about drafting and structure. When I return in April, we’ll be talking about revision. Throughout, we’ve been using my book “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat” as a jumping off point to talk about how bats can affect a region’s ecology. Krieger Schechter is planning to have kids make bat boxes to install at the school to give these helpful bug eating critters a safe home.

I love sharing my process and hopefully inspiring all of these young people!

This new on-demand class goes through all the FAQs I get from new picture book writers, and then some!

This class is shorter and quicker than my in-depth course on writing rhyming picture books but still jam-packed with information about traditional publishing, self publishing, structure, language and everything you need to get started with writing picture books.

Find more details and enroll on Thinkific, where you will be added to a community for students of all of my classes.

Join Skillshare to access both classes, minus the community attached to them.

You can also reach out to me at tracycgold@gmail.com with questions at any time!

I love horses and I love picture books! So…whenever someone asks about picture books about horses, I’m your girl. I was going through some favorites today and thought I’d post a list.

These links are all affiliate links which means if you buy these books (or your regular Amazon purchases) through these links, you’ll be supporting my horse and picture book habits. Thank you!

What books have I missed? Please comment with your suggestions!

Clip Clop by Nicola Smee

This one is so much fun to read aloud! It’s perfect for younger kids, babies on up.

Horse Power: How Horses Changed the World by Jennifer Thermes

My kid is obsessed with this book. It is a longer non-fiction read. My kid’s takeaway is pretty much that horses make the world a better place! I agree!

If I Had a Horse by Gianna Marino

This book is spare and beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that when I saw it at the library, I knew I had to have my own copy, and bought one lickety split.

The Ultimate Book of Horses by Sandra Laboucarie illustrated by Helene Convert

This one was just recommended to me but I had to add it on here because we have a ton of the books in “The Ultimate Book of” series, and I never knew a horses one existed! This series is super interactive and fun, with more than you’ll ever want to know about cities, space, dinosaurs…you name it.

Fritz and The Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett

A scruffy pony saves the day! A beloved classic from my childhood.

Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

For the older range of picture book readers (a mature four-year-old at youngest on up), this is an incredibly touching story about a brave horse who becomes a war hero. The book shows a little bit of war, but isn’t too scary.

Wild Horse Annie: Friend of the Mustangs by Tracey Fern, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Another true story, about a woman who spoke up to protect wild mustangs. A more whimsical read (I mean, just look at the adorable cover!).

This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis, illustrated by Charles Santoso

This absolutely beautiful book tells the story of a blind horse who becomes friends with a grumpy goat. It’s based on a true story, but is lyrical and spare in a way more common to fiction.

Goliath: Hero of the Great Baltimore Fire by Claudia Friddell, illustrated by Troy Howell

This is a touching, heartfelt true story of one of the horses who helped quench the Great Baltimore Fire. It’s a lovely historical tale and always makes me tear up a bit because it gets to the heart of just what makes horses so special.

I am excited to announce my new on-demand class, “How to Write Rhyming Picture Books.” I’ve had so many friends and clients say they wanted to take the real-time classes I’ve led…but that the schedule didn’t work. Thus the idea of on-demand classes. It’s impossible to recreate the energy of real-time classes in an asynchronous mode, but I knew there had to be a way to capture at least some community feel.

I did my research, and landed on Thinkific as a platform to host online courses and a community discussion around those courses. While students will engage with the content at different times, this community will allow for discussion and for me to weigh in with feedback on student projects and questions.

When I recently polled my Facebook friends, several people asked for a class on rhyming picture books specifically. So, I have planned a class and scripted all of the videos. Now, before I film, I’m offering the class for presale. This way, I’ll make sure I have enough interest in the class to make all the videos, and I can also incorporate feedback on my curriculum to make sure I’m offering the best possible class.

So…I’m excited to introduce my pre-sale for “How to Write a Rhyming Picture Book”! Think of this like a Kickstarter…if I can get 10 people to sign up for the class by June 16, I’ll go ahead and create all the videos and launch the class by August 1 (if not earlier). 

If I can’t get 10 people to sign up, I’ll refund everyone’s money and rethink whether it’s worth offering the class. But I think I’ll find 10! 

I’m offering the class at a special discounted price before June 16 as well. Right now the class is $89 to join, a 30% discount from my plan for the permanent price ($129). 

The class includes a private community where you can connect with other writers and post your project for the class, which will be a new spin on a classic nursery rhyme. I’ll be able to chime in and provide feedback on the projects for the first 10 people who sign up for the class (and hopefully more, but that’s going to depend on demand). 

I plan to offer this class on Thinkific in both video and written format. You can watch or you can just read. For my audiobook/podcast fiends, you will also be able to purely listen to most of the class.

As a heads up, I’m likely going to launch this course on Skillshare as well eventually but that will be primarily video due to how that platform works. As of now, I’m planning to keep the course cheaper on Thinkific than the cost for a Skillshare membership. 

Find more details and sign up here!

Please feel free to reach out with questions at tracycgold@gmail.com.

Looking for a class that’s more for beginners? Check out my on-demand class on writing and publishing picture books for beginners on Thinkific and Skillshare.

This course includes:

• The opportunity to post one of your books and get feedback from other students and me
• Details on basic types of picture books and their typical length
• Guidelines for structuring picture books
• Tips on style and language in picture books
• Templates for formatting both rhyming and prose picture books

Feel free to email me at tracycgold@gmail.com if you have any questions!