Meet Our July Guest Guru - Jill Ross Nadler
- rateyourstoryweb
- Jun 29
- 5 min read
We are very excited to feature our July Guest Guru (Jill Ross Nadler) who brings a wealth of knowledge and information as a storyteller, multi-published picture book author, screenwriter, producer, and MORE to us. She will give a rating and feedback to four lucky Rate Your Story Members this month. Members can request her from Judy, our in-box coordinator (via to RateYourStory@gmail.com), and if there are available spots and your manuscript seems like a good fit, you will receive this benefit.
Q: What did you love about being a child?
A: Living in my imagination! Everything was magical. I believed that my bedroom closet might lead to Narnia, and a talking giraffe would show up any minute to sweep me off on an adventure. Um…come to think of it, not much has changed!
Q: What brought you to children’s books?
A: My mother was a professional storyteller, so I grew up with stories in my veins…and my living room where she hosted storytelling birthday parties every weekend. I view the world through the lens of story, so writing and storytelling have always been a part of my world.
Q: What do you love about children’s books?
A: The wonder, magic, curiosity, humor, imagination, and awe I feel when I read and write them.
Q: Share a little bit about your most recently-published book. How long was its path to publication? What did you learn from this experience? What is your favorite thing about this book?
A: My most recent project is actually a work-for-hire/collaboration with Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center. They wanted to teach kids about the importance of Florida’s water systems, so I created a water drop character named Flow who has her own game show called THE FLoW SHOW (Florida Land of Water). When a contestant named Noxious Glub gets every answer wrong, Flow takes him on a journey into the past, present, and future of Florida’s water systems. I’m also in the process of transforming the book into an animated video that will be used in schools.
Q: Share a little bit about another book you wrote and how you drew upon your interests or experience to research / write it.
A: I’m going to stick to THE FLOW SHOW for a second. I got the idea for that story after seeing a poster about the water cycle at an elementary school. One little throwaway line on the poster mentioned that the very water we drink today was also drunk by the dinosaurs! That blew my mind. I adore research and love creating fictional stories from factual information. When I learned about the symbiotic relationship between Sloth Moths and Sloths, I wrote a picture book called Moth and Sloth: Best Friends Forever.
Q: What do you love about the genre of books you write in (please be specific)?
A: I write in multiple genres, including MG, PB, and Chapter Books. In all of the genres, I love exploring the world through my characters and their arcs.
Q: What does a story need to make it a favorite for you?
A: Humor and a quirky sensibility.
Q: Share a story that you love and why.
A: One of my favorite picture books is Zombie In Love by Kelly DiPuccio (I also love Lynne Marie’s Moldy Locks and the Three Scares!-I really enjoy funny zombies.). In MG, I adore the Nevermoor Series by Jessica Townsend, the world-building, characters, and humor are like nothing I’ve ever read.
Q: What is a common issue you see in the manuscripts you critique?
A: Not connecting to a bigger theme with the story. Sometimes authors have a great concept, but the bigger theme is missing. Using Moldilocks as an example, Lynne Marie not only turned the classic fairytale on its head, she made it a story about finding family. That makes it so much richer and more impactful for the reader.
Q: Please share a Submission Tip with our Members.
A: Try to give a feel for the voice of the book in your query. If it’s quirky, add a little quirk to the pitch (without going overboard), if it’s lyrical, infuse that into query, etc.
Q: Please share a Revision Tip for our Members.
A: Ask yourself what the story is really about, what you’re trying to say. While there can be multiple levels, there should be one unifying theme.
Q: Name subjects you would like to read about.
A: Ocean creatures, odd animals, roadside attractions, secret societies, zombies.
Q: Name subjects you would not like to read about.
A: I’ll read just about anything if presented in a way that appeals to me!
Q: Share something you wish we had asked you about but didn’t!
A: How to keep going when NO seems to be all you hear…enjoy the process of creating for creating’s sake. Lean into the joy of developing and amazing character, world, story. Just…lean into the joy in general and the rest will happen.
Q: Share a fun fact about YOU!
A: I once tossed my bra off the Eiffel Tower.
ABOUT JILL: Jill grew up in a super creative home on the South Shore of Long Island. Even though her family lived in a hundred-year-old house, Jill and her siblings were encouraged to paint murals on the walls; her inventor dad built a mad-scientist’s workshop in the garage; and her mom had a dance studio in the living room, where she developed a program that taught early learning skills through movement stories.
After graduating from the University of Buffalo with a degree in theater, Jill became a professional storyteller with her mom’s Motion Potion program. She soon moved from stage to screen, joining FOX Kids as a writer, producer, and host, earning an Emmy for outstanding children’s special along the way. Jill has also written and hosted programs for the Travel Channel, Scholastic Bookfairs, and the International Reading Association.
Jill is the author of the picture book SUCH A LIBRARY!: A Yiddish Folktale Reimagined, as well as ten leveled readers for Heinemann Publishing, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She's also authored a number of books for SEVEN-WAY STORIES program, which focuses on Emotional Intelligence as kids experience a story seven ways.
SEVEN-WAY STORIES are produced through Jill's company PAGE TURNER ADVENTURES, an award-winning studio that produces musical storytelling videos, books, and crafts for libraries, schools and families around the country, as well as live touring theater shows. She's also the KidVision Producer for South Florida PBS.
When she’s not writing, producing, or performing, Jill can be found curled up with a good book, visiting weird museums, or creating robots out of Altoid tins.
Thanks so much for the great revision tips!
Jill, what an amazing childhood - storytelling birthday parties every weekend - WOW. And so many creative endeavors now. Thanks for sharing.