Writer. Mom. Laugh-er.

Yep, that’s me.

Well hello there. I write (award-winning!) books for children, with 16 in print so far, with a new mom/child devotional journal coming out Nov 2023, and a new fiction picture book in 2025. (I also have four titles that I’ve ghostwritten, but can’t really speak to that. Shhh. Stop asking.) It’s so nice to virtually meet you!

If I look familiar, it’s probably not because I was the one yelling at you to move it, mister, I’ve got a soccer game to get to. It’s probably not because you read one of my (award-winning!) books, although some day I hope to change that (**it’s not b/c my books stink–they are for the school and library market, so honestly you haven’t come across them in stores as they aren’t supposed to be there).

Media

But you may have seen me on CNN (twice) or on one of my regular local morning TV segments in Sacramento, Portland, Phoenix, or Albuquerque, heard me on national radio, read the syndicated newspaper column I co-wrote for five years, or seen one of the literally hundreds of articles I either was quoted in or wrote, like in Writing Children’s Books for Dummies, Working Mother magazine, California Kids!, PC Week, Investor’s Business Daily, blah blah… Maybe you’ve been at one of my author events or at one of the dozens of writer conferences where I spoke? Why, maybe you’ve driven by me on the freeway and didn’t even know it!

Books

What I’m most proud of now are my six picture books, seven NF chapter books & three YA titles I’ve authored with publishers like Lerner and Rosen, and the many many books I’ve professionally edited for others. I have two new books of my own coming soon that I’m super excited about.

Anyway, when I’m not eating dark chocolate, pretending to clean the kitchen, or yelling at my kids to put away their laundry, I’m dedicated to the children’s book industry. My husband and three kids have been very supportive, and I’m looking forward to more published books, more conference presentations, and more school visits.

Are you a fellow or budding children’s book writer?

Check out my blog (or click above) for writing tips specific to the kidlit industry. We dance to the beat of a different drummer here. It’s not the same beat as the traditional lit world, or any industry, really, and I must say, it’s divine. You’ll love it here!

Bio: the short version

Meet Bitsy Kemper, the dynamo behind 21 children’s books and the upcoming Mommy & Me Micro-Moments: A 5-Minute a Day Devotional Journal (November 2023). She’s been spotted on CNN and CBS This Morning, and graced radio, newspapers and magazines across the nation. When not ~~yelling at~~ raising three kids (four if you count her husband) she’s knee deep into yoga. You can often find her helping out at church or hiding all the dark chocolate (but not both simultaneously). She’s thrilled to no longer play the corporate marketing game, and now fully enjoys rocking author visits and workshops from California to New York. Find out more at www.BitsyKemper.com!

Wait, you’re already here…

winner!
Bitsy Kemper profiled in Around Here Magazine

This is the (much) longer version, if you’re just plain curious–no offense if you skip it!

Bio: the looong version

The Early Years

Bitsy grew up on Lawn Guyland (commonly spelled “Long Island”), New York, the youngest of five kids born within five years. Raised by her single dad as her mom died when she was 2 (and her siblings were 4, 5, 6, and 7) she embraced chaos from an early age. Her family didn’t have much at all growing up but they had family, fun, and faith. From kindergarten through grad school, she was one of those perhaps rare kids that LOVED school, and was involved in every extracurricular activity ever offered.

She thanks every scout leader, teacher, and lunch line lady that offered her hand-me-downs, unconditional kindness, and food.

Speaking of School…

In college, after double-majoring in Economics (w/ minor in Marketing) and Speech/Communication (w/ minor in Theatre), and getting a Master’s degree in business (MBA), her early career was in sunny CA in the computer industry as a PR and marketing manager. She created marketing plans, product intro plans, and excelled at pioneering new avenues of company growth. Bitsy enthusiastically taught and trained engineers (tough crowd!) and executives (ditto!).

More About Work

Wrapped up in the corporate world, her favorite project was helping run a multi-million dollar educational program, and co-writing a nationally syndicated newspaper column that ran for almost five years in fifteen different newspapers throughout the nation. She had regular gigs on TV and radio in four different top 10 markets. Once she ditched her business suits, she penned her own newspaper column for years in California’s Sacramento Bee, had stint as a news reporter for local papers, and ran a California Kids! magazine column interviewing famous children’s book authors and illustrators.

Soon she realized she was a cruddy reporter, but a pretty good writer.

Getting Creative

She thinks she’s always been a storyteller of sorts. And not in the “quick–lie to dad!” kind of way. Bitsy’s been appearing regularly on TV and on panels, winning public speaking awards, emceeing events, in a few movies and TV commercials as well as in the professional theater scene, and somewhere in the crowd you’ll see her in a few music videos. Let’s not forget she starred in the award-winning TV show “Dots Correct!” on Sacramento cable, and has been interviewed or profiled in literally hundreds of media outlets worldwide, from CNN to Writing Children’s Books for Dummies.

Shy she is not.

Kidlit

After writing her first book, in rhyme, in her head, while on her daily stroller walks, she researched how to get it published and has been knee-deep ever since. Her first contract was a four-book, nonfiction deal with Picture Window Books in 2006. (It wasn’t with that rhyming book. That book was terrible.) Within a year she presented at the very conference she first attended, the revered International SCBWI Conference in L.A.

Titles

Titles include two YA nonfiction (ReferencePoint Press, 2017 and 2018), three finance chapter books (Lerner, 2016), four nonfiction titles (The Child’s World, 2015), an NF YA for the school and library market (Rosen, 2014), and two ESL picture books (TunTun Books, published overseas).

As of the summer of 2023, she is excited to have six more new books on their way! Her new upcoming devotional for moms, MOMMY And Me Micro-Moments: A 5-Minute-a-day Devotional Journal, is due out the Fall of 2023.

The Fall of 2025 brings BEST FRIENDS WITH GRANDMA, a picture book with Bless This Press, an imprint of The Little Press.

Whoever would have guessed this is where she’d end up—and that she’d like it so much?

It never feels like work when you love what you do!