MG Author Interview: Jackie García-Morales & Pesky Roots Giveaway

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I am absolutely thrilled to welcome debut middle grade author Jackie García-Morales to the blog for an exclusive author interview. Jackie is stopping by to chat all about her wonderful new bilingual novel, Pesky Roots / Raíces fastidiosas. 

Jackie is also an associate literary agent at Storm Literary Agency. Read my recent agent spotlight interview with her to learn what she’s looking for in submissions. 

Today, Jackie is giving us a peek behind the scenes of her debut journey, sharing her favorite middle grade writing tips, and discussing how she weaves identity into her storytelling. As a special treat for our readers, Jackie is also generously offering a free book giveaway to one lucky winner! Read on to see our full conversation, and leave a comment below to enter the giveaway. 

Here’s a blurb from Jackie’s website:

At twelve, Izzy Rivera-Colón knows who she is. Not Ignacia, just Izzy. Like Elizabeth, the queen. In her Puerto Rican family, where all her cousins share the same names, she’s always been different. She’s rubia: her blonde, straight hair makes her special. 

But when Izzy moves from New York City to New Jersey, things get weird. At her new school, there are not one but five blonde Elizabeths in her class. Her hair doesn’t set her apart anymore. Apparently, being “Latina” does—and what exactly is that?

Just as Izzy starts to find her footing, puberty hits. Curls and pesky brown roots throw her life into chaos. Everything that made her feel like herself is disappearing… So who even is she? 

With help from her friends—Paddy, an animal-obsessed fact machine, and Laser, who’s more interested in snacks than people—Izzy will have to navigate a sea of Elizabeths to find herself. 

Hi Jackie! Thanks so much for joining us! 

1.  Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

My name’s Jackie and I’m a literary agent and an author! I remember writing my first piece when I was around seven years old, a poem about a flower. As I got older, I continued writing poetry and stories for fun and mostly for myself, but I never really imagined that I would become an author.

Today, I have worked across children’s publishing as a literary agent, publicist, editor, and advocate, so books have become both my profession and my creative home. When I first found my way into the publishing industry, though, I actually thought my place would always be helping other people propel their stories toward success. And I do love that work. It fulfills me tremendously. But along the way, I realized I also had stories of my own that I wanted, and sometimes needed, to share.

Pesky Roots / Raíces Fastidiosas is one of those stories. It draws from pieces of my childhood as well as my mother's experiences. Interestingly, it wasn't necessarily the story I imagined telling first, but it became the story I felt called to tell. I knew there were kids whose identities are shaped by family traditions, cultural expectations, appearance, and how other people perceive them, who needed more mirrors in literature.

That's become a huge part of what motivates me as a writer. I want children to find stories that tell them there are many ways to belong to a culture, a family, and a community.

2. Where did you get the idea for Pesky Roots?

A lot of Pesky Roots comes from my own childhood. Like Izzy, I grew up very fair-skinned with blonde hair, and within my Puerto Rican family and culture, those features were often praised as beautiful. We still carry strong Eurocentric beauty standards in many Latino communities, and as a child, I absorbed some of those messages without necessarily understanding them.

Then puberty happened. My hair became darker and curlier, and it stayed that way. That physical change affected my confidence in a way that was deeply connected to identity. I actually began bleaching my hair around age eleven to retain the blonde.

Part of what I wanted to examine was what happens when a child begins to realize that a physical feature everyone celebrated wasn't necessarily neutral. It could be connected to generations of colorism and ideas about what beauty is supposed to look like, including peer comparison.

I also wanted to write about a Latina experience we don't see represented as often: someone who is very fair, who may be labeled one way within her own community, and then enters a predominantly non-Latino environment where people question whether her cultural identity is even real.

At the same time that Izzy's appearance is changing, she moves somewhere new and is introduced to the idea that being Puerto Rican makes her a "minority." Suddenly, both her appearance and her cultural identity are being defined for her by other people. Those experiences open the door to larger conversations in the book about belonging and who gets to decide what your identity is supposed to look like.

There are pieces of my mom in the story too. She is from the Bronx, which helped inspire Izzy's New York roots, and the mother-daughter relationship is very much an ode to my relationship with my own mom. She's my parent and my best friend. She's incredibly loving and supportive, but she's also always been very frank with me when we talk about identity and the decisions I make. I wanted Izzy to have that kind of relationship too.

Writing Process 

3. It’s cool that your story is based on your child and your mom’s experiences. What was your writing process for this story, and how long did it take to draft and revise it? What tips do you have for other writers about the process?

I think this story had been sitting inside me for a long time before I actually wrote it. I drafted the first version during Christmas 2024, when I had taken about five days off for the holiday. By the way, it was my first time ever taking PTO, and somehow I ended up using it to write a book!

I originally wrote the manuscript for a Latino-focused writing competition. I didn't win, but the competition gave me something incredibly valuable: a deadline. It forced me to stop overthinking, pace myself, and actually finish the story.

After that, I revised it over the next several months, began submitting it, and by the middle of 2025 it had found its publishing home.

My biggest advice to writers is not to underestimate what a motivation and time management or  other structure can do for your writing. If there is a contest: go for it. Not to win necessarily, but to challenge and push yourself. You do not have to win the competition or get selected for the program for the experience to move you forward. Sometimes the real prize is that you finished the manuscript. 

And then revise. Give yourself enough distance to see the story differently, listen carefully to feedback, and keep developing your craft. The version you first type "The End" on does not need to be the version that eventually reaches readers.

4. It sounds like Izzy goes through a real identity crisis when she moves and then goes through puberty changes. How did you weave these themes into your story?

I tried to approach those themes with both honesty and subtlety.

There are moments when the story addresses things very directly. Izzy is going through physical changes associated with puberty, and rather than pretending those changes aren't happening, the book allows her to genuinely react to them. For a middle grade reader, suddenly looking different, feeling different, or no longer recognizing the version of yourself you thought you were can feel enormous. I wanted to respect that.

At the same time, I didn't want the entire story to feel heavy. Izzy is still a kid. There is humor, banter, friendship, misunderstandings, and the wonderfully imperfect ways children try to solve their own problems.

That kid's-eye perspective was really important to me because children don't necessarily categorize experiences as "big issue" and "small issue" the way adults do. Something adults consider minor can feel monumental to a twelve-year-old, while something incredibly significant might get processed through a joke, an awkward conversation, or a seemingly small moment.

So the book lets Izzy be thoughtful and pensive, but also dramatic, funny, confused, stubborn, and hopeful. Her identity isn't a lesson she's being taught. It's something she's actively figuring out.

5. How do the setting changes and the move from New York City to New Jersey impact Izzy’s understanding of what it means to be Puerto Rican or Latina?

Moving to New Jersey forces Izzy to realize that not everyone understands what being Puerto Rican means, but it also makes her realize that she doesn't completely understand all of the language surrounding her own identity yet either.

She moves from a community with a large Latino population into one where she suddenly stands out. She encounters genuine curiosity, but she also encounters assumptions and comments that can be accidentally offensive. A lot of that was inspired by my own experiences.

One important part of the book is that not everyone who says the wrong thing is cruel. Sometimes people simply don't know. Izzy has to learn how to process those moments, decide when something bothers her, and begin figuring out how she wants to explain herself, if she wants to explain herself at all.

She also encounters the word "Latina" and begins questioning what that larger label means in relation to being Puerto Rican and to how she understands herself. A label can technically describe you and still not encompass everything you feel yourself to be.

I think that experience extends beyond cultural identity. Many people understand what it feels like to leave a place where one part of themselves is considered completely ordinary and enter a place where that same thing suddenly makes them "different." That can happen to immigrants and first-generation kids, but it can also happen because of religion, disability, language, socioeconomic background, family structure, or even simply being the only person in the room who loves something everyone else seems unfamiliar with.

Sometimes you understand yourself differently only after entering a space that sees you differently. That’s where Izzy is at!

Road to Publication 

6. Your agent is Analia Cabello. How did she become your agent? What tips do you have on the querying process as an author and agent?

Yes! My agent is Analía Cabello at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and ours is a "second chances" story, as she calls it, which I love.

I actually signed with Analía after Pesky Roots had already been acquired. Before that, I had queried her with a picture book manuscript, and she passed. I didn't know at the time that she had apparently been on the fence about that project but ultimately felt it wasn't quite there yet.

Later, I was selected for the PB Rising Stars mentorship program and had the opportunity to work with the amazing picture book author Rina Singh. Over several months, I worked hard on another manuscript with her guidance. When it was ready, I queried Analía again because I genuinely still believed we could make a good team.

That manuscript reopened the door. I shared some additional ideas with her, and eventually we signed together. She is incredibly empathetic, supportive, thoughtful, and diligent, and I'm very grateful to have her in my corner.

Being on both sides of querying now, as an author and as a literary agent, has reinforced something for me: a rejection of one manuscript is not necessarily a rejection of your writing forever.

If you genuinely believe an agent could be a strong business and creative partner, don't automatically remove them from your list for every future project because they passed once. Respect the answer, of course, but keep growing.

Then do something with that "no." Work with a mentor. Join a critique group. Take a class. Hire an editor if that's accessible to you. Read extensively. Write something new. Improve your craft.

Second chances in publishing are very real, but ideally you return to that door as a stronger writer than you were the first time you knocked.

7. Thanks for reminding us that there are second changes in publishing. Share your experience with going on submission and getting your publishing contract.

Pesky Roots had a slightly different path because I submitted it directly to publishers while I was still unagented.

Arte Público Press immediately made sense to me because of its long commitment to publishing Latino literature and voices. Although this story is rooted in my lived experience as a Puerto Rican author, I also want to emphasize that Pesky Roots is a book for everyone. Identity and belonging might look different in each reader's life, but those feelings are incredibly universal. But still, it was an #ownvoice and I saw Arte Público felt like the best environment. So I went for it! It worked out.

When the offer arrived in my email, I went straight to my dad and said something along the lines of, "I'm so excited I think I'm going to throw up." I did not, thankfully! But that is a pretty accurate description of how overwhelming and exciting it felt.

Before signing, I also spoke with a few authors who had already published with Arte Público because I wanted to better understand their experiences and make sure I felt comfortable with the partnership.

I'm experiencing submission differently now because I currently have a picture book out with my agent. Submission can be emotionally difficult for authors and illustrators because so much of it involves waiting and uncertainty. Patience is essential.

Flexibility matters too. You have to trust your agent when you're discussing whether to continue submitting a project, change strategy, revise, pause, or sometimes shelve something and pivot to the next project. None of those decisions mean the work was wasted.

I'm excited about the picture book that's currently on submission, and we'll see where it goes! Wish me luck.

Book Marketing 

8. It will be interesting for you to be the agent submitting as well as an author on submissions. How are you planning to celebrate the release of your book and market it after its publication date?

My book releases on Halloween, which is such a fun publication date!

I admittedly have a bit of a head start when it comes to publicity because I work in book publicity and publishing, so I've been having a lot of fun pitching my own book, pursuing coverage, and thinking creatively about partnerships. At the same time, I've had to remind myself that authors cannot do everything. We still have our jobs, families, lives, and actual writing to do.

I've also been incredibly grateful for the early response to the book. Publishers Weekly reviewed Pesky Roots and also invited me to write about some of the larger conversations behind the story, Kirkus Reviews reviewed the book, and School Library Journal included it among its highly anticipated middle grade fiction for fall 2026 and early 2027. Seeing professional readers engage with the themes I cared so deeply about while writing it has been very meaningful.

One area I'm especially excited about is connecting with nonprofits and community organizations interested in using Pesky Roots for book clubs, literacy programs, and book donation initiatives. I would love to help get copies into the hands of children who may not otherwise have easy access to them, and I'm hoping schools and libraries will find value in the conversations the book can spark around identity, belonging, confidence, culture, and beauty standards.

For me, success isn't only about sales or publicity coverage. I really want the children who recognize pieces of themselves in Izzy, particularly kids who don't often see this version of Latino identity represented, to be able to find the book.

If you follow me on Instagram and on my website, you'll probably see some of those partnerships taking shape.

I'm also always happy to participate in podcasts, interviews, school visits, library programs, and conversations like this one.

I will say, though, that one of the funniest parts of becoming an author after working in publicity, marketing, sales, and other areas of publishing is discovering how much harder it feels to talk about your own book! I'm very comfortable championing other people's work. Learning to turn that same enthusiasm toward myself has been its own experience. 

9. It’s cool that you’re trying to connect with nonprofits and community groups as an additional way to promote your book. Tell us about Bookish PR, your email newsletter, and how it can help authors.

Bookish PR is very intentionally an anti-spam newsletter. I usually only send it a few times a year because I want every email to actually contain something useful.

I share opportunities for authors and illustrators, ARC-reading opportunities, publishing jobs, career advice, author resources, writing classes, free opportunities, industry information, and, of course, a little Jackie news here and there.

If you're an author or illustrator seeking representation, trying to learn more about publishing, looking for opportunities, or simply wanting to become more involved in the book world, it's designed for you.

10. What are you working on now?

Right now, I'm writing several new projects for my agent so we have work ready for future submissions, while also preparing to send Pesky Roots out into the world.

I'm also continuing to write about children's literature and publishing. I have a forthcoming piece with Writer's Digest exploring middle grade fiction and I’ll be pitching a few more topics on book advocacy.

A major focus for me is going to be connecting Pesky Roots with the children and communities who could really benefit from it. I'm exploring fundraising and partnerships that could help place copies in under-resourced communities through nonprofits, literacy organizations, Little Free Libraries, book clubs, and other programs.

That feels very connected to why I wrote the book in the first place. I wanted to create a mirror for kids who may not have seen this particular experience of identity reflected very often, and now I want to make sure those readers actually have an opportunity to encounter it.

If you're part of an organization that works with young people, interested in sponsoring books, or simply have an idea for helping Pesky Roots reach more readers, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Jackie. You can find Jackie at 

jackiegarciamorales.com
Instagram: @hellojaymorales
LinkedIn
Or my very new Substack

 🎉 ENTER THE LITERARY RAMBLES BRITTLE BOOK GIVEAWAY! 🎉

Want to win Pesky Roots / Raíces fastidiosas? Thanks to Jackie for supplying a book for this book giveaway contest.

How to Enter:

• Leave a Comment: Drop a comment below by November 7th with your email address. To protect your privacy from spam bots, please write your email address using the "name [at] gmail [dot] com" format.
• Bluesky Bonus: If you follow me on Bluesky, mention your handle in your comment for an extra entry!
• Sharing Bonus: If you share about this contest on your own social media sites or blog, let me know in the comments for an extra entry.
• Author Bonus: If you follow Jackie on social media, let me know in your comment for an extra entry!
• Blog Follower Bonus: If you follow Literary Rambles via Blogger or email subscription, let me know in the comments for an extra entry.

🌍 Eligibility: The book giveaway is U.S. only.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

• Monday, November 1st: Participating in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
• Wednesday, November 3rd: Interview with Angela Cheng and a giveaway of her YA The Fast Track
• Monday, November 9th: Interview with Karen Foxlee and a giveaway of The Wonderous Tale of Lavender Wolfe
• Wednesday, November 11th: Agent spotlight interview with Riley Jay Davis and a query critique giveaway 

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

Literary Agent Interview: Cate Hart and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Cate Hart here. She is a literary agent at Harvey Klinger Literary Agency. 

Status Update: Cate is currently closed to queries but plans to open to submissions the last week of October, 2026.

Hi­ Cate! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Cate: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I began as an intern for a small boutique agency and worked up to a junior agent role while working remotely. Then I joined the Harvey Klinger Agency in 2019. I’ve been an agent for 13 years. Most of what I do involves reading queries and working with clients, whether on revisions of a current project or helping them figure out their next project or simply the next steps in their career. Since I’m not based in New York, I also find opportunities to meet with editors or catch up via calls. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.

 For more than 25 years, Harvey Klinger Agency has represented numerous best-selling and award-winning authors in a wide array of genres and age groups. We take a personal, hands-on approach to working with our authors, from offering our editorial skills to guiding careers. We work aggressively to sell our clients’ film, TV and foreign rights. I love that we all work collaboratively together. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

Along with adult, I represent mostly upper MG and YA. I am open to all genres, but I’m more selective with Historical. While I love YA fantasy, there’s been such an influx in the genre, that I am looking for something really unique while still having a high concept and commercial feel. I enjoy like cross-genres, like historical fantasy or mystery with speculative elements. For submissions, I never really know genre-wise, but if the voice pulls me in and the narrative is strong and polished, I might just fall in love with it. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?

I am still looking for unique, atmospheric gothic tales, whether Southern or more traditional. I’d love if the period is outside of the usual Victorian era, but I’m not opposed to that period either. I’m still looking for a fun, if not campy, upper MG or YA mystery. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

Unfortunately, I don’t represent Picture Books or Chapter Books. At the moment, I’m pretty selective with Middle Grade. I’m not the best for dystopians, though I feel like they may be making a slow come back. And while I am sure there are readers for it, ecological based stories are not the best for me either. I love historicals, but I am very selective for both MG and YA. For specific time periods I am not looking for: in or around the American Civil War, mid to late 20^th century, ancient civilization or really anything before the Elizabethan era. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

I want to represent authors for their whole career. I attempt to be open and communicative and look for that from authors. The books I want to represent are ones could see myself picking up off the shelf and wanting to read. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

I do work editorially with clients. Usually after I have read a submission and before I make an offer of representation, I have some overall notes that I share on the call. Then after coming on board, I do another read, expanding on those initial thoughts. I communicate with the author those notes to work on revisions. After revising those big picture items, we might do a round of line edits and then send out on submission. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?

I only accept queries through QueryManager. I ask for the query letter, a short 1-2 page synopsis and the first five pages. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

I don’t have any specific dislikes that some might consider an automatic rejection, but I’m not a fan of queries that spend more time describing themes or things that should be inherent from introducing the main character and their motivations while giving the major beats of the story in the query. For first pages, I’m not a fan of prologues as they are tricky to pull off and most times aren’t needed. It can be hard to gauge where the story is going or get a good sense of the main character from a prologue. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

I hate to admit I am a bit slower to answering queries and requested pages. I aim for 30 days, but sometimes I can be on the fence about a query or the requested manuscript and that can take me longer to respond. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

I am open to authors who have self-published or published with smaller presses. I feel the best advice is to query with a new project and not a continuation of something already published. For authors who have previously published, those projects show an agent they are building a readership as well have a good understanding of the publishing business. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I maintain a small list of authors, but just a few are Amanda DeWitt, Lindsay Bandy and adult author Bonnie Blaylock. 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

Admittedly, I haven’t done any in a while. Though there are so many great posts with advice out there that can really be applied to querying any agent. 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Authors can query me through QueryManager at https://QueryTracker.net/query/CateHart 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

Keep querying and keep writing. Publishing really is about persistence. It is very subjective as well. Something that might not be great for one agent, could be just the right thing for another. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Cate! 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change. 

🎉 ENTER THE LITERARY RAMBLES QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY! 🎉 

Want to get your book pitch polished by a professional? Enter today for a chance to win a free query critique from literary agent Cate! 

How to Enter:

• Leave a Comment: Drop a comment below by October 31st  to lock in your entry. To protect your privacy from spam bots, please write your email address using the "name [at] gmail [dot] com" format.
• Bluesky Bonus: If you follow me on Bluesky, mention your handle in your comment for an extra entry!
• Sharing Bonus: If you share about this contest on your own social media sites or blog, let me know in the comments for extra entries.
• Blog Follower Bonus: If you follow Literary Rambles via Blogger or email subscription, let me know in the comments for an extra entry.

🌍 This giveaway is open internationally! You must be 13 years or older to enter. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

• Monday, October 25th: Interview with Jackie Garcia Morales and a giveaway of her MG Pesky Rules
• Monday, November 1st: Participating in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
• Wednesday, November 3rd: Interview with Angela Cheng and a giveaway of her YA The Fast Track
• Monday, November 9th: Interview with Karen Foxlee and a giveaway of The Wonderous Tale of Lavender Wolfe
• Wednesday, November 11th: Agent spotlight interview with Riley Jay Davis and a query critique giveaway 

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Interview: Kate O’Shaughnessy and Brittle Magic Giveaway

 Happy Monday, Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Kate O’Shaughnessy here to share about her MG magical realism, Brittle Magic. Shiloh sounds like a kid I’d like to know, and I enjoy stories with magical realism. Plus, the blurb makes the book sound so good, so I’m excited to read it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

Everyone in the Brittle family has a magical talent -- except Shiloh. But she's determined to unlock her own greatness in this charmingly quirky novel about family and forgiveness from Newbery Honor winner Kate O'Shaughnessy.

Nearly every member of the Brittle family has an extraordinary talent—except Shiloh.

Her aunt makes pickles that tell your fortune. Her great-aunt brews tea that gives you good dreams. Her sister can grow pumpkins the size of a small house. And her older brother—who died before Shiloh was born—had a gift no one will talk about. Her mom says Shiloh doesn’t need a talent to be special. But Shiloh knows she’s destined for greatness. And with the Brittle family reunion coming up, she’s determined to prove it to all her relatives.

When Auntie Dee’s fortune-telling pickles reveal that Shiloh does have a talent—and that it’s somehow connected to her late brother—Shiloh feels more confused than vindicated. Why would her mom have kept this from her?

The pickles’ prophesy offers cryptic clues for finding her talent—something involving an oven? and a new friend?—and Shiloh throws herself into the search. But discovering the truth about herself means digging up secrets her mom would rather keep buried.

This year’s family reunion may well be the most dramatic one yet…

Newbery Honor winner Kate O’Shaughnessy gives us a moving, magic-tinged story about family, friendship, forgiveness . . . and fortune-telling pickles! 

Hi Kate! Thanks so much for joining us. 

Thanks for having me! I’m thrilled to be here. 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

I came into writing as a reader. I grew up in a family that loved—and continues to love—to read. The family room in my childhood home had one soaring wall that was floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, completely filled up with books. My mom read to my brother and me every night, so the soundtrack of my childhood is her voice as I fell asleep. Even so, I struggled from a developmental perspective with reading, and was behind my peers for a chunk of time. I think that really burrowed into my psyche, because I used to think you had to be, like, preordained as gifted with words from birth in order to become an author. Which wasn’t me. But my love of reading remained, and often, even in college, I would ignore assigned class reading in favor of a novel. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I started writing creatively after work as a hobby, and that’s when I really fell in love. 

2. Where did you get the idea for Brittle Magic? 

I knew I wanted to do a cozy story set in autumn in New England—think apple orchards, creaky farmhouse, blazing foliage—with a hint of magic. That was the original seed of the idea for Brittle Magic, but it took quite a while for me to find its emotional heart. Once I had that, it was off to the races. 

3. What was your writing process like for Brittle Magic and your other middle grade books? How much time do you spend writing the first draft vs. revising it?

It followed a typical pattern to the rest of my published novels, which is: I have an idea that I mull over for a long period of time. Usually months to years. Then I have a Word document where I dump in all of my thoughts, bits of dialogue, ideas for scenes or characters, maybe even the beginning of a rough outline. For me, the key is that it’s not organized or chronological; I have to feel free to throw anything and everything I want into it, at any moment. The formatting is often all over the place, too, because I’ll paste from my Notes app or little lines I email to myself when I’m on a walk, etc. After I spend some time with this, I usually translate it into a slightly more organized document that is roughly chronological. Then I begin on the first draft! Typically, during a first draft, I try to write between 500 to 1,000 words a day. I don’t work on the weekends because I have young kids. But, and here’s the annoying kicker: at some point in the first draft, typically around 60-75%, I lose all faith in the vision and stop writing, thinking the flaws are fatal. Then I set it aside for a period of months to years. When I come back to it, I re-read it and see what the specific flaws are, realize they are not fatal, and finish the rest of the first draft in a burst of inspiration. If you remove the fallow period, where I set the manuscript aside, the first draft takes me about 3-4 months. Then I’ll do a revision over the course of a month or two, share it with beta readers, my agent, and then my editor. After that, rounds usually take about two months or so. 

4. You have a very interesting writing process. I’m glad it works for you. How did you decide on the magical realism aspects of your story? What tips do you have for other writers who want to write a story with magical realism? 

I knew I wanted magic to be a side dish in this novel, not the main course. The way I decided to do this was to thread it through the Brittle family tree, and keep all the magical “talents” grounded and rooted in nature. I wanted it to be somewhat believable that most of these gifts could slip through the world, unnoticed. I would say that my biggest piece of advice for writers who want their stories to bend more toward magical realism or fabulism would be to really think about what your story is about, at its most basic level. Is it about love, grief, friendship? Try to find a way to apply your magic to that central building block. Brittle Magic is about family. It only made sense to me, then, that the magic would be family-based, too.

5. That’s great advice. One of the reasons I’m excited to read your book is that Shiloh sounds like a very sympathetic character whom I’d like to know more about. Share about how she developed as a character as you wrote her story. 

Thank you! I wanted Shiloh to feel real. I wanted her to have very real flaws. She’s fearless and so determined, but she’s also messy and clumsy and jealous and selfish sometimes, too. It feels kind of woo-woo to say, but I try to let the characters develop themselves. Sometimes, in that big messy document I wrote about earlier, I’ll list a bunch of traits or quirks or likes and dislikes I think the character should have. Often, once I’m done with the first draft, many of those line items have been struck off or cast away. So much of the magic for me in writing is discovering things about the characters and the story that I didn’t know before. Letting them unfurl themselves as the drafts progress. That’s how it happened with Shiloh. She has this big goal of finding out what her magical talent is, so her single-minded determination was always there. But much of Shiloh’s character came out during the drafting process. 

6. The blurb for Brittle Magic and your other books are really good and make me want to read them. How do you draft such compelling blurbs? How can we learn to write good ones like you? 

Wow, thank you so much! This is music to my ears, because I find the process of writing the blurb or the jacket copy or the “pitch” to be a pain level 8 on a scale of 1-10. It’s so incredibly hard to distill a book down to so few words. The best advice I have is lots and lots and lots of drafts. I always aim to include the inciting incident, the main character’s goal, the stakes, and the biggest obstacle that the character will face on their journey. My agent, Pete, helps with this part a lot, and so does my editor, Nancy. Nancy is the queen of these blurbs. I can’t remember exactly, but I know at least a few of them have come straight out of her wise brain with minimal input from me. But I think sharp eyes and many drafts is the best recipe for success. And it doesn’t hurt to have an incredible editor with many years of experience. (Thanks, Nancy!) 

7. Your agent is Peter Knapp, whom I admire as an agent. How did he become your agent, and what was your road to getting a publishing contract for The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane, your debut book that was published in 2020? 

Pete is an incredible agent (and person), and I feel so lucky to have been able to work with him over the last eight years. I saw him speak at a conference, and based on his presentation I knew I wanted to make sure he was on my list. I queried him a year or two later with Maybelle, and the rest is history! I think we spent about six months or so working on the manuscript together—Pete is very editorial—before taking it out on submission. Nancy Siscoe at Knopf bought it, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with her on all of my middle grade since then. 

8. It’s awesome you work with the same editor. Since your debut book was published, you’ve had three other middle grade and one young adult book published. From your bio, which is very impressive: “Her books have won numerous distinctions and awards, including a Newbery Honor, the Northern California Book Award, and the Vermont State Book Award. Her work has been nominated for over thirty state award reading lists and recognized on best-of lists by places and publications such as the New York Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews.” 

8. Tell us how your career has grown since you were a debut author. What tips do you have for other writers about growing their careers? 

Wow, thank you so much. All of your questions are so framed with such kindness. I wish I could say I had a strategic vision for my career, but I haven’t. Most of it has been following the ideas that I’m most interested in and going from there. But it’s worth saying that I’ve had LOTS of book ideas and pitches (and occasionally full manuscripts!) that have been rejected or haven’t worked out along the way. I also think so much of how things pan out in this industry is due to luck, having the right in-house support for a title. 

9. How are you planning to celebrate the release of Brittle Magic and promote it? How are you juggling the release of your debut YA, A Season for Falling, on September 22, 2026, with the release of Brittle Magic on October 20, 2026? 

For Brittle Magic, I’m having a book launch on Sunday, October 25^th at 4pm at Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA! For any local readers or writers I would love, love, love to see you there. It’s honestly been a lot to juggle. I didn’t have a launch for A Season for Falling because it was just too much to handle all so close together. Two books out in two months has definitely been a bit of a wild ride. 

10. I’d love to go, but I live in Michigan. I noticed on your website that you offer a free 10-15-minute Q&A for teachers who can’t afford a more formal visit. It sounds like a cool idea. Why did you decide to offer them? Do many teachers take advantage of them, and do they help you connect with middle graders? 

I always want to make sure that teachers and/or librarians who might not have the budget or wherewithal to bring me to their school for a more official visit have an opportunity to bring me in to chat with their students. A Q&A also requires zero prep on my end. I can be writing at my desk, take a break and chat with students for 15 minutes, and then get right back to writing. What’s funny is that fewer people take advantage of it than you’d think! When I’ve spoken to other writers who offer the same sort of visit, they’ve agreed on this. That it’s their least popular visit option. I’m not sure why. At most I do it once a month, but typically it’s more like once every other month. Teachers and librarians, if you’re reading this, we mean it! We’re always happy to drop in to chat with your students! 

11. What are you working on now? 

My next YA romance! And I’m also very, very slowly working on a new MG that I’ve passed back and forth with my agent. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kate. You can find Kate at: 

www.kloshaughnessy.com

www.instagram.com/kloshaughnessy 

🎉 ENTER THE LITERARY RAMBLES BRITTLE MAGIC BOOK GIVEAWAY! 🎉

Want to win Brittle Magic? Thanks to Kate for supplying a book for this book giveaway contest.

How to Enter:

• Leave a Comment: Drop a comment below by October 31st with your email address. To protect your privacy from spam bots, please write your email address using the "name [at] gmail [dot] com" format.
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🌍 Eligibility: The book giveaway is U.S. only.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

• Wednesday, October 21st: Agent spotlight interview with Cate Hart and a query critique giveaway
• Monday, October 25th: Interview with Jackie Garcia Morales and a giveaway of her MG Pesky Rules
• Monday, October 25th: Interview with Jackie Garcia Morales and a giveaway of her MG Pesky Rules
• Monday, November 1st: Participating in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop
• Wednesday, November 3rd: Interview with Angela Cheng and a giveaway of her YA The Fast Track
• Monday, November 9th: Interview with Karen Foxlee and a giveaway of The Wonderous Tale of Lavender Wolfe
• Wednesday, November 11th: Agent spotlight interview with Riley Jay Davis and a query critique giveaway 

I hope to see you on Wednesday!