Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Lane Clarke Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 10/9/2023
  • Jane Chun Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 10/16/2023
  • Morgan Hughes Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 11/6/2023
  • Ashley Reisinger Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 12/11/2023

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews have been updated through the letter "H" as of 5/11/2023 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

Debut Author Interview: Kellie M. Parker Interview and Thin Air Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Kellie M. Parker here to share about her debut YA thriller Thin Air. I love YA thrillers and mysteries and can’t wait to read this one.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Eight hours. Twelve contestants. A flight none of them might survive. A flight to Paris full of teenagers seeking opportunity turns deadly in this suspenseful, locked-door YA thriller. Perfect for fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman.

Seventeen-year-old boarding school student Emily Walters is selected for an opportunity of a lifetime—she’ll compete abroad for a cash prize that will cover not only tuition to the college of her choice, but will lift her mother and her out of poverty.

But almost from the moment she and 11 other contestants board a private jet to Europe, Emily realizes somebody is willing to do anything to win. Between keeping an eye on her best friend’s flirty boyfriend and hiding her own dark secrets, she’s not sure how she’ll survive the contest, much less the flight. Especially when people start dying…

As loyalties shift and secrets are revealed, Emily must figure out who to trust, and who’s trying to kill them all, before she becomes the next victim.

 


Before I get to Victoria’s interview, I have my IWSG Post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts this month are: Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, Rebecca Douglas and me!

Optional Question: The topic of AI writing has been heavily debated across the world. According to various sources, generative AI will assist writers, not replace them. What are your thoughts?

Before I answer the question, I want to let you know that my SCBWI webinar went really well. It was well-attended, and people said they found it helpful. I knew my script well enough that I didn’t need to print it out. And thankfully, I didn’t have a coughing attack while I was presenting. It was a good learning experience, and I feel much more confident about presenting at a conference or a webinar after doing this one.

I don’t think AI can or should be used to write manuscripts. However, I do think it could be useful in completing other writer duties, like finding comps, creating an outline, and drafting a pitch. There are probably other things it can help with and save time on that I’m not thinking of.

I already use AI in my job as a writer on contract where I write articles on areas of the law. I use it to draft my 325 to 1,300-word articles on general topics related to the practice areas my clients (lawyers) practice. I use it to create articles like: Steps to take after a car, How long do I have to file a lawsuit, How much is my claim worth, and What to do if you’re arrested for DUI.

I always do my own research and verify the content being written by AI is accurate, which is not always the case. I have to say that in general AI saves me time and work. As a writer on contract, I have no benefits and have not gotten a raise since I started working at my current job in 2015. So, this is a way to get a little raise and not work as hard. Like my job, I think AI has a place to help people save time and work less hard in their jobs. This would benefit writers too, who are very underpaid for their work.

Interview With Kellie Parker

Hi Kellie! Thanks so much for joining us.

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

Thanks for having me! I’m a part-time writer and full-time mom of four kids in west Michigan. I was an avid reader and writer as a child but never considered writing as a career option when I was in school. Instead, I studied biology in college and went on to earn a Master’s degree in nautical archaeology (the study of shipbuilding and shipwrecks, and yes, it’s fascinating but also very academic). After my first baby was born, I decided to stay home with him and ended up homeschooling my kids for several years. Writing became my “brain break,” and I fell in love with it all over again. After some false starts and early attempts, I buckled down and decided to see if I could get published. My agent signed me after a revise and resubmit on a YA fantasy. Neither that manuscript nor my second that went out on sub sold, but the third time was the charm for Thin Air.

2. Where did you get your idea for Thin Air?

While my second YA fantasy manuscript was floundering on submission, my savvy agent, Ali Herring, suggested I consider writing a thriller. I’d already successfully sold a couple of adult romantic suspense books to Harlequin under a pen name, so I knew a thing or two about suspense. She pitched me the idea of a group of students on a class trip trapped with a killer on a plane. I mulled it over, but I didn’t get excited about the concept until I pulled some ideas from one of my favorite books growing up, The Westing Game. That book got me thinking about creating a diverse cast of characters each with their own secrets, competing against each other for a prize. The rest of the story sort of fell into place from there.

Your Writing Process

3. That’s awesome that you’d already written suspense stories when Ali suggested it. What was your plotting process like when drafting Thin Air? What advice do you have for writers who want to write a thriller but aren’t sure how to plot it out?

Ha ha, I’m probably not the best person to ask, because my natural writing style is to “pants” my way through the story. As anyone who has written a thriller can tell you, that doesn’t work very well with mystery plots—unless you love rewriting multiple drafts while you try to get the story right. Back when I was unagented and working on my first fantasy manuscript, that’s exactly what I did. But I’m happy to report that I’ve reformed my ways and become more of a “plantser” now.

When I start brainstorming a new manuscript, I love using a notebook and pen. I’ll write a short pitch or blurb to nail down the heart of the story and make notes on the characters. Since Thin Air has a large cast, I created a Pinterest board and found pictures for each character. I also created a spreadsheet listing what school they attended, physical descriptions, and notes about their secrets and character arcs. My last step before I start writing is to create a simple one-page outline that lists the major plot points. This outline acts as a “skeleton” to give structure to the story as I write.

My biggest advice is to read mysteries and thrillers, or at least plot summaries of them, so you can learn what works and what doesn’t as you’re thinking through your own plot points and characters. Having a solid foundation will make revising so much easier.

4. I can imagine that being a pantser wouldn’t work well. Your new way of plotting would be a way I could outline a mystery because I can’t write a complete outline either. Writing a thriller and mystery sounds complicated to plot out. Share three or four tips on how to write them and any craft books you used that helped you write yours.

As I’ve mentioned above, I’ve read a lot of mysteries and thrillers—starting with Nancy Drew back in second grade—so I’ve learned some of the basics: open the chapter with a hook, end the chapter on a cliffhanger, create a believable red herring or two, drop in enough clues that readers have an “aha” moment when the killer is revealed but not so many that they guess right away. My subconscious mind handles a lot of these details for me as I’m drafting. Sometimes even I’m surprised! I love seeing how something I planted earlier in the story suddenly becomes crucial at just the right moment. I think a lot of that innate feeling that something just needs to happen or “feels right” for the story comes from extensive reading and from practice writing.

I didn’t use any craft books specific to writing mysteries, but I would highly recommend K.M. Weiland’s Helping Writers Become Authors website. She has an excellent series of blog posts that go through plot structure and the basic plot points. I pored over these in my early days of learning the craft and then applied my growing knowledge to identifying structure in books and movies. It helped so much with learning how to plot! Two other go-to books include Lisa Cron’s Story Genius (for understanding how characters drive stories) and Rayne Halls’ The Word-Loss Diet (for tightening your writing).

5. Thanks for the recommendations. Good mysteries and thrillers have complex, sympathetic protagonists. Share a bit about Emily and how she grew as a character as you wrote her story.

Emily is seventeen and heading into her senior year of high school. Like the other characters, she attends an elite boarding school, but unlike them, she’s on a full needs-based scholarship. Her mother, who is divorced, recently lost their house and is living in her car while she tries to find work. Emily will be living in the car with her during the summer while she’s not at school—a secret she’s keeping from everyone else.

I knew heading into the story that Emily would have some secrets, and as I was thinking about her motivations and how to develop her as a character, I knew I wanted to pull in this topic of family homelessness, both to make her more sympathetic and to bring attention to a social issue that maybe doesn’t get as much time in the public eye as it should. As I wrote the first draft, I was able to delve deeper into the key relationships in her life and how her decisions have affected them. She makes some important realizations during the story, and I loved seeing those moments fall into place. The book puts her through the wringer, but she comes out a stronger, better person for it.

Your Road to Publication

6. Ali Herring is your agent. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

I first queried Ali with a YA fantasy manuscript in 2018. She sent me back a very kind pass, with the offer to look at new work or even the same manuscript if I did some major revisions. Using some books she recommended (Story Genius and The Word-Loss Diet, mentioned above), I reworked the opening of the story and tightened the writing considerably. To test out my changes, I sent another round of queries to other agents and started to get significantly more requests than I had before.

In the meantime, I’d also written an adult inspirational romantic suspense and submitted it to Harlequin. When they made an offer, a friend of mine (who was one of Ali’s clients), mentioned me to her and suggested I query her again. Now that I’d revised my YA fantasy with apparent success, I queried her with it again in spring of 2019. She loved it and offered me representation only a few weeks later! After seeing her investment in her clients, and me as only a querying writer, I was delighted to sign with her.

After revisions, we sent the manuscript on sub that summer. There were a couple of close passes, but no offers. I had another YA fantasy nearly finished, so we took it out in the spring of 2020—unfortunately, the week before everything locked down. When it became clear the timing wasn’t right for that one either, Ali suggested I think about writing a YA thriller. I wrote Thin Air in the late summer/ fall of 2020, and we took it out in spring of 2021. Our first offer came in three days after we sent it out, and after going back and forth with editors, we accepted the offer from Razorbill two weeks later.

7. How did working with Ali on your manuscript before going on submission make your story stronger?

Ali has a great eye for finding things that need to be changed to make a story more sellable. She was super excited about Thin Air and the pitch I’d put together, but she helped me flesh out the ending more (it was a little too abrupt and less twisty in the first draft), tighten the pacing, and refine Emily’s character to make her more likable. With the secrets she’s keeping, Emily does walk the line toward being unlikable, and Ali’s suggestions really helped draw out her voice and make her more sympathetic.

Marketing Your Book

8. How are you planning to celebrate the release of your book and promote it after its release? What made you decide on your plan?

Okay, I have to admit, my launch day plans aren’t quite what I originally envisioned. Thin Air’s release date happens to fall in the middle of my kids’ Fall Break from school, so I will be spending that week celebrating on a mother-daughter cruise with my thirteen-year-old and some friends of ours. When you’re trying to coordinate travel plans, you only have so many available dates to work with. At least it will give me a chance to take some pictures of the book on an airplane!

I will have a traditional book launch when I get home, which I’m really looking forward to. I’ll be in conversation with bestselling YA author Erin A. Craig at Schuler Books, an independent bookstore close to my house. It’s a dream come true to have my book launch there! I’m also active on social media and my author newsletter on Substack, so I’ll be promoting the book online. My publicist is coordinating some virtual events and in-person school events as well. Thin Air is written more for teen readers than crossover adult readers, so I’m excited to be able to reach out to my target audience.

9. I live on the other side of the state. I wish I could come to your book launch. How have you been connecting with writers, readers and librarians? What advice do you have for writers on how to connect with them?

When I first joined Twitter (now “X”) in 2016, it had a wonderful, active writing community. I met several writers there, including some who’ve become critique partners and friends. It did take a lot of participation, though, in chats, pitch events, and just commenting and interacting with others in a genuine way. With how that platform is changing, writers might have more success now on Instagram or even in Facebook groups. I’ve also connected with local writers by joining a writing group in my area. Another great way to meet people in person is to attend conferences, whether big national ones or local ones.

For readers and librarians, I’ve had the most success meeting new people on Instagram. There’s a very active, welcoming “bookish” community on that platform. One of the perks of working with a bigger publisher is that they helped me out in this area by sending advance reader copies to interested book influencers. ARCs of the book were also made available on Edelweiss and Netgalley, allowing librarians to read early copies. And submitting the book for trade reviews can also help garner attention from librarians. 

So much of publishing is about networking, so I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get to know people. I know this is tough for a lot of writers, since we tend to be introverted, but you’ll be so thankful later in your journey when you have friends to cheer you on and encourage you, and readers who are excited to get their hands on your book.

10. That’s such great advice. What are you working on now?

I can’t share details at this time, but my current project is another YA thriller. Not locked-door this time, but set in a fascinating location with some survival and speculative elements.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kellie. You can find Kellie at www.kelliemparker.com, on Substack at https://kelliemparker.substack.com/, on Twitter and Instagram at @kelliemparker, and Facebook at @kelliemichelleparker.

Giveaway Details

Kellie is generously offering a hardback of Thin Air for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by October 14th. If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter or Kellie on her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Thursday, October 5 I’m participating in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 9 I have an interview with debut author Sean O’Brien and a giveaway of his MG historical White House Clubhouse

Wednesday, October 11 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lane Clarke and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 16 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jane Chun and a query critique giveaway and am participating in the Silly Pumpkin Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 23 I have an interview with debut author Elisa Stone Leahy and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Tethered to Other Stars

Hope to see you on Thursday!

 

 

 

Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop


 Happy Sunday Everyone! Today I'm excited to participate in the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox. Can you believe it's October already? I'm looking forward to going to Dallas to visit my late husband's family with my daughter and son-in-law. We're having a small celebration there to celebrate their recent wedding too. Do you have any fun plans this month?

Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card

I am offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to reading. 

If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway Details

To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by October 15th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon gift card and your email address. Be sure to include your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Wednesday, October 4 I have an interview with debut author Kellie Parker and a giveaway of her YA thriller Thin Air and my IWSG post

Thursday, October 5 I’m participating in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 9 I have an interview with debut author Sean O’Brien and a giveaway of his MG historical White House Clubhouse

Wednesday, October 11 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lane Clarke and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 16 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jane Chun and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 23 I have an interview with debut author Elisa Stone Leahy and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Tethered to Other Stars

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

And here are all the blogs participating in this blog hop:

 

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Michigan SCBWI Critique Carousel Opportunity: Get a Critique of Your First Six Pages

 


Happy Thursday Everyone! The Michigan SCBWI Critique Carousel is happening. If you are a SCBWI member anywhere, you are eligible to participate. If you sign up, you can get a critique of the first six pages of a novel or graphic novel, 800-1,200 words of a picture book, and illustrations if you're an illustrator. The cost is approximately $65. The deadline to register is midnight on October 2, 2023. It's first come, first serve, so hurry to register if you're interested.

Here are agents and other professionals who have spots available:

Jane Chun [Middle grade (fiction only), YA (fiction only), Graphic novels (fiction and nonfiction)]
 
Taj McCoy [Picture books (fiction and NF), Middle grade (fiction and NF), Young Adult (fiction and NF); PB dummy (if complete and ready), portfolio reviews]
 
Daniele Hunter [Picture books (fiction and nonfiction), Picture Book and art sample, Middle grade (fiction only), YA (fiction only), Novel-in-verse]


Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Sunday, October 1 I'm participating in the Scaredy Cat Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, October 4 I have an interview with debut author Kellie Parker and a giveaway of her YA thriller Thin Air

Thursday, October 5 I’m participating in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 9 I have an interview with debut author Sean O’Brien and a giveaway of his MG historical White House Clubhouse

Wednesday, October 11 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lane Clarke and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 16 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jane Chun and a query critique giveaway and the Silly Pumpkin Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 23 I have an interview with debut author Elisa Stone Leahy and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Tethered to Other Stars

Hope to see you on Sunday!


Literary Agent Interview: Jen Newens Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Jen Newens here. She is a senior literary manager at Martin Literary & Media Management.

NOTE: Jen is temporarily closed to queries. Check the agency website to find out when she reopens. Literary Rambles' followers can query her through 10/7/2023 at jen@martinlit.com or hello@jennewens.com 

Hi­ Jen! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Jen:

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

I was the publishing director at West Margin Press for 7 years when the parent company sold the press in October 2022. When I was winding down my job and contemplating what to do next, I had a lot of people say, “Have you ever thought about being a literary agent? You’d be really good at it.” That planted a seed. In early 2023 I saw a job posting on LinkedIn by Sharlene Martin, head of Martin Literary Management and we had a conversation and just clicked. I started at the agency in April 2023.

About the Agency:

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

Martin Literary Management has been around for 20 years. It offers authors a comprehensive suite of literary agenting services and works with publishers big and small. It also offers foreign rights representation and our founder has strong relationships with entertainment brands. When I was a publisher, I loved working with Martin Lit agents because they were so professional and delightful to work with—it’s part of the reason I wanted to join the team.

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?

I represent all kidlit age groups from board books through YA. All genres are fair game for me, but I’m not as keen on sci fi or fantasy. That hasn’t stopped me from signing them, however, when the story is good. I have a soft spot for underdog stories and historically excluded groups.

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

Something laugh-out-loud funny. Something I don’t want to put down. Something with a premise I’ve never seen before. Something that makes me cry.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

Horror, scifi, high fantasy. I’m a little tired of retellings of fairy tales, but I can see a place for them in certain circumstances.

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’m pretty open as to who I want to represent. I love debut authors who have done their homework about how traditional publishing works and are keen to work with the system and not against it. (I’m aware that publishing has its challenges, but working with a client who wants to “disrupt” traditional publishing would be exhausting.)

I’m drawn to ideas that are unique, not derivative (which makes it hard to find comps, but I accept the challenge!)

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 am an editorial agent, but I’m looking at edits through the lens of what is going to help my authors get the best book deal. I leave it to the editors at the publishing houses to further edit the stories for the marketplace.

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?

First and foremost, they should get my name right. After that, I’d like to see the following:

·       One paragraph pitch

·       Story synopsis

·       Author bio

·       Word count

·       List of previous published books (if applicable)

·       Note if author has been previously represented by a literary agent 

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

I prefer that authors do not send manuscripts with query letters; please wait until I specifically ask for them. I prefer to work on one story at a time, so please do not send multiple submissions (series submissions are fine).

Response Time:

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

My response time varies with the volume of queries I receive, the number of active clients on my roster, and the time of year. I wish I could be clearer on this question, but it really varies.

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?

Absolutely. I used to run a small press and I am a big champion of them. Self-publishing and hybrid can be fantastic for some types of books. Traditional publishing can be a good choice for other types of books. I think there is a time and place for all modes of publishing, and I believe authors can choose any of them depending on which ever mode best suits their book or their needs at the time.

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

I haven’t seen this yet, but I’ll keep watching.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent?

Rob Broder

Tenisha Bernal  

Anne Broyles

Interviews and Guest Posts:

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

https://www.pbspotlight.com/single-post/agent-spotlight-jen-newens

Links and Contact Info:

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

https://www.martinlit.com/jennewens

https://www.jennewens.com/

Additional Advice:

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

Don’t give up! I know it sounds cliché, but if you keep following your dreams, they can come true. One of my clients, a debut picture book author at age 50, had been trying to find an agent and get a story published for years. One day, she posted on Twitter that all she wanted for her birthday was to find an agent. I responded, “I’m an agent, let’s chat.” Three months later I got her a two book, five-figure deal with an option for a third book from a big-name publisher. You just never know when things are going to happen for you!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Jen.

Giveaway Details

­Jen is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through October 7th. If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.

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.

 Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Wednesday, October 4 I have an interview with debut author Kellie Parker and a giveaway of her YA thriller Thin Air

Thursday, October 5 I’m participating in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 9 I have an interview with debut author Sean O’Brien and a giveaway of his MG historical White House Clubhouse

Wednesday, October 11 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lane Clarke and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 16 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jane Chun and a query critique giveaway and am participating in the Silly Pumpkin Giveaway Hop 

Monday, October 23 I have an interview with debut author Elisa Stone Leahy and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Tethered to Other Stars

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

 

 

Author Interview: Neal Shusterman and The Herren Project

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have author Neal Shusterman here to share advice on the craft of writing and his support of The Herren Project, a nonprofit organization providing resources, support, and treatment for individuals suffering from substance abuse disorder. Neal is a New York Times bestselling author of 30 books for children, teens, and adults and won the National Book Award for Challenger Deep in 2015. His next book is a graphic novel, Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust, which will be released on October 31st. I’m a huge fan of Neal’s and am so excited to host him today.

Here's a blurb of Courage to Dream from Goodreads:


National Book Award winner Neal Shusterman presents a graphic novel exploring the Holocaust through surreal visions and a textured canvas of heroism and hope.

Courage to Dream plunges readers into the darkest time of human history—the Holocaust. This graphic novel explores one of the greatest atrocities in modern memory, delving into the core of what it means to face the extinction of everything and everyone you hold dear. This gripping, multifaceted tapestry is woven from Jewish folklore and cultural history. Five interlocking narratives explore one common story – the tradition of resistance and uplift. Internationally renowned author Neal Shusterman and illustrator Andrés Vera Martínez have created a masterwork that encourages the compassionate, bold reaching for a dream.

 

Hi Neal! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about how you became a writer and then became a published author.

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. It was during college that I spent my summers as a counselor at summer camp. I would make up stories for the kids--and they all said they'd love to see them as books--so during the school year I would write them as books and bring them the manuscripts the next summer. I knew at that point that I wanted to be a writer, and I was trying all kinds of writing: articles, novels for an adult audience, those kids’ books that I was working on, stage plays, and screenplays. It just so happened that, a few months out of college, I got my first book deal the same month that I got my first screenwriting deal. That first book wasn't one of my novels. (My first two novels were never published--and for good reason--they're terrible.) But a publisher liked them enough to hire me to write a hygiene book for adolescent boys and that's what got my career started. It was my third novel, The Shadow Club, that sold and became my first published novel. Those first two will never see the light of day, but they weren't failures; they were steppingstones that I needed to take on my way to being published

About the Herren Project

2. You’re currently supporting the Herren Project’s charity event, which is on September 23rd. Share about this organization and how you are helping them. How can my followers participate in your fundraising efforts?

For people who would like to attend the event in person, you can buy a $75 ticket. You'll get to meet me, Jonas Raider (the artist), and Chris Herron (the founder of the Heron project) as well as get to bid on some of Jonas 's amazing works of art. The art includes copies of Roxy that he painted, and I’ll sign for those who can't attend in person. There are plenty of opportunities--$25 will get you a raffle ticket to win a lunch with me. I will actually fly to your location and have lunch with you. Also, you can purchase a raffle ticket to get your work as a writer critiqued by me. There's also an educator sponsorship, but you don't need to be an educator to do it. For $200, you'll get a painted copy of Roxy and a mystery box of stuff handpicked by me which will include autographed books, swag, like bookmarks and T-shirts, and even handwritten pages of original drafts of my books. Here’s the link: https://theherrenproject.networkforgood.com/events/61978-help-neal-shusterman-make-a-difference

About Your Writing Process

3. You’re the author of over 30 books. Where do you get your ideas and how do you decide which one to work on?

Ideas come from everywhere—usually something going on in the world or my life that I can't stop thinking about—and I have to figure out a way to put it into a story. Many times, a metaphor or allegory really excites me. Sometimes it’s stories that I've never seen told before—or at least never told the away that I'm thinking of telling them

4. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Share about your process of developing your story ideas and why this process works for you.

Like so many things in life, it's never just one or the other but a mixture of both. I plot out my stories and details so I can see them playing like a movie in my mind, and, when I think I'm ready to go, I basically throw out the outline and see where it takes me. I see the outline as basically just a scaffold to help me structure and build the story that may or may not follow the outline I started with.

5. For those of us who are still aspiring writers, the thought of writing a book on contract can be scary. How did you make the leap to being able to write on a deadline? How long does it take you to write a first draft and revise it?

Deadlines! Deadlines are the bane of my existence, but I think it’s the bane of every writer's existence. Very rarely do I actually make a deadline, but, if I miss a deadline, I better be pretty damn sure that what I'm turning in is so good that it makes my editor not care how late it is. So that's a lot of pressure. I don't write continually from beginning to end of a book because I’ll burn out. Instead, I'll usually work for about a month on a project before switching to another one, and then another one, and then switch back. But, if you take all that time and put it together, it's usually about 6 to 8 months to get to a first draft.

6. Many of us dream of being able to quit a day job and become an author full-time. How have you made writing a career and what advice do you have for the rest of us?

I’ve really only had one “real job” and that was working as a receptionist at a talent agency for my first six months out of college. They say you have to be in the right place at the right time. I had no control over the right time, but I figured by being in a talent agency—even if I'm just answering phones—I'm in the right place. It turned out I was right because one of those agents saw my writing and asked if they could represent me, so that's what got me started. So, my best advice would be to put yourself in the right place. Go to conferences. Go to events where you can meet people in the publishing industry. In terms of writing—originality counts for quite a lot. You might look at the trends of what's out there but understand that editors are seeing hundreds upon hundreds of nearly identical manuscripts that are following the trends. Your manuscript has to stand out of that somehow. Personally, I never try to follow the trends. In fact, I intentionally try to do the opposite because I'm sort of contrary that way.

7. Do you ever go through periods of writer’s block? What are your tips for getting through these rough times?

Writer’s block is a misnomer because what most people call “writer’s block” is just writing. When writing is going smoothly, you feel as if that's where the writing is, but then you get stuck. That feeling of being stuck? THAT is what writing is. You have to be willing to work through the difficult part of writing as well as the times that it's going smoothly. If you call it a block, that's an excuse not to work your way through the hard part. My tips for getting through the hard part of writing? I change gears. I work on a different project, take long walks, and create playlists to help me get inspired. I also complain at my friends, and I try to put myself in new and interesting environments. I find it very difficult to sit in an office and write. I feel most creative when I am out in the world in someplace new and interesting.

8. Your next book is a graphic novel. What made you decide to branch out into writing a graphic novel? Share a bit about your writing process in creating Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust.

Courage to Dream was a labor of love from the beginning. I was initially inspired by the artwork of artist Jeffrey Schrier and the way he approached Jewish art.  For the longest time, I wanted to write a Jewish-themed book, and, when Andrea Pinkney approached me with the idea of doing a graphic novel, I jumped at it.  The question was, what could I write that would be additive? As one of my favorite movies is Pan’s Labyrinth, I thought using fantasy and surrealism could be a powerful and poignant way to approach a subject as difficult as the Holocaust.  I saw it as a challenge, and I love challenges. Having done a lot of screenwriting, my initial manuscript was formatted similarly to a screenplay but with suggestions of how the frames might be organized.  After the first draft of the text was done, it took a while for Scholastic to find the right artist—but when I saw Andrés Vera Martinez's work, I knew he was the one!  He has the ability to capture both wonder and darkness, hope and heartbreak in his work.  Every time I look at his illustrations, I still get chills.  From beginning to end, Courage to Dream took over 10 years to create, and it was worth every minute spent on it!

 

Thanks so much for all your advice, Neal. You can find Neal at

Herren Project Link: https://theherrenproject.networkforgood.com/events/61978-help-neal-shusterman-make-a-difference

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 Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, September 25 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jen Newens and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, October 4 I have an interview with debut author Kellie Parker and a giveaway of her YA thriller Thin Air

Thursday, October 5 I’m participating in the Howl-O-Ween Giveaway Hop

Monday, October 9 I have an interview with debut author Sean O’Brien and a giveaway of his MG historical White House Clubhouse

Wednesday, October 11 I have an agent spotlight interview with Lane Clarke and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 16 I have an agent spotlight interview with Jane Chun and a query critique giveaway

Monday, October 23 I have an interview with debut author Elisa Stone Leahy and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Tethered to Other Stars

Hope to see you on Monday!