Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Allie Millington here to share about her MG contemporary Once For Yes. From the description, it sounds like a really heartwarming story that I know I’m going to like.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
The Odenburgh, an old apartment building made of brick and blunt opinions, is the last of its kind in a swiftly changing neighborhood. After years of putting up with people and their many problems, the Odenburgh knows there’s no point in getting attached. They all just leave eventually. A truth that comes all too soon when the building is sold and slated for demolition, giving tenants a month to move out.
No one is more troubled by the news than eleven-year-old Prue, who refuses to leave her family’s apartment. Not when it was the last place she lived with her sister Lina, before she lost Lina forever. When Prue launches a plan to save their home, the Odenburgh joins in—flickering lights, jamming elevators, triggering fire alarms—all to try and bring a building full of bickering residents together. In the process, Prue meets Lewis, an eccentric boy who lives across the street—and the only one who can help her discover the missing elements of her sister’s story.
Follower News
Before I get to Allie’s interview, I have Follower News to share. Ronel Janse Van Vuuren has a new book
released, Smoke on the Water. Here’s a blurb: Immortals + Boredom = Catastrophe
Something old and dangerous is awake and influencing immortals from various pantheons to act in ways they’d only imagined. Their actions – sometimes hilarious, mostly dangerous – bring the realms to the brink of the Apocalypse. Can a few manage damage control and stop the end from coming for them all? And here are a few links:
Book details:
https://www.ronelthemythmaker.com/my-books/smoke-on-the-water/Buy link:
https://books2read.com/u/mYk6AG Interview With Allie Millington
Hi Allie! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
Writing has always been one of the biggest parts of myself ever since I can remember. Through all the different changes and hobbies and interests I’ve had, writing has stayed constant. It’s how I spent most of my time growing up, throwing a ball against the side of the house while I spoke stories into existence, or writing plays that I forced my siblings and neighbors to take part in. When I first left home, I lived overseas in England and Brazil, working with kids in various capacities. Those experiences really shaped my passion for spending time with students, and much like writing, it became what I felt like I was made for.
I’m grateful to now have a job that allows me to invest in both of those things that are deeply important to me. I currently live near Atlanta, GA, with my husband, a dog called Crumpet, and a house full of thrifted items (including multiple typewriters).
2. Where did you get the idea for Once For Yes?
Most of my books start with an interesting character—someone or something that we’ve possibly never heard a story from before. The idea sparked with a run-down, crotchety apartment building called The Odenburgh, who showed up on the first page with a very strong voice. The plot began to fill in as I started reading countless articles about old apartments being demolished and tenants being forced to move. All of the lives, communities, and buildings that are affected by these decisions fueled much of this story. The book’s themes of grief and saying goodbye, healing and holding onto hope, were drawn from personal experiences and experiences of people close to me.
Your Writing Process
3. What was your plotting process like for Once For Yes and how long did it take you to write a draft that you felt comfortable sending to your agent and editor?
Writing Once For Yes was a completely different experience than what I was previously used to. I sold it as part of the two book deal I received with my debut, Olivetti, and at that time it was only a three-sentence pitch when my editor offered on it. Olivetti’s publication date ended up being moved up earlier than expected, so it meant I had four months to turn the three-sentence idea of Once For Yes into a novel that I could turn in. The actual plotting of the story was different too—it was the first time that I knew exactly how the book would end before I started. I laid out some major emotional beats that I’d look to as lighthouses guiding the story, but for the most part I tried to let the characters make their own choices and tell me where the story needed to go.
4. Yikes, you had a short time period to write your first draft. Much of Once For Yes is told from the point of view of The Odenburgh, which is unique. What made you decide to tell some of your story through the building’s point of view and how did you get enough of Prue’s POV into the story?
Like with Olivetti, which is narrated by a typewriter, I’m drawn to writing from the perspectives of things we often don’t think much about—because they’re old or forgotten or simply an object. I thought an apartment building’s perspective would be interesting because it would naturally be full of stories, as it’s held the lives of residents, seen the ins and outs of humankind. My favorite part of writing Once For Yes was thinking from this unique point of view, and using empathy to try and understand what it would be like to hold people inside of you and be constantly left behind. In that way, The Odenburgh quickly became very alive to me.
Though having an inanimate, stationary character brings its challenges, it was really enjoyable to think of all the ways I could make a building feel more than just a building—and explore how I could make him feel alive to everyone else too. I wanted Prue and some of the other tenants’ POV’s too because I love hearing stories from all sides, and I love providing a cast with a wide variety in characters in hopes that there will be one each reader can relate to. Using these alternating POV’s also helped me figure out strategic times to reveal certain information and hints, especially moments that only The Odenburgh had witnessed.
5. How was writing Once For Yes different than writing your debut mg, Olivetti? What did you learn from working with your editor and/or agent on Olivetti that helped you write Once For Yes?As I alluded to above, writing Once For Yes was a bit of a whirlwind. It was the first time I’d written on a deadline, the first time I’d been paid to write a book, and going into it knowing it was already going to be published was something new I had to wrap my head around. There was a lot I had to work through in terms of creating under pressure and how to protect the playfulness of the writing process when it becomes your ‘job.’ Before Once For Yes, I’d written books for several years inside my bubble, with hardly any outside feedback or voices ever involved. Working with my editor and agent on Olivetti helped me to be more open to sharing my work at earlier stages, how to better handle critiques and other opinions, and how collaborating on a book makes it that much stronger. I also learned the importance of listening to my instincts, and trying to stay true to myself while not necessarily writing to please anyone else.
Your Journey to Publication
6. It’s good you learned the skills you need to write on deadline. Your agent is Kristen Terrette. How did she become your agent and what was your road to getting a publishing contract like?I love telling this story. I knew Kristen back before she was an agent. She was the only person I knew in my area that was a writer, so when I wrote my first book several years ago, I met with her to ask what I should do next. She offered to help edit my book (which really needed it), and taught me how to write a query letter. I remember her distinctly telling me at that coffee shop that I would be a bestselling author one day, and I just laughed because it sounded so ridiculous.
Especially considering the fact that I went on to query for four years, writing multiple books in different genres, and getting around 400 rejections. It was a disappointing season to go through, but one thing that helped was starting what I called my Rejection Collection—which is where I’d make one doodle or poem for every rejection letter I received. It was my tiny act of defiance to continue to make art even in the midst of being told my work wasn’t ‘good enough’. With so many pieces piling up in my Rejection Collection, I was able to send them out to encourage other people who were struggling or in their own disappointing seasons.
After four years of querying, I finally got some agent interest in a previous version of Olivetti—but I wasn’t sure if it was a good fit. Something about it wasn’t sitting right with me, but with it being the only positive connection I’d made after all that time, I thought I should move forward with them. The same exact minute I opened the offer letter from this agent, I got a call from Kristen, who I hadn’t heard from in a while. She said, “You’ll never believe what’s happened. I just got a job as a literary agent, and I want you to be one of my first clients.” I had no idea she was on the path to becoming an agent, but the timing of how it all played out what something I couldn’t ignore. She was already familiar with my writing and had always believed in me, so having that foundation of a trusting, warm relationship was an incredibly special place to start from.
7. What a cool story of how you got your agent. In your bio on your website, you say: “Olivetti, was an instant USA Today Bestseller and Indie Bookstore Bestseller, received a glowing review in the New York Times by Tom Hanks, and made several Best of 2024 Lists including School Library Journal, NPR, and The Boston Globe.” That’s amazing! Share a bit about what it was like to be a debut author and get such good reviews and news.
Thank you! I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It was very hard to grasp that it was happening at the time, especially coming freshly off of years of rejections. I’d gotten used to people saying ‘no’ or ‘not right now’ to my work, so suddenly receiving praise felt strangely foreign…like they couldn’t possibly be talking about my book, could they? Everything happened very quickly too—I signed with Kristen in November, went on submission with editors in January, and got multiple offers within the first week of Olivetti being out.
When it all started unfolding, a friend kindly bought me a journal to write my thoughts and emotions into, knowing I would likely forget it all if I didn’t record it. That’s been a big help in being able to reflect and remember the gifts the past year has brought, especially on days where there is bad news or I’m feeling inadequate about my work. I’m immensely thankful for the love and support Olivetti has received. It’s been incredibly rewarding to share my words with other people. And having Tom Hanks read my book and write about it in The New York Times is something I will never get over!
Promoting Your Book
8. How are you promoting Once For Yes? How have your marketing plans changed since you were a debut author? I’ve made some really wonderful connections with bookstores, libraries, and schools through Olivetti, so most of my promoting with Once For Yes is in partnership with those places. I’ve set up bookstore events and author visits at schools during the few months after the book releases. I’m also holding a preorder campaign on my Instagram with book goodies, as well as some fun giveaways! My publishers are also very helpful in promoting behind the scenes—sending out ARCs, including it in their newsletters, and having the book available at different festivals and conferences.
9. You have two upcoming picture books and one middle grade novel coming out in 2025 and 2026. Tell us about these books and how you got publishing contracts for them. I started writing picture books during my querying journey, as I was experimenting with different genres.
One of those picture books in particular came as a result of me processing the disappointment and afraid-to-hope feelings I experienced throughout querying, which was called When You Find A Hope. I had a few picture books under my belt when Olivetti was first submitted to editors, and because it received multiple offers, I was able to get my foot in the door in some places. Two months after Olivetti received a two book deal, I received a two book deal for picture books with one of those editors I’d connected with.
The first of which was When You Find a Hope, an emotional, allegorical tale about how sometimes our hopes are shattered before they can be spread and shared. It’s a very special full circle moment for me that this book now has the chance to spread hope to readers. The second picture book I have coming out in 2026 is called When You Find A Question, which is a similar abstract story about the power and importance of questions.
10. What are you working on now?Thank you for asking! I’m currently revising my third middle grade novel, called EARL GREY, which is set to release in Fall of 2026. I’m also gearing up for the release of my two new books this spring, as well as the paperback of Olivetti. It’s been a learning curve figuring out how to be in different stages with multiple books at once—but I’m very grateful to have all this in the works!
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Allie. You can find Allie at www.alliemillingtonbooks.com or on Instagram at @allieinink.
Giveaway Details
Allie is generously offering a signed hardback of Once for Yes with goodies inside 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 March 22nd. 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 other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or follow Allie 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. and Canada.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.
Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops
Sunday, March 16th I’m participating in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop
Monday, March 17th I have an interview with debut author Carol Baldwin and a giveaway of her upper MG/YA Half Truths
Wednesday, March 19th I have an agent spotlight interview with Shari Maurer and a query critique giveaway
Monday, March 26th I have an agent spotlight interview with Amy Thrall Flynn and a query critique giveaway
Wednesday, March 28th I have an agent spotlight interview with Sally Kim and a query critique giveaway
I hope to see you on Sunday!
