Literary Agent Interview: Mark O’Brien Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today, I’m thrilled to have agent Mark O’Brien here. He’s an associate agent at Azantian Literary Agency. 

Hi­ Mark! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Mark: 

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 my career in the book publishing industry with an editorial internship at Entangled Publishing in August 2015, six weeks after I graduated high school. From there, I haven’t stopped! I interned and assisted at five literary agencies, including Writers House, Stonesong, and Triada US, before working at NetGalley as Sales Coordinator for three years. In September 2024, I joined Azantian Literary Agency as an associate agent. I’m building my client list slowly and with intention. 

About the Agency: 

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

Founded in 2014, Azantian Literary is committed to guiding the careers of both new and established voices in fiction and nonfiction, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented. We’re a growing agency with a boutique, collaborative style and over a dozen agents. We partner with Mushens Entertainment for foreign rights for books for all ages and genres, excluding graphic novels. Foreign rights for graphic novels are handled by Full Bleed Rights. We’re always looking to serve our clients as best as we possibly can. (We’re also nice.) 

What He’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? 

In young adult, my first love is contemporary realistic fiction, as well as realistic with a twist. I am also building my list in YA genre fiction, including science fiction and fantasy. 

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

As a queer, neurodivergent agent, I’m always excited to see queries from queer, neurodivergent, BIPOC, and disabled creators. 

What He Isn’t Looking For: 

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

I am not the best fit for horror, thrillers, picture books, novellas, poetry collections, and stories centering intense violence and/or gore. 

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 work with voices that refuse to be denied. I find these voices most often come from authors who are marginalized in some way, or (more often) multiple ways. Because of this, I’m a careful agent. I also see myself as a cheerleader for my clients. 

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? 

Yes, yes, and yes! We’ll usually do as many rounds of developmental and/or line edits as it takes to make sure every word counts, and shines, before sending a manuscript out to editors. 

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? 

Query me through QueryManager following the submission guidelines on Azantian Literary’s website. Include your first ten pages and a bio. 

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

I prefer to be addressed as Mark, though I’d absolutely never hold a different salutation against a writer. As long as you’re professional and following my submission guidelines, you’re on the right track! 

Response Time: 

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

Five minutes to three months. 

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? 

Yes, I’m absolutely open to established self- and indie- published authors. I recommend these authors ensure they want to pursue traditional publication before sending out query letters to literary agents. Whichever publication path you choose, be intentional about it. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I’m still quite new! I represent Faefyx Collington, author of queer nonfiction I couldn’t be more excited about. I’m looking forward to expanding my list! 

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. 

This is my first—thank you, Natalie! 

Links and Contact Info: 

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

Send me a query and ten pages through QueryManager here: http://querymanager.com/bookmarkobrien. Follow me on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/bookmarkobrien.bsky.social. Check out my freelance website here: https://bookmarkobrien.com/ 

Additional Advice: 

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

As someone who was a querying writer before he became a literary agent: No agent is better than a bad agent. Always research a literary agent, and their affiliated agency, before querying. If you want to pursue traditional publication, ensure any agent you consider is capable of making a well-negotiated traditional publication deal happen. Otherwise, that agent isn’t earning their fifteen percent! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Mark. 

­Giveaway Details 

Mark 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 June 21st. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from 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 Bluesky, 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 hime before querying an agent. The information found hime is subject to change.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, June 16th I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop

Monday, June 23rd I have an interview with author Michael Spradlin and a giveaway of his MG Threat of the Spider

Tuesday, July 1st I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, July 2nd I have an interview with author Nia Davenport and a giveaway of her YA Love Spells Trouble and my IWSG post

Monday, July 7th I have an interview with author Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG Survive This Safari

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

 

Author Nancy McCabe Interview and Fires Burning Underground Interview

 Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Nancy McCabe here to share about her MG Fires Burning Underground. It sounds like a great contemporary story that also has an element of danger, and I’m looking forward to reading it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

It's Anny's first day of middle school and, after years of being homeschooled, her first day of public school ever. In art, Larissa asks what kind of ESP is her telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, or telekinesis? Tracy asks how she gay, straight, bi, ace, pan, trans, or confused? And thus kicks off a school year for Anny in which she' ll navigate a path between childhood and adolescence, imagination and identity. In a year of turmoil and transition, with a new awareness of loss after the death of a friend, Anny struggles to find meaning in tragedy, to come to terms with her questions about her sexuality, and to figure out how to negotiate her own ever-shifting new friendships. And when her oldest friend's life is in danger, she must summon up her wits, imagination, and the ghosts that haunt her to save them both. 

Hi Nancy! Thanks so much for joining us. 

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

It’s great to be here! I don’t remember when I started writing—composing stories in my head and then on paper is something that I always did. I can remember narrating stories in my head while falling asleep at night; writing stories with friends or my cousin based on board games we played, doll dramas that we enacted, and games of pretend in the backyard; and standing waiting for the school bus trying to figure out how to describe snowflakes. I always read a ton and always wrote, so when I went to college I was ecstatic to discover that I could major in creative writing. And then excited to find out that I could go to graduate school and study it some more. And that I could go on writing and sharing the craft as part of my job as a college professor. 

2. Yes, it sounds like a dream job. Where did you get the idea for Fires Burning Underground? 

There are many autobiographical elements. When I was twelve, a friend died in a fire, and a few weeks later a neighbor’s house caught fire. Moving from a small country school to a larger junior high that year, I also made a friend with a creative, imaginative girl. Her friendship and our creative activities were a refuge from so many impending adult realities. I really wanted to write a story that captures that in between state, reluctance to leave behind childhood combined with a longing for the independence to break away from family expectations. 

Your Writing Process 

3. You’ve written nine books—YA, adult fiction, and memoir. What made you decide to write a middle grade story? How was writing for this age group different than what you’ve written in the past? 

I feel like genre chooses me rather than the other way around. Some stories just needed to be creative nonfiction/memoir because they lost their drama if I tried to write them as fiction while other stories were just more interesting if I allowed myself to make things up. The identity questions I wrote about in my YA novel Vaulting through Time felt like they would resonate a lot more with Teenage Me than adult me, and Fires Burning Underground was the sort of story that felt like it could have helped Middle Grade Me make sense of complicated issues when I was twelve. So I suppose that’s the starting point for me—when would I have found this story most meaningful? What audience do I think it will speak to most? 

The main challenge of writing for middle graders was finding the voice of a twelve year old, a process that involved rereading my childhood diaries, listening to my daughter and her friends when they were that age, and rereading middle grade novels. Some of my college students assume that writing for middle graders means “dumbing down” the vocabulary, but of course that isn’t it at all. Kids are pretty smart, with often sophisticated vocabularies. For me, it was more of a process of thinking about how kids understand the world. They’re not innocent or ignorant. They just see the world differently than adults do. 

4. I agree the writing isn’t “dumbing down.” You’re also a professor and director of the writing program at the University of Pittsburgh. What is your writing schedule like? How do you juggle your jobs as an author and professor?

Finding time has often been a huge challenge, especially because while raising my daughter I was also a single mom and my child’s only parent, so there were never any breaks. I spent many years being very, very disciplined—writing as soon as I took her to school and before I had to be on campus, finding summer activities for her so that I could write. Since she left home a few years ago I’ve been able to relax my schedule a little, but I still try to write for at least an hour every morning. Sometimes I’m more successful than others. I also usually teach one advanced writing class at night each semester, and I make a point of putting aside all of my other work and writing along with them. I’ve produced a lot that way—and it makes me a better teacher, having faced the same kinds of obstacles and dilemmas my students do. 

5. It sounds like you’ve figured out a way to squeeze in your writing to your daily schedule. Reviewers have said that you do a good job of showing the emotional rollercoaster that middle graders go through in Fires Burning Underground. Share a bit about how you weaved these themes into your story and about Anny’s character development as you told her story. 

I remember so strongly my own emotional rollercoaster at that age. I felt things deeply—joy, grief, terror. I really wanted to portray the way emotions felt when I was new at navigating them. Anny has never faced the death of a peer and that comes with a whole slew of bewildering emotions—not just sadness, but fear and awkwardness and embarrassment. Her friendship with Larissa is all the more intense in the face of that. It brings her joy but there’s also a bittersweetness as it changes and evolves. Anny also has many searching questions about her own identity, ones that she will have to face as she matures, another reason she wants to postpone growing up. Those questions cause her anguish and concerns about her ability to be accepted. 

Your Road to Publication 

6. Tell us about your journey to becoming a published author and how you got your publishing contract for Fires Burning Underground. 

I started writing Fires Burning Underground many years ago, returning to work on revisions every few years or go to conferences to learn more about writing for middle graders. In between, I wrote and published my five memoirs with university presses and two novels with good traditional small presses. So I was pretty experienced by the time I decided to send out Fires Burning Underground. I’d heard a lot of good things about Fitzroy/Regal House, so I decided to try them, and was thrilled when they were interested. With other books, I had done some pretty extensive developmental editing processes, but my editors didn’t feel that this one needed that kind of overhaul. After all, I’d already received great advice from writer friends and editors at conferences.  

7. How did working with your editor on Fires Burning Underground make it a stronger story? 

I’d already gotten a thorough critique from a writer friend about the book’s plot, followed, a few years and revisions later, by a thorough critique from an editor about its voice, and a whole lot of other feedback from readers about other elements. So by the time I worked with my editors at Regal House, we were focusing on smaller issues. They pointed out a couple of things that they felt might be problematic, and I reworked those. I love to revise and would have been happy to tackle anything else they suggested, but they felt that it was done.

Promoting Your Book 

8. I love to revise too.What did you do to celebrate the release of your book? How are you promoting it? 

Our community library partnered with our campus library, arts programming office, and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies program to hold a release party. We had flame-shaped cookies and I gave a brief talk and then had some young actors from the community do a table reading of some scenes from the book. It was so much fun to see the kids bring those scenes to life. I’ve been doing lots of interviews, podcasts, and guest articles to promote it and have some travel coming up. 

9. Your release party sounds fun. What have you learned about building your author platform and marketing your books since you were first published? What advice do you have for other authors? 

When I published my first books in 2003, if there were social media platforms I could have used to market my books, I was unaware of them. It wasn’t until my third book in 2011 that I had a Facebook account. Eventually I also tried out Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Threads, and Bluesky, but I’ve never gotten comfortable with them—and I know that Tik Tok might be a better way to reach the age group I’m writing for. I’ve appreciated that some influencers shared my YA novel on Bookstagram and Book Tok, and hope for a similar outcome for Fires Burning Underground. 

I finally decided that for myself, it’s better to stick to what I’m comfortable with. I do post on Facebook in the hopes that my network of parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians will be inspired to share my books with kids. I do think that school visits are one of the best ways to get the word out.  I’ve done a couple of them, and having worked as a writer in the schools in a couple of states in the past, I have skills to offer to schools who host me in the future. 

10. What are you working on now? 

I always have a pile of projects in progress. I’ve started a sequel to my YA novel, have a very rough draft of an adult novel written, am working on putting together an essay collection about my daughter’s mysterious chronic illness when she was a teenager, and have a contract with University of New Mexico Press for a craft book on writing about trauma, Creating Some Measure of Beauty: The Healing Power of the Artful Essay. I’m retiring from undergraduate teaching this semester so that I can really focus on all of these projects! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Nancy. You can find Nancy at https//www.nancymccabe.net. 

Thanks so much for these great questions! 

Giveaway Details 

Nancy and her publicist are generously offering a paperback of Fires Burning Underground 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 June 21st. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from 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 Bluesky or follow Nancy 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.

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

Wednesday, June 11th I have an agent spotlight interview with Mark O’Brien and a query critique giveaway

Monday, June 16th I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop

Monday, June 23rd I have an interview with author Michael Spradlin and a giveaway of his MG Threat of the Spider

Tuesday, July 1st I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, July 2nd I have an interview with author Nia Davenport and a giveaway of her YA Love Spells Trouble and my IWSG post

Monday, July 7th I have an interview with author Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG Survive This Safari

I hope to see you on Wednesday!

Author Interview: Aaron Starmer and Night Swimming Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Aaron Starmer here to share about his YA Night Swimming. It’s a contemporary story with a touch of magical realism, which always makes me want to read a book. I’m looking forward to reading Night Swimming. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads: 

From the author of Spontaneous comes a '90s mixtape of a young adult novel that delivers a summer romance with an unearthly twist.

It was just one swim… How could they know it would never end?

It's the summer of 1994 and Trevor can barely wrap his mind around the fact that he and his friends have graduated high school. The future is a murky thing, filled with a college experience he feels neutral about at best, endless mixtape relistens, and the growing realization that his crush on the enigmatic Sarah isn't going anywhere.

That is, until Sarah approaches him with a mission: they're going to swim in all the pools in the neighborhood. Soon, their quest leads to them sneaking into backyard pools every night and continuing to get closer. But not close enough for Trevor, who yearns for Sarah despite her college boyfriend, despite her "not yet"s, despite the way she keeps pulling away the moment things feel real.

So when they learn about a natural pool hidden deep in the woods, it starts off as just another spot to check off their summer bucket list. But once they get there, they soon realize the natural pool has a curious hold on them, and something very strange is happening…

Before we get to Aaron’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: PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, and Jean Davis!

I'm going to skip the optional question this month.

I have good news to share! Literary Rambles is the #1 literary agent blog in FeedSpot's Top 20 Literary Agent Blogs. I'm truly honored and grateful to be included with all the other experts included in their list.

Interview With Aaron Starmer 

Hi Aaron! Thanks so much for joining us. 

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

From a young age, I was always telling stories. Or making up songs. Or, if I could get my hands on a video camera, filming movies. So, whenever I had the opportunity to do something creative, I jumped on it. In college and grad school, I studied literature and film, and even though I didn’t know how I was going to use those interests in a career, I kept them alive while I worked my first jobs in New York City. I somehow ended up in the travel industry, and that led to some writing assignments for guidebooks, which was a great introduction to the publishing process. For a few years, I wrote a giant, unwieldly novel in my spare time. It was unpublishable, but I realized that the best parts of it were about the adventures of a group of kids. So, I decided to write about (and for) kids. That ultimately resulted in my first published novel, DWEEB. 

2. Where did you get the idea for Night Swimming and what made you decide to set it in 1994 vs. the present? 

I got the idea over 30 years ago, when a friend proposed the idea of sneaking into and swimming in all the pools in our town. We may have swum in one or two, but never took it much further beyond the idea phase. The idea, however, stuck with me. Years later, I wrote a few pages of a screenplay that played with the idea, but I couldn’t finish it. It felt more like a novel. And since I had the idea so long ago, it felt natural to set it in that time, when I was that age. There is also a very specific reason (which I won’t spoil) about why it needed to be set 30 years ago, because there needs to be some distance for what the characters ultimately experience. When I finally did write the novel, there was no question about when it would be set and how it would feel because it had been with me for so long. 

Your Writing Process 

3. It’s amazing that you finally wrote this story after all these years. I love the mysterious natural pool and the element of magical realism in your story. How did you weave this into the story, and what are your tips for writers wanting to write a story that includes magical realism? 

So much of good writing is about gaining a reader’s trust, and it’s something I think about a lot. That trust usually hinges on how characters act once that magical element is revealed. Do they go with it immediately? Are they sceptics? What emotional conditions need to be in play for magic to bleed naturally into a realistic world? There’s a line in the book where one of the characters says something like, “If you were suddenly being chased by a monster, you wouldn’t question the existence of the monster. You’d just run.” While another character says, “I’d probably think it’s a person in a monster suit.” It tells you something about each character, but it that still doesn’t change the fact that they would both run. For me, I want my characters to react to the world both logically and instinctually. Before long, the readers will trust the world because they trust the way the characters are living in it. 

4. What is your writing process like, and how long did it take you to finish your manuscript for Night Swimming to submit to your agent and editor? 

It’s different for every book. For this one, I started writing it numerous times and set it down and came back to it. In one case, years later. But, since it’s relatively short, the actual writing process probably added up to 6-9 months of work. When I share with my agent, it’s usually either a sample of something, or a finished manuscript. In this case, I did both. He saw it once when I first had the idea and 30-40 pages. Then he saw it again a couple years later when it was finished. I don’t think there was much, if any revision, after that point. We took it straight to the publisher. 

5. It’s cool that you didn’t have to do revisions before submitting to your publisher. Share a bit about Trevor as a character. Did anything surprise you about him as you wrote his story?

 

He’s naïve, and perhaps a little coddled. I was playing a bit with the idea of the “mediocre white guy” who breezes through life. He’s certainly empathetic and kind, but somewhat clueless about other people’s struggles. Or at least about other people’s perspectives. It didn’t surprise me that he had to face a reckoning at the end, and that he had to suffer in some way and realign some of his views, but it surprised me how humble he would be about it. I guess I hope I can be that humble as I continue to learn and change. 

Your Road to Publication 

6. Michael Bourret is your agent. How did he become your agent, and what was your road to getting your first publishing contract like? 

Michael wasn’t my first agent. My first agent read my query for my first book and signed me on the day that she was quitting her job at a big agency and going out on her own. Luck? Of course! It was a stroke of luck for both of us. She needed clients and I needed an agent. And I’m pretty sure I was one of her first clients who wrote for young readers. Over the next couple years, we published a second book (The Only Ones), but she became more focused on adult fiction and non-fiction. So, we both decided I needed someone who was more in tune with the children’s book industry if I wanted my career to succeed. I made a list of a handful of agents who represented middle grade and young adult novels I admired, and I reached out to a few authors I knew for introductions. Michael was at the top of the list and thankfully, he really liked my book The Riverman. And off we went. 

7. It’s good that a few authors helped introduce you to agents. You write MG and YA and have sixteen published books. You also have a YA thriller that will be published in 2027. How did your career as an author evolve, and how have you been able to continue to sell your stories? 

I’ve tried to experiment with and combine different genres (sci-fi, fantasy, satire, comedy, realism) and cater to different age groups (elementary school through high school) while always retaining my distinct voice. I don’t know how to define that voice, other than to say it’s slightly off-kilter, and lends itself to high concepts (spontaneously combusting teenagers, magical lockers, etc.). Sometimes I wish I could write more traditional books that appeal to wider audiences, but I don’t think that’s in my skill set. If I’m not in tune with the writing, then certainly the readers won’t be in tune with it. 

8. You now write full-time after having day jobs as an editor for a travel publisher and working for an African safari company. And you have a family. When did you decide that you could quit your day jobs? What advice do you have for other writers about making this big decision?

 

I quit my day job before I had kids, and when my rent and other expenses were very low, and when my wife had good health insurance. I also knew I could pick up some freelance writing and editing gigs to fill in the gaps between book advances. So, I knew I didn’t need to land huge advances to continue. And I also gave myself two years to make it work, and luckily it did work, though there were plenty of times I have questioned the decision. Of course, not everyone will have all the privileges I had, or perhaps even any of them. I would suggest giving yourself a timeline, a budget, and a set of goals before making any leap like this. Then treat the job like any job. Put in the hours. Challenge yourself to learn and to do better with each book. And hope that you find some luck along the way. 

Promoting Your Book 

9. That’s great advice. How are you planning to promote your book? How has your work on your social media platforms and book promotions changed over the years? 

With this book, I’m currently focusing on going local. I’ve been working with indie booksellers, media outlets and educators throughout the small state of Vermont (where I live), to get the book in the hands of my neighbors. How far it will expand from there is hard to know, but after years in the industry, I know what I can control and what I can’t. For now, I have a certain amount of control over my backyard, so to speak. 

10. What are you working on now? 

I have a middle grade book coming out in 2026, called You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This, which you’ll be hearing more about…soon. And I’m currently writing a book called The Swans, which is a young adult thriller/satire about a town that’s plagued by a history of swan murder. In other words, another thing that’s a bit off-kilter… 

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

Website: www.aaronstarmer.com

LinkTree: www.linktr.ee/AaronStarmer

Instagram: www.instagram.com/aaron_starmer/

Threads: www.threads.net/@aaron_starmer

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/aaronstarmer.bsky.social

Book Info: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/599890/night-swimming-by-aaron-starmer/ 

Giveaway Details 

Aaron’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of Night Swimming 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 June 14th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from 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 Bluesky or follow Aaron on his 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 

Monday, June 9th I have an interview with author Nancy McCabe and a giveaway of her MG Fires Burning Underground

Wednesday, June 11th I have an agent spotlight interview with Mark O’Brien and a query critique giveaway

Monday, June 16th I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop

Monday, June 23rd I have an interview with author Michael Spradlin and a giveaway of his MG Threat of the Spider

Tuesday, July 1st I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, July 2nd I have an interview with author Nia Davenport and a giveaway of her YA Love Spells Trouble and my IWSG post

Monday, July 7th I have an interview with author Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG Survive This Safari

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

When “Diverse” Is Who You Are: Guest Post by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow and Their Just Desserts Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow here to share about their MG Their Just Desserts, book #2 in The Cookie Crumbles series. I already read the book, which I really enjoyed. I loved the baking, the mystery to be solved, and Laila and Lucy, the main characters. I also like that this book can be read as a standalone. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads: 

Perfect for fans of The Great British Baking Show and Clue, this enchanting and rollicking follow-up to The Cookie Crumbles follows two best friends caught up in a twisty mystery when jewels go missing at a high-stakes baking competition.

Baker extraordinaire Laila Thomas and budding journalist Lucy Flores are living it up at the top of the junior high food chain as eighth graders. But between busy schedules and kinda-boyfriends, these two best friends haven’t gotten to hang out as much. So, when Jaden, an ex-competition rival, begs the duo to step back into the world of cooking competitions and crime—the answer is yes.

Jaden is His father is accused of stealing prized jewels on the set of an amateur kids’ holiday baking show. The plan is for Laila to smash the competition while Lucy investigates behind the scenes—but their half-baked plan gets turned totally upside down when Lucy ends up in front of the cameras instead.

As the investigation and competition heat up, Lucy and Laila’s bond is put to the ultimate test. Can they solve this bakeoff mystery, or will they—and their friendship—crack under pressure? 

Now here’s Tracy and Alechia!

 
When “Diverse” is Who You Are

By Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

 At a time when diversity has become divisive, it’s hard not to internalize not only the perception of the public, but the doubts of your talent and art. As two authors who come from different communities and cultures––Alechia is Black American, Tracy is Filipino American– we’re not entirely new to criticism. We are, though, new to justifying why we get to write stories. That’s daunting. So let’s reflect briefly on what this term means to us, our stories, and readers.  

What makes a book “diverse?” 

Alechia: Diverse is such a big, loaded term, especially right now. I’ll admit that I’ve been conflicted about it in the past because it reduces us and our work to ‘other’, a variant of the control… But I digress, a book is considered diverse because it features typically marginalized characters written by marginalized authors. 

Tracy: And what’s been encouraging about today’s book landscape is that the range of stories feels so much wider and inclusive: so many readers can see themselves as main characters in their own adventures. But it’s truly unfortunate that the descriptor “diverse” has been weaponized the way it is. “Diverse” should be a door, not a separator or a slur. 

What are some of the ways you’d consider TCC/TJD diverse?

Alechia: If I apply diversity as marginalized representation, then I would say that as we’re authors who have written our identities into these characters and other marginalizations---queer, Black, Asian, people who speak different languages, come from different cultures––our stories represent the world as we know and see it. We just made it a little goofy, a lot more food-tastic, and let our kiddos solve crimes. 

Tracy: Alechia makes a great point about writing our identities into these characters. Lucy is Filipino American like me, and though this book isn’t about her exploring that identity, her experiences do shape her thoughts and actions (like with the desserts she decides to bake).

Overall, we think these characters and their adventures will entertain and resonate with readers of all backgrounds. Who doesn’t love some good old-fashioned mystery and deliciously described baked goods? 

Why is it important for you to have representation of those identities in the story? 

Alechia: Because we normalize our existence and the existence of others. Because stories should explore and expand empathy, and because we want kids to feel seen. 

Tracy: I like to remind folks that books aren’t just about seeing yourself represented; it’s about having others see you too. Plus, because cultural and ethnic groups can vary so widely themselves, it’s vital to show the breadth of experiences so that representation goes over and above stereotypes.  

What would you say to young readers who share that identity?

Alechia: We see you. We’re here for you. We’re proud to write for you and we want you to know that you matter. 

Tracy: And please don’t let others (or even yourself) tell you otherwise. 

Thanks for all your advice, Tracy and Alechia! You can find them at: 

Websites:

Alechia: https://www.alechiadow.com/
Tracy: https://tracybadua.com/

Social media:
Tracy: @tracybaduawrites
https://www.instagram.com/tracybaduawrites?igsh=ZzN1NmYxYmp2dnk1
https://www.threads.net/@tracybaduawrites?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Alechia: @alechiadow
https://www.instagram.com/alechiadow?igsh=M3piODQzcHJodmVo&utm_source=qr
https://www.threads.net/@alechiadow?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Buy links: 
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/their-just-desserts-tracy-badua/1146170608?ean=9780063254633
Bookshop Org
https://bookshop.org/p/books/their-just-desserts-alechia-dow/22122090?ean=9780063254633&next=t 

Giveaway Details 

Tracy and Alechia are generously offering a hardback of Their Just Desserts for a giveaway. This book giveaway is U.S. and Europe. 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 June 14th. Please mention if you’re from Europe in your comment. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from 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 Bluesky or follow Tracy or Alichia on their 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 Europe. 

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 

Wednesday, June 4th I have an interview with author Aaron Starmer and a giveaway of his YA Night Swimming and my IWSG post 

Monday, June 9th I have an interview with author Nancy McCabe and a giveaway of her MG Fires Burning Underground 

Wednesday, June 11th I have an agent spotlight interview with Mark O’Brien and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, June 16th I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop 

Monday, June 23rd I have an interview with author Michael Spradlin and a giveaway of his MG Threat of the Spider 

I hope to see you on Wednesday!