Happy Monday, Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Sarah Marie Jette here to share about her MG contemporary, Our Fair Share. It sounds like a great contemporary summer read, and it’s on my TBR list.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
Seasonal work at the fairgrounds for most summers means
Seraphina, James, Avory, and Cassi are all experienced in fair life. Beloved
traditions keep the best friends plenty busy. For them, this is more than just
a summer vacation in Knox County, Maine. These are the best months of the year.
This is their fair.
But it
seems like everyone is distracted. James is having trouble at his new school.
Avory is feeling smaller than ever. Cassi just wants to be left alone, but
that's hard when your dad is caught in a scandal that leads to more eyes on her
that she's never dreamed of. And Seraphina is afraid she'll never get over the
accident no one knows about. To make matters worse, there's a new fair manager
- a community outsider - who seems determined to take away what is special
about their fair. This summer is feeling a little too different. With two
months ahead of them, the four friends need to find a way not just to survive
their own inner turmoil, but to help their fair community thrive.
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
Hello! I am a children’s book author, a teacher, and a mom of 3 humans and 4 cats.
I’ve loved writing ever since I was in elementary school. I took writing classes in college and considered going to get my MFA in creative writing, but instead joined the Peace Corps and taught English in Mongolia.
My writing grew the most when I became a teacher. I took workshops on how to teach writing to children. I learned so many strategies for teaching writing and applied them directly to my own manuscripts. Reading books to my students also inspires my writing. I love watching them fall in love with stories. When I draft my books, I think about how my students would respond to characters and scenes.
2. Where did you get the idea for One Fair Share?
I grew up in the state of Maine. When I was very little, my parents owned race horses. They eventually sold them because horses are expensive and my parents were teachers. However, my father continued to work with horse racing. He managed the stakes at the races which took place at county fairs all over the state of Maine. Because of this, my summers were spent under the lights of the Ferris Wheel. Our Fair Share is fictional, but it is inspired by those magical summers.
3. How cool that the idea for your story came from your childhood experiences. Were you a plotter or a panster when you wrote this story? Why did that system work for you?
I love this question! I am 100% a pantser. I know where my story is going – it’s like a light at the end of a tunnel. I know I will get there in the end. But I cannot plot it out. My brain doesn’t work like that. For me, my characters and setting move the story forward.
Our Fair Share has 4 alternating points of view and different storylines I needed to keep track of. So, to keep from getting lost, I kept careful notes. In my notebook, I have pages dedicated to each character - their favorite objects, their hobbies, their favorite colors, their family members, phrases they use, clothing they wear, etc. I also drew a map of the fairgrounds so I could be consistent with locations.
Keeping organized isn’t something that comes naturally for me, but colorful tabs and fun markers and highlighters help a lot. I would have been lost without my notebook.
4. Your story is told from Seraphina, James, Avory, and Cassi’s POV. Why did you decide to write from all their POV’s vs. one or two of them? Did this make it more challenging to develop them as characters?
Years ago I wrote a story with three different timelines and three different points of view. That book will never be published… but it was my first time trying out multi POV.
For this book I have a tighter timeline (a week). That helped make things more manageable.
Cassi found me first. The way the story opens is how it always began, with Cassi and her dad entering the fairgrounds. Frank manages the horse races, like my father used to.
I can’t remember who came next, but when I crafted the characters, I thought about different personalities that would enhance each other. – Friends are like that, at least my friends are like that. One of my closest friends is always up for something new and inspires me so much. She’s a triathlete and while I doubt I’ll ever be a triathlete or go uphill skiing (she’s seriously so inspiring) this friend brings out a different side of me in the best possible way.
When I created this group of friends, I thought about different personalities and how they could bring out the best in each other.
Cassi is not much of an optimist and likes bones and skulls and creepy dolls. James is a crafter. – I also like knitting, sewing, and weaving and used my hobbies to build up his character. Serafina is dealing with a lot of anxiety. When I first wrote her character, I had her mother as the anxious one and Serafina was always looking out for her mother. I did a big revision part way through drafting and changed things around because it didn’t feel right. And with Avory, I thought about my students. My students ALWAYS know who is the tallest, who is the fastest, who is the shortest… Kids are often identified or identify themselves by extremes but that mindset misses out on so much. Kids are more than just one thing. Avory is very short. They aren’t growing and this is a part of them that they cannot change. It’s overwhelming. So they decide they need to be something else: strong.
It was hard to write with 4 POVs, but it was also a bit of an escape. As a pantser, I knew how the story was going to end but didn’t know the path to get to the end. So, I’d write from one character’s POV and when that led to a place I wasn’t ready to explore or a dead end, I’d jump to the next character. By the time I circled back to the character I was stuck on, the story had carried on and I had a clearer vision of where I was going next.
5. It sounds complicated, but it sounds like you have a system to make your characters unique and keep them straight. You’re also an elementary school teacher. What was your writing schedule for One Fair Share? What advice do you have for other writers who have a day job on finding time to write?
Again, this is a GREAT question. Teaching is tiring. It is so hard to have energy reserved after teaching, and… I’m also a mom of 3 kids (and 4 cats!) When I get home from school, I save energy for my kids before I give it to myself. That being said, for me, writing is self care. I need to write and for that I need quiet alone time.
When my kids were little, I wrote when they napped (unless I was napping, too). I also wrote when they went to bed. My kids are older now. So, after school we catch up, talk, and hang out, and then they get their screen time. That’s when I drafted Our Fair Share. I also write a lot on the weekend and over school breaks.
6. I’m so glad you like my questions. Your agent is Larissa Melo Pienkowski. How did she become your agent, and what was your road to getting this publishing contract like?
When it was time to query, I looked up agents on their websites and social media – and also found agents on podcasts. I highly recommend looking at writing podcasts to see if the agent you are querying is a guest on a podcast. There were many agents I queried who I would have been happy to have, but I heard Larissa on a podcast talking about her work and her clients and I knew I wanted her to be my agent. I wanted an agent I’d feel comfortable talking to. Negotiating isn’t a strength for me, so I wanted an agent who would negotiate for me. Also, she represents Angela Montoya, an author and podcaster I adore.
I received Latinx in Publishing’s Work in Progress Fellowship in 2022. This fellowship was sponsored by Macmillan Press. For this fellowship I worked with my editor, Jess Harold, for a full year strengthening a manuscript. She also taught me so much about the publishing industry. When the year was up, and when I had an agent, Macmillan Press got first pass on my manuscript. Jess and the editorial team fell in love with Our Fair Share and I was thrilled to receive a publishing contract from them.
7. I totally agree with you about listening to podcasts. How did working with your agent and/or editor strengthen your story?
What I love best about working with an agent and an editor are the questions they ask. They know books and stories so well. Their questions might seem casual, but they aren't. Their questions are filled with experience – books read and stories edited. Their questions made me think deeper and helped me uncover new angles in my manuscript.
8. How are you promoting your book? How are you planning to reach readers in the US, given that you live in New Zealand?
I have a book launch in Dedham, Massachusetts on Saturday May 16th from 2-4 PM. I will be in conversation with Peter H Reynolds at the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity. I will be zooming in, but Peter will be there in person. There will be give-aways and book swag, so if you are in the area, please stop by!
Lots of middle grade authors do in person school visits to promote their books. As a teacher, school visits have always been a challenge. I can’t visit classrooms because I am teaching my own students. One of the best parts of being on sabbatical teaching in New Zealand is that with the time change, I can zoom into classrooms before my school day begins. For all you teachers reading this, send me a DM on Instagram or contact me through my website. I’d be happy to schedule a virtual author visit to talk about writing craft or the publishing process. I am free most days between 1-3 EST. I also have activity worksheets posted on my website for teachers who use my book in their classrooms.
9. What are you working on now?
I am
currently revising a speculative YA novel. I wrote the first draft in three
months – the fastest I’ve ever drafted a book. I’ve been revising it for just
over a year. For this book I tried plotting it out and had 3 false starts. When
I set my plans aside and let the characters tell the story on their own, it
took off. Of course, I have my writing notebook, post-it flags, and colorful
flair pens by my side!
Thanks for sharing all your advice,
Sarah Marie. You can find Sarah Marie at sarahmariejette.com and on Instagram: @sarahmariejettewrites
Giveaway Details
Sarah and I are offering a Kindle e-book of One Fair
Share 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 May 23rd. 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 Sarah
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 International.
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, May 13th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Andrea Colvin and a query critique giveaway
Saturday, May 16th, I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop
Monday, May 25th, I’m off for Memorial Day
Monday, June 1st, I’m participating in the Very Berry Giveaway Hop
Wednesday, June 3rd, I have an interview with Dana Swift and a giveaway of her YA When Dealing With Dragons and my IWSG Post
Monday, June 8th, I have a guest post by Rebecca Caprera and a giveaway of her MG Eva to the Max
Tuesday, June 16th, I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop
Wednesday, June 17th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Madelyn Knecht and a query critique giveaway
I hope to see you on Wednesday!
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