Debut Authors of the Class of 2k11: Christina Mandelski

I'm so pleased to introduce Christina Mandelski, author of the debut novel THE SWEETEST THING. Chris is one of the sweetest people I know (so, a fitting title!) - and I've followed her progress to this exciting point since she lives in Houston and I used to live in College Station. Her premise is so yummy and timely...

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, THE SWEETEST THING. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

In my house we LOVE to watch all of the cake shows and contests on TV. It's kind of an obsession. One day I wondered what it would be like to be a teenager with that kind of talent, and my main character, Sheridan Wells, was born. She has a passion for creating one-of-a-kind cakes, and she's trying to figure out where the rest of her complicated life fits with that passion.

How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

I've been writing in one way or another for most of my life. I always assumed that I would write stories for adults, but in 2003 a friend suggested that I try writing for kids. I started with picture books (which, let's face it, is MUCH harder than it seems) but then eventually realized that I needed to write novels. I have two and a half manuscripts in my "drawer" that may never see the light of day, but they needed to be written (if for no other reason that they taught me how to write a novel!)

Can you describe your path to the publication of THE SWEETEST THING?

I was very fortunate. After a ton of outright rejections on my first two novels, I wrote THE SWEETEST THING and started to get some positive feedback from agents. In December of 2008 I submitted my first chapter to the (now closed) Firebrand Literary's query holiday. Like many writers, I have a tough time with query letters, and all they wanted was to see the first chapter, so I was ALL over that. In January I received THE email (the one that makes a writer scream and cry and jump up and down like a lunatic) from agent Michael Stearns. He liked what he read and wanted to see more. By late summer, he'd started his own agency (Upstart Crow Literary) and was submitting my novel to publishers. In October of 2009, Egmont US picked it up. There was screaming, crying and jumping that day too.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Yes! Don't quit! I have seen many talented writers throw in the towel because they either couldn't handle the wait, or the rejection, or both. At times it might seem hopeless, at times the wait might seem endless, but if you LOVE it, don't quit. You might have to write ten novels before you sell the eleventh. Prepare for that possibility. Write the novel, submit it, and start the next one. Don't give up and while you're busy not giving up -- enjoy the process!!

And of course, READ. Honestly, I didn't start really writing well until I was reading a book or two a week. I've heard some writers say that they don't read while they're writing -- and that may work for them. But I need the inspiration that other books give me. Plus I adore reading, and any excuse to do it, I'll take.

This is the best advice. Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

After years of trying to get my work published, I can finally (sort of) stop worrying about that and focus on my writing. My immediate plan is to go to my desk everyday and get something on that computer screen. I'm also learning a lot about the business side of publishing and discovering how best to get my book to my readers. I think that's what excites me most about this upcoming year -- connecting with my readers. Plus I have two pre-teen daughters of my own, so when I'm not writing, I'm a taxi service.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I have a few projects in the works that are keeping me busy, one a dystopian young adult novel and the other a contemporary young adult with a paranormal twist.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about THE SWEETEST THING? 

Yes! My site is www.christinamandelski.com and I'm also a member of the Class of 2k11 at www.classof2k11.com -- come visit me!

Debut Authors of the Class of 2k11: Amy Holder

A bit of a delay in posting this week as our beautiful Montana had another 14 inches of snow...but spring is coming and we're hoping to see the grass one of these days. In the meantime, I'm thrilled to present an interview with another of the Class of 2k11's amazing authors, the talented Amy Holder. (Amy is an artist of great talent, as well as crafting a book that sounds like a true delight.)

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, THE LIPSTICK LAWS. Love that cover! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

Thank you so much, Janet! The Lipstick Laws is a humorous coming-of-age story about popularity gone wrong. I wanted to write a fun take on the ups and downs of high school and the social hierarchies within it.  The main character, April, inspired the whole plot to evolve because her quirky voice is the first piece of the story that came to me when I began writing it.

How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

I have been writing since I was a little girl, but I didn't try to pursue it professionally until after college.  That's when I began thinking of writing as more than a hobby.  I've always loved children's books, but this love was reinforced even more when I took a job at a Montessori school working with young children after college. I fell in love with the books I’d read to them...and this inspired me to write for children.  Eventually that evolved to tweens and teens…and here I am today!  I've written too many stories to count over the years, but The Lipstick Laws is the first one that's resulted in publication (so far).

Can you describe your path to the publication of THE LIPSTICK LAWS?

Surprisingly, my path to publishing The Lipstick Laws was pretty smooth!  After writing and revising the manuscript, I submitted it to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Luckily I was able to avoid the slush pile by networking (never underestimate the importance of networking).  About six weeks later, I found out that they wanted to publish it.  I was ecstatic! 

My complete road to publication has had its share of bumps, though.  I submitted some other manuscripts for younger children and tweens/teens to agents and publishers before this, resulting in rejection letters and/or slush pile drowning.  These rejections and bumps along the way made me appreciate the quick sale of The Lipstick Laws even more.

Good for you for sticking with it! Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Yes!  Practice and perfect your writing craft, study the publishing market, never give up, and network like crazy!  Talent, perseverance and knowledge of the industry pay off in the publishing world.  Also, networking might help you get out of the dreaded slush pile to let your talent do the talking for you.

Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

My goal is to expand my writing to include many different genres for various age groups.  I’m also an artist, so I’d love to illustrate a picture book someday as well.  Some people don’t know that my first publication was of my art and writing in the greeting card market. I think this is a good way for a writer or artist to spread her/his creative wings before taking the dive into the world of book publishing.

(I can attest to the fact that Amy has incredible artistic talent. Check out the design for the website of the Class of 2k11.) Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I'm currently working on another contemporary YA novel with a bit of a paranormal twist.  I also have some other projects for younger readers in the works.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about THE LIPSTICK LAWS? 

I sure do!  Please visit my author site at www.amyholder.com.  From there you'll be able to read my blog and find out more information about me and my book. 

Debut Authors of the Class of 2k11: Carole Estby Dagg

Carole Estby Dagg's debut novel 
The Year We Were Famous; How Clara Estby and Her Mother Walked across America has already received starred reviews and many accolades. And I love the tag line: "
Would you walk four thousand miles to save your family's home?" This book is just my cup of tea, and I'm delighted to introduce Carole here this week.

Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

The Year We Were Famous is based on the true story of seventeen-year-old Clara Estby and her mother Helga (my great-aunt and great-grandmother) who walked from Washington State to New York City back in 1896.  If they reached New York in time, they would win $10,000 that would pay their debts and save their farm from foreclosure.  Since Clara’s mother was a suffragist, they also hoped to prove that the New Woman in America deserved the vote.  Between their farm in Mica Creek and New York City, they wore out thirty-two pairs of shoes, resorted to shooting an assailant, went days without food or water, camped out with Indians, and shook the hand of president-elect McKinley. 

Because of the way their trip ended, all the notes they took along the trip were burned.  Since they never completed the book they intended to write, I used my imagination to fill the gaps between the facts gleaned from newspaper accounts and wrote the book in their honor.

How long have you been writing for teens?  Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

This is the first book to make it to print—fifteen years after the first rejection on it.  I didn’t inherit Great-grandmother Helga’s physical strength, but I must have inherited her perseverance gene!   

And perseverance makes all the difference! And I love the photo of the two ladies here. Can you describe your path to the publication of The Year We Were Famous?

Twenty-nine rejections, including two from Clarion, the house that ultimately accepted the novel.  I have to remember to burn the early versions of the manuscript before I die – they were embarrassingly bad.  Between rejections I took more classes and workshops, experimented with different points of view, starting points, focus, and voice.  I must have re-written the book at least twenty times.

Other than this brilliant piece (revise, revise, revise) do you have any advice for beginning writer?

Start now; the sooner you begin, the more years you have to hone your craft.

Read.

Don’t give up; learn from rejection and keep going.

Attend classes and workshops to improve your skills and expand your circle of writing friends.

Nurture your writing friends: join writing organizations, critique groups, and book discussion groups.

Try to write at least half an hour a day, even when you don’t feel like it.  The muse only visits those with pen (or keyboard) at hand.

All excellent bits of wisdom. Can you tell us something about your personal life—inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

My most important goal is to live long enough to write all the books I’ve been researching.  Since I got a late start—my first book comes out the year I turn 67—this is no small thing.

 I’m married with a husband, two grown children (one is following her mother’s footsteps as a librarian), two grandsons, and a bossy cat.  I write in my study in Everett, Washington, and a converted woodshed on San Juan Island.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

Two books are in the messy draft stage and I have boxes of research notes for several other historical novels featuring amazing women.  

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about The Year We Were Famous?

Yes:  carolestbydagg.com 

Thank you, Janet!

You are welcome, Carole! You can check out the trailer for The Year We Were Famous here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32EWPJt8i_A

Debut Authors of the Class of 2k11: Angie Smibert

I can't wait to get my hands on this book by debut author Angie Smibert: MEMENTO NORA. It sounds like a fabulous premise. I'm thrilled to introduce you to her today with this interview. 

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, MEMENTO NORA. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

Thanks, Janet! Memento Nora is set in a near-future world where terrorism is so common place that people just pop a pill to forget and go on like nothing ever happened. Nora James, the popular girl and happy consumer, witnesses a horrific bombing on a shopping trip with her mother. When Nora makes her first trip to a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic, she learns what her mother, a frequent forgetter, has been frequently forgetting. Nora secretly spits out the pill and holds on to her memories. She joins forces with two new friends, each with their own reasons to remember, to put out an underground comic about their memories--and other things they find out about their world. They soon learn they can't get away with remembering.

The novel grew out of a short story (of the same name) that appeared in Odyssey magazine a few years ago.  The theme of that issue was memory, something I've always been fascinated with--both on individual and societal level. I based the science of the pill on current research in post traumatic stress disorder.

How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

I started off writing short stories, mostly for adults, but I've always loved YA/MG fiction. So I tried my hand at short stories for the teen/tween audience and stumbled upon my writer's voice in the process.  I became a frequent contributor to Odyssey magazine, a science / science fiction magazine for 9-14 year-olds.  This book actually started as a short story (of the same name) that appeared in Odyssey a few years ago.  Memento Nora is the first book I've written.

  

Can you describe your path to the publication of MEMENTO NORA?

I've been extraordinarily lucky with Memento Nora. Shortly after completing what I considered a solid draft of the book (which had been workshopped), I attended a regional SCBWI meeting. The great thing about these conferences is that the editors almost always allow you to submit straight to them just because you attended their panel.  So I submitted my manuscript to 3 of the 4 editors (the 4th didn't read science fiction), and a few months later Marilyn Mark (now Brigham) from Marshall Cavendish contacted me. They'd be interested in buying it if I made a few changes in the ending. (The word "terribly anticlimactic" were used, I think.) So I furiously revised, and they liked it. Once they made me an offer, I scrambled to find an agent--and got a pretty brilliant one.

  

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Be persistent. Be prepared to wait. A lot. And, when you're ready, attend things like SCBWI conferences. (The one I mentioned above was the best $150 I ever spent.)

Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

I've had some cool jobs in the past, including 10 years at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.  All of them involved writing in some form or another, but I really felt like I needed to concentrate on my writing. So I moved back to Virginia (where it's cheaper) and threw myself into writing.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I'm currently working on the sequel to Memento Nora. I have a few other projects planned out, but I haven't started writing them yet.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about MEMENTO NORA? 

In addition to my own personal website, I've built a site just for the book:  www.mementonora.com.  There readers can submit their own underground comic for publication on the site--and possibly win a prize.  I also have information on the many inspirations for book as well as possible activities for teachers.

Thanks so much, Angie!