AN AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR'S DEBUT BOOK JOURNEY-by Sherri Jones Rivers

      I met Patricia Saunders at a WOW Writing Retreat in the summer of 2014 and then, in 2016, at the third WOW writing retreat, I was in a small critique group when she read a draft of what would be her second book. How cool was that? She was gracious enough to answer some questions for the GROG.

                                         Billy Bear is reading Patricia's book again!

       Tell us what you want readers to know about Mother Teresa: The Little Pencil in God's Hand.

I would like to say this isn’t about the Catholic religion nor a religious book. I have dedicated it to all the caregivers in the world. That’s what Agnes grew up learning to do from her mother. As an adult, Mother Teresa continued spending her life caring for the sick, the hungry, and helping those in need.

         I think you told me you were self-taught? Have you always enjoyed art? Taken any classes?

I have always been into the arts. As a child, I loved to sing, dance, draw, paint, and make things like paper-dolls. My cousins and I put on plays and charged everyone 10 cents to watch us perform. I did not like to read. I preferred to watch a movie. I did not like school either. In fact, I vowed to never go to school ever again! So, I am a late bloomer and did not start college until I was about 34-ish. I only planned to take one drawing class. Well that lead to many others along with academics. I decided school wasn’t so bad after all and loved it! What I really wanted to do was learn all I could about visual art and I wanted to go to graduate school. But that was going to be a big financial problem. However, the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas gave scholarships. In fact, getting a scholarship was the only way to get into their graduate program. My knees knocked as I handed over my application. Usually there were only about eleven students and took about 2-3 new ones annually. I believe I was supposed to be there. I earned my Master of Arts in Art and was invited to stay for my Master of Fine Arts. Before I became the illustrator for my book, I had taken Mira Reisberg's illustration class. Maybe it was a hidden desire of mine. Nevertheless, I learned how to navigate around without photoshop. I would recommend her class.

         How did you decide to write this book about Mother Teresa? What piqued your interest?

I was raised Catholic, but catechism was a hit-and-miss. My parents divorced and that stuff got put on the back burner. However, I’ve always known who Mother Teresa was. But when I read about her childhood . . .wow! I didn’t know any of it. I found it interesting especially how she spent her time---reading and writing. Now why the surprise? It shouldn’t be because she’s left a legacy of writings. I found her childhood fascinating.

         What medium did you use, and why?

Ages ago, I began water coloring. It comes easy to me. The softness seemed to go along with this story. I’ve had some of my flowers reproduced by the New York Graphic Society. That was 1984 and 1986. My last name was different than it is now. I still have the main catalogue showing my first two images, which I will share if anyone wants to see.

        As an author-illustrator, I always wonder what came first—the text or the art, or did they come into being side by side?

I am not a trained illustrator and I never dreamt I’d become one. I had the story written and Clear Fork Publishing, Callie Metler-Smith, wanted to publish it. I approached each illustration as a painting. I kept reminding myself how I drew fifteen huge pastels and made the frames for my MA Exhibition and how I sculpted twelve huge sculptures for my MFA Exhibition. I didn’t let anyone down then including myself. My logic said, “If I could do that, I could do this!” Making a book dummy is very important. I found arrangement and illustrations were changed around a little by considering both.

         How long from start to finish for the book to be sold? Were you ever discouraged during the process? Do you have an agent?

I began the writing and researching in 2015 and sold the book in 2017. Yes, I have been discouraged. I wrote a whole lot of examples to share but I’ve deleted them. Glean what criticism works and forget the rest. You must be thick skinned. Yes, I have had an agent. I seem to be doing better on my own.

         Do you have a favorite spread or spreads?

I like them all! But I suppose I really like the one where she’s giving food to the kids.

 Did you have some trouble spots that you had to iron out?

Yes! Originally in my research, I read Mother Teresa had a club foot. This is in many books, not just one. I wondered which foot it was and wrote to many places including the authors of those books. They didn’t answer. I also wrote to The Sisters of Loretto in Ireland. They didn’t know and suggested I write The Mother Teresa Center in Rome, Italy. It took a month or so to get a response. They wanted to know where and who told me that? In the end, Sr. M. Callisitta said Mother Teresa did not have a club foot and they only consider one book to be 100% accurate. My heart sank. Was my entire book going up in smoke?! It’s an older book and I only found it in the library downtown Dallas. I also bought it on Amazon so I could have it forever. Nevertheless, what I had written checked out! Relief and Hooray! If it had not, then the book would have been untrue---fiction and that would have been a real bummer.

         You have extensive back matter. How did you decide what to include?

Initial reading of this book is for the very young. The back matter makes it an interesting read for the older ones. Overall, I wanted my book to tell the whole truth about her childhood. But who can write that many speculated her father was murdered in a picture book? I couldn’t but it’s important to know along with other things. The back matter and timeline add to a student’s research for a class paper. The Catholic schools always teach about the saints and this book gives a lot of information about Mother Teresa.

       Any helps or hints for others who want to go the author-illustrator route? Any pitfalls to avoid?

When I first started writing in 2014, the word was to not submit illustrations with a manuscript. I heard publishers wanted to find their own artists. Now it seems like author/illustrators are in demand. So, I’d suggest finding a publisher that wants both in one package. As for myself, I am not planning on illustrating books for others. I’ve got plenty to do with my own stories.

       Tell us about any new books in the pipeline.

It’s a Muffuletta! It’s a Whata?

A fun picture book about Senor Salvatore Lupo who wants to open a little shopa and sella delicioso salami, provolone and lotsa stuff. It’s about the origin of the world famous Muffuletta Sandwich in New Orleans, Louisiana. Yummy. It includes a version of the recipe too.

Published by Clear Fork Publishing, Callie Metler-Smith.

Release date: It was scheduled for the end of May 2020. Due to the Covid-19 it is going to be late August 2020.

This spring, Callie Metler-Smith at Clear Fork Publishing, has asked to publish my new series titled: Wesley Rose and . . .

They will be Early Reader Chapter Books. We will have 5-6 for openers. I’ll also be the illustrator.


Can you give us a little bio blurb and contact info for our readers?

As a child, I loved traveling and meeting people from all over the world. When I was growing up, most people did not ride on airplanes or go to many faraway places. In fact, when I was born in Alaska, it was not even a state.I was in 6^th grade when I realized the opportunities I had been given. Inside the world history textbook was a photo of the Inca ruins in South America. I clearly remember thinking how I had stood on that ground. From that day on, I appreciated moving ‘almost’ every year and making new friends.

I have always been into drawing and painting. Teaching art to the younger grades allowed me to notice the illustrations in picture books. Now I love adding words to my pictures. Somehow, it has come full circle and I am blessed.

My website: www.patriciasaunders.com

Twitter: @WriterSaunders

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.saunders.967

At a Loss for Words? Try Making a Word Bank by: Barb Rosenstock for Sherri Jones Rivers

I first met Barb Rosenstock several years ago at a summer writing conference. I was fortunate to get a critique session with her on a picture book bio. She was tough, but encouraging, saying she thought it was 100% marketable, but not in the rambling shape it was in at that time. I am still working on that manuscript, and her suggestions made it much better and helped tighten it up. She introduced the conference attendees to the idea of a word bank, showing how she used one for her book Fearless. She graciously agreed to sharing her expertise with readers of the GROG.

                                               

Writers know words...lots of words, way more than the average non-writer, enough to win trivia contests, enough to plead guilty to reading the thesaurus for fun, enough to remember esoteric roots, prefixes and suffixes...words, words, words...ad infinitum, ad nauseum, ad mortem. So, why, while writing this week, will so many of us stare at the space where the next sentence should begin and think, "Yep, I'm totally out of words"?

What the world casually calls "writer's block" is, to a working writer, an hour or a day or a week of losing time and money. Not to mention the general fussing, freaking out and feelings of failure that can send creativity packing and self-esteem plummeting for way longer than necessary. We know we're good at words and writing is "just words" after all, so...what's the big deal, why are we making things so hard on ourselves?

Writing for children, and writing picture books in particular, depends intimately on which word is used, when, and why. Whenever you're trying to communicate deeply and authentically, that next sentence is not "just words." It's "just" the right word and the right word after that, and after that until those magic words THE END. And by "right" I mean perfect, or at least as perfect as we know how to be until our editors encourage us to be more perfect. Striving for perfection is necessarily daunting.

     As an un-trained writer, when I was starting out, that "what's the next word" panic used to stop me from a good writing day way more often than necessary. One morning, while working on the manuscript that became The Camping Trip that Changed America,    

I was stuck (again). But that day, for some reason, I stopped beating myself up and realized that of course, I knew the words. I just needed a better way for my brain to access them more easily as I was creating.

So, still in somewhat of a panic, I wound up creating a super simple tool that has worked for me. This is a writer's tool that I've taught to pre-published writers and also to kids as young as kindergarten. It's called a "word bank." And this is how it developed.

Remember now, I was stuck, not actively writing the story. So, just to feel somewhat productive, I started a new document and listed what I thought might be all the major themes of my story. In the case of The Camping Trip (at the time titled "Teedie & Johnnie"), this is the list I wrote that day:

Environment
Trees
Friendship
Leadership
Nature
Parks
Mountains

I got out the thesaurus (today I would use the synonym finder in www.rhymezone.com and if you have a better site than that, please tell me about it!) I don't have the space (and you don't have the patience!) for me to show each theme, but using Environment as the example, it looked something like this:

     Environment: surroundings, area, background, ecology, elements, habitat, pollution, geography, home, environmentalist, ecosystem, climate, atmosphere, conservationist, get away, wilderness, wild, untamed, etc.

It was not a rote copying exercise. I did not list every word I found. I left out what had nothing to do with my story (like the word/name "Marco" which is still listed under environment, and I still don't know why). I also left out words that would obviously never be in a children's book (like the word "gnotobiotics," but on the other hand, you never know!).

Making these lists, I was not instantly hit with a bolt of lightning.

I was not even convinced that the exercise was worthwhile. I ignored the part of me that said (repeatedly) that it was probably a waste of time. It wasn't until I had looked up all the themes and listed all their related words, that patterns started to emerge. Over the next hour or so, it was as if the word bank itself helped my brain work in a different way. I noticed that the word "mood" came up in two or three of my themes, as did ideas of friendship and compatibility. I began to connect my themes in relationship to each other. I realized that relationships can grow in nature, and that those relationships can be transformative. Muir and Roosevelt built a friendship--what did that mean for my story? What did that mean for the country? And the next thing I knew, I was no longer stuck; in fact, I had so many words and inter-related ideas than I could hardly get them all on the page.

Later, for other themes, like Trees, the benefits were different but just as important. In listing related words like "leaf, branch, root, trunk, cones" I realized that so far in my drafting, I hadn't really brought my characters (or my audience) into the trees. I needed to show what it was like sleeping next to trunks, gazing up at pine cones, brushing against branches. The "word bank" helped me specify details and actions. In general, my word listings helped with verb and adjective choice. "Support, steady, bond, respect, trust, spirit, play" were words or ideas that made themselves into the final manuscript from my initial listing in the word bank.

After this first word bank, I made others for the drafts of my next four books. Studying the words that were related to my themes taught me that a picture book is much more complex and interesting when its themes and language interplay. For example, there's a scene in The Noisy Paint Box where the young Kandinsky 

paints a painting and says, "It's music!" But because of a word bank on the theme "music," I later added the very specific action "waltzing his painting around the house." The idea of this child's body movement taking cues from the music he experienced while painting then proceeds throughout the book. The verb choices in that book were entirely driven by the word banks that were created the week I was stuck on a very early draft.

Someone recently asked if I make a word bank for every book now. The honest answer is not always. Certainly, almost never as thoroughly as I needed them initially. Recently though, I did make an extensive list of "claustrophobia" related words for 
Otis and Will Discover the Deep. 

I knew I just wasn't getting the right feeling of adventure/terror/danger, and the list would help. It did. I believe the initial word banks did their real job of changing the way I think about writing a picture book story. The word banks taught me to focus on the ideas in my writing but also on all the alternative meanings and manifestations. I've learned more confidence in my words and the value of spending thoughtful time seeking connections between them.

 But if tomorrow or next month or next year, I find that familiar "blocked" panic setting in, I know I will remember to stop, invest a little time, deposit some words into a simple word bank and watch the benefits accrue. If you think this simple tool might work for you, please give it a try. It might help you turn a work in progress into a work in publication.
______________________________________________________________________________

Barb Rosenstock loves stories best. She's the author of award-winning nonfiction and historical fiction picture books, including the 2015 Caldecott Honor Title The Noisy Paint Box, illustrated by Mary Grandpre. 2018 titles include Blue Grass Boy with Edward Fotheringham, The Secret Kingdom with Claire Nivola, Otis and Will Discover the Deep with Katherine Roy and Through the Window with Mary Grandpre. She lives near Chicago with her family and two big poodles.



                                          

The First Fifty Words--Make Them Count

     You've probably heard from different sources how important the first fifty words are, especially of a picture book. In a recent webinar, THE Jane Yolen mentioned that openings are critical. She mentioned having been a Golden Kite judge, and how much she enjoyed doing that. Jane gave special notice to the stories' beginnings. A successful opening, she says, comes within the first fifty words of the book. She enjoys playing around with her own openings until she feels she's got it just right. She suggests we do the same---type up the first fifty words of a number of picture books. Then, type up the first fifty of your own manuscripts. How do yours stack up? What's lacking that you could add to spice things up? How are you hooking the reader with your opening words?
     I decided to type up the first fifty words of four different books. What did it tell me? Did I want to read on? How did it hook me? So, here are my four, starting with Owl Moon by Jane Yolen:

     "It was late one winter night,
       long past my bedtime,
       when Pa and I went owling.
       There was no wind.
       The trees stood still
       as giant statues.
       And the moon was so bright
       the sky seemed to shine.
       Somewhere behind us
       a train whistle blows,
       long and low,
       like a sad, sad song." (53 words)

     The scene draws us in...late at night, wintertime, with a child and her father on a special adventure. Children will love the out-of-the-ordinary nighttime experience, feeling secure with a loved parent. The language is lovely and lyrical, drawing you in to the story. "Stood still as giant statues" brings the poetic use of alliteration as well as "long and low," which evokes melancholy. The use of alliteration of the words "somewhere," "sad," and "song" is lyrical language at its finest. The long vowel sounds throughout slow us down as we read. We are hooked by the sights and sounds as we join these two on their fascinating journey to see what they will find on this cold winter's night.


     The second manuscript is Banjo Granny by Sarah Martin Busse:

     "When Owen's Granny heard he was a baby who went wiggly, jiggly, all-around giggly, and tip over tumble for bluegrass music, she packed her banjo in its trusty old case with the taped-up handle. She put on her thousand-mile shoes. And she started out to cross one river, one mountain, and a desert." (52)

     This story has a totally different feel to it from Owl Moon. You can tell it's going to be a fun romp. Will she make it safely to baby Owen's? What obstacles might she face as she crosses one river, one mountain, and a desert? The language is fun, and who doesn't like a Granny with moxie and determination? Her thousand-mile shoes tell you she's been around a while and is rich in experience, which helps her navigate the three obstacles. The refrain of "wiggly, jiggly, and all-around giggly and tip over tumble for bluegrass music" is used successfully to help move the story along. Not to mention it's so much fun to say!


     The third story beginning is from Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! by Andrea J. Loney:

     "Deep in the heart of Lenox, Massachusetts, in a white frame house nestled between his aunts' home and his grandparents' house, lived a boy named James VanDerZee. James was the oldest boy of three sons and two daughters. At the Van Der Zee's, the children learned about music and art, and kindness, too." (51)

    What do we learn from the first words of this biography? We learn that family is important, kindness is emphasized, and that the Van Der Zee  children were introduced to a variety of artistic pursuits. How will those facts feed into the story? Of the five "W's", we learn the WHO--James VanDerZee. We learn the WHAT-what he wants is to capture each person's uniqueness through art,(even though his art turns out to be photography). The WHEN is hinted at in that cameras were cutting edge at that time. The WHERE is Lenox, Massachusetts. Kindness is fleshed out in the story as he takes extra pains to portray each person at his or her best when he photographs them. Even when the photography business dries up, there is a bright spot for James when his many photos taken over the years are used for a Metropolitan Museum of Art Harlem exhibit. He has succeeded in his quest.

     The last manuscript is Fearless, by Barb Rosenstock:

     "In those days it was pretty tough to be a girl. You had to follow the rules. You couldn't speak your mind. You had to ask permission. There were games you couldn't play. You weren't allowed at the best schools. You were supposed to stay clean, quiet, and obedient." (49)

     This takes place in a time when a woman was not expected to act like anything other than a refined lady. From this, we get the idea that someone is not going to fit the description of "clean, quiet, and obedient." Who is it, and how does she push the boundaries? In the next sentence we learn her name---Louise.  First, she was not CLEAN when the car she borrowed hit a chicken coop, wood splinters covered the seats, and chicken feathers filled the air. She was not QUIET when she crunched into a troublesome driver, scraped a car into the wall, and va-roomed past all to the finish line. She was not OBEDIENT when she tells her husband (who has told her to never race again) she is going on a vacation, but goes instead to Daytona to race. Louise spent her life fast, faster, flying, free, and FEARLESS!

     I hope you will find this exercise helpful in your own writing. Those first fifty words---make them fabulous and make them count!
       
     

STUDENTS REACT TO DU IZ TAK? By: Sherri Jones Rivers

There's been a lot of buzz... 

about Carson Ellis' Du Iz Tak? However, most of it
has been from the adults' point of view. "This is a title that calls for multiple readings," said one reviewer.  Another wrote, "I was completely captivated by Ellis's wonderful creatures." I wanted to know for myself how kids reacted to it. The book was passed around in Mrs. Marshall's second grade classroom, along with some questions to get them thinking. A week later, I scheduled a visit and spent some time with the class discussing the book. A big thank you to Mrs. Marshall and her wonderful students--Emma, Wills, Barrett, Eli, Emily, Molly, Caroline, Allie, Keyden,Carter, Ben, Ethan, Layla, Charlotte, and Helen. My group had seven students, and Mrs. Marshall's group had eight. I sat down on the reading carpet with my students and opened the book. The first question:

Does the book make sense to you?

Every student but one said it did, and they really liked the book. 

What do you think the title means?

The consensus was "What is that?", but one student said he thought it meant "Does it talk?", referring to the growing shoot.

What do you think the book is about?

One student said it's about life. It's about the bugs, said another.

What do you think about the bug language?


On the ninth page, when the bugs say, "Icky; ru badda unk ribble," the students thought they were asking Icky to "go get the ladder."

They couldn't stop talking about the "furt." They were sure it meant "fort," but it sounded very similar to another word that brought forth giggles. Several thought the word "su" meant "sure" or "yes."

                                                     
On the page on which the spider climbs to the top of the flower to make a web, one thought "VOOBECK" meant "get back."  And to another student, "BOOBY" meant "bad boy," referring to the spider and the harm he might inflict.

On the double spread where the characters are all saying "Unk gladdenboot" several students thought it meant "very good" or "great."

What were some of your favorite pages or illustrations?

The students were close observers of the art and especially liked the fact that the snail moved through the pages, initially appearing in the first third of the book as just a pair of eyes. (You can see the yellowish eyes in the bottom left hand corner)

One student loved the page when the flower was fully grown. Another student liked the page where they call for Icky to come out of his log house. They loved looking at the inside of Icky's house and the tiny items there. They noticed the difference in the pages where the creatures were filled with joy, and the pages where they were bent over in despair.


Two differing opinions existed on the page with the bird and the spider. One thought it was awesome with the spider legs hanging out, and one said it was sad the bird/eagle got the spider.
                             
                         

One lone student thought the art was cheesy. 
             

All in all, I thought it was a spirited discussion on what a class of second graders got from the book. Several teachers thought this book would be good for teaching inferring, as well as phonic skills. The teacher was not familiar with the book beforehand, so I was delighted to be able to introduce her and the class to Du Iz Tak? 

ASK THE AGENT, PART 2: By Sherri Jones Rivers

     I first "met" Vicki when she responded to a twitter nonfiction pitch about a year ago. I sent her, as requested, my manuscript, along with author notes and bibliography. I didn't really expect much in return, as I was well aware of the busy life of an agent. Boy, was I surprised. She sent an email with several paragraphs, including what she liked, as well as suggestions for improvement. I can tell you that she is thorough and caring in her approach to authors.  I got to meet her this summer at WOW, and I found out she can add dancing to her talents.

                                     


    What are you specifically looking for!

    I am currently looking for board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, new adult, and adult. I am interested in nonfiction and fiction in all genres. I especially love thrillers and elements of weird, creepy stuff. If it's out of the box and it will make me think and think, long after I'm done reading, send it to me. On the flip side, I yearn for books that make me laugh, cry and wonder about the world.


   What things does a writer need to think about when approaching agents?

   There are many things to consider. First, does the writer have a need for an agent? Or is s/he educated on the publishing process and has the ability to negotiate contracts? Does s/he want to submit to closed houses? While these are just a few of the many questions a writer should consider, understanding what an agent does is just as important. 
    Before querying agents, a writer should have the general knowledge of the publishing process and industry. Lots of research should take place before sending out manuscripts. Why is s/he submitting to this particular person should be a question to ask and answer.

   What can a writer do to be better prepared to submit?

   VICKI:  Attending writers' events/conferences and participating in contests will help educate writers and will provide wonderful networking opportunities. Receiving feedback on paid critiques from published authors, illustrators (if applicable), agents, and editors is also important. Also being in a critique group (or several) is a great thing that every writer should do in all stages of submission and beyond, even after a writer has accepted representation from an agent. Faithfully visiting the library, and reading, reading, reading is also important. Studying the market and competitive titles provides a basis for a writer to see how his/her manuscript measures up. You can research this further at Bookstores, Amazon.com. and Publishers' Marketplace.


   What do you think your strongest asset is as an agent?

   While I think I have many, I love the collaboration process and like to think I provide my clients with lots of suggestions for improving the strength of their manuscripts. Our working together as a team is important to me and to the success of our author-agent relationship.


    How can a writer best determine the time when a manuscript is ready to share?

    Being involved in a critique group a writer feels works for them, or having a writing partner to share finished manuscripts with is something a writer should do before sending that manuscript out. Have it proofed, and not just for punctuation and grammar. Have your writing partner or critique group look for inconsistencies. Have them critique your pacing, main character(s) and their development, your dialogue/language/diction, voice, and setting.
     While there is such a thing as over-revising, a writers should consider and revise any areas within the manuscript where the comments resonated with him/her. After a final revision, writers should distance themselves from the manuscript for a few weeks. Then, read it out loud. This should be a great indicator if the manuscript is ready.

    
   What's your process after you get a manuscript you think has promise?

   VICKI:  If I read one that lingers with me--those characters are floating around in my mind, compelling me to think about them and their journey, I will email and request to see other manuscripts. I'm more about building a client's career than selling one book. Of course, it's fine if the writer doesn't have anything else ready, but I do consider many things before scheduling a phone call.
   But, if it feels right, via email, I schedule a phone call. I have the opportunity to speak with the writer and I hear the enthusiasm in his or her voice, and they ask the right questions, and we connect on a personal level---and I feel I've found a dream client and I'm ready to work hard to make their publication dreams come true....I offer representation.

   
   Can you give us a few of your most important "Do's" and "Don'ts" when submitting to you.

   VICKI:  With a query letter, and I see this often, a writer apologizes for being unpublished. It often comes across as a writer not being confident in what they are are trying to pitch. The most important thing for a writer--be confident! Believe in your manuscript and in yourself. Highlight the things that are relevant to your writing career and omit the things that aren't.
    With a manuscript, a writer should know the genre, targeted age group, and word count, and each should be listed correctly on the title page. Many times this information isn't listed on the manuscript or even in the query. This makes me wonder if the writer knows what genre and targeted age group they're writing for. And if they don't know, how will I? Remember: A rejection is a rejection, but you've made another connection in the world of publishing. For me, I have a detailed database. I keep track of everything. Always try to leave a pleasant impression.
     The most important "Do": Research me! (Vicki asks that if you submit to her, Please put "GROG Post Query) in the subject line.)


     Vicki is an Associate Agent with the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency based in New York City, which is a full service literary agency founded in 2001 and named one of the top 25 literary agencies in the country by Writer's Digest Magazine. Vicki has a strong background in business ownership and comes to the agency with over nine years of working as a volunteer and Regional Advisor for SCBWI, Northern Ohio.
   

   
      

Ask The Agent: Part 1

                         

    At the WOW Conference in Helen, Georgia this past July, there was a stellar line-up of faculty. I had the pleasure of having Clelia Gore of Martin Literary and Media Management moderate a round table with me and another writer participating. She is lovely, smart, articulate, and very encouraging with her comments. She jumped right in with the manuscripts and never having seen them before was able to give great suggestions for improvement. She was willing to answer a few questions for us.

SHERRI: When do you consider a writer ready to query agents?

CLELIA: Remember, writing is rewriting. I want a writer to have gone through a full revision process--that means lots of drafts. It also means having had other people give you feedback on your manuscript. A writing group, writing partner, quality beta readers, or a hired editor are great options for manuscript reviewers. Someone who is either familiar with the genre as a reader or an experienced writer/editor who will give you quality feedback and a constructive, honest critique. Also, be mindful of the expected word counts. If I get a 100,000 word young adult novel, or an 80,000 word middle grade novel, to me, that's a red flag that the book hasn't been sufficiently edited. Research the expected word counts, and revise until you are in the range.

SHERRI: What do you think your strongest asset is as an agent?

CLELIA: I came to agenting via the legal field, and I have a deep appreciation of the client-agent relationship and how to manage it. My experience as an attorney also gives me a strong background in contracts and negotiation. I think I also have great taste and instincts when it comes to books and the book business.

SHERRI: How can a writer best determine when a manuscript is ready to share---close to the finish line, so to speak?

 CLELIA: Tough question! I think a lot of this is instinctual and a writer will likely just know when their manuscript feels ready to be submitted. The goal is to get your manuscript as near to publishable quality as you can. That means after many reads from top to bottom, you no longer think big changes are required. You can make small tweaks until the end of time, but I think the "ready" moment is when you feel confident that all of the big and medium tweaks needed have been made.

SHERRI: What makes a manuscript work for you?

CLELIA: Voice, characters, plot and writing have to come together. A strong voice matters a lot to young readers. I want flawed characters readers can connect with and root for. I want a compelling plot with resonating themes. And the writing has to be spot on. I especially appreciate manuscripts that feature voices and characters we haven't heard from as much in kid lit. Diversity is a biggie for me and I think that is true for a lot of agents and editors.

SHERRI: I know a lot of authors attend conferences and get 15 minute sessions with an agent and their manuscript. How would you advise authors to best use their time when meeting an agent for these one on one critiques?


                                            


CLELIA:  I think that the # 1 goal of these sessions is to make a personal connection with an agent. Agents are more likely to give your work their time and attention later on if they have met you in person. The best way to make an impression is to be professional, courteous and come prepared with a terrific pitch and manuscript. An agent is looking for someone they may want to partner with, someone who "gets" how to succeed in this very tough business. When an agent is giving feedback, be open to their commentary and do not use the short amount of time to counter their constructive criticism or say something like, "Well, my granddaughter/daughter/nephew really loved it." This happens more than you think and it's always off-putting from an agent point of view.


 SHERRI: What are some of the most important "Do's" and "Don'ts" for an author submitting to you?

CLELIA: Do your research. There will be the right and wrong agents to submit your work to--by doing a little research on what kinds of books an agent acquires, likes or has acquired and sold, you will be able to create a tailored submission list. Do follow individual submission requirements. These are in place to make the review process more efficient for us. We are dealing with a high volume of submissions and ones that don't follow our instructions are more likely to get passed on based on an administrative reason and not a reason based on a qualitative review of your work. Do consider your query like a business document. Don't get to cutesy, casual, or too familiar. Although we are working in a creative field (and I work exclusively in the kid lit field), this document has a business purpose and we are looking for serious, professional writers who are taking this as seriously as we do. The query is a sales pitch, so keep that in mind when you are writing it. Do give signals that you are a serious writer, not just a dabbler. In addition to being professional, you can tip off the agent that you are a serious writer by including any publication credits (no matter how small or outside of the genre), that you are a member of a writer's group, attend conferences, etc.

     At Martin Literary, Clelia represents all books under the children's book umbrella--that's picture books, middle grade and young adult books. Fiction and nonfiction across all genres. You can check out her blog at www.cleliagore.com for periodic wish list postings. 
     Stay tuned for part 2 featuring another fine agent from WOW 2016.

Q and A with Author/Illustrator Denise Fleming by Sherri Rivers

         I had the pleasure of meeting Denise Fleming last summer at the WOW writing conference in Helen, GA. I found her to be fun, creative, and full of talent. I was thrilled to get to interview her. I don't know too many children's authors who write the text and provide the art. She's a double threat!

                                               

    When did you start your writing/illustrating journey for children?

     Before I started writing my own books and discovered paper-making, I illustrated mass market books for Random House, which was a great experience. It also made me realize that I wanted to write and illustrate picture books. I took no work for two years and worked on my own book ideas, and discovered pulp painting. I had been experimenting with different techniques, but none of them clicked. Then I took a paper-making class at the local high school and fell in love with pulp painting, which became my signature style. We lived quite frugally those two years so I could take time to explore. My husband is also an artist and very supportive.

     What's your art background?

     I attended Kendal College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I started as an advertising student, then transferred to illustration. I wanted to illustrate for magazines. That was the heydey of great magazine illustrators. A friend introduced me to picture books. She gave me a copy of Rain Makes Applesauce,

which is still a favorite. I worked a great deal in pen and colored inks at that time.
     After art school I constantly took classes. Etching, litho, wire work, drawing with the sewing machine, art dolls,wire work, clay, recycled tin and the list goes on. My husband and I took on freelance work, working in wood and creating restaurant interiors. Craft and hand work was much in vogue at that time.

     How did your first book come about?

     I went to New York with my pulp paintings and manuscripts. Laura Godwin at Henry Holt was the first person I saw. She was very interested and bought the two book ideas I had with me. In The Tall, Tall Grass came out in 1991.


                                                  

     Do you doodle first and then come up with a plot/story, or do you start with story/text?

     It can work either way. Often I will have an idea, such as what goes on underground, sketch a few things, jot down some text, then go back and forth between words and art. The book I am working on now, I wrote the text first over ten years ago, put it way, then recently took it out again, rewrote, and now I am designing the book.

     Which of your books took the longest or was hardest to complete?
                                 

     Where Once There Was A Wood was a book that gave me the most worry. I wanted to get my point across, but did not want to appear judgmental. Took me forever, but I am very happy with it.


     What do you do when the art or the text doesn't seem to be working?

                             


     Put it way for a bit, sometimes years. When it is not working and you begin to obsess, you no longer can clearly see what is off. I have drawers full of manuscripts and sketches that aren't right. Sometime you can pull those book ideas out and they shout at you what is not working. Other times---nothing comes to you.

     Do you do school visits, and if so, how do you structure them? Do you ever hear from children?

     I do a few school visits here and there. I used to do a great many, but dang it, those kids are too sharing, especially with germs. Strep throat three times in one year was when I stopped doing visits. Though I love seeing the children. I do more library visits where the kids visit the library. I loved field trips as a kid and going to the library makes it more special and for some children, it is their first visit to the public library. And yes, I get wonderful drawings and letters. I like the drawings best!

     Is there an average time it takes you to complete a project, or does it depend?

                                               
     Oh, goodness. I am so slow. It varies from book to book. It takes the time it takes. Whoops. There goes another deadline. I am sure my publishers find me quite aggravating.


     Tell us a little bit about your paper-making technique.


     It is a very labor-intensive process that involves hauling buckets of water, mixing and dying cotton fiber pulp. Then you pour the pulp through hand-cut stencils to form the bold, textured illustrations that are featured in my books. I have used this technique for the last 25 years.

     What are the pros and cons of being an author/illustrator? Do you feel you're stronger in one area than another?

     I think there are only pros. I do not have to wait for a manuscript from someone else. The subjects of my books are things that truly interest me. I have actually turned down some manuscripts from well known authors.

     What is one thing we might not know about you?

     When I was a young girl, I used to spend hours in my father's workshop cutting, gluing, carving and building things. And today, I spend many hours in my own workshop studio cutting, gluing, and creating my own picture books.



     What do we have to look forward to from you in the future?

     Books, books, and more books. Maggie and Michael Get Dressed (Holt) was just released. On November 5th, Little Ducks (Beach Lane) will be available.

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     Denise is an award-winning author/illustrator of many well known children's books, including In The Tall, Tall Grass, Barnyard Banter, Mama Cat Has Three Kittens, and In The Small, Small Pond, which received a Caldecott Honor. Denise lives in the Midwest and the settings of her books reflect the nature of the area. For more info, visit her online at denisefleming.com.