I'm Interviewed on "The Premise" Podcast!

What a great way to start the new year!

I'm the subject of episode #2 of Jeniffer and Chad Thompson's new "The Premise" Podcast which, as they explain, is:

"A premise is what forms the basis of a theory or a plot. We talk to storytellers from all disciplines and get down to the story behind the storyteller—the passion and joy and creativity behind their stories. Our premise is that listening to others helps us build greater empathy and a stronger sense of humanity—storytelling is powerful stuff. By just listening, we can make the world a better place."

Isn't that a cool premise for a podcast?

And here's the description for my interview:

002 - Lee Wind - On Writing
Jeniffer and Chad talk with Lee Wind, Director of Marketing & Programming at IBPA, about his mission to write the books he wishes he'd read as a gay youth. They discuss Lincoln, examining history in closer detail to reveal the true selves of historical figures, and how it can create new role models and new perspectives. You'll also hear from Lee about his writing process, his ups and downs in the publishing world, and the wild tale of a rogue agent( the literary kind).

It's a great discussion, and I'm grateful to Jeniffer and Chad for the opportunity!

You can listen here. I'm already looking forward to future episodes.

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

I'm the Headliner for Episode 194 of the Big Gay Fiction Podcast: “Five Dollar Bill,” Queer History and YA Lit with Lee Wind!

This is thrilling!

In this extended interview with Jeff Adams, we talk about LGBTQ history, research, Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill, its inspiration and characters, this blog, and so much more!

Being the featured guest on a podcast I listen to all the time is an amazing way to celebrate LGBTQ Pride!

I hope hearing about the Queer history we discuss is empowering, and that the podcast will be part of your LGBTQ Pride celebrations!

You can listen to the episode now at this link!

I'm very grateful to Jeff and Will for this opportunity to shine like a lighthouse for their listeners.

Enjoy the podcast!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

I'm on the radio, on the Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio show on the Voice America Kids Network!

Being interviewed for this week's program by the show's teen hosts Brigitte Jia and Joven Hundal was really fun—and we had a great conversation!

The program is heard in 132 countries, and you can listen to the episode here: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/106851/the-gift-of-diversity

My thanks to producer and Be The Star You Are founder and executive director Cynthia Brian for this amazing opportunity!

The light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you,
Lee

The "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" Press Kit!

Hi Community and media,

Happy to share these downloadable files with you:

"Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" cover high resolution (CMYK for print)

"Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" cover low resolution (RGB for web)

Lee Wind author photo high resolution (CMYK for print)

Lee Wind author photo low resolution (RGB for web)

"Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" Tip Sheet with Author Interview

“This powerful novel . . . belongs in every library that serves teens.”

—Yapha Mason, school librarian and two-time Newbery Medal judge

“Insightful... valuable... Fascinating information about Lincoln and Speed is also bound to spark curiosity... Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill is a sympathetic novel that will change the way young readers look at history and the lessons it has to teach.”

—Foreword Reviews

“This one should get people talking! I hope this book . . . finds the large audience it deserves.”

—Brent Hartinger, author of 12 novels, including the groundbreaking Gay teen novel Geography Club

QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL

Inspired by real historical evidence that Abraham Lincoln was in love—romantic love—with another man, this debut YA novel was too controversial for traditional publishing. Crowdfunded in six days with a successful Kickstarter campaign that ultimately 182 backers supported, QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL asks LGBTQ teens (and everyone else), What if you knew a secret from history that could change the world?

Wyatt is 15, and nobody in his homophobic small town of Lincolnville, Oregon, knows that he’s Gay. Not even his best friend (and accidental girlfriend) Mackenzie. Then he discovers a secret from actual history: Abraham Lincoln was in love with another guy! Since everyone loves Lincoln, Wyatt’s sure that if the world knew about it, they would treat Gay people differently and it would solve everything about his life. So Wyatt outs Lincoln online, triggering a media firestorm that threatens to destroy everything he cares about—and he has to pretend more than ever that he’s straight. . . . Only then he meets Martin, who is openly Gay and who just might be the guy Wyatt’s been hoping to find.

Lee Wind is the founding blogger and publisher of I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?, an award-winning website about books, culture, and empowerment for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Questioning, and Queer youth, and their Allies. For over 10 years, readers from 100-plus countries have racked up 2.4 million page views—and counting!

In his “Clark Kent” jobs, Lee is the director of marketing and programming at the Independent Book Publishers Association and the official blogger for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Lee lives in Los Angeles with his husband and their teenage daughter. QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL is his debut novel.


QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL
by Lee Wind
I’m Here. I’m Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?
On sale: October 2, 2018
ISBN:
978-1-7322281-0-8 (Hardcover) | $25.99
978-1-7322281-1-5 (Paperback) | $13.99
978-1-7322281-2-2 (eBook) | $6.99
Ages 14 & Up

Press / Events

Two-Page "Bringing History Into the Light: An Indie Success Story" feature article in Publishers Weekly Sept 24, 2018.

An Amazing Shout Out to "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" in the Santa Monica Daily Press


Lee interviewed on "Star Style Be The Star You Are with Cynthia Brian" radio program October 3, 2018

Lee on Lambda LitFest "Crowdfunding Queer Lit" Panel on October 1, 2018

"Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill" featured in Publishers Weekly

Lee signs ARCs at 2018 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans

Lee's ignite session 5-minute video from IBPA's Publishing University

Lee speaks (and reads from an ARC of "Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill") at Pasadena City College

Lee on the Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio show on the Voice America Kids Network

Lee on The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner

Lee on the One Bad Mother Podcast

AN INTERVIEW WITH
QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL AUTHOR LEE WIND

Why this book?

Lee Wind: I wrote the book that would have changed my life if I’d read it when I was a teen. I spent so many years hiding who I really was and what I really felt. As a teen, I dated girls and judged it the right thing to do—it was what my parents wanted, what society expected—but I didn’t feel what I was supposed to feel. I kept hoping those feelings would come, but they didn’t. Finally, in my twenties, I accepted the truth, started to love myself for me, and came out as a Gay man.

Fast-forward to 2010: I went to a talk by Randy Harrison, and he mentioned the letters Abraham Lincoln wrote to Joshua Fry Speed, letters that Randy said proved Abraham was in love with Joshua. And I was like, “That can’t be true. I would have heard of it.” But I couldn’t shake the idea, that What if . . . ? So I went to the library and got out all these books of primary source materials, and I read the letters.

There’s this one where Joshua has been married to a woman for eight months, and Abraham writes him and asks, “Are you now in feeling as well as judgment, glad that you are married as you are? From anybody but me this would be an impudent question, not to be tolerated, but I know you will pardon it in me.” Lincoln closes by asking Joshua to answer him quickly, saying he’s impatient to know. We don’t have the response, but we do know that it was only weeks later that Abraham married Mary Todd. Boom! I read it, and I was like, “That’s me! That was how I felt dating girls . . . ,” and then goose bumps rose up all over my body. Maybe Lincoln really was in love with Speed. Maybe they were like me after all—maybe they were Gay, too!

As I did more research, I discovered more evidence, until I became convinced that Abraham and Joshua were in love.

And I kept thinking, If I’d known back when I was fifteen that Abraham Lincoln was in love with another guy, it would have changed my whole life. He’s on Mount Rushmore. He’s on the penny. He’s on the five-dollar bill!

I don’t have a time machine to go back and tell this secret from history to myself, but I can pay it forward. So I wrote this novel, where Wyatt, a fifteen-year-old closeted boy who’s dating a girl but not feeling what he knows he’s supposed to feel, stumbles on the very same letter Lincoln wrote Speed—in judgment but not in feeling—and I gave Wyatt that same goose-bump moment of revelation I had. And then Wyatt decides to tell the world.

The idea is to share this story—and the secret from history that inspired it—with teens today. And I hope it can help empower them to be authentic now.

Why crowdfunding?

LW: [Laughs.] It wasn’t my first choice. But when you’re being preemptively banned, that’s a good reason to self-publish. Except it’s not really self-publishing. Sure, I’m the publisher and the author, but there’s a whole team of people working with me to professionally publish this book: a famous editor; a cover designer; a book designer; a copy editor; a proofreader; production, print, and distribution service people; early reviewers; everyone at my nonprofit partner, Camp Brave Trails; and, of course, the 182 Kickstarter backers who helped fund publishing and donating 810 copies to LGBTQ and Allied teens!

How can something about history change the world?

I grew up thinking there were no Gay people besides me—certainly no one important was Gay. Certainly no one in my history books. But it turns out that’s not true! History has been sanitized to “protect” young people from knowing there were men who loved men, and women who loved women, and people who lived outside gender boundaries, across time and around the world. Abraham Lincoln being in love with Joshua Fry Speed is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and it’s a great place to start!

Imagine if we can shift the cultural conversation so that teens know the story of Lincoln loving Speed—that’s the first crack in the false facade of history as it’s taught to young people: that everyone important was a cisgendered, rich, white, heterosexual man. Not everyone great was cisgendered and straight! Or Caucasian, or wealthy, or a man, either.

And once we let light in through that first crack, history becomes a lighthouse, shining with a prism of LGBTQ stories!

Lincoln? You really believe he was Gay?

Yes. In fact, everything that Wyatt finds out about Lincoln in the novel is real—there’s an extensive endnotes section at the end of the book. And there was more evidence that didn’t really fit in the novel, which is why there’s a whole other nonfiction book for teens I’m working on next, The Queer History Project: No Way, They Were Gay?, where Lincoln and Speed being in love is just one of fifteen true stories of men who loved men, women who loved women, and people who lived outside gender boundaries.

It’s packed with primary source materials and presents the evidence. We know what traditional historians say. They’re all CSI History, “Can you prove this person had sex with that person?” I think that’s the wrong question. I want to shine a light on history through a different lens—who was in love with whom, and how might that have changed what they accomplished?—and then let young people decide for themselves what they think.

The cover of QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL asks readers a question: What if you knew a secret from history that could change the world? How would you answer that?

That’s an easy one. I’d write this book. And then, I’d publish it.

Agent Joanna Volpe - The Exclusive #LA13SCBWI Team Blog Interview

Agent Joanna Volpe

Joanna Volpe (New Leaf Literary) represents picture books to teen novels. Some of her recent titles are See a Heart, Share a Heart by Eric Telchin (Dial), Altered by Jennifer Rush (Little Brown), Chained by Lynne Kelly (Margaret Ferguson Books/FSG), Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins), Ever Afters: Of Giants & Ice by Shelby Bach (Simon & Schuster), Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt), and Puzzled by Pink by Sarah Frances Hardy (Viking). She is currently on the lookout for Young Adult horror, dark high fantasy or literary novels; middle grade all genres; picture book art-focused, 200-500 words.

Joanna will be on faculty at the upcoming 2013 SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, August 2-5, and I connected with her to find out more...

Lee: As an agent, do you head to a conference hoping to connect with new-to-you talent?

Joanna:  Absolutely. I have found most of my illustrators through SCBWI conferences, and 4 authors from conferences as well. They are a great way to connect with authors and illustrators directly, and to get to know them a little, too.

Lee:  What's the best way for an author attending #la13scbwi to approach you? A business card? A pitch? A sense that they know who you are and what you represent?

Joanna:  It's important to have a quickfire pitch ready if I ask for it. Otherwise, it would be great just to say hello and talk about books they're enjoying and whatnot. It would be nice if they have a sense of who I am and what I represent, but I don't expect it. I don't usually ask for business cards, and sometimes when I am handed them, they get misplaced.

Lee:  Is an on-line presence/profile something you look for before signing someone new?

Joanna: It's not mandatory for signing a new client, no. But anyone I'm considering signing needs to be comfortable with creating one soon!

Lee:  There are big agencies, one-person agencies, and agencies like yours (New Leaf Literary has four literary agents.) Is agency size something authors and illustrators should consider when looking at submitting to an agent?

Joanna:  It really depends on the agency. Whether a big agency or small agency, I think your relationship with your agent is what is most important. So make sure you find the agent you connect with, creatively and business-wise.

Lee:  Your Sunday ProTrack workshop at the conference is called "Cracking The Mystery of Your Royalty Statements." Tell us more.

Joanna:  Well, SCBWI asked if I would talk about this and I said "sure!" haha. In truth though, royalty statements can be very intimidating and overwhelming. And I believe that knowledge is power. So what I'm hoping to accomplish with the workshop is for authors to leave there feeling empowered and able to interpret their statements better--and to also know what kinds of questions they should be asking.

Lee: Should people bring a copy of one of their royalty statements to try to decode it in-session?

Joanna: If they feel comfortable sharing their statement with me, then yes.

Lee:  Any advice for authors and illustrators of works for children and teens you could share?

Joanna:  My advice is always: be ready to work hard, and be open to new ideas and paths to take. Things are changing so much right now, but it's not all doom and gloom! There are some exciting opportunities out there for authors and illustrators that weren't available before. We have to adapt to the changes, and that's OK. Also, always keep reading!

Lee:  Speed round!  Your favorite TV show?

Joanna:  Right now? It's a tie between Parks and Recreation and also The Walking Dead.

Lee:  Literary food you'd most like to try?

Joanna:  Crumpets. I don't know why.

Lee: If you were a contestant on 'The Voice' (or a similar reality singing show) what song would you sing?

Joanna: "What's UP?" by Four Non Blondes

Thanks, Joanna!

To attend Joanna's session and take part in all the remarkable craft, business, inspiration, community and opportunity the SCBWI Summer Conference offers, you have to be there in person!  Go here for all the details, and to register.

Interview With Annameekee Hesik, Debut Author of "The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year"

A shot of Annameekee from her website.  Here's the caption, which will give you an idea of how much fun her book is: "Totally faking being on a real cable car. This one is stationary at AT&T Park where we watched the giants play ball."

It was a real pleasure to interview Annameekee...

Lee:  Hi Annameekee - congratulations on your Debut novel, "The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year!"

Annameekee:  Thank you so much!  It is a HUGE honor to talk to you and your fans about it!

Lee: Can you tell me about the journey to get it published?

Annameekee: Do you have ten hours? Ha. Getting it published was a long journey, but my perseverance finally paid off.  At first I tried to find a publisher without an agent.  I was actually pretty successful- got interest from Houghtin Mifflin and Scholastic.  But in the publishing world, things change very quickly.  Editors move, have babies, or quit and you never hear from them again.  Or, they liked it and then others didn't think it was right or it wasn't the right time.  I did land an agent, but he disappeared, too. Then I landed a publishing contract with a publishing company that I really admired (I used to read their lesbian books when I was in high school!) All was going well until they went bankrupt! Seriously. So I got another agent, he was great, we were in the middle of the "great recession" and I don't think publishers wanted to take any risks on a new author writing for LGBT teens. FINALLY, I found a home at Bold Strokes Books.  They are expanding their Solioquy YA line and I think I'm a good fit there! Whew!

Lee:  I met you at a SCBWI conference - has that community been part of your journey?

Annameekee:  Yes, especially when I met you!  My first SCBWI conference in LA was so overwhelming and kind of disheartening.  I was so desperate to find another publisher or agent that I didn't feel like I could relax and meet people and take in the learning.  However, when I went to the LA conference the second time, and the LGBT author lunch and panel was included, I felt like part of a community of writers that understood the special circumstances of being an LGBT writer writing about LGBT characters for teens. Thank you so much for being there for all of us!

Lee:  Awww... Thanks for that.  I love hosting those LGBTQ chats at the LA and New York conferences!  On your author website you have a student’s note “Ms. Hesik’s Gay But she’s a great teacher, and we have fun in her class.  I don’t care if she’s gay, she’s not any different than other teachers. (exept she’s not boring).”  Wow – you must have loved getting that student review!

Annameekee:  I absolutely love my students.  That post, it was written for an activity we were doing that focused on acceptance of others.  I asked students to write down experiences they had throughout the week regarding ways they have reached out to new people or how they have already felt acceptance towards different groups.  Then they would post it on this "ladder of acceptance" in the room.  I honestly have no idea who wrote that, but it is, hands down, one of the best student notes ever!  It confirmed everything I wanted to be for my students.  Yes, I am gay and they know it, but bottom line is, I'm a good "unboring" teacher.  When I can teach them acceptance of LGBT people AND that grammar is fun...well, I've met my goals in life! My students amaze me in so many ways. I wrote "The You Know Who Girls" for them - for every wonderful student out there!

Lee:  It's always so surprising to me how the very specifics of a character's story can make it so universal.  I'm reading about Abbey, and she's into girls, and I'm a guy and not into girls, but I'm really feeling what she's feeling.  It's that books are a window and a mirror thing, and so powerful.

Annameekee:  I know what you mean!  When I teach Night, a Holocaust survivor's story, or Chinese Cinderella, a horrific tale of a young girl who is abused, but perseveres and becomes a success, my students are so touched by the stories and also connect to the universal experiences of things like the importance of family, friendship, and love.  A favorite YA author of mine is Sarah Dessen.  Her books are totally not about girls liking girls, but I get so into them!  They are very well written and the characters' emotions and experiences capivate my attention.  One surprising thing that has happened with my book is the response from non-LGBT teen readers.  Not only are lesbian teens liking it, but straight guys like it, straight women like it, and my gay male students are enjoying it, too.  I'm really glad that Abbey's journey has touched so many different people.  I guess there is something very universal about first kisses, crushes, friendship, telling lies, recovering from it all, and forgiveness.

Lee:  Well said!  I love how you're so out and proud as a writer for teens.  As a teen, was your journey similar to Abbey’s?

Annameekee:  Haha! You and all my students and readers want to know...just how much was I like Abbey??  Well, in high school, I had a lot of similar experiences.  I came out at 15, I played basketball, and I lived in Tucson.  I dated girls in high school and I was out in a sense, but it wasn't like it is now for some teens. We were very hidden.  People knew about us, but no one actually talked to us about having girlfriends.  We were ignored or faked being straight in a lot of situations.  When I wrote "The You Know Who Girls," and as I write the sequel, I am definitely drawing on so many emotions that I experienced in high school (I was a mess- Abbey is in better shape than I was!)  The memories are still so fresh to me.  I think teaching high school has helped me continue to understand that teenage thought process, humor, and emotional state of mind.  Teenagers are insanely funny. I hope that my readers get a good laugh out of Abbey's story, too.

Lee:  The book is very funny and also very touching.  J.K. Rowling famously plotted out all seven books before starting to write the first Harry Potter book…  Is Abbey’s story going to take her through senior year, and if so, have you plotted it all out already?

Annameekee:  If only I could be like Ms. Rowling!  I have a good sense of where I want Abbey's story to go, but honestly, the most enjoyable part of this writing process is letting my characters tell their own stories.  When I sit down to write, I let myself walk in their shoes and they end up going places that surprise the heck out of me! There were several twists in Abbey's freshman year that I did not plan on happening.  I like it that way!

Lee:  Wow!  Cool to know.

Annameekee:  However, JK Rowling did influence me to write Abbey's story over four years.  When I started, there had never been a lesbian YA series written.  I wanted to give my LGBT students a series, too!  They deserve one!

Lee:  I'm so glad it's a series!

Annameekee:  I am glad it's a series, too, but of course, as I write the second one, I am freaking out a little. Like, oh god, what have I done?  I should have just written the one book and went on with my life!  It's very challenging working full time and writing a new book and trying to publicize the first one.  I love all the things I am doing, but it's hard to juggle them all.  Right now I am mentoring new teachers, so I don't have essays to grade or lesson plans to write. That helps!  But, I REALLY miss teaching those insane teenagers.

Lee:  As a writer, I loved your idea of figuring out what your character’s list of five amazing things would be (inspired by your personal list of five amazing things – right there with you on watching musicals and hummingbirds - we have some here, too. Hummingbirds, not musicals.  Well, not like in NY.)  It’s a great writing exercise.  But as a reader, I want to know: did you do it for Abbey?  And if so, what were they?

Annameekee:  Funny you should ask me that...as I gave that prompt to my readers, I said to myself, "Hey self, you should do that for Abbey!"  Here's what I came up with- the shortened version:
1. pants that are long enough,
2. Backseats that she can comfortably sit in,
3. the sound of a basketball shot being rejected by her hand,
4. beating Kate at...anything,
5. Knowing a gay reference that Garrett doesn't know.
And what is your fav musical so far?  Also, I can't believe Book of Mormon tickets are almost $100 less expensive in LA!  What is up with that?!

Lee:  Avenue Q and Book of Mormon were great - funny and good entertainment... though definitely YA.

Annameekee:  I took my GSA to see Avenue Q.  Seriously, the puppet sex scene was UNBEARABLE to watch with students!  I didn't see that coming!

Lee:  (Laughing)

Annameekee:  My face turned redder that Abbey could ever dream of.  PLUS- a parent was there to chaparone!  Eegads!!!! But, I covered my tracks, everyone had permission forms and the permission form was very clear about the plot!  My experience with my GSA students has given me some of the best memories of my life.  I feel so happy to be surrounded by such brave and strong and hilarious young people.

Lee:  come to think of it, that could totally be a scene in Abbey's life...

Annameekee:  Right!!  Thanks for the idea!  Book 3!!

Lee:  Oh, and the photo of your cat reading your book is hysterical. So funny, and so your voice.

Annameekee:  My animals, along with my wonderful wife, make for a great family.  The animals are all big fans of Abbey, but the cat was severely disappointed about the lack of felines in the story.

Lee:  Thanks, Annameekee – I hope a lot more readers get to enjoy Abbey’s story.  And we’ll be waiting to find out what happens Sophomore year!  And beyond...

This dog knows a good book when it reads one!

Natalie Lakosil - the Pre-#LA12SCBWI Summer Conference Interview

Natalie Lakosil is an Assistant Agent at the Bradford Literary Agency. An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California, Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. After nearly four years at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and a brief dabble in writing author profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune, Natalie joined the Bradford Agency in February of 2011.

Natalie’s interests include talented, hard-working new authors with a fresh, unique voice and hook. Her specialty is commercial fiction, with an emphasis in children’s literature (from picture book-teen), romance (contemporary, paranormal and historical), upmarket women’s fiction and select nonfiction. Specific likes include historical, multi-cultural, paranormal, sci-fi/fantasy, gritty, thrilling and darker contemporary novels, middle grade with heart, and short, quirky picture books. She is always drawn to an open and positive attitude in an author, good grammar, and fantastical, engaging and sexy plots.

Her blog, Adventures in Agentland is an amazing window into an agent’s perspective, like this excellent post on older characters with middle grade voices, where she contacted some of her editor friends to have them weigh in on her personal struggle with representing what she can sell and not necessarily just what she loves, and this post on that used book smell.

Natalie's SCBWI Summer conference faculty presentations include two agent panels at the Monday Writer Intensives, and she'll be a special guest at the Friday night LGBTQ Q&A session that I'm moderating.

I connected with Natalie to find out more...

Lee:  So many writers attend the SCBWI Summer conference aiming to advance their careers, and for many of them, finding the "right" agent is more and more one way to do that. But how do they figure out who is the right agent for them?

Natalie:  There’s a reason that agents joke about multiple-offer situations as a “beauty contest”; the fact is, assuming the author did some research and queried legit agents, we can all do pretty much the same thing – and it really depends on who scores the most in the talent and Q &A competition!

That said, one of the most common complaints I hear from authors who part ways with an agent is in regards to communication. It’s not only important to look at an agent’s past sales, or the agency’s past sales, if the agent is new, to ensure the agent fits with your genre (you want to make sure a newer agent has colleagues with experience within that genre to share advice/ask questions of!)– it’s also important to establish as a writer if you want an agent who is responsive via email or phone, has a fast turnaround time on reads/edits, shares submission lists and responses, etc. Talking with an agent’s current clients candidly on “ok, just how fast do you expect him/her to read” or “if you email, do you expect to hear back that day, or that week, or…?” and deciding what you can or cannot live with is important.

Lee:  From your perspective, with more than 1,000 attendees, how would you want a writer who is sure YOU are the right agent for them to approach you?
Natalie:  Casually. Talk with me; don’t pitch me. I accept email submissions directly from conference attendees – so don’t waste an opportunity to stand out in my mind with a pitch that I can read later!

Lee: Is a business card useful for a writer who has yet to be traditionally published?

Natalie:  To network with bloggers and fellow writers, absolutely; to give to a potential agent or editor, hells to the no.

Lee: You've written about the dangers of self-publshing on your blog (here and here and here.)  And while you have a great "change rocks" attitude about the shifts happening in our industry, I'm wondering about your take on the motivations behind writers wanting to self-publish. Do you see impatience with their attempts at being traditionally published as the prime villain? Or is it that win-the-lottery .000033% chance at being a self-publishing Cinderella that's too tempting?

Natalie:  Both. With so many opportunities that didn’t exist ten years ago, people are, naturally, taking advantage of them. I like to think it’s human nature to hope for the best and, since it’s become so acceptable to self-publish in the eyes of the writing community, I think writers are feeling like…why not? Unfortunately, I think many authors are also still thinking of self-publishing a novel as a first step to traditional publication, like a marketing strategy to gain traction, rather than the true entrepreneurial venture that it is.

Lee:  You represent children's authors from picture book through YA. What if an writer wants to write (and be published) in more than one age category?

Natalie:  That’s fine, but it’s important to keep in mind that success in one category will not necessarily carry over into another (unless of course the author has the recognition of Neil Gaiman!). If an author sells a novel, he or she will essentially need to start over when trying to sell a picture book or middle grade. Previous writing credits don’t mean much under a category outside of the one the author is trying to sell in, because the audience isn’t the same.

Editors aren’t as free as agents in what they can take on; an author’s novel editor may not be able to buy a picture book from that author, and in fact, the editor is going to prefer for that author to continue to brand him/herself and not branch off. It can really start to confuse readers and followers on what to expect next from an author if s/he is constantly doing different things – which can impact sales negatively. There are also contractual obligations and restrictions to consider – an author may not even be able to publish or sell a new work before the first is out (which of course is why it’s important to discuss career paths/future works with your agent, so contracts can be negotiated accordingly).

So – it’s fine, as long as the author understands the branding, time management, and restrictions involved in order to culture both genres under his/her name. Honestly, it is usually better to focus on the category the author expects to continue writing in the most, or feels the most passionate about, first.

Lee:  What's the dream manuscript you've been looking for?

Natalie:  Anything that gets me so excited I know I’m going to rock some major socks on submission and create a bidding war ending in the 6-7 figures.

Lee: Can you share your advice for writers attending the conference?
Natalie:  Soak it all in; take notes, be open to feedback and alternating opinions, network, be yourself…go home, think about it…revise….and THEN send off any requested or pitching material.

Lee:  And for the Saturday Night Hippie Hop party, the all important question: Tie dye or Fringe?

Natalie:  Bunny ears.

To have a chance to learn from and be inspired by Natalie and the rest of the publishers, editors, agents, art directors, illustrators and authors who are part of the amazing conference faculty, you can still register here!

Namaste,
Lee

Sonya Sones - The Pre-#LA12SCBWI Summer Conference Interview

Sonya Sones, Author and Faculty Member at the upcoming SCBWI Summer Conference

Sonya Sones has written four YA novels in verse, which have received many honors, including a Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination. She’ll be the first one to tell you that in 2010 her novel in verse, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, made the ALA’s list of the “Top 100 Most Challenged Books of the Decade.” Sonya’s latest book, the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, is her first novel in verse for grownups—a coming of middle-age story about learning to grow old disgracefully. She is this close to finishing her fifth YA novel in verse.

I'm very excited to have been able to chat with Sonya about the upcoming SCBWI Summer Conference here in Los Angeles...

Lee:   There's lots of focus on breaking through at the SCBWI Summer Conference, especially for writers who have yet to be published. What do you see as the benefits of attending for authors who are already published?

Sonya:  Come for the inspiration, and the fun! Come for the chance to see old friends and to meet new ones! And even if you are published, there’s always more to learn about writing and about illustrating and about marketing all of the above.

Lee:  Your Monday Writers Intensive session is called "Should Your Tomes Be Written in Poems: Crafting the Novel in Verse" - The description is really enticing:

"Thinking about writing a novel in verse? In the middle of writing one already? This session will be jam-packed with info, tips, and secrets about using poetry to tell your stories."

Even the assignment sounds cool:

"Bring the first page of something you're working on and we'll pick some from a hat to discuss. After three days of soaking up inspiration at the conference, your creative juices will be flowing like lava, so we'll spend some of our time together writing poems."

Can you share a teaser tip or secret with us now?

Sonya:  Okay, here’s a secret: Whenever you can, use similes to get to the heart of your character’s feelings. For example, instead of having your character say, “I am so happy right now,” show us that your character is happy, by using a simile: “I feel like a jar all filled up with a thousand fireflies.” Instead of having your character say, “I was so scared,” show us with a simile: “My heart fluttered in my throat like a trapped bird.” The amazing thing about this is that it allows your readers to feel the feelings your characters are having, right along with them—which makes them relate in a very deep way to what your characters are going through!

Lee:  That’s a good secret!  *scribbling madly in my journal*  You'll be a special guest for the LGBTQ Q&A session on Friday night that I'm moderating, and I want to ask - With so much of the industry geared towards success being reaching the largest possible audience, there's a perception that "majority" characters are maybe "safer" to focus on. As an author, how do you get past that to include LGBTQ and other minority characters?

Sonya:  If an LGBTQ character or other minority character wants me to tell their story, then I do. I never think about how that will affect my success. To heck with “safer!”

Lee:  Love that!  Any advice to share with conference attendees?

Sonya:  Push the envelope. Go to some breakout sessions about genres you haven’t tried. Maybe you’ll have an epiphany! Spend as little time as possible in your hotel room.

Lee:   For the Saturday Night Hippie Hop Gala… Tie dye or Fringe?

Sonya:  Definitely tie dye. I never even did fringe when fringe was happening!

Lee:  Thanks, Sonya!

To have a chance to learn from and be inspired by Sonya and the rest of the publishers, editors, agents, art directors, illustrators and authors who are part of the amazing conference faculty, you can still register here!

Namaste,
Lee

Holly Black: An exclusive SCBWI Team Blog Interview!

Holly Black is one of my heroes. She’s an incredibly talented writer, obsessed (in the best way) with the fantasy worlds of the faerie, and she takes us, her readers, on amazing nail-biting journeys. In “Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale,” a wonderful dark and edge-of-your-seat fantasy, while it was the story of 16 year old Kaye, it was also the story of Corny, a gay teen. For including Corny in the world of Faerie, for including gay people in her staggering flight of fantasy, I will always be one of Holly Black’s most enthusiastic fans.

I had the good fortune to land an exclusive SCBWI Team Blog interview with Holly Black as part of the countdown to SCBWI’s 38th Annual Summer Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children, coming up August 7-10, 2009 in Los Angeles. (You can still register for it!)

Here, for your enjoyment, is our virtual conversation.

Lee: Hi, Holly. First, let me thank you for agreeing to be interviewed here. I’m really looking forward to this. Ready? Here goes. First question: What’s a perfect writing day for you?


Holly: A perfect writing day is a day where I get a ton of pages written and am able to jot down lots of notes for the book as a whole. Maybe it's the day when I figure out the important twist or something that makes a character I've been struggling with come alive. It's when the pages I produce won't have to be massively revised; instead, they're full of lines that express exactly the feeling I was hoping for.

The perfect writing day almost never happens.


Lee: That made me laugh - but it's good to know what a perfect day WOULD be. You write both Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. Can you tell us what you see as the difference in how you approach those stories?


Holly: I think that whenever I am writing a book, I try and cast myself in the characters' headspace. And when I'm writing middle grade, I try to remember what it felt like to be nine and ten and twelve. What I noticed. What I was interested in. When I'm writing teen books I try to remember what it was like to be sixteen or eighteen or twenty. What I was really doing. What's true. And from there, it's easy to differentiate the way the stories will go.


Lee: That's makes so much sense. Kind of like we writers have to have these multiple ages of arrested development, so we can remember what it was like to be our character's ages!

Here's something I've been wondering: In the world of picture books, there is very little interaction between the writer and the illustrator (unless of course, they’re the same person!) You’ve worked with Tony DiTerlizzi (a writer and illustrator) on the many amazing books in the Spiderwick Chronicles series, and with Ted Naifeh (an illustrator) on the awesome graphic novel “The Good Neighbors.” What’s your vision on the collaboration between words and pictures?


Holly: Actually, what I learned from those experiences was how different it was to work with different artists. With Tony, we'd sit down and discuss the plot together, then I'd go off and write while he drew and we'd send work back and forth with comments. With Ted, we had a much more traditional collaboration. I wrote each of the books and we did briefly discuss the plot (Ted gave me a great idea, in fact - one that changed the whole series) but mostly we each did our work in relative isolation. Right now I am working on a project with the illustrator Rebecca Guay tentatively titled Angels Fall - and that's different too. Like all relationships, each collaboration has its natural flow and finding that is the challenge and, ideally, the fun.


Lee: That makes a lot of sense - just like any two creative people would have different ways of collaborating. You know, I actually listened to the Spiderwick Chronicles as an audio book in my car before I ever saw any of the illustrations, and it completely worked for me. Then I got the books out from the library, and it was so interesting to "see" the characters from Tony's artistic vision. I imagine that if I'd read them with the illustrations first, it would also have been wonderful, but it would have been a different KIND of wonderful. You have books in print, books on audio, and even books made into movies. What do you feel is the ideal way (or order) for people to encounter your stories?


Holly: I feel like as a writer, I hope people will read my books. Listening to them (and certainly viewing them as a film) changes the experience, which is fine too. People should choose the way they like best. There's no wrong way.


Lee: I find that sometimes, there’s this sense that if the literature is going to have so few representations of a minority, there’s an effort to not show that minority character in a bad light - which sometimes leads to them lacking any flaws, and thus being boring. The flip side is that any “bad” traits of the character can seem like you’re stereotyping the entire group.

When you’re writing a character who is part of an under-represented group (like Corny, the gay teen in “Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale”), how do you deal with the pressure of “role modeling” the character?


Holly: The more a character is a complex, layered person, the less that character stands in for any one group, but it's also our job as writers to be responsible in our portrayals. Knowing stereotypes is important, not just in terms of avoiding them but also because the character would be aware of them. And I think it's important to know people in the group being represented.

With Corny, I wanted to reflect some of my gay friends who aren't great a picking out clothes, love computers and other geeky stuff, and who don't fit in easily to mainstream culture, even mainstream gay culture. But Corny's got a lot of other stuff going on with him. Although far from perfect, he's probably the person I identify the best with in all the Modern Faerie Tale books. All his mistakes are ones I think I would make if I was suddenly allowed access to Faerie. I'm glad, though, that in Ironside, he had a chance to work through some of what happened to him in Tithe and also to get a much happier (and deservedly so - he was really put through the wringer) ending.


Lee: Yeah, I loved Corny's character. And I thought you were very brave in including the implied masochistic aspects of Corny’s initial attraction to Nephamael. Can you talk about that choice?


Holly: I think in any kind of relationship where one person has all the power and can literally convince you that pain causes you pleasure, there is going to be a masochistic aspect.

Tithe, as a book, has a lot of power games going on with all the characters. Kaye has total control over Roiben who is also being controlled by Nicnevin because of a promise of servitude he gave to Silarial. Corny is controlled by Nephamael (Nephamael also has control over Roiben at a later part of the book). Faeries are capricious beings, except when bound by promises. It's the only thing rigid about their nature and I was really interested in that. I don't think that Corny is the only person in the book who comes off as a bit of a masochist.


Lee: Yes, the power games were fascinating. I love how you were brave enough to make your gay character a full player!

You had this beautiful pivot moment in “The Good Neighbors. Book One: Kin” where the teen girl character says (pg. 79, for those of you reading along), “A lot of kids have this fantasy that secretly they’re really the princess of a foreign country. Turns out that pretty much sucks.” That theme, that access to a secret world changes you and you can’t go back to your “normal” life before, is something I also see in the world of Tithe, and in the Spiderwick Chronicles. What are the through-lines YOU see in your writing?


Holly: I write a lot about going back home - both metaphorically like where the Grace kids return to a family home, but one they personally have never been in and in the sense of Kaye literally returning to the place where she grew up. I also write a lot about balancing between two worlds or two aspects of yourself. Kaye doesn't want to stay in Faerie forever, Roiben has to figure out how to balance beween the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and in the Spiderwick books Arthur Spiderwick illustrates the perils of a life out of balance.


Lee: I love how you put that. So, with the Summer SCBWI conference quickly approaching, what single piece of advice would you offer to someone planning to attend?


Holly: It's good, I think, to have some goals going in. Maybe you want to focus on some aspect of technique that's really bothering you--like figuring out how to improve your dialogue. Maybe you want to connect with other people for a critique group. Maybe you want to hear about new and interesting agents. Having something [as] a focus helps me remember that it's not possible to do everything. Other than that, have fun and let all the rest happen spontaneously.


Lee: I agree that going into the four day "kidbookapalooza" with a specific intent - at the same time as being open to serendipity - is a great way to approach it. And, the final question of our interview... Would you let me scoop the name of your talk at the conference? (Also, if you know the day and time you'll be speaking I'll include that info for the interview readers!)


Holly: I'm going to be talking about the basics of fantasy writing on Saturday the 9th at 9:30AM. I will be guzzling a lot of coffee to be awake at that hour. Hope you'll come out so I can meet you in person, Lee.


Lee: I'll be there, even if I have to arrive astride a kelpie!

Thank you Holly, for a wonderful interview. I hope all our readers will enjoy it as much as I did!

Namaste,
Lee