III. ON A PERSONAL NOTE…

Undoubtedly, you love many children’s books, both classics and contemporary. Please cite three middle-grade and YA favorites. What makes each unforgettable?

I know a few of these are a favorite of many, but they undoubtedly altered my life for the better.

The Velveteen Rabbit. The emotional roller coaster this book takes you on is unlike any other children’s book I’ve read. It’s spare and charged and hits to the core of what it means to live a very good life and the relationships that completely change us.

Charlotte’s Web. This is the type of middle-grade I pine for. That sweet spot of learning and growing and seeing the world with new eyes; I think this age is the most important and volatile time growing up and each and every interaction and experience means so much. This is exactly how readers feel when sinking into this book.

Wintergirls. This book was very painful to read but it would have helped me immensely had I read it 10 years prior. You struggle with our protagonist every step of the way and it’s a testament to not only Laurie Halse Anderson’s writing, but to her duty as an author and her impeccable research to make sure her story rang true to what many girls and boys experience when they’re unable to control the world around them and can only view themselves as ugly or unworthy.

How does meeting writers at workshops (or elsewhere in person) affect you, your perspective, your work? What do you enjoy?

I love meeting new people! This is another facet of my job that’s just plain fun, especially in the children’s book forum. Everyone is so lovely. I also very much enjoy going to different states to do conferences; each group of writers brings a different perspective and flavor to their work and it’s a privilege to experience that.

Regarding the Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop: I’ve never participated in such a small writer’s retreat, and I’m eager to see how an intimate setting will differ from the previous, much larger, conferences I’ve had the honor of being invited to. And who could say no to a setting as picturesque as the one we will be working in?!

What would you like writers to know about you, the individual who scrutinizes (and may reject) their literary labor of love? 

I absolutely love what I do. And I truly wouldn’t want to do anything else. But I, like any other working individual, have a special skill set. And you, as an author, have a special skill set. I don’t have a job if you don’t exercise your skill set. So I, and my editorial counterparts, need you and your amazing talent. I applaud all of my authors for what they can accomplish. I wish I could write even a 10-page novel! But that’s just not where I thrive, and I’m okay with that.
I would like all of the budding authors out there to know that they have a very special gift and at times we, as editors are unable to share that gift with the world. In the end, publishing is a business and there are many voices in the room sharing what we can achieve in this marketplace. Please don’t take one editor’s rejection to mean the end of your writing career. Every editor has their own specific tastes and desires for their list and for their company, so keep going and never give up on your passion.

Remember that every story isn’t contained in the pages of your manuscript. The effort of writing your manuscript becomes a story in itself: the struggles, successes, trials, and tribulations. Whether or not you sell a million copies or you keep your own novel in a nightstand, never to be shared with anyone—you have successfully undertaken a task that helps define who you are.

Life is too short to not do what you love, and that appetite to work harder and hone your craft will trickle into all the other facets of your life and allow you to enjoy each and every day.

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