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Editor Spotlight With Hannah Kimber

By on September 29, 2024   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

I’m thrilled to welcome Andrews McMeel Kids editor Hannah Kimber to the Mixed-Up Files. She is the proud cat mom of Gordo, Kiko, and Pickle. She is also my editor for HART & SOULS. I am so grateful she could tear herself away from work and her fur babies long enough to share her wisdom and publishing insights. 

Let’s do this!  (Meow) 

Lisa: Hi, Hannah! Please tell us a bit about Andrews McMeel Kids.

Hannah: Andrews McMeel is known in the publishing world for its high quality webcomic collections, poetry, and of course a handful of middle grade bestsellers like Big Nate, Phoebe and Her Unicorn, and Trapped in a Video Game. In the last few years we’ve added some amazing titles to our kids’ roster, including Meems and Feefs, Pocket Peaches, Enola Holmes Graphic Novel Series and Cat Ninja. Our kids’ publishing program acts as an extension of our history in newspaper comic syndication: high quality graphic novels that inspire, delight, and make reading fun! In addition to graphic novels, we have illustrated middle grade prose (Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes, Hart & Souls, and the Show Strides series), non-fiction, and younger reader graphic novel formats (Bean the Stretchy Dragon, Birtle and the Purple Turtles, and Kitten Ninja). At Andrews McMeel we hope to connect to the—not necessarily reluctant or hesitant, but—”distracted” reader. 

Lisa: How did you get involved with children’s publishing?

Hannah: I started as an assistant to the Andrews McMeel CEO, Kirsty Melville. This was a really unique position because I got to see the business from the top down. Kirsty is a very hands-on publisher and the team is intimate, so I was able to participate in a variety of meetings and tasks related to publishing on both the editorial and the sales and marketing side. I initially thought I wanted to work in adult publishing, but then I met Erinn Pascal, our fantastic Senior Editor, and working with her convinced me that kidlit was the place to be—it’s meaningful, rewarding, and SO much fun! I love that working in children’s publishing reminds me not to take myself so seriously.

Lisa: What middle grade books inspired you as a child?   

Hannah: I’m peak Millennial, so I have to, of course, say Harry Potter. I remember staying up late, the night before I started a new school. I couldn’t sleep but was immediately comforted by escaping into the world of Harry Potter! I was a big fan of fantasy, so I also loved reading The Chronicles of Narnia, His Dark Materials, and even Lord of the Rings when I was a bit too young to truly take it in, but was excited about the movies coming out (I reread it later in college).

 I had a lot of other one-off books that also inspired me. I loved Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Holes by Louis Sachar, and Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I grew up in Kansas so I also had a particular affinity for the Laura Ingalls Wilder series! I loved anything that was an escape.

Lisa: What middle grade books are you working on now that you’re excited about?

Hannah: I’m doing a lot of graphic novels, which is really fun because my educational background is in art/art history. It’s so fun to not only be stretching my writing muscles all the time, but extending that to visual storytelling and the way that the text and the images work together. I just finished working on a great graphic novel called Life Really Socks about a pair of socks where one “twin” gets lost in a washing machine portal. It’s clever and silly—my favorite!

Lisa: What tips do you have for writers regarding writing and submitting?

Hannah: Don’t give up! But also, don’t linger. Let me explain: Try to remember that publishing and in general the book market is very cyclical. What may be rejected or not sought after for a period of time can also see a resurgence in many ways later down the road. That isn’t to say that we should be repeating things we’ve done in the past, but rather adding new and modern spins to them. If you have a project that continues to get rejected—don’t necessarily give up on it. It’s okay to keep it on the back burner for a while and revisit it later when it may be more viable on the market. And similarly, don’t linger on a project so long that you forget that you have other projects inside of you, too! Keep writing, keep creating, keep being curious and seeing what is out there.

Lisa: What advice would you give to a debut author? Both in terms of writing and working with an editor?

Hannah: In writing and in terms of working with an editor I would say be flexible and open to collaboration! Editors are kind of interesting people because we have to have both the creative side (type B) and the business side (type A). As a fellow creative, I know how vulnerable it can be to put your work out there, and I try to always respect that in the work I do with authors. The business side of me also wants the project to be the best that it can be based on the knowledge I’ve gathered working as an editor, and the knowledge my team brings to the table! I think it is the most fun for both author and editor when the creative process is a respectful collaboration. And I think that creating kidlit should be fun, honestly!

Lisa: What are some under-represented MG topics you’d like to see more of?

Hannah: I think we are lucky to be in a time where people are becoming more cognizant that there has been a lack of topics, themes, or voices on the market. At Andrews McMeel we are constantly striving to make sure that our books do not reflect one world view or theme, and we are also very careful to make sure that a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds work on each of our books to ensure that they are authentic, sensitive, and relatable. That being said, there are still plenty of topics out there that are not being covered by authors! For example, mythology is a very trendy theme but we still see a lot of Greek or Western-centric mythology. I also am loving the recent surge in middle-grade novels-in-verse. It seems like this format can tackle a lot of themes or topics that may be untouched because they are sensitive (i.e. grief, death, bullying, etc.) I think that whatever theme authors are writing about, as long as it is authentic and comes from a sincere place, then there is a place for it out there!

Lisa: What makes your eyes light up and your heart sing when scanning the submissions folder?

Hannah: A proposal that helps me answer the hard questions! Don’t be afraid to position your proposal and envision it on the market. Don’t be afraid to have comp titles or potential BISAC codes! I think some people can be worried about putting labels on their work too soon and having that be a turn off, but publishers are going to change BISACs/positioning ideas/etc. as they see best for the book. As an editor, what I love is when I can see that the author has thought through some of these questions and really knows their work inside and out. Obviously the real work begins when the deal is made, and many of those things can change. But what doesn’t change is my impression that the author is thinking through all of the decisions related to their book!

About Hannah: 

Hannah Kimber has been with Andrews McMeel since 2019. In 2016, Hannah graduated with her MA in English Literature from Saint Louis University in Madrid, Spain. After three years of living and working in Madrid, Hannah moved back to her hometown of Kansas City and started working as a store manager at Barnes & Noble, a dream-come-true for anyone who understands a serious book-buying addiction. While pursuing a role in publishing, Hannah encountered Andrews McMeel—an independent publishing house right in her own backyard. After joining AMU as an assistant to President & Publisher Kirsty Melville, Hannah was able to get a top-down view of the publishing business.

As an editor, she mainly acquires children’s books in the upper middle grade age-range, with the occasional adult humor or comics collection. Hannah also works on licensed projects in both the children’s and adult categories. Middle grade and YA graphic novels and illustrated fiction are always welcome, but she also enjoys projects that play with format and design in interesting ways. Fantasy, adventure, and historical and contemporary fiction are her favorite themes. She appreciates stories told from a fresh perspective.

To learn more, please check out her Manuscript Wishlist .

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Matt De La Pena looking down court with middle grade novel as picture book sets to release

By on September 26, 2024   /   Author Interviews, Fiction  

By Faran Fagen

Acclaimed author Matt De La Pena’s newest picture book, Home, is coming out in March. However, his little-kept secret is that he’s working on his first middle grade novel in many years that comes out in 2026. Matt zoomed in with the Mixed-Up-Files to tell us about his dive into middle grade amid the release of his latest picture book and other adventures.

Q: Where did your travels take you just before this interview?

A: Well, I just visited the Galapagos Islands on family vacation. Just before that, however, I was in author mode at the Juvenile Detention Center in Fresno, California. I had some powerful interactions with young children there. What I found most interesting about that visit was that the children on the inside are even deeper into the reading world than children on the outside. One kid said to me, ‘When I’m in my cell and reading one of your books it’s like I have a TV on inside my head.’ I’ll never forget that.

Q: What’s happening with your latest project, Home, which comes out March 11?

A: My newest picture book, Home, is a follow-up to LOVE, which is also illustrated by Loren Long. I set out to write this book during the pandemic. One of the things I was curious about during this time was what’s important to you when you’re stuck at home. The natural world relates what is ours. Home is the place we live. But the Earth is our home too. Home contemplates the idea that family is home. That’s how we connect to love. The spiritual aspect of home is what’s most important. Over the course of time, love is interrupted by adversity. But home is safe.

Q: Your books are full of metaphors for love and other key elements of our lives. Can you point out a powerful metaphor in Home?

A: A lot of people encounter the possibility of losing their home, whether it’s a natural disaster or losing a job, or other things. Probably the most important metaphor in Home is a big tree just outside the house. The tree is damaged in a severe storm. The neighborhood is rebuilt, but the injured tree remains among new plants and continues to grow. The tree is a symbol of resilience – the resilience of the human population. Home is the intersection of the natural world and the human world.

Q: You have such strong themes in your books, whether it’s love, home or resilience. Even going back to your YA books such as Sticky’s resilience in Ball Don’t Lie. Do you write with the intention of exploring these themes?

A: It’s an accident. Basically, I write each book by thinking ‘what am I most curious about’, and then go on that journey with my character. The ultimate crime in fiction is to let the message outpace the story. It’s more along the lines that my books are the things I’m curious about. This goes back to the idea that authors write about the same things in a different way.

Q: I’m sure our Mixed-Up-Files readers would love to hear about your Middle Grade book coming out in 2026. Can you talk about it?

A: I spent the last one-and-a-half years on this middle grade, and I probably had more fun writing it than any other book. It’s about an eighth-grader whose basketball skills get noticed by a powerhouse program in a distant neighborhood. They want him as the starting point guard, but he has to move in with a new family, away from his rough neighborhood. He has to choose at a young age whether to follow ambition or family, and every chapter explores that decision. The book is about the father and son relationship as well as what it means to be a boy/man. Just about all my books are about class and what it means to be a man, and this is no different.

Q: What’s it like writing middle grade after spending so much time with picture books?

A: I feel like a rookie. I’m learning so much about Middle Grade. What I love is there’s so much depth in Middle Grade even though at times it’s not as edgy as YA.

Q: Speaking of picture books, what was it like promoting Milo Imagines the World on Good Morning America?

A: It was amazing. The coolest thing about it was that I got messages from people outside of the book world. People who knew nothing about the book sent me all sorts of emails.

Q: I know you can’t pick a favorite book of yours, but which one of your books is speaking to you right now?

A: We Were Here is probably my favorite YA of mine right now. Everything I learned in writing Mexican Whiteboy I applied to We Were Here. A couple of moments hit me hard just thinking about them. Like when Mong walks into the water and we see him disappear. Mong wants to be in control of how he dies. It’s so sad. He leaves the message ‘We Were Here’. ‘We Were Here’ explores marginal people and how they want the world to know they exist.

Q: What’s the biggest difference writing Middle Grader as opposed to Young Adult and Picture Book?

A: When you first become an author, some people survive by reading. I wasn’t a huge reader. I came into this world as a writer

 

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first. I often experience books in the world I’m writing for the first time. I’m blown away by the Middle Grade books I’m reading while writing my own Middle Grade. These books make me feel so lucky that I can do this too.

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Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Michael P. Spradlin

By on September 25, 2024   /   Author Interviews  

Today, we’re thrilled to welcome New York Times bestselling author Michael P. Spradlin to the Mixed-Up Files! Michael, who happens to be one of the most prolific authors on Earth–he’s written dozens of books for children, teens, and adults–is here to talk about his latest MG novel, Rise of the Spider, the first of a planned six-book series set in pre-World War II Germany. The novel, praised by Kirkus as “[A] fast-moving, stirring tale….Clear of stance and cogent of theme,” is out now from Margaret K. McElderry Books.

And now, without further ado…

Interview with Michael P. Spradlin

MR: Welcome back to the Mixed-Up Files, Michael! It’s a pleasure to have you here.

MPS: I’m happy to be here! Wherever here is! 🙂

Rise of the Spider: A Summary

MR: Your latest novel, Rise of the Spider, the first in a planned six-book series, is set in pre-World War II Germany during the Nazi Party’s rise to power. Can you tell MUF readers more about the book and its 11-year protagonist, Rolf?

MPS: Rise of the Spider takes place in 1929. Each book–which will feature a different protagonist and examine how the rapid, accelerating change in Germany affects all of them–will be set in a different year, leading up to 1934 and after Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany.

The first book features Rolf Von Huesen who lives in Heroldsberg, Germany, with his father and brother. Rolf’s older brother died in the Great War, and his mother passed during the Spanish Flu right after he was born.

MR: At the beginning of the novel, Rolf suspects that his older brother, Romer, is being courted by the Hitler Youth. What impact does this have on Rolf and the choices he makes throughout the novel?

MPS: Ultimately it nearly tears Rolf apart. Romer is Rolf’s idol, the person who has most taken care of him since his mother died during the Spanish Flu. Romer’s got it all: He’s smart, handsome, and athletic. To see him so easily seduced by Nazi ideology is devastating to Rolf.

The Role of Friendship

MR: While Rolf is struggling with his brother’s involvement in the Hitler Youth—and later, his role in the destruction of Jewish-owned shops in their small Bavarian town—he leans on his outspoken best friend, Ansel, for support. What role does friendship play in the novel? How does it help—and, in many ways, hinder—Rolf’s struggle?

MPS: I’ve been told by many readers and librarians that the central theme of my novels is often the true meaning of friendship. I guess that’s right. In this case, Ansel’s friendship helps by giving Rolf a sounding board. While Ansel is definitely a wiseacre, he is also a good listener. He’s just as puzzled by Rolf at what is happening. Yet he also pushes the envelope and likes poking the bear, which often leads to trouble. But, if nothing else, Ansel is loyal as all heck to his friends.

The Real Heroldsberg

MR: Since the novel takes place in pre-World War II Germany, in a small Bavarian town called Heroldsberg, what sort of research did you do in order to ensure authenticity? I know you traveled to Bavaria, and to Heroldsberg itself. How did the trip deepen your understanding of the historical events fictionalized in your novel?

MPS: I’m obsessed with Heroldsberg! What an idyllic, beautiful, and picturesque place. And like most of Europe it is just dripping with history. Major battles of the Thirty Years War were fought there. Bavaria is just stunning, and every time you turn around you think you are going to see Cinderella’s castle. Being there had a real influence on writing this book. Usually in my historical novels, I’m writing about a place that no longer exists. In this case, I could walk the streets and cobblestones that had been there since the middle ages.

The Long-lasting Impact of WWII

MR: This isn’t your first middle-grade novel set in Nazi-occupied Europe. Into the Killing Seas, The Enemy Above, and Prisoner of War all are set during WWII. What impels you to write about this historical period? What makes it meaningful to you?

MPS: I think it’s because I was deeply affected by the war. I say this because my dad was a veteran. Other than his children being born, I think it had to be the most profound experience of his life and it impacted his beliefs greatly. Notably, his brother was killed in action on Omaha Beach.

I grew up in a small town and every single man within five years of my father’s age had served. They were my teachers, coaches, scout leaders, bosses, and mentors. I know it had an impact on them, and therefore on me. I think my father, a quiet, sensitive man, was greatly influenced by his brother’s death. I think he had horrible survivor’s guilt.

I also believe that World War II is the most transformative event in human history thus far. We are still living with many of its outcomes today. First, it was truly a global conflict with more than eighty countries taking part. In our country, we saw women enter the workforce in large numbers as well as the beginnings of racial desegregation. We also made enormous technological advances in a very short time. While the war was a horrific loss of blood and treasure, it also served to propel humanity forward in many ways.

The Takeaway

MR: What do you hope readers will take away from the series?

MPS: I want them to understand that evil is insidious and can be presented in all kinds of promises and pretty packages. It can also be very hard to spot–especially at the beginning. It can even sound appealing. That’s why it’s important that kids understand how someone like Hitler came to power; how he tailored his message to the those who were disenfranchised by war, poverty and a lack of hope. But all along he was selling a pig in a poke.

Michael’s Writing Routine

MR: Switching gears, let’s talk about your writing routine. Do you have a specific time of the day when you like to write? Any particular writing rituals? Also, what’s the secret to being so prolific? You’ve published a gazillion books! (Well, 33 and counting.)

MPS: By and large, I write mostly at night–but sometimes during the day as well. Usually my computer is open to a manuscript all day and I am sitting down and tapping out a couple of sentences throughout the day.

As for being prolific, it is a blessing and a curse. I have a brain that doesn’t believe in downtime. I’m always thinking about new ideas and new projects, and I always have multiple projects in the works.

Planning and Organizing a Series

MR: As stated above, Rise of the Spider, is the first installment in a planned six-book series. How do you organize the writing process for such a big project? It seems like a herculean task!

MPS: I use a lot of spreadsheets. I keep them for continuity, and correctly spelling character names. And keeping track of physical descriptions. I have general outlines for all six books, but they aren’t strict so if the story takes me in a different, better direction I can adapt.

MR: In addition to MG, you also write picture books, YA, and books for adults, including a volume of haikus about pirates (!). What’s the key to writing books for different age groups? 

MPS: I’m not sure there’s a key. Obviously with kids’ books there are things like language and themes you need to watch out for, but the main goal is to write as well as you can. Kids need to be the hero, and you can’t have them saved by adults at a critical moment. Other than that, I’d say to be honest… and treat your audience with respect.

Lessons from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

MR: Rumor has it that you’re a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. I have questions…

MPS: OMG! DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS? I was never so saddened to learn the truth about what happened to the creator of the show. It was so brilliantly written and acted. But I came to realize that a lot of art throughout history has been created by not so great people. In the case of a movie or television show, it takes far more than the writer to make it work.

Hundreds of people contribute from actors to cinematographers and their contributions also play a key role. I think you can still appreciate it from that perspective. If someone horrible did something behind the scenes, aren’t we further punishing the actors and the hundreds of other people involved in the show who can least afford to be punished by us no longer watching? That’s a rhetorical question. I’m not sure what the answer is. But in a vacuum: BTVS is a great accomplishment by all involved.

MR: What are you working on now, Michael? More books in the Web of the Spider series, I’m guessing?

MPS: Yes, more Web of the Spider books. Then I have a trilogy I’ll be shopping soon, but these books will be my main focus for the next couple of years.

Lightning Round!

MR: And finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Oatmeal schotchie cookie

Coffee or tea? Neither

Cat or dog?  Love both. Own a dog. Allergic to cats

Plotter or Pantser?  Total pantser

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? Um. YES!

Superpower? I can melt an ice cube with my mind. It just takes a while. Also, I can do a killer Sean Connery impersonation, but no one knows who he is anymore.

Favorite place on earth? My house with my family present

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be? Boats. Boats. Boats

MR: Thank you for chatting with us, Michael—and congratulations on the publication of Rise of the Spider!

MPS: Thank you for having me! Watch for The Threat of the Spider coming in summer 25!

Bio

Michael P. Spradlin is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author of the Spy Goddess series, The Youngest Templar series, and the Web of the Spider series, as well as several works of historical fiction, including the Western Heritage Award–winning Off Like the Wind: The Story of the Pony Express. He currently resides in Lapeer, Michigan, with his wife, daughter, and his schnoodle, Sequoia. Learn more about Michael on his website and follow him on X, and Facebook.

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