Posts Tagged “writing for children”

NEW AGENT: Meet East/West Literary Agent Jim Averbeck

By on October 7, 2024   /   Editor / Agent Spotlight, For Writers  

We are thrilled to welcome Jim Averbeck to the Agent Spotlight on The Mixed-up Files of Middle Grade Authors today. Jim Averbeck is NEW to agenting as of his September announcement, but definitely not to #kidlit. He is looking to represent picture book author/illustrators as well as middle grade and YA authors. The first client to join him was the NYT #1 bestselling, critically acclaimed author Ellen Hopkins. We are excited to hear all about his new venture with East/West Literary Agency. 

 

Welcome Jim. Are you ready for some questions?

ED: Your #kidlit resume includes so many “chapters” –from award-winning author/illustrator/ middle grade author, SCBWI RA, to mentor and conference critiques and editorial feedback. How might these experiences influence your approach to agenting?

Jim Averbeck: Thank you for featuring me today. As a middle grade author, myself, I have always appreciated this blog.

ED Fun fact: Jim’s mg A HITCH AT THE FAIRMONT (Atheneum) is mentioned in a MUF post: https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/cope/

Jim Averbeck: As for your first question, I think the biggest influence on my agenting style will be the mentoring/editorial work I’ve done (and still do) with authors who want to make their manuscript the very best it can be.

I’ve had more than a dozen people thank me on social media for helping them polish their manuscript in a way that resulted in them selling their first book.  They, and many others, have said they are grateful that I was able to see into the emotional heart of their stories and was able to identify the way to bring it to its best. So I hope to bring that ability to my clients.

ED: How important is the query letter? 

 Jim Averbeck: It’s an opportunity to give some insight into what is unique about your story and why you are uniquely suited to write it. But ultimately the work has to shine on its own.

ED: In addition to repping picture book author/illustrators, your E/W Literary announcement states: In middle grade, YA, and graphic novels, Averbeck is interested in science fiction, low or historical fantasy, and literary fiction with memorable, quirky protagonists and steadfast supporting characters who break stereotypes and tropes. Are there published examples that come to mind, or books that you wish you had agented?

Jim Averbeck: Great question! Here ’s a list of published books I like:

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The City We Became by NK Jemisin

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Those books by Laini Taylor about the fierce little fairies (I was super-bummed they didn’t catch on so the series could continue) …

Anything by Neil Gaiman

Anything by Steve Sheinkin

Anything…you know what? How about I just take pictures of my bookcases. Most of what is on them survived the “cull” when I moved 3 years ago, so I probably like the books shown.

Click the photos for an Inside Look at what’s on Jim Averbeck’s shelves!

 

 

Jim Averbeck: As for my TBR pile, I just received a copy of Ellen Hopkins’ latest, SYNC, and can’t wait to dig in.

ED: Claudia, one of the main characters in E.L Konigsburg’s book Mixed Up Files… for which our group is named, is a stickler for grammar. Would you stop reading a submission if it has a few typos, grammatical errors, or misspelled words?

Jim Averbeck: Typos and misspelled words tell me the author is careless so maybe I’d stop if the work wasn’t immediately brilliant. Grammar could have been tossed in service to character or author voice so that probably wouldn’t stop me.  That said, I really hate it when people can’t get lie vs lay straight!  So much so that whenever anyone says “I’m going to lay down” I mentally add “my troubles” to stop from squirming uncomfortably.

ED: Do you plan to notify all who submit to you—both the yays and the nays?

Jim Averbeck: That’s the plan. It would be somewhat rude to leave people hanging. That said, my current system still has a few kinks so it might take a while before it is all running smoothly.

ED: What was your favorite book as a child? What’s on your TBR pile right now? (Besides manuscripts.)

Jim Averbeck: My favorite book as a child was Kathryn Jackson’s and Richard Scarry’s “365 Stories: One for Each Day of the Year”  It’s had a number of titles over the years. I still have the same copy I had as a child – a very worn, very torn copy.

ED: Are you interested in being invited to writer’s conferences?

Jim Averbeck Yes.

ED: And now for the question all our readers have been waiting for: How should authors submit to you? Is there a link?

Jim Averbeck: Folks should go to jimaverbeck.com/agenting. There is a button there for submitting a query, as well as information on what to submit.

Endless Thanks to Jim Averbeck for letting us celebrate his new AGENT hat today.

Wishing you great success, Jim.

Let the querying begin!

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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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Author Spotlight: Ciera Burch

By on September 16, 2024   /   Author Interviews  

Today, we’re thrilled to welcome author Ciera Burch back for her second visit to the Mixed-Up Files! Her sophomore MG novel, Camp Twisted Pine, a paranormal fantasy that mixes thrills, chills, and local legend, is out tomorrow, September 17, from Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Melissa: Hi, Ciera! Welcome back to the Mixed-Up Files. It’s great to have you here again!

Ciera: Great to be back. Thanks so much for having me!

Melissa: The last time we chatted, your MG debut, Finch House, was about to be released. Now you have a second MG, Camp Twisted Pine, launching tomorrow. How have you prepared for the big day? Was the experience similar to—or vastly different from—your debut launch?

Ciera: Ha, yes, time really flies! It’s honestly been so much different this time around. With Finch House, I had a launch event at Politics and Prose {in Washington, D.C.} and so many friends and family members came out, with my friends even coming a few days before and staying over, making a whole event of the weekend up until launch day. This time, I’m doing pretty normal things like going to the dentist and grocery shopping. I’m very glad to have had both experiences, but as an anxious introvert, I’m loving a much more relaxed launch.

Camp Twisted Pine: A Summary

Melissa: Let’s turn our attention to Camp Twisted Pine. Can you give Mixed-Up Files readers your best elevator pitch?

Ciera: Of course! Camp Twisted Pine is about Naomi, a girl who loves nature in theory but isn’t super into experiencing it firsthand, who’s being sent, along with her younger twin brothers, to summer camp in the Pine Barrens, in New Jersey, for the first time as her parents deal with their impending divorce. While she’s there, she realizes that campers have been going missing and that it might be up to her to figure out what’s wrong and to help save them…especially when one of her brothers and her cabinmate (and crush), Jackie, go missing.

Melissa: As you’d mentioned, the novel takes place at a sleepaway camp in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. What made you choose this particular location? Does the area have a special significance for you?

Ciera: I’m from New Jersey, so Jersey has always had a special place in my heart. But the Pine Barrens especially do for being the site of my first and only taste of sleepaway camp, thanks to a field trip I went on in the sixth grade. It’s also a massive swath of protected land in New Jersey that’s super important to the ecosystem and landscape of our state, and I feel like it doesn’t get enough love, especially since it’s said to be home to a mysterious creature…

Back to Nature

Melissa: Along these lines, Camp Twisted Pine has been described as an “eco-fable,” with kudzu that comes alive and other nature-based anomalies. Can you speak more to this?

Ciera: I can! I think we all know at least a bit about climate change and its effects on the world, but we don’t often—myself included—think about other potential threats to nature, of which intrusive plants, like kudzu, are one. Nature provides us with so much and it’s so easy to overlook or not recognize changes in it, but even things that are natural themselves can cause harm to our favorite spaces if we’re not vigilant. There are different native plant species in all regions and to help protect them, we should all strive to learn more about the plants that inhabit the places we call home!

Melissa: As you mentioned, Naomi, the eleven-year-old protagonist of the novel, loves to study nature but isn’t wild about the great outdoors. Is this a trait you share with her?

Ciera: I think it can be! And absolutely was when I was younger. As someone who hates the heat and isn’t a fan of bugs or being itchy, nature and I never seemed to click, especially when my main experience of it, growing up in the suburbs, was going to parks or beaches. But as I got older and traveled more, and moved to D.C, which has a wonderful amount of green space and proximity to even more, I’ve discovered that I do really enjoy nature—the songs of birds and the babbling of creeks, and just the soft rustle of leaves on trees. It’s a nice refresh from the bustle of just living.

I still can’t say I’m a big bug fan, though. I’m a nature girl in the colder months much more than I am in the warmer ones.

Melissa: As a follow-up, Naomi is a logical person who appreciates things that are “real and true and provable.” How does she reconcile this when faced with the possibility of a child-stealing cryptid—aka the Jersey Devil—at camp?

Ciera: Oh, she has a tough time! Stories and facts are in two very different folders in her mind, so the idea that a chimera-like creature can move from the “story” folder to the “fact” folder is a little bit mind bending. It definitely makes her reevaluate her definitions of “real” and whether or not things that are real need proof, or at least tangible proof.

You Gotta Have Friends

Melissa: Friendship is an overarching theme in Camp Twisted Pine. By opening herself up to new friends—including Jackie, who wears a hearing aid and teaches Naomi ASL—Naomi learns more about herself and about her core beliefs. What else were you trying to say about friendship?

Ciera: It can be so hard to make friends, as kids and as adults, and I think it’s especially true when you’re so often in your head like Naomi is. It’s hard to put yourself out there and be vulnerable with people, but being vulnerable, at least a little bit, is a part of human connection, and opening yourself up to others can lead to some really fantastic relationships and experiences.

I also wanted to touch on the fact that people are different. Some people are braver or rasher than others, and some are quieter or take time to think things through. But our differences, while important, aren’t the whole of who we or other people are and shouldn’t be an immutable barrier to friendship or connection.

Melissa: Like your debut novel, Camp Twisted Pine includes spooky, supernatural elements. What draws you to this genre?

Ciera: I just love all things spooky, the things we imagine exist in the dark the second we turn the lights out! And I love thinking about how rich and complex and vast our world is, and the idea that there can be other creatures and worlds just as vast and complex hidden within ours, or in its very seams. There’s so much possibility and excitement in the unknown to me—in the supernatural.

A’ Camping We Will Go!

Melissa: And now for the question on everyone’s mind: Did you attend sleepaway camp as a child? If so, what was your biggest takeaway from the experience? Also, what were your favorite activities? Your least favorite?

Ciera: Yes, and no! As I’d mentioned, the trip I went on in the sixth grade to the Pine Barrens—funnily called Mount Misery—was a week long and we did sleep in cabins and do traditional camp-like things, but it was also still part of school. I did beg my mom (a lot!) to go to an actual sleepaway camp for the summer, especially because I was obsessed with Percy Jackson and Camp Half Blood, but she always refused.

My biggest takeaway from my sixth grade trip, however, was just being in the middle of so much nature. There were no cars around and I could see so many more stars and hear small animals skittering about it. It was a little scary, I’ll admit, but I also felt really, really human for, I think, the first time. Part of the earth and the universe, you know?

I really loved the bonfires and the stories about the Jersey Devil we told while eating s’mores, and taking pictures of everyone and everything, but my least favorite had to be the night hike, because it was long and exhausting and also pretty dark.

Up Next…

Melissa: What are you working on now, Ciera? 

Ciera: I’m currently working on another middle grade! It’s about 13-year-old Olivia who realizes, after her brother comes out and her friends begin to gush about their recent crushes almost constantly, that she doesn’t feel quite the same way as most other people and starts to turn quite literally invisible when no one will listen to her.

Melissa: Before I let you go, I want to circle back to something you’d mentioned in your previous interview: your love of ice cream! Is mint chocolate chip still your favorite or have you added another flavor to the roster?

Ciera: I’ve definitely added another flavor recently and it’s Strawberry Cheesecake!

Lightning Round!

Melissa: Finally, no Mixed-Up Files interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? (besides ice cream) Seaweed!

Favorite camp prank? Turning out the lights on someone in the bathroom!

Best way to roast a marshmallow: Char it to a crisp or brown it slightly? Almost burnt, but not quite! Just brown enough!

Cryptids: Real or imaginary? Definitely real!

Superpower? Teleportation!

Favorite place on earth? My mom’s backyard! She lives right next to the woods and a river and deer hang out all the time.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be? Notebook and pencils (totally counting them as one); a flare gun; a big, light blanket

Melissa: Thank you for chatting with us, Ciera. It a pleasure, and I’m sure MUF readers will agree!

Ciera: Thanks so much for having me again! Happy reading!

About Ciera Burch

Ciera Burch is a lifelong writer and ice cream aficionado. She has a BA from American University and an MFA from Emerson College. Her fiction has appeared in The American Literary Magazine, Underground, Five Points, Stork, and Blackbird. Her work was also chosen as the 2019 One City One Story read for the Boston Book Festival. While she is originally from New Jersey, she currently resides in Washington, DC, with her stuffed animals, plants, and far too many books. Learn more about Ciera on her website and follow her on Instagram.

Melissa Roske is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines, selected jokes for Reader’s Digest (just the funny ones), and received certification as a life coach from NYU. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge), Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman). Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on  Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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