I’m so honored that DEADWOOD has made it to the second and final voting round of the 2015 SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards. The SCBWI is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and I’m in the Atlantic division (Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland). The Crystal Kites are member-voted awards, and I’m thankful for the support of my SCBWI peers.
If you’re an SCBWI member, vote for books in your division from April 18 – 30.
While everyone in the Northeast is glued to weather reports, it’s the perfect time to announce that my weather-prognosticating picture book will be released in 2016 by Sterling Children’s Books. Here’s the announcement from today’s Publishers Marketplace:
There are no snow storms in my book — Mira Tells the Future is a summery story about a young would-be boardwalk fortuneteller who saves her beach town by using meteorology, instead of clairvoyance, to predict the weather. I’ve had such fun working with my wonderful editor Zaneta Jung on this book, and I can’t wait to see what an illustrator does with it. Thanks always to my agent, Kathleen Rushall, who saw Mira’s potential — I suspect she has a crystal ball of her own.
Think warm thoughts, everyone!
When I was a kid, I won a lot of awards. Now that I’m a grownup, I’ve found that trophies
don’t get handed out just for showing up. Being honored for work is a feeling I nearly forgot. Thus this award for Deadwood means a lot — the silver Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Pre-teen Fiction – Mystery. The Moonbeams are given by the Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher, recognizing books from smaller publishers. My publisher, Spencer Hill Press, made a great showing this year — great company to be in.
Super pleased by a new review for Deadwood from Foreword Magazine! Here’s one of my favorite parts (it’s but hard to choose!):
“…these two strong characters — both of them sporty and clever, with diverse backgrounds — can hold their own. Short chapters amp up the pace and hold attention, bolstering the story’s wild suspense.”
Deadwood is reviewed in the August 2014 issue of School Library Journal, and it’s a good one! I’m so happy to be included.
“…the story is fun and engaging, and the characters have enough depth to make them interesting… budding tree huggers will love the sweet bond that forms between the kids and this unusual personification of Mother Nature.”
I
‘m thrilled to announce that I’ve joined the wise and wild minds of Project Middle-Grade Mayhem, a blog of kids’ writers in a community for readers, teachers, and librarians. I’ve been a long time reader of the site, founded by Hilary Wagner (Nightshade City) books, and I was honored to be invited by exiting member, Dee Garretson (Wildfire Run). I’m sharing my welcome with fellow Mayhemmers Jim Hill (Cape Cod Writers Center) and Joanne Roddy (Jules and the Djinn Master) — good company!
My first post on Project Mayhem will be May 13 — looking forward to sharing some thoughts (once I come up with them).
Spencer Hill Middle Grade has a brand-new webpage, and Deadwood is there! Great resources for readers, librarians, teachers, and bloggers for Deadwood and all Spencer Hill Middle Grade fantasy and scifi titles.
I’ve never before considered the Jacob Javits Center to be a glamorous destination, but this year, it’s on my must-list. I’m very excited that both my book and I will be in New York for Book Expo America this year! I’ll be signing ARCs of DEADWOOD for Spencer Hill in May. I’m looking forward to meeting readers and online friends in person, so stop by and see me, or let me know if you’ll be there and I’ll look for you.
Excited to be speaking with Baldwin School upper school students on Monday, December 9, in Bryn Mawr. I’ll be talking about both writing and the publishing process, which is an epic story on its own. I look forward to meeting the young writers and readers among Baldwin’s thinking girls and accomplished women. Thank you to Jenny Cross for setting up the visit.
At last I can broadcast the news — my second book contract! From Publishers Marketplace:
Kell Andrews’s DEADWOOD, when an ancient tree sends a message through carvings in its bark, seventh graders must break a code and a curse to save their doomed town…because the message isn’t just about the tree, to Jennifer Carson at Spencer Hill Press, by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Giddiness! Relief! Deep breaths!
Wait, did I say this is my second book contract? Yes, but observant readers will notice that this is for my first book, DEADWOOD, published recently by Pugalicious Press.
I took a risk when I accepted a contract from Pugalicious, a brand-new small press. I did it with my eyes open — many small presses fold before their second birthdays, taking books and authors with them. But I trusted the vision and intentions of Pugalicious editors. I was willing to take a chance on them, because I wanted DEADWOOD to have a chance with readers.
And it did — for a little while. Then Pugalicious suddenly closed.
DEADWOOD was out of print. The editors returned my rights swiftly, professionally. No hard feelings — just tender, bruised ones. We had ventured. We had risked. We had fallen short.
So did my bet lose?
Not yet.
My editor, Jennifer Carson, accepted a job at Spencer Hill Press, a rapidly growing independent publisher that has launched New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. And she wanted to take DEADWOOD with her.
By taking a risk and a few detours, I’ve found a home for my book a publisher with great distribution, publicity, marketing, and momentum. Thank you to Jenn and my agent Kathleen for having the patience and flexibility to pull this off.
A new publisher is a gamble, but every move we make in publishing is a gamble — self-publishing, a big advance, a new small press. Every word we put on the page is a tiny risk, if we’re doing it right.
But here’s the funny thing. When you play roulette, if you bet on red but land on black, you lose. But in real life, you might land on a color you’ve never imagined, and it might be just the perfect one. You can win anyway.
I took a chance, and I’m glad I did. Good bet.