SCBWI WWA: Year in Review and What's Coming Up!

Greetings Western Washington SCBWI –

As the 2017-18 programming year comes to a close, we want to share a recap of last year’s events, coordinated by your very own Advisory Committee and Super Volunteers. Our chapter receives zero funds from SCBWI Headquarters; our programming and activities are fully self-supporting and volunteer-run, making our offerings that much more impressive! The recap below reveals the depth of free programming in our region, as well as our expanded programming outside of Seattle proper. We are so proud of our chapter’s direction.

For next year’s programming, watch for even more free and low-cost programming, vibrant Networks, and the inclusion of webinars as part of our Passport programming. We hope webinars will increase opportunities for our members to get work under the nose of industry professionals.

Come August, be sure to check your email inbox and our Facebook group for notification about open registration for outstanding events we’ve planned, including an upcoming New Member Orientation on September 8, led by Jolie Stekly; a Passport webinar on September 18, featuring agent Lauren Spieller from TriadaUS Literary Agency; and, on October 13, our first meeting of the year, this one held at Seattle Public Library Downtown branch, featuring Tiffany Liao, Editor at Henry Holt for Young Readers.

For now, enjoy this recap (below) of last year’s events, relish every moment of our brief and glorious summer, and plan to return in the fall, refreshed and ready to dig into another jam-packed year of industry and craft-related events with your fellow kidlit writers and illustrators!

Fondly,
Holly Huckeba & Julie Artz, Co-Regional Advisors


2017-18 WESTERN WASHINGTON EVENT REPORT

The Passport Meeting Series branched out (from Seattle proper) into the Eastside Seattle Metro area. We held nine monthly meetings total, with speakers ranging from local talent (Sean Petrie, Mark Maciejewski, Michèle Griskey, Megan Kelso, Laura Moe, David Lasky, a panel of kidlit librarians from our region) to literary legends (Rosemary Wells) to industry professionals (Liz Kossnar, Simon & Schuster; Harold Underdown). Additionally, we featured a special monthly meeting in May: Illustrator Videos and Q&A with Michaele Razi and Karen Lewis. The Passport Meeting Series also included the following add-on events: Master Class by Liz Kossnar; Master Class by Harold Underdown; consultations for a limited number of SCBWI members with Liz Kossnar, Harold Underdown, and Rosemary Wells.

Three Illustrator Art Shows: Keep It Simple Silly (KISS) Art Show was shown at our monthly meeting and promotional materials were collected from illustrators at the exhibit to give to editor Liz Kossnar; Tell Me A Story, illustrator exhibit at University House Issaquah. ~50 illustrators exhibited; Drawn to Books, illustrator exhibit at Seattle City Hall. 45 illustrators exhibited.

The Mentorship Program is a new offering for our region and was a huge success, earning it a second round for next programing year! Eight mentors chose 14 mentees with whom they worked on polishing manuscripts (PB, MG/YA, & NF) for a 6-month period. We will continue to offer scholarships to diverse writers/illustrators that covered the entire cost of the program.

Five Nonfiction events drew a mix of published and pre-published authors.

Two Inside Story events, each drawing approximately 100 people.

This year, our annual retreat, Weekend on the Water, shifted away from an emphasis of connecting attendees with industry to focusing purely on the creative process and craft. For the first time, we combined programming for both writers and illustrators, beginners as well as published authors. Attendees were urged to dig deeply into the creative process and explore life-work-art balance.

Our region held a first-ever Publishing Bootcamp with local agents, editors, and art directors. The day included a panel-style Q&A, break-out sessions, two sessions of Four Minutes of Fame roundtables, and a query/first page read-aloud that was both fun and full of learning opportunities.

This year, we launched a popular new program, the Critique Group Roadshow. Two local members -- Mark Maciejewski and Donna Matney -- traveled to more than a half dozen venues around our region offering a brief introduction to their techniques for critique group success and a two-hour live critique for participants. Several critique groups have already formed as a part of this exciting program!

Our new Eastside Network events were highly successful! Attendees meet for four Nanowrimo Write-Ins in November, and three Craft Book Club meetings, including one where Cheryl Klein joined our group via Skype to answer questions about her craft book!

Island Network events included monthly meetings held immediately after the Langley Art Walk. In addition to monthly meetings, members met for book sharing and planning. Also: First Saturday Authors; Children’s Book Creators Meet & Greet; Kidlit Ideas Workshop; Twitter Talk & Tweet; Anne Belov Studio Tour; Bob Brunjes’ presentation on creating comic strips.

Northern Network monthly meetings included: Ideas Night; Agent Talk; Storyboards and Dummies; Critique session; Write-In/Draw-In; Books We Love; In the Beginning: Best First Lines; Sip & Scribe; Using Mentor Texts to Inform Our Writing/Art; Bring & Brag WIP.

South Sound Network monthly meetings included: How to perfect your query letter like Query Shark; Self Pub talk with Kiki Hamilton; Success Story: Jennifer Shaw Wolf; Write-In/Draw-In; Show & Tell : WIP/Dummy First Pages; Breaking down your first chapter; Character Night : Introduce us to your main character; Tips on how to edit your first draft; How to market your self pub; Summer Write-In/Draw-In; Summer Write-In/Draw-In; Critique-nic.

Peninsula Network events included: Coffee and Characters at Velocity Café; Kidlit Sunday in the Park with Pencil (or Pen); First Wednesday of the Month Social; Writer Talk with Karen S. Robbins at the Charles Pink House in Port Townsend.

Postcards for Immigrant Children

Want to send a postcard from a prominent illustrator with an encouraging message to immigrant children separated from their families? Print out one of these, draw or buy one and write a message that they are not alone and send to the Unaccompanied Alien Children program in the office of Refugee Resettlement

UAC/ORR Program, Attn: Cards for Kids, 330 C Street, SW, 5th floor, Washington, D.C. 20201.

Raising our Voices #cardsforkids

Here’s a link to more information about the efforts of author Julie Burstein and Pippin Properties Creative Director Holly McGhee. Thanks to Dana Sullivan for the heads up.

Here is sample text, translated into Spanish by Maria Victoria.

You’re in our hearts

Estás en nuestros corazones
¡Tú! (inside the heart)

You have friends
Tu tienes amigos 

your friends in Washington State
Tus amigos en el estado de Washington

Dear Friend, please know that the people of the United States welcome you and hope you are soon back with your family. Keep up your courage and remember you have friends thinking of you!
fondly, Dana

Plural: Queridos amigos, los ciudadanos (can also use “la gente”) de los Estados Unidos les damos la bienvenida y deseamos que muy pronto puedan reunirse con sus familias. ¡Manténganse fuertes y recuerden que tienen muchos amigos pensando en ustedes!
Con cariño, your name

Singular: Querido amigo, los ciudadanos (or “la gente”) de los Estados Unidos te damos la bienvenida y deseamos que muy pronto puedas reunirte con tu familia. ¡Mantente fuerte y recuerda que tienes muchos amigos pensando en ti!  
Con cariño, your name

Translated by Maria de Lourdes Victoria

New Authors Guild Seattle Chapter Reception

You are invited to a kick-off event celebrating the new Seattle Chapter of the Authors Guild!

Sunday, July 29
2–4 p.m.
Seattle Public Library
University Branch
5009 Roosevelt Way NE


Please RSVP here by Friday, July 27.


Hello, fellow authors.

Following up the results of our recent survey—my thanks to the many who responded—I’m delighted to announce the first meeting of the Seattle chapter of the Authors Guild. We’ll be gathering Sunday, July 29, from 2–4 p.m. at the University branch of the Seattle Public Library, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, convenient to I-5. Our featured speaker will be William Kenower, memoirist, writing coach, and a gifted, impassioned teacher.

If you’ve ever seen Bill at work, you’ll know what I mean; if you haven’t, you have a treat in store. His theme will be “Marketing for Authors Who Hate to Market,” and his presentation will take about an hour, leaving time to socialize and enjoy refreshments.

More than a few of you commented that you’ve been waiting for a group like ours to take shape. So have I, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

If you think you’ll come July 29, I’d love an RSVP, so we know about how many people to expect. Hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Larry Zuckerman
Chair, Seattle Chapter, Authors Guild
seattlechapter@authorsguild.org

P.S. Many of you asked for information on forthcoming conferences in our area. See below:

Port Townsend Writers Conference, July 15-22, 2018, Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, WA 

Rivers of Ink, August 17-18, Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland, WA

Poets on the Coast, a Writing Retreat for Women, September 7-9, 2018, La Connor, WA

Pacific Northwest Writers Conference: September 13-16, 2018, DoubleTree Hotel Sea-Tac Airport

LiTFUSE Poets’ Workshop, September 28-30, 2018, Tieton, WA (near Yakima)

Write on the Sound, October 5-7, 2018, Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main Street, Edmonds, WA

Emerald City Writers Conference, Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America, October 26-28, 2018, Bellevue, WA

Meet Our 2018-2019 Mentors: Picture Book Text AND Illustration!

Meet our mentors from our Mentorship Program 2018-2019

      Here’s what Picture Book Text and Illustration Mentors, Kevan Atteberry and Laura McGee Kvasnosky, have to say.

                                        

Tell us a little bit about what you are working on now and your current projects.

Kevan: I am a writer and illustrator of over a dozen books for children. Some of them award-winners. After several books I’d illustrated for other writers under my belt, my first book I both penned and illustrated, BUNNIES!!!, came out. I am currently working on a book that comes out next year. It is completely different than anything I’ve ever done before and it has been challenging for me. But I’m thrilled with how it is turning out.

Laura: My sister Kate McGee and I are finishing the illustrations for SQUEAK, so my studio is papered with photos of animals and the landscape of Yellowstone. The story follows a cause-and-effect alarm clock that wakens the animals early early before the sun is up. I am drawing realistic mice, chipmunks, trout, elk, eagles, bears, wolves, big horned sheep, bison and 12 other animals. This is a big challenge since I have illustrated most of my books in a fanciful way (i.e. foxes in clothes). Thank God for google image search. SQUEAK is scheduled to come out from Philomel in Spring 2019. Kate and I first collaborated on LITTLE WOLF’S FIRST HOWLING, Spring 2017. I love making books with her.

How does being a mentor influence and inform your work and why do you do it?

Kevan: 
 Being a mentor allows me to step back a little in my career. It is easy to get jaded and assume all knowledge is known and forget about how getting to every milestone is a journey. The ability to share with someone working the same or similar path as me is motivating and a little exciting.

Laura: I started toward my dream of creating children’s books when I turned 40 – that was 27 years ago.  Ten years into it, I was a founding teacher in the UW Extension certificate in Writing for Children program. A year after that I taught the first of what were 10 winter semesters in Vermont College’s Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program. I signed on to be a SCBWI mentor because I miss the freshening that mentoring brings too my own work; the way it helps me meet what I know in a new way and make new discoveries. I love to see new stories and talent and help nurture it along. Also, I have received so much from SCBWI and want to give back.

What are some challenges you have encountered in your writing/illustration journey? How did you manage to survive through them and achieve success?

Kevan: The biggest challenges for my writing and illustrating career has been, predictably, financial. Very few folks in this industry make a living solely creating books. But fortunately, there are other venues. I’ve been just lucky and successful enough not to need a “day job.” And I can supplement my publishing income with school visits and conference opportunities.

Laura: Challenges: believing in my work, hanging in there, riding the ups and downs of the industry and life. My critique group and a supportive husband and family as well as wonderful mentors and fellow writers have helped keep me on course.

What advice would you give to your beginner self who is just starting out to make a creative career? 

Kevan: Do what you want to do—writing and/or illustrating—a lot. I mean a whole lot. Do it when you don’t have something in particular to work towards. I tell illustrators to always have a sketch book and pencil with them, and SKETCH. At a restaurant, in a waiting room, at the DMV, while watching TV, for crying out loud! This is something I’ve had to relearn myself and remind myself to do as, over the years, I became more and more of a digital artist. Writing is similar. Write. And then write some more—with or without something to actually write about. Even writing about nothing and without intention is going to help you. Pick up a favorite picture book and type (or write) out the whole story. See how it looks on paper, where the highs and lows are, how the arc flows. And finally, read. Read the kind of books you want to make. Lots of ‘em.

Laura: Go for it! Sing your own song. Remember how you love the process. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master anything. Be patient and put in the hours. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Listen to your inner self. Listen to the work itself. Join SCBWI. Take classes. Get a critique group.

            For more details of the mentorship program check here.

Kevan Atteberry is a writer and illustrator of award-winning children’s books. Before breaking into picture books —a lifetime goal of his—he spent decades running a graphic design studio, owning a greeting card company, and toying with fine art. . His books include, Bunnies!!!, Puddles!!!, and the recently released I Love You More than the Smell of Swamp Gas. Among books he has illustrated for others are Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson, Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett, and Frankie Stein by Lola Schaefer.
But Kevan’s biggest claim to fame may be creating Clippy the Paperclip, the Microsoft Word helper. At one point it was annoying hundreds of millions of people a day. He finds an odd kind of pride in this…

Laura McGee Kvasnosky is an award-winning author/illustrator of 18 picture books, best known for her series about fox sisters Zelda and Ivy. The eponymous original won dual SCBWI Golden Kite honors and Zelda and Ivy the Runaways won the ALA’s Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. Laura’s newest book, Little Wolf’s First Howling, illustrated with Kate McGee, debuted to three starred reviews, followed by numerous “best books of 2017” listings and the Margaret Wise Brown Honor. Laura was a founding instructor of the UW’s certificate in children’s writing program and taught nine semesters at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She co-founded the SCBWI’s “Inside Story” salon for new books.

Meet Our 2018-2019 Mentors: Young Adult!

Meet our mentors from our Mentorship Program 2018-2019

Here’s what our Young Adult Mentors – Jillian Anderson Coats, Kelly Jones and Kevin Emerson have to say.

Tell us a little bit about what you are working on now and your current projects.

Jillian: My newest book, R is for Rebel, came out in February and deals with coercion and resistance in a fictional occupied country. Both books I’m working on now have sold but have not yet been formally announced, so it’s still hush-hush for the time being. One is middle-grade, one is YA, and both are historical or historically-flavored secondary worlds.

Kelly: Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken? (the sequel to my middle grade novel Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer) is coming out November 2018 from Knopf Books for Young Readers (look for the launch at Third Place Books Lake Forest Park!) I’m getting ready to revise my fourth book, tentatively called Sauerkraut, about a kid who’s haunted by the ghost of his great-great-grandmother, who needs his help with a project. And, while I’m waiting for edits, I’m playing with even more ideas…

Kevin: I am wrapping up revisions on the third book of the CHRONICLE OF THE DARK STAR trilogy, a middle grade sci-fi series. The first book, LAST DAY ON MARS, continues to reach more and more readers. I’m so thrilled with the traction the series is getting, and I cannot wait to bring this final installment to readers, though it has been very tricky to wrap up the various character and plot arcs. Also, I’m getting ready to launch ANY SECOND, a contemporary YA thriller, which comes out in November. This story stars two teens recovering from an attempted suicide bombing at their Seattle mall, and uncovering a copycat plot at their school. It’s a deep dive into a lot of harrowing issues that surround us these days, like domestic terrorism, intolerance, and school violence, but it’s also a deep personal dive into living with anxiety and recovering from trauma. That makes it sound heavy, I know, but so far I’ve been pleased that early readers describe it as fast-paced and un-put-downable.

How does being a mentor influence and inform your work and why do you do it?

Jillian: Being a mentor reminds me how each person brings different strengths to the writing process, regardless of how many books they have out or how long they’re been writing, which means we can all learn from each other. Many talented people took the time to offer me advice, solidarity, and feedback when I was developing my craft, and I hope I can do the same for someone else.

Kelly: When I was a kid, I knew I loved writing, but I never met an author, and had no idea how I could become one. At every stage of my career, I’ve looked for people who might help me figure things out – not just how to write, but how to live a writing life that would be both productive and happy, where I could stretch and grow and imagine, not just worry about proper semicolon usage and live in fear of dangling participles. People who remind me why I do this, not just how to do it.

Every time someone helped me along the way, I promised to pay it forward. And whenever I’m able to help someone else, that’s what I ask in return.

Kevin: I enjoyed getting to step into the role of editor, and trying to learn from the editorial that I’ve received over the years. It has been a valuable and informative exercise to break down story from the outside. And it’s so fun to brainstorm and problem solve about plot, character, and craft, and to see a story improve.

What are some challenges you have encountered in your writing/illustration journey? How did you manage to survive through them and achieve success?

Jillian: One of my biggest challenges has been a constant feeling that I’m behind everyone else and struggling to make up lost ground. In the past, I spent way too much time comparing myself to other writers, and I’ve put a lot of effort into following my own path instead of being hard on myself for not having achieved more sooner.

Kelly: So many challenges!! So much hiding and licking my wounds, often for years at a time. The easy answer is that every time I sent my work out into the world, it was met by challenges. And, every time I met a challenge, it was other writers and readers that pulled me through to the other side. They knew why it mattered. They’d been there before. They thought it was worth doing anyway.

One example is my second book, the young adult historical fantasy Murder, Magic, and What We Wore. I started that book in 2005, worked on it until 2008, queried widely, received mostly form rejections. Except for one revision request, from an agent I really wanted to work with. She loved the world, but thought it would be a much better plot if I turned it into a romance.

I emailed a writer friend, practically in tears. I’d put so much work into this book, and I wanted this next step so badly!

My writer friend wrote back, and reminded me of all the times I’d told her that the entire reason I’d written this book was to write a girl spy story that was about work, not love – that wasn’t a romance. Her reminder of my own words, not her feelings on my goal, and her perspective gave me the courage to step away and say thank you, but no.

That book sat in a drawer until 2014, after my first book had been published, when I needed another idea. I pulled it out, saw how terrible the draft was (despite So Many Revisions before!), and ended up rewriting the idea from scratch. My editor loved the new version, and was perfectly fine with it not being a romance; it was published in 2017.

It wasn’t easier to rewrite an idea than to write a new one. But I’m so proud of myself for staying true to the heart of that story, even though it added a good five years to my journey to publication.

Kevin: Over ten years and eighteen books I think I’ve had nearly every problem you can have: bad covers, lack of publisher support, wayward drafts that required heavy rewrites and delayed pub dates, editor changes mid-production, rejections-rejections-rejections, the whole Goodreads thing, lame events, lame events where I spent a lot of money to get there, lame events where I was made to feel like a total unknown, remaindered books, fighting to not get a book cancelled… the biggest cost of all of these was to my sense of self confidence and self worth. I’ve learned that self-care is really important. Also, while I was good enough to get published way back when, one of the reasons my books are doing better now is that I am writing better books. I had to get better not just at the business side, but at craft. I hope I’m still getting better. But through everything, I have been able to keep the whole thing in perspective: no one owes you anything. Getting a book published is a significant achievement in its own right, regardless of how the book sells. Any readers who contact you, or good reviews you get, really are special fortunate things, and need to be weighed just as heavily as the disappointments, ideally more so. Also, one of the biggest reasons why I have been able to keep this perspective is my family of author colleagues and pals. It’s important to seek out community, your tribe of people who feed your soul and support you, and you do the same for them. It’s not easy, as writers are mostly reclusive by nature. But when you find those people who are right for you, you really need to nurture those relationships. It makes you all better, and happier.

What advice would you give to your beginner self who is just starting out to make a creative career?

Jillian: I would encourage baby writer me to become more involved in the writing community earlier on. When I was starting out, I had a serious case of imposter syndrome, and I didn’t feel like I would be welcome around “real” writers or taken seriously until I had a publishing contract and a book of my own. All I did was deprive myself of potential mentors, good advice, and solid friendships, as well as a community of people who faced similar struggles and celebrated similar joys.

Kelly: To find friends who are also serious about doing creative work. Most of my good friends in the creative world weren’t published when I met them – we figured it out together, and we continue to support each other. It isn’t just those further down the path who can show you the way. And, even introverts like me really need friends and colleagues who understand why a perfectly nice email can make you jump for joy, or sob with despair.

Also, to pick at least one person in your life whose job is only to be your cheerleader, without any constructive feedback whatsoever. My partner and my mom have strict instructions not to tell me what they really think. I only want to know that they believe I can do it, no matter how hard it is. That way, someone else believes it, even when I don’t.

Kevin: I would advise my debut-author self to hustle four times as hard at self-promotion, networking, and making connections with librarians, booksellers, and other authors. I caught on to that eventually, but in the beginning, I sort of thought that my publisher would take care of it. By the time I realized that they wouldn’t, it was too late. Also, like I said above, seek out other writers who you connect with. Also, most of the authors I know who have actually made writing their full time career are writing in more than one genre or for more than one age group. They work on their own ideas but also seek out chances for collaboration, work for hire, and so on. They pitch and submit on proposal and usually have more than one thing under contract at once. You can never predict how a book is going to sell, so it’s important not to bank on the back end. If that ends up working out, it’s a bonus.

For more details of the mentorship program check here.

Jillian Anderson Coats is the author of The Wicked and the Just, one of Kirkus’s Best Teen Books of 2012, a 2013 YALSA Best for Young Adults (BFYA) winner, and a School Library Journal Best Books of 2012 selection. It also won the 2013 Washington State Book Award for Young Adults. Her newest book is R is for Rebel, a middle-grade novel about coercion and resistance in a reform school in a fictional occupied country. She is also the author of The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming, a 2017 Junior Library Guild selection and one of Kirkus’s Best Historical Middle-Grade Books of 2017.

Kelly Jones worked as a librarian and a bookseller before becoming an author. Her first book, the middle grade contemporary fantasy Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, was an Indies Introduce Pick, an ALA Notable Book, an SLJ Best Book, and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book. Her second book, the YA Regency fantasy Murder, Magic, and What We Wore, made the 2018 Amelia Bloomer List of the best feminist books for young readers and received a starred review from School Library Journal. You can find her at her website: www.curiosityjones.net, or on Twitter and Instagram: @curiosityjones.

Kevin Emerson is the author of numerous middle grade and YA novels, including the Chronicle of the Dark Star series, and the forthcoming ANY SECOND. His recent release, LAST DAY ON MARS received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, and was selected for ALA’s LITA List for science fiction and the TLA Lone Star List. Kevin is a former K-8 science teacher and teaching artist with Writers in the Schools and Richard Hugo House. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial. Learn more at http://www.kevinemerson.net/