Where the wild books are

Attention, YA writers, bloggers, and teen-reading enthusiasts!

The 6th annual Operation Teen Book Drop/Rock the Drop celebration in honor of YALSA's (Young Adult Library Services Association) Support Teen Lit Day is coming up on April 17.

Here's the deal: Writers, librarians, educators, readers, and other bookish people are encouraged to "drop" a YA novel somewhere in the wild for a lucky reader to discover and enjoy, then tweet about it with the hashtag #rockthedrop to keep the enthusiasm going.


In honor of the seventh anniversary of the founding of readergirlz, we’ve teamed with Justine Magazine and I Heart Daily in directing participants to seven worthy literacy philanthropies that would benefit from a donation in honor of Support Teen Lit Day.


How can you participate?


1. Check out http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/p/operation-teen-book-drop.html to snag a banner and bookplate you can use to help spread the word. (Please note that the previous years' banners are up on the blog, so make sure the date reads 2014!)

2. Visit our Facebook page to add any favorite literacy philanthropies of your own.

3. On April 17, visit the readergirlz blog, download an adorable 2014 bookplate, and stick it in the YA book/s of your choice.

4. "Drop" the book/s someplace public for some lucky reader to find!

5. Snap a picture of your book/s in the wild, and tweet or post to our Facebook page with the hashtag #rockthedrop (and we're always on the lookout for any dropped books found by others).

It's fun! It's sneaky! It's putting great reads into the hands of unsuspecting readers, who could be changed from the experience with a story or a character! It's what reading is all about: spreading those words far and wide!

Bear-y good news

Anne's pandas, from her site http://yourbrainonpandas.wordpress.com

Whidbey Island artist Anne Belov writes with some great news to share. Her wordless picture book, Pandamorphosis, will be published by Booktrope around mid-April. "In time for International Panda Day!" she says. "Who knew there was such a thing?" Anne's other panda-tastic title are part of her Panda Chronicles, which you can check out on her blog. For more information, click on her Amazon author page.

Congratulations, Anne!

Illustrator alert: PB design

David Mackintosh, the author/illustrator of The Frank Show, Marshall Armstrong Is New to Our School, and the new Standing in for Lincoln Green, has some great tips on picture book design here.

— Contributed by Suzanne Kaufman

Character workshop later this spring

Member Lois Harris will teach a two-part children's writing workshop called "Focusing on Character" in late April. Characters play an important role in both fiction and nonfiction, and she says participants will learn to create real, compelling main characters and secondary characters who support their performance. Resources, marketing, and submission information will also be covered.

Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon Campus
April 23 and April 30, 2014, 6:30 to 8 PM

Get more information (look for 6103, CENGL 055).

Short attention span?

Interested in short stories? Check out this class taught by member Lois Brandt:

Writing Short Stories from First Sentence to Submission 
Bellevue College Continuing Education
Tuesday evenings, April 15 – June 3
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.       

Lois says, "This is an intensive eight-session class. Each student is expected to write approximately 2,000 – 7,000 words a week and produce a portfolio of 2 – 5 short stories." The agenda includes constructive criticism, revision, and submission. Get more information or email Lois (at) LoisBrand.com with specific questions about whether this class might be right for you.

Conference faculty profile: Alexandra Penfold

Alexandra Penfold, agent with Upstart Crow Literary and a former editor, will be speaking at SCBWI Western Washington's 23rd Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children conference, which will be held April 12-13, 2014, at the Marriott Redmond Town Center. (Get registration info.) She'll also be  leading one of four master classes at pre-conference events on Saturday.

Alexandra has been working in publishing for nearly a decade. Formerly an editor at Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, she specializes in young picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult. Some of the last books she edited were Cat’s Night Out, Warning: Do Not Open This Book!, and a local favorite, Elizabeth Rose Stanton's Henny.

Prior to becoming an editor, Alexandra was a children's book publicist. She’s also the co-author of New York a la Cart: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple's Best Food Trucks, and she's looking to take on select lifestyle and cooking projects in addition to children’s books. Read about her cookbook and interest in food or about her taste in books.

Skype solution?

Member Suzanne Selfors says, "Here's an article I wrote regarding children's authors, independent bookstore, and Skype book sales, in case other SCBWI members might be interested!"

Tired of sulking in the rain?

Author Leslye Walton reads from her new book from Candlewick, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, on Friday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m. at the Secret Garden Bookshop in Ballard. Leslye is a PNW native whose book tells the magical realist story of a girl born with birds' wings. About the author the publicity materials say, "She has developed a strange kinship with the daffodil — she too can achieve beauty only after a long, cold sulk in the rain. Her debut novel was inspired by a particularly long sulk in a particularly cold rainstorm spent pondering the logic, or rather, lack thereof, in love."

Inside Story: save the date!

Mark your calendars for May 6 and plan to attend our Spring Inside Story at Mockingbird Books to get the scoop on all the latest titles from our prolific region. (We'll let you know soon when and how to apply, if you have a new title out or soon coming.)

Launch event for Beyond the Door

Celebrate the release of Maureen McQuerry's Beyond the Door (Abrams/Amulet) at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park this Saturday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. The Mossyback Morris Men will be special guests, and there'll also be dancing, cupcakes, good times.

The book is the first in her Time Out of Time series. VOYA says, "In this page-turner, coming-of-age fantasy, twelve-year-old Timothy, his thirteen-year-old sister Sarah, and twelve-year-old Jessica, a school bully, are pulled into an ancient mythological battle between the Light and the Dark... a highly recommended addition to any middle school collection."

Nomination period for Crystal Kite begins

It's official! The submission period is now open for the annual Crystal Kite Awards! You have between March 18 and March 26 to nominate your book for this auspicious award, so hop to it! Voting begins in April, and the winners in each chapter are announced in May.

To register your book for consideration, click here.

Graphic arts guild workshop

Our own Kevan Atteberry will present a Graphic Artists Guild Workshop on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 from noon to 1:30 p.m. The topic is "Just Make It Work," and he says, "This is a crazy industry with wild fluctuations in what works and what doesn't, mostly at the whim of people you'll never meet. Pursue what brought you here and what you love about this business, and make it work."

The event will be held at the Seattle Design Center, Suite 292. Get more information or register.

Conference faculty profile: Justin Chanda

Justin Chanda, vice president and publisher of the three flagship children's  imprints at Simon and Schuster (S&S), recently edited Battle Bunny and the Caldecott honor book Creepy Carrots, among others. In addition to speaking at SCBWI Western Washington's 23rd Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children conference, which will be held April 12-13, 2014, he will be leading one of the pre-conference master classes. (Get registration info.)

Justin joined the editorial staff at S&S in 2005 after an eight-year stint at HarperCollins. A graduate of New York University, he was named publisher of S&S Books for Young Readers in 2007 and of McElderry Books and Atheneum Books for Young Readers as well in 2009. He annually oversees the publication of 250 titles ranging from the youngest picture book to the edgiest YA. He is keenly interested in publishing books that are equal parts commercial and literary, books that make a contribution to the tradition while truly entertaining kids.

Aside from having the honor of working with the best editorial staff in the industry, he also has the opportunity to edit some of its best talent, including the likes of Jon Scieszka, Loren Long, Kenneth Oppel, Patricia MacLachlan, Peter Brown, Michael Ian Black, Karma Wilson, Dan Krall, Mike Lupica, and Morgan Matson and Debbie Ohi (whom he discovered at SCBWI in Los Angeles). He's been a board member for the Children’s Book Council and is an adjunct instructor for the NYU Graduate Publishing Program. He also recently added publisher of SAGA press, a new adult sci-fi and fantasy imprint, to his resume. While away from the office, he tends a skyfarm on his rooftop in Brooklyn.

Read a great tale about his editorial work on the hilarious Battle Bunny, by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, or this mini-interview containing Justin's advice to aspiring picture book writers. Follow him on twitter at @jpchanda or on facebook.

Heads up, Eastside...it's kid lit drink time!

Coming soon...to a conference near you! Our annual pre-conference Kid Lit Drink Night, on the site of our annual hootenanny. Come to network, come to relax, or come and be glad there are others in your tribe of kid-lit creators.


NOTE: This event is open to EVERYONE, even if you aren't attending the conference. Live on the Eastside, and can't ever get to those pesky Seattle Kid Lit Drink Nights? This one's for you. And you. And you. And you, etc.....


Mark those calendars, because April will be here before you know it! Cheers!

Because writers are the ones who can fill the gap

Two new opinion pieces in the New York Times, the first by Christopher Myers and the second by Walter Dean Myers, thoughtfully renew discussion regarding the glaring gap of characters of color in children’s literature. Both are well worth a read.

— Contributed by Kjersten Anna Hayes

Roundtable faculty profile: Mandy Hubbard

Mandy Hubbard is a Tacoma-based literary agent for D4EO Literary, where she represents authors of middle-grade and YA fiction. She is also the author of Prada & Prejudice, You Wish, But I Love Him, and a number of other YA novels. In her blog, Mandy shares that she writes under her own name, as well as the pseudonym Amanda Grace. And that she grew up on a dairy farm in Enumclaw. And that after she first read a Regency romance, The Bride's Necklace, she was hooked on period literature and all the royal trimmings.

Mandy was a featured speaker during our Professional Series Meetings last year, discussing her take on trends in YA and middle-grade books, and she will be a stellar addition to our upcoming conference as a Roundtable faculty. As both a writer and an agent, she will certainly be able to view your work through two lenses. 

For an overview of Mandy's tastes and opinions, as well as a history of interviews and agent-related blog posts, please see this feature spotlighting her as an agent.

Roundtable faculty profile: Kathleen Ortiz

Kathleen Ortiz, an agent at New Leaf Literary & Media, joins our fray as a roundtable critique leader on Saturday, April 12, as part of our pre-conference opportunities. Kathleen is the director for subsidiary rights, which means she deals with audio and translation rights for her clients' work.

Her client list is primarily YA, and within that scope she particularly likes strong world-building, according to the agency website. In the agent spotlight Literary Rambles, Kathleen indicates that she's pulled toward darker YA projects, such as paranormal and dystopian subjects. In her blog, Kathleen lists her small but well-rounded client list, which includes visual artists and authors.

She's sought after for many conferences all over the country, and recently attended the 2014 Missouri Writers Guild conference, which blogged her appearance. So take note, before you show her those 500 words!

Master your craft!

Our Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference in April is barely a month away, and the seats are filling fast! Remarkably, there's still a seat or two available in nearly all of our 3-hour master classes on Saturday, April 12. First come, first served for these hands-on workshop opportunities:

• Character, Character, Character with associate art director Lauren Rille
• Drawing from Experience with illustrator Renata Liwska (who will be joined by special guest instructor Nina Laden!)
  
• The Art of Picture Book Pacing with agent Alexandra Penfold
• You've Got a Contract; Now What? with publisher Justin Chanda

See more details about each workshop and prices. If you're already registered for the conference, add a master class by using the link in your confirmation email to modify your registration. And if you're not, you can register for the whole shebang at the link above.

Last chance to submit your 2013 books for the Crystal Kites

PAL members who haven't yet added their 2013 publications to their profiles at scbwi.org still have a few days to do so and flag them for inclusion in this year's Crystal Kite awards, our SCBWI peer awards. Hit up scbwi.org for details.

Voting for the awards, which are given by broad geographical region, is expected to begin in early April. We'll let you know. In the meantime, you still have time to read all our region's latest titles. Ask your local indie bookseller for help. And congratulate Kim Baker, the 2013 winner for the West for her middle-grade novel Pickle, next time you see her!

Conference: Spots still available for Master Class for Illustrators

Illustrators! 

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to learn from one of children’s books most acclaimed illustrators. The wonderful Renata Liwska will be teaching a master class at SCBWI Western Washington’s Annual Conference, April 12–13, and there a still a few spots open in this limited-seating event.

Renata is the phenomenal talent behind the illustrations in two wondrous New York Times best- sellers by Deborah Underwood: The Quiet Book, and The Loud Book. She has also penned and illustrated her own beautiful picture book, Red Wagon. Most recently, she illustrated the critically acclaimed and lovely picture book by our own Nina Laden, Once Upon a Memory. Nina, who is an illustration phenom in her own right (Peek-A-Who?), will assist Renata with the master class, so this is a double-header opportunity for illustrators––learn from two masters for the price of one!

Before I go much farther, I suggest you:

1) Head to your nearest indie bookstore, or their website, and order your very own copies of all of these books, because they need to be in your library. There is much to learn from studying closely Renata's subtle and luminous technique, and her careful attention to emotion and storytelling.

2) Head to Renata’s blog to learn more about her.

3) Take a look at this amazing little movie, highlighting Renata’s incredible mountains of sketchbooks, which are testimony to her diligence and dedication in becoming the amazing illustrator that she is. 

4) Get yourself registered for this fantastic opportunity, quickly, before it’s too late! 
(NOTE: If you are already registered for the conference and would like to add this class, just follow the directions in your confirmation email for modifying your registration.) 

See you there!

Roundtable faculty profile: Bree Ogden

 Roundtable faculty member Bree Ogden is a renaissance woman. She's an agent at D430 Literary Agency. She has a Master's degree in journalism. She writes comics––and among her many self-described talents, she includes "stick-figure artist." She frequents cemeteries. She judges horror comic awards. Her blog says she's a "modern-day Wonder Woman, with none of the power, strength, or feminist sensibilities."

At D430 Literary, Bree's interests range from children's to YA. She's definitely into genres (horror, noir, romance), and she's actively interested in nonfiction for all ages. Bree will grace us with her presence for the roundtable critique sessions on Saturday, adding her distinctive opinions to the mix of submissions. In an interview from 2013, Bree shares what makes her tick, and how she came to be an agent from a lifelong passion for graphic novels.

Countdown to a crafty, casual, cozy weekend!

Our Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference in April is barely a month away, and the seats are filling fast! If you're attending (and if not, why the heck not?), don't miss the chance to make a great weekend of it with your tribe by getting a hotel room at the Marriott Redmond Town Center, our conference hotel, for a night or two. Share the room with pals to cut the already good rate and double the fun.

If you're like many participants, that April weekend may be one of your few chances this year to take a break from other responsibilities and really focus on your writing or illustrating goals... or even accomplish some work. Interested? Find the details and a link to reserve your hotel room under the "Travel and Lodging" tab.

Conference faculty profile: Susan Hawk

Literary agent Susan Hawk wants to laugh. She wants to be moved. And she wants to read stories that make her feel a flurry of emotion. In short, she's a stickler for what she likes, and isn't afraid to say so. In her profile on her agency's blog, she says, "I want a book to stay with me long after I finish reading, and I’m looking for powerful, original writing."

An agent with The Bent Agency in Brooklyn, NY, Susan comes to the fold with a background in book marketing for Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. She's developing her list, which includes middle-grade, YA, and picture/chapter books.

In her agency profile,  Susan says her interests lie "at the intersection of literary and commercial." Her blog, Susan Says, now comes as part of the Bent Agency's Bent on Books blog, but there are plenty of archives galore to sift through.

Susan has her hands in many projects, of all kidlit genres, and should have plenty of insider knowledge to share with everyone.

 

Conference faculty profile: Lauren Rille

Lauren Rille will be one of the master class instructors and roundtable critique leaders at SCBWI Western Washington's 23rd Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children conference, which will be held April 12-13, 2014, at the Marriott Redmond Town Center. (Get registration info.)

Lauren is associate art director for the Simon & Schuster (S&S), Beach Lane, Atheneum, and McElderry imprints at S&S. Before joining S&S, she was a designer at Sterling and Harcourt Children's Books. Books she's designed include Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth by Sarah Weeks and illustrated by Robert Neubecker; Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr. and illustrated by Lois Ehlert; Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas, and the New York Times bestselling Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow. She has a wonderful, if slightly dated blog with posts about the collaboration process. In this SCBWI interview, she discusses how designers bring a book to life.


— Contributed by Suzanne Kaufman

Conference faculty profile: Claudia Gabel

Claudia Gabel is a double-threat. She's one of those enviable people in the book world who writes AND edits. In the context of our conference, she'll be wearing her editor's hat, as the executive editor at Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. She's worked at HarperCollins, Crown, Random House as well.

Some of her early editorial clients included Derek Jeter, a WWF wrestler, and the rock singer Meatloaf. We're so lucky to have Claudia share her perspective from both sides of the editorial table!

As a writer, Claudia has published a number of young adult novels (the four-book In or Out series; Romeo and Juliet and Vampires; and the upcoming Elusion, co-written with Cheryl Klam). For more about her writing, and her approach to storytelling and finding that perfect submission, please look at her website or read this interview from 2012.































 

Fast Fiction book launch

Member Denise Jaden has recently released a new book for writers called Fast Fiction: A Guide to Outlining and Writing a First Draft Novel in Thirty Days.

Denise, who drafted her two published young adult novels during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month in November), created Fast Fiction to shows other writers how to do what she did, step-by-step. Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park will be hosting a book launch, including a talk by Denise and a signing, on Tuesday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m. Check it out and get prepped for November.

PAL display participants -- get your photos & info in!

Those of you signed up for the conference who are PAL members and registered to participate in the Published Attendee Showcase -- in which we celebrate your awesome books, and who knows, maybe encourage a sale or two -- have just a day or so left to email the cover photo of the book you're choosing to feature, your headshot, and no more than 50 words of info about the book or your brilliant career.

Don't miss out by missing the deadline of March 12! That is this Wednesday, kids. (Really, it was March 10, but we'll give you a wee bit of grace... since a whole bunch of you are in severe danger of missing it.) See your conference registration confirmation emails for details, but in short -- get on it. Email the required materials to Joni at joni@jonisensel.com. Soon!

WWU Conference recap

The 11^th annual Western Washington University Children’s Literature Conference was held last weekend in Bellingham. For those who haven’t attended, this conference is generally aimed primarily at the teacher/librarian crowd and the speaker line-up is packed with big-name authors and illustrators. This year’s speakers shared fascinating stories about their process, their research, and their books. A couple of fun tidbits from each presenter:

From Jennifer Holm: The biggest stumbling block she sees for young authors is that the first time they do something, they want it to be perfect. Helping kids get over that hump, helping them learn that writing becomes good through revision, is the best way to help them with writing. True for writers who are grown too, no?

From Laura Vaccaro Seeger: She broke all the rules to break into publishing. She called the president of the publishing company she wished to work for, out of the blue, at his home, at 6:30 a.m. his time, to ask if he wanted to see her work. Really! And it worked! It’s probably not a strategy to repeat, though...

From Nic Bishop: He takes all the photography for his non-fiction nature books himself often using custom-built cameras with laser-sensitive triggers to catch animals at just the right action-filled moments. He does much of his research by working directly with the animals as he takes photos. He’s a great author to learn more about if you are interested in field research for nonfiction.

From Steve Sheinkin: As a textbook writer, Steve gathered lots of interesting facts his editors never let him use because nothing in a textbook can be controversial. Now Steve uses this sort of fact in his narrative nonfiction to make history come alive for readers. Steve also sometimes gets ideas by surfing the Smithsonian’s website, which is full of interesting, inspirational tidbits.

Save the date for next year's WWU Children’s literature conference on Feb. 28, 2015. Speakers will include Yuyi Morales, Matt de la Peña, Peter Brown, and Joyce Sidman.

In the ha-ha-ha zone

Author and cartoonist Lincoln Peirce reads from his new book BIG NATE: IN THE ZONE at Seattle's Secret Garden Bookshop on Sunday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. The illustrated novel, the sixth in the series by this New York Times bestselling author, was called "funny, big-time" by Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and boasts more than 500 black-and-white illustrations.

Conference faculty profile: Nina Hess

Nina Hess, editor in chief for local publisher Wizards ofthe Coast, will join the roundtable critique faculty* for SCBWI Western Washington’s 23^rd Annual Writing and Illustration for Children Conference, which will be held April 12-13, 2014, at the Marriott Redmond Town Center. (Get registration info.)

In addition to being an editor, Nina is also an author herself. She has lots of great tips for writing and submissions on her personal website and blog.You can also get a sense of how Nina thinks in this interview.

*Note that faculty members for the roundtables are not required to accept post-conference submissions, but may at their option. Registered roundtable participants can find out Tricia's submission policies at the event.

—Contributed by Kjersten Anna Hayes

Paired up..and liking it

The best-selling Unlikely Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland, paired seemingly incompatible couples from the animal kingdom in eye-catching photographs. Now Holland has produced Unlikely Friendships for Kids: The Monkey and the Dove, The Dog and the Piglet, and the Leopard and the Cow.

Author Jennifer S. Holland and friend.

The chapter-book format is now a series, reader-and-viewer friendly for ages 7 and up. Holland will be at Secret Garden Books in Ballard on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm.

The whole pointe

Debut YA author Paddy Eger reads from 84 Ribbons, the coming-of-age story told through a teen's pursuit of a professional ballet career.


Eger will appear at Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, on Saturday, March 15 at 6:30pm.

Daddy dearest

This Saturday, March 8 at 11am, Bellingham picture book author Derek Munson appears at Mockingbird Books (7220 Woodlawn Ave NE, in Greenlake) in honor of his first book in nearly a decade. Following his 2000 debut, Enemy Pie, Derek's Bad Dad tells the tale of a father who manages to find himself in trouble a lot of the time. but he also knows lots of jokes, and banishes Brussels sprouts from the house forever. 

 

Dana's dog digs story time

Please join in the fun on Saturday, March 8 at University Book Store in Bellevue for a special Story Time featuring our own Dana Sullivan, author/illustrator of Ozzie and the Art Contest. And we might be barking up the wrong tree here (arf!), but we think Ozzie himself may make an appearance.

WHEN: 11am
WHERE: University Book Store, Bellevue (990 102nd Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)

Woof!

Golden Kite Award winners

In case anyone missed it, the Golden Kite Awards were given this week! Without further ado, here are the fabulous and fortunate folks. Click here for a list and information on all of the winners.




Congratulations to all!

The most helpful post in the world!

Ever stop to consider that, in your heated enthusiasm for finishing that draft/query letter/synopsis, that there were a few things to think about before whizzing your manuscript into the agent- and publisher-filled ether?

By which I mean: rejection.

Before you send out your shiny words, make sure you understand the flip side. Rejection happens more often than not, as multitudes of published authors will attest, but it's up to you to process that there are certain reasons why. Some of these you can change, and others...don't even think about it.


So along comes this incredibly succinct and helpful post by blogger Jessica P. Morrell, and what she writes makes as much sense as anything else I've read on the subject. And so now, it's in your hands. Go forth and get acceptances!

A likely event to attend!

Author Jennifer S. Holland will read from her books UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS FOR KIDS (Workman Publishing) at Seattle's Secret Garden Bookshop on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m.

The version of UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIPS for adults has been a New York Times bestseller; now it's been rewritten for younger readers as a series of hardcover chapter books for children, ages seven and up. Jennifer will read that evening from three collections with the original book's clearest, most interesting stories, such as the monkey and the dove or the leopard and the cow. Attend to see how these heartwarming animal stories explore the unusual ways animals help each other and discover the love of new friends.

Conference faculty profile: Holly McGhee

Holly M. McGhee, President and Creative Director of Pippin Properties, will join the agent faculty for SCBWI Western Washington’s 23^rd Annual Writing and Illustration for Children Conference, which will be held April 12-13, 2014, at the Marriott Redmond Town Center. (Get registration info.)

Holly represents many well-known authors and illustrators including Kate DiCamillo, Kathi Appelt, Doreen Cronin, David Small, Peter H. Reynolds, Katherine Applegate, Alison McGhee, Jon Agee, and Renata Liwska, to name a few. Holly worked in various aspects of the publishing industry, including time as an executive editor at HarperCollins, prior to opening the doors at Pippin in 1998. Learn more about Holly and her agency by looking over Pippin’s website, browsing Pippin’s blog, or reading some of her clients’ books. There are also several nice interviews with Holly online, including this one from last fall.

—Contributed by Kjersten Anna Hayes