It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's

Jen Solo!

Also known to us mortals with feet planted firmly on Earth as Jennifer March Soloway, Associate Agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

I had the pleasure of Skyping with Jennifer and it was like chatting with a friend I've known for many years. Conversation was easy, informative, encouraging, and, well, fun!

You might think I wanted to jump right in and pick her brain about submissions, what kind of projects is she looking for to add to her list of clients, and all the usual "oh my gosh I'm talking to an agent" type of questions. But no. For those who know me, I had to ask Jennifer about Sugar. Yes, I love to bake, but this is a different kind of sugar.

Sugar

Meet Sugar, an English Bulldog. A pup of this stature named Sugar begs the question, "Was she named after the character in Some Like It Hot? But, alas, no. Sugar is a compromise name between her two sons. One wanted to name her Cupcake. The other wanted Toothpaste. So, it only makes sense that Sugar would follow. Is there a cupcake-flavored toothpaste? If not, maybe there should be.

Before I jump head first into the inner workings of Jennifer's agent psyche, I want to share some of her fun facts:

Jennifer is an avid runner. And when I say avid, I don't mean the weekend warrior out to run a 5K. That's chump change for Jennifer who has run the Boston marathon and has qualified to run again in 2017. She runs five days a week to "clear her head." Eeck gatts! My head is getting foggy just thinking about traveling these distances -- on my feet and with some semblance of speed. Hats off to Jen Solo!

But with a running schedule like this she can enjoy her favorite foods, guilt-free. Some of her favorite things are steak, sushi, Greek, Italian, and Thai. I'm getting jet lag just writing this list. Jen also has a "horrible sweet tooth" and she loves ice cream. Wait, no, that's not right. She lu-HUVs ice cream - her all time "great weakness." As if that wasn't a vice enough, she also admits to drinking too much coffee. In particular, a blonde bitter latte. Psst, I'll clue you in on what that is ... a regular latte, no sugar, low fat. And don't even think about treating her to Starbucks. Jennifer is a Peet's kinda gal. As in she loves Peet's almost as much as she loves ice cream. Oh, and beer or wine? Neither. Jennifer prefers good ol' fashioned H2O.

When Jennifer is not running she likes to ride her bike all around the city of San Francisco. There was a time when she taught spinning classes. She loves to engagein races for the camaraderie with a group of like-minded individuals. And when she wants to opt for more wheels, she drives a Mini Cooper.

A super fun-fact is that Jennifer is a retired amateur boxer with a 1-1 record. She even fought a lady who eventually went pro. After boxing for a year, she taught boxing as an aerobics class.

Jennifer had the opportunity to live in Denmark for three months and consequently, loves all things Danish - including Danish and Scandinavian literature and commercial fiction and television. She suggests checking-out the Danish show, The Bridge, on Amazon Prime.

One of Jennifer's previous jobs was working for a toy company. She worked with toy inventors, touring the country listening to their pitches and attending toy inventor workshops. Once she found a toy she liked, she would then pitch the toy to her company, and if they liked the toy, then Jen would negotiate the contract. Eventually, she left the toy industry and went back to school to get her MFA in creative writing. But it's agenting that is her passion.

Stay tuned for more from my interview with Jen Solo. I'll share her thoughts on what she's looking for, what she likes, what her pet peeve is, and who she's inviting for dinner!

Cheers --

Agent Clelia Gore at Hugo House

Join agent Clelia Gore at Hugo House on Saturday, February 20 for a class on Legal Concepts Writers Need To Know.

Useful information! Important stuff! Given by an agent who was a past regional conference faculty member! CLICK HERE for all the details and registration info.

Northern Network Meeting this WEDNESDAY!

Northern Network of Western Washington SCBWI

Special Guest Speaker!

MaryAnn Kohl: Agent, Author and Publisher
   

MaryAnn Kohl has done it all. From writing over 25 books, self-publishing and marketing, and now being an agent for non-fiction activity books for children, parents, and teachers, she is speaking about the agent’s role in facilitating your non-fiction project from proposal to sales. For those interested in self-publishing, she will talk about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, especially as it applies to non-fiction. Come with your questions! Whatever your current writing and illustrating project is, it should be an informative evening!

Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: The Bellingham Barnes & Nobel (4099 Meridian Street)

Questions? Call Rebecca Van Slyke at (360) 354-5797, or email at rebecca_vanslyke@hotmail.com [That’s rebecca(underscore)vanslyke(at)hotmail(dot)com.]

A Barry good week!

For those of you who were able to participate in The Week of Goldblatt, we can only imagine you are still pinching yourself. The NYC-based agency head swept us away with his incisive and constructive manuscript feedback, his thoughtful and encouraging master class, and his illuminating presentation at the monthly meeting. When it was all over, all we could want was...MORE!

Live from New York, it's agent Barry Goldblatt!

Some of Barry's most memorable lines from last week:

"If it's a trend and you see it, it's over already."
"Schmagents." (Referring to agents who really don't know what they're doing, have little experience.)
"Read diversely."
"Great writers are made in revision."
"I want manuscripts that make me FEEL, THINK, and WANT....MORE!"

Barry wants YOU! Spaces available!

This isn't an April Fool's joke. This is real. This is happening. And if you get in on the action, it can happen for YOU! This is an opportunity to learn how to make your writing sing (and ring). 

You'll want to MOOve on this, so register now!

(See below for details.)

On Thursday afternoon, Oct. 22, 2015, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., in Bertona Hall, Room 6, on the campus of Seattle Pacific University, Barry Goldblatt presents "Barry Wants More Cowbell!" What Makes a Book Sing? With clients including Christopher Barzak, Holly Black, Angela Johnson, Jo Knowles, Lauren Myracle and Libba Bray, Agent Barry Goldblatt has heard a lot of beautiful literary music. In this class you’ll get an in-depth look at some gorgeous prose that grabs you from the first note. Using specific examples and in-class writing exercises, you’ll learn how to make your own work sing.

Fees:

•     SCBWI member - $60

•     Non-member - $80 (NON-MEMBERS MUST WRITE A CHECK.)

How to register:

• In person at tomorrow night’s SCBWI season opener at Seattle Pacific University, 7 - 9 p.m., Demaray Hall
• Purchase your Passport to Monthly Programming and make sure to include Barry Goldblatt’s Master Class in your Additional Opportunities. Link here: http://www.cvent.com/events/2015-2016-scbwi-wwa-monthly-program-passport/event-summary-1ae6848e72be4826b794bc96cf7bd742.aspx
• If you have already purchased your Passport, you can enroll in the Master Class by clicking on the “modify your registration” link in your SCBWI confirmation email and then hit the “modify” button on the SCBWI Western Washington registration page.

Countdown to WEDNESDAY!

BARRY GOLDBLATT. HE'S COMING TO A SEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY NEAR YOU.

Start your engines.

Our season is opening on Wednesday.

Seattle Pacific University, Demaray Hall.

7pm.

Agent Barry Goldblatt.

Be there.

SCBWI-WWA's 2015-16 season of monthly programming begins Wednesday, October 21.

Buckle up and hang on!

'Tis the season...opener!

IT'S GONNA GET HOT UP IN HERE . . .
AND WE ARE SO DANG EXCITED!!

The Barry Goldblatt Interview

Welcome

to 

SCBWI-WWA's 2015-16 

First Evening of Monthly Programming
 

Wednesday, October 21, 7–9pm

Seattle Pacific University, Demaray Hall

featuring:

The One, The Only 

BARRY GOLDBLATT

We had an opportunity to ask Barry some pertinent questions in advance of his arrival. Besides being the honcho of Barry Goldblatt Literary, LLC, there are other sides to him that are worth knowing about. Here's what he had to say:

Hi, Barry! Our SCBWI-Western WA chapter is just about to go bonkers with your arrival. But I am just a wee bit curious: What do New Yorkers REALLY think of Seattle right now? (Even those dozen or so folks not actually absorbed by the Amazon-Industrial Complex.) 

I don't know what New Yorkers in general think of anything, since there really isn't a general New Yorker. But this Brooklynite loves to visit Seattle! It's a lovely city, the food and wine scene is excellent, and it did birth some incredible music too, so what's not to like? I still don't want to live there, though, because Brooklyn.

Do you own an umbrella? (Trick question: It doesn't rain here any more.)

Nope, I don't believe in umbrellas. If I carry one, it doesn't rain, or it breaks and is useless, so I just accept getting wet.

What's the last book you read for pleasure? Or grabbed out of desperation at the airport? Outside of your clients' work and the literary marketplace you keep up with, I mean....

It's hard, as an agent, to ever truly just read for pleasure, but the last book I read that was not by a client or a friend was Zen Cho's SORCERER TO THE CROWN, which is fantastic: smart, fun, exciting and fresh!

I read in a previous interview that you work from your home office. Do you own an excellent coffee machine, or are you a run-to-the-corner-coffeehouse kind of person? What's the beverage of choice?

I do not drink coffee. (Yes, I hear the gasps of horror...but think of it as meaning more for the rest of you!) I do like the ritual of making coffee, however, so I have both an excellent machine and a french press, as well as a grinder. I love the smell, just hate the taste. My drink of choice in a cafe setting is chai; in a bar, a Dark & Stormy; and in general, I do love root beer (but I'm a snob about it).

Do you operate under a current editorial mantra right now? Are there red flags that change over time, like too much back story at the  beginning or not enough earned resolution at the end? Or, hey, let me ask you straight out: If you could scare a Barry Goldblatt Pet Peeve out of all future manuscripts RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, what would it be?

I don't know that I have a specific mantra, but bottom line is I need to make a true emotional connection to a character pretty early on, or I'm just going to lose interest. I wanna get inside a character's head and live the story right along with them. In general, I think a lot of new authors spend too much time focused on making a great first page, instead of on a great manuscript (in much the same way I see too much focus on query letters). Yes, I need the first page to grab me, but if all the pages after that are a let down, who cares? As for a pet peeve, I (like most of my agent and editor colleagues) hate the "waking from a dream/nightmare" opening and would be happy to never see it again.

I'm sure I'm not the first to ask, but what's your superpower?

My superpower is my ability to find incredibly good things to eat no matter where I am. Why, yes, I am food obsessed, why do you ask?

SPEED ROUND

Twinkies or Cronuts?

Of those two, Cronuts, but honestly, waiting in line for hours for a pastry is not really my thing. Though on occasions it can be worth it.

Graphic novels or classic comics?

These aren't exactly opposites, but I love what's happening in graphic novels right now. So many exciting authors and artists working in this medium!

Netflix or network?

Netflix. More Daredevil and Sense8 now please!

Taylor or Miley?

Nicki.

The Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson?

Grimm all the way! Dark is my bread and butter.

Please join us for what is sure to be a fabulous evening of wit and wisdom and,  yes, SNACKS!!!

Agent for a cause

Dear SCBWI-ers,

 

Here is an amazing opportunity to both receive personal feedback from a literary agent AND do some good in the world at the same time. Please read this letter from NJ-based agent Anna Olswanger:

 

As I do every summer, I've donated a manuscript consultation as a literary agent to The Born Free Foundation online auction. Born Free is an international wildlife charity that works throughout the world to stop individual wild animal suffering. 

Here's my page on the auction site:

You'll see that people can submit up to 10 pages of a manuscript for a 20-minute phone consultation. It's a great chance to get feedback from an agent.

My clients have won the Newbery Honor, Asian Pacific American Award for Literature Honor, Flora Stieglitz Strauss Award for Nonfiction, Orbis Pictus Honor, PEN/Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing, Parents Choice Gold Award, Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book, Sibert Award Honor, Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Honor, and been on The New York Times Bestseller list. 

I’ve sold to all the major publishers, including Bloomsbury, Chronicle, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster.

You can view my full client list on Pinterest:

For information about the auction and bidding on my services, please click here for all the details. NOTE:  The auction closes on Monday, June 29th, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

We all fall in love with animal characters in books. Now it's time to help them in real life.

Thanks for your help. 

Best,

Anna

SCBWIWWA15: The So-What Factor with Jen Rofé, Writing Intensive

We spent the morning of Friday, April 17, 2015, with agent Jen Rofé learning how to play the “so what” game. Jen told us that whenever she reads books, queries, or manuscripts or watches movies or television, she is constantly asking the question, “So what?” For a story to stand out, there must be a good answer (or many) to the “so what” question after every single plot point. Jen walked us through a scene-by-scene “so what” analysis of Dirty Dancing, Flora & Ulysses, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. She also looked at the picture books Rosie and Rex and Blue on Blue.

My favorite quote of the session?

"You must always give your character hard choices, or else 'so what?'"

Then, attendees volunteered to summarize their works-in-progress aloud while Jen “so what”ed them every step of the way. Way to go, brave participants! I can’t wait to read all of your books. J

Picture book/agent opportunity!

Opportunity comes knocking: One of our roundtable critique faculty, for the upcoming April conference, might be looking for you. Here's what she has in mind...

I'm Clelia Gore, literary agent specializing in children's books at the Mercer Island-based Martin Literary Management. I recently realized that the Kraken, the mythical sea beast that has been having a bit of a pop culture moment in the last few years, would make for a great picture book protagonist. As far as I know, there aren't really any Kraken picture books in the current marketplace, and I think the right book would be an easy sell to publishers. I have already received some editorial interest for this idea. I am looking for a modern, humorous, quirky, and beautifully illustrated picture book. Perhaps someone has a manuscript that already exists, in which case, I would love to see it. If not, I'd like some author/illustrators to take a "krack" at writing a Kraken picture book and send me manuscripts and some sample artwork (i.e. a mock up of a spread). I'd love to see samples by February 15th. They can send their submission to me at Clelia@martinliterarymanagement.com. Please indicate "Kraken submission" in the subject line.

As always, please do your homework about any offers you receive, as SCBWI is not responsible for the content of any opportunities we post in the Chinook.

Making the (Middle) Grade: Essential Elements of the MG Novel with Brianne Johnson

Writers House agent Brianne Johnson shared a talk with us last Friday afternoon about writing middle-grade novels. She discussed plot, character, voice, beginnings, and theme in middle grade, using examples from some of her clients' books, The League of Beastly Dreadfuls and The Only Thing Worse than Witches, as well as from Harry Potter, A Single Shard, and Matilda.

She started out by sharing Aristotle's definition of plot, "the change of good fortune to bad, or bad fortune to good." Then she said there are three basic types of plots: conflict, mystery, and/or lack. A middle-grade novel may have one, two, or all three of those plot types, but each plot must have its own complete story arc (stasis, inciting incident, escalating complicating events, climax, resolution). 

Some of the most common problems she sees with character are in the dialog. Her advice? "Read it out loud!" She also recommends using the worksheets and checklists in Cheryl Klein's book, Second Sight, for both plot and character development.

Some common themes in middle grade that she discussed in the workshop include challenging the status quo and learning that not all adults are kindly caregivers looking out for their best interests. "You can be really dark in middle grade," Brianne said, "but at the end of the day… there does need to be hope." She ended her presentation with this quote from Richard Peck: "A children’s novel ends not with happily ever after, but at a new beginning, with the sense of a lot of life left to be lived." 
Finally, we had time to read some of the attendees' first pages aloud and discuss as a group what was and wasn't working in each of the pieces.

— Reported by Laurie Ann Thompson