Great news for Kiki!

 Author Kiki Hamilton is proud to announce that her YA novel, THE MIDNIGHT SPY (first book in a series), was named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2015 by Kirkus Reviews!

Hamilton's popular books include the four-book FAERIE RING series, and the contemporary novel THE LAST DANCE.

Congratulations, Kiki! Well deserved!

Local Success Panel: Stasia Kehoe, Kiki Hamilton, Ben Clanton, Deb Lund #scbwiwwa

This is what success looks like! (Only in real life, it has better lighting)

This year we featured four local talents who make us proud:

• Stasia Kehoe, author of the novel in verse AUDITION; 
• Kiki Hamilton, author of the fantasy THE FAERIE RING; 
• Ben Clanton, author and illustrator of VOTE FOR ME; and 
• Deb Lund, author of the Dino series, MONSTERS ON MACHINE, and more wonderful picture books.

On their first successes:

Deb Lund's TELL ME MY STORY, MAMA was her first book. She submitted directly to the editor in chief and got a call from an editor while she was in the bathtub.

Ben Clanton: He was featured on the blog 7 Impossible Things before Breakfast, and from there attracted the notice of an art director. He had a picture book called DON'T EAT ME about a turkey with plans of his own, which morphed into a book about sparring donkeys and elephants (Ben finds turkeys to remind him of politicians, for some reason). 

Kiki Hamilton: She started writing five years ago and met an agent at the conference. The agent didn't love the first submission, but asked for revisions--plus a submission of another book Kiki had been working on. Susan Chang at Tor Teen (on our faculty this year) bought it, and afterward, was able to visit London, where her book is set.

Stasia Ward Kehoe: Success is a five-letter word for her ... SCBWI. "I wanted to be a writer but I didn't know how," she said. This is her tenth conference in a row (she even came the year she had a baby). After hearing Ellen Hopkins speak about novels in verse at a conference here, Stasia had a breakthrough on how that might work with her story idea, which began as a monologue. 

On the most enjoyable part of the writing/illustrating process: 

Stasia loves to sit at her desk almost every day and work. "Doing the work is the most fun part," she says. "When you feel like you've finally captured that character and you ask, 'And then what happens' and you know is a total high."

Kiki loves writing first drafts.

Ben likes the first moment of inspiration, when the idea comes "and it's perfect and brilliant and you know you're awesome."

Deb has a couple of favorite parts: where you're oblivious to anything else that's going on because you're so into it. "The other part I really love is part of the revision process where I'm collaborating with an editor. Then you have a partner in this process."

How long did it take to get published? 

Deb submitted something when she was 25. It got rejected--and it took her another 15 years to try again. She started taking it seriously when she was 40 and pregnant and knew she wouldn't have time.

Ben started writing 4 1/2 years ago. He was a college sophomore. He was really into social justice and wanted to pass along important messages to kids. He got to know the market better and started drawing, and has been doing as much as possible since. "As much as posisble, I'm trying to create."

Kiki started in 2005, when HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE was coming out. She bought the first book when she was on a family vacation, and she wouldn't get out of the car until she finished. That reminded her how much she loved to read. "Harry Potter took me back to how wonderful it was to get lost in the pages of a book." So she set out to write a story for her daughter, then 10. Then she started taking classes and joined a critique group, got an agent in 2008, and saw her book on the shelves in 2011.

Stasia had a job at Random House and used to read all the books she could find. Though she grew up thinking her sister was the writer in the family, it occurred to her that's what she'd like to do. Life was busy--she had four kids and not a lot of time, and got lots of rejections, but persisted.

YA Authors Event

Please join Helen Landalf, Jennifer Shaw Wolf, Stasia Ward Kehoe, Megan Bostic, Kiki Hamilton, and a number of other local YA authors for a Teen Author Showcase at the Tumwater Timberland Library, Saturday April 28, from 2-3:30 p.m. The event will include an author panel, audience Q & A, and a book signing.

Come Meet the New Kids on the YA Block!

Please join Northwest debut YA authors Helen Landalf (FLYAWAY), Kendare Blake (ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD), Kiki Hamilton (THE FAIRIE RING), Megan Bostic (NEVER EIGHTEEN), Carole Estby Dagg (THE YEAR WE WERE FAMOUS), and special guest Kathy McCullough (DON'T EXPECT MAGIC) for an evening at Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, on Wednesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Activities include an author panel, a Speed Reed, prizes, and goodies. We'd love to see you there!

New Kids on the YA Block will also be appearing at Timberland Library in Olympia on Thursday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Garfield Books in Tacoma on Friday, March 16 at 7 p.m.

Good News & Happy Book Birthday for Kiki Hamilton

Happiest Book Birthday wishes and a big HIP HIP HOORAY for Kiki Hamilton!! Her debut novel, THE FAERIE RING, releases today, Tuesday, September 27!!!

Victorian London, pickpockets, orphans, faeries, stolen rings, mysteries and a bit of romance – visit Kiki’s website for more information on Kiki, and her work!!

You're invited to the South Sound Schmooze

This comes from Kiki Hamilton, who's organizing events for SCBWI folk who live south of Seattle.

We will be holding our monthly SCBWI-South Sound meeting at Barnes and Noble in Olympia at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2.

This is a casual get-together without a speaker, where we discuss what we’re working on as well as what’s happening in the world of writing. Last month we shared some first pages, so people can bring their first pages along too. (Please have them double-spaced and in standard manuscript format.)

Because I need to give B&N a headcount, I will need people to confirm with me by noon on Monday if they’re attending. kikihamilton AT comcast.net .

Good news for Karen Hamilton

Here's the power of persistence in action. Karen Hamilton has some good news to announce:

I’ve been a member of SCBWI for several years and I’m thrilled to announce that I just sold my debut novel! Here’s the Publisher's Marketplace blurb:

Kiki Hamilton's THE FAERIE RING, an urban fantasy set in Victorian London, in which a streetwise pickpocket steals a ring from Buckingham Palace, then has to try to return it in order to keep a peace treaty between the British and Faerie courts, to Susan Chang at Tor, in a nice deal, by Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary (World English). kate@ktliterary.com

I belong to SCBWI as Karen Hamilton, but I’m publishing under Kiki Hamilton.