I was recently honored to find LAST IN A LONG LINE OF REBELS had made the Georgia Center for the Book‘s yearly list – Books All Young Georgians Should Read.…
Hi, I’m so excited to be a part of Pitch Wars again this year as a Middle Grade mentor. Yay, Middle Grade! This is my THIRD YEAR. Whew. I hope…
I was recently asked to give the keynote speech at my high-school graduation ceremony. It was a great honor and not something I ever imagined happening in my life. I’m sure no one was really listening since I was the least important person there, but I thought I’d post a transcript in case anyone wanted to see what I had to say. This is just like being there without having to witness the flop sweat and constant lip licking. Enjoy!
Thank you. As a writer, I love this idea that our lives are like a story, so to be with you at such an important chapter in your story, even as a small footnote is exciting for me. I’ll admit it’s also a little surprising to find myself a keynote speaker, considering the type of student I was while at LA.
On the day I graduated I only knew two things about my future. One was that in a few short months I’d be following my friend Gina Coleman to Murfreesboro where we were going to start college at MTSU. And secondly, I knew that immediately following the graduation ceremony, I was going to Dale Hollow Lake because Martha Carmack’s daddy had taken the family camper there for us and a group of girls were going to have a graduation party. And I was super excited and had put a lot of thought into one of those things. The other, not so much. I figured whatever happened, happened. I wasn’t a particularly focused or ambitious student.
A few months ago, I interviewed my awesome agent, Susan Hawk, for The Middle Grade Mafia. In case you missed it, I thought I’d share her thoughts here. Here are quick Ten Questions with Susan Hawk. Enjoy!
The number one questions has to be, “What are you looking for?” I found this on your website: In middle-grade and YA, I’m looking for unforgettable characters, rich world-building, and I’m a sucker for bittersweet; bonus points for something that makes me laugh out loud. I’m open to mystery, fantasy, scifi, humor, boy books, historical, contemporary (really any genre). In picture books, I’m looking particularly for author-illustrators, succinct but expressive texts, and indelible characters. I’m interested in non-fiction that relates to kid’s daily lives and their concerns with the world. I’m actively looking for diversity in the stories and authors that I represent. My favorite projects live at the intersection of literary and commercial. Is this still correct? Anything else you’d like to add?
SH: It is! The books that I love the very most all share a couple things in common: the characters are complicated people whose hearts are big, as big as the mistakes they sometimes make. And in spite of those mistakes, these characters are wrestling with life, engaged in discovering the best parts of themselves and the people around them, all while seeing how people are unexpected, contradictory. I want writers who are interested in complexity, who aren’t afraid to show the good parts, and the bad, of their characters. The richest, most memorable books come directly from characters of the same quality.
After hours and hours of reading, and debating the merits of each entry, the Middle Grade Mafia has made their decision! The Bertie Short-Story Contest winners will be posted on…
I have had a blast reading all of the wonderful entries to The Bertie. The Middle Grade Mafia folks are the official judges, but that didn’t mean they got to…
Reading Last In A Long Line of Rebels or Hope In The Holler in your classroom and looking for teacher resources? Homeschooling and looking for a free curriculum guide to supplement…
I have received some awesome submissions for The Bertie! I feel bad for the Middle Grade Mafia judges as they try to choose the winning submissions. If you haven’t yet…
L.S. Bridgers has been a part of the Mafia since the beginning, and the only one of the family with fans! At a recent writer’s conference, a young woman raced…
Very few people make me laugh like Kevin Springer! I met Kevin a few years ago when he joined our critique group and he has made a huge impact on…
