My
interview today is with a middle-grade author whose first book won two awards --Bank
Street Best Children’s Book and the International Literacy Association
Teacher’s Choice Award. And she’s just published her second book. So, let’s move
on and learn about her writing journey.
What made
you decide to write a middle-grade geared novel?
The first
novel-length project I attempted to write was from the point of view of a
fourteen-year-old girl. At the time, I was reading a lot of young adult and
middle-grade fiction. Once I finished my first draft of that trunk novel, it
was clear that my voice was naturally suited to the blend of wonder and
curiosity that you often find in middle-grade novels.
I stepped
up my reading in the category and studied middle-grade voice closely for a long
time before I wrote another novel so that I truly understood the dynamics in
this specific niche of children’s literature.
How long
did it take you to write your first book?
I am a
relatively quick drafter, meaning I usually finish a draft in weeks rather than
months, but I also have to revise many times. The writing process for Counting
Thyme took about 3 years from start to on-sale date, and with Every
Missing Piece, it took about two years. So, a bit faster the second time
around.
Your
first book, Counting Thyme (cute title!) deals with a couple
of very stressful topics for kids. – moving and a sibling dealing with cancer.
What made you zero in on these two issues?
At the
time, I was reading a LOT of contemporary middle-grade fiction, and in many of
those stories, the main character was dealing with a harrowing circumstance,
such as a life-threatening illness. I had a moment where I wondered what it
must be like to be the sibling of a gravely ill child. I have a sibling, and
her presence factored into my childhood tremendously.
I
imagined it would be a very complicated situation to have a sibling battling a
deadly illness. I had some past experience raising funds for Cookies for Kids’
Cancer, so naturally I thought of neuroblastoma as the illness I wanted to
portray in Counting Thyme. Most families have to move for treatments for
neuroblastoma, so that became part of the plot, too.
How did
you go about finding an agent/publisher?
I studied
publishing for quite a while before I queried. I consider the two years I spent
writing and reading every writing blog I could find as my personal MFA in
children’s lit (though of course, with deep respect to all real MFAers!). I
participated in some pitch contests, including one on twitter that got me some
requests.
The
trouble was, I wasn’t finished revising Counting Thyme at that moment,
so I had to hurry to fulfill the requests. I also reached out to other agents
who had been on my radar at that time and ended up signing with my first agent
from my cold query.
What is
the hardest part of writing for you?
The hardest
is whichever part I’m at. When I’m drafting, I wish I was revising. When I’m
revising, I wish I was drafting. When I’m in copy edits, I wish I never had to
see my book again, lol!
What does
your editor remind you to do most often?
My
relationship with my editors has been more of a dialogue back and forth rather
than a to-do list for me. I’ve worked with a few different editors at this
point, due to business matters, and I can say the process of revising with an
editor is equally challenging and rewarding.
Edit
letters can be long and hard to digest, but where there is smoke, there is
always fire. I find that my editors are usually spot-on about trouble areas.
It’s up to me to figure out how to address those trouble areas in a satisfying
manner. Finding answers isn’t always easy, but that is how a book becomes the
best version of itself. Editorial feedback is worth its weight in gold.
What’s
the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
This is a
great question. We writers are always looking to improve, so it can be easy not
to give ourselves credit for what we have achieved. I’ve been told my
characters are very “real” and relatable, and for me that is the best praise. I
always strive for honest portrayals that acknowledge the deep complexities of
being human. It’s a joy to hear someone found that kind of experience in
reading my work.
We have
all experienced rejection. How have you learned to write past it?
I have
experienced some harsh feedback at the editorial level, and in that moment, it
was hard not to doubt myself as a writer. What I had to remember is while I may
have written those words that needed a lot of fixing, I also wrote a bunch of
words that made my editor want to publish my book. Criticism stings, but it is
necessary.
What do
you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
Your
process is your process. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can move
forward. Sometimes I wish I could write a draft of a story without getting the
plot wrong the first time, but that’s not my process.
My
process is to write many drafts. Rather than get frustrated with myself, I try
to remember it’s a gift to have a process I can rely on to get the work done,
even if I wish my creative process was more efficient.
What is
the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
My best
advice is to be kind to yourself. Embrace your process. Trust your gut. Risk failure
and be prepared to accept it when it comes. But through all of it, be kind to
yourself. Fill the well with great diverse reads. Celebrate every achievement
and milestone. Give yourself the same time and patience that you would give
anyone else.
You just
released your second book. Can you give my readers a short synopsis?
In my new
book, Every Missing Piece, eleven-year-old Maddy Gaines has had her
share of heartache. She lost her father in a tragic accident a few years prior,
which has made her a bit more diligent about safety than her family and friends
would sometimes like her to be. When Maddy encounters a strange new boy living
in her neighborhood, she wonders if he could be the same child who went missing
from another town six months earlier.
As she
tries to uncover the truth, ghosts from her own past surface, her best
friend starts to slip away, and Maddy's world tilts once again. Can she put the
pieces of her life back together, even if some of them are lost forever?
Sounds like some good plot twists! If you'd like to learn more about Melanie's writing, here are some links to get you started.
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