A Song of Six Pens

September Happenings

For children's writers living in Northeast Ohio, September means it's time for the annual conference hosted by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, SCBWI.

This year's conference, Make Your Story Pop!, will be held on September 29th and 30th (National Chewing Gum Day.) The conference offers great opportunities to meet agents, editors, and authors, to network and meet old friends, and to get inspired to keep learning and writing and illustrating for the people we care most about and write for: children!

Serving on the faculty this year is the Six Pen's own Lisa Amstutz, agent with Storm Literary Agency and author of over 150 books!

Lisa will be teaching an intensive workshop Friday afternoon on writing engaging nonfiction for kids. She'll also be leading one of the Saturday sessions about writing query letters and talking about what agents look for.

A former outdoor educator, Lisa specializes in topics related to nature, sustainability, and agriculture and is passionate about sharing the wonders of nature with young readers. Her background includes a B.A. in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Science/Ecology.

Lisa brings a great deal of experience to the faculty. She has been writing professionally since 2005 and spent eight years as a freelance editor, working with individual authors as well as publishing companies.

She also served as Assistant Regional Advisor and in several other board positions for SCBWI: Ohio North and as a volunteer judge for Rate Your Story.

If you are coming to the conference this year, make sure to meet Lisa. Learn more about Lisa on her website: https://www.lisaamstutz.com/

Just in time for fall, Lisa's book, Applesauce Day just launched in paperback! Check it out here.

Applesauce Day is here! Maria and her family visit an apple orchard and pick apples. Then it's time to turn the apples into applesauce. Every year they use a special pot that has been in the family for generations. Follow along as everyone helps to make delicious applesauce.

For a clever, fun book about ordinal numbers, you'll love Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton's book, Who Knew? Under the Apple Tree. Available on Amazon.

Nature gives us many signs of the changing seasons, if we pay attention and use our senses like animals do. Author Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton's poetic language seamlessly weaves together the arrival of fall, animal communication, and counting with ordinal numbers. Steph Marshall's bright, bold illustrations capture the animals' actions as they enjoy a fall feast.

On August 14th, Six Pens author Gloria G. Adams launched her new book, Munch! Crunch! Bugs for Lunch! A nonfiction picture book for ages 8-12, this book is all about entomophagy, the practice of eating bugs. Find out what kinds of bugs kids around the world eat and what they taste like.

Gloria will be selling and signing copies of her new book at the following locations:

Author Alley, Loganberry Books, Shaker Heights, Ohio, September 9, 2023.

NorthCoast Indie Author Expo, Avon, Ohio, September 24, 2023.

The SCBWI annual conference, Warrensville Heights, Ohio, September 29th and 30th, 2023

Buckeye Book Fair, Wooster, Ohio, November 4, 2023.

Check out other books by Gloria on her websites: www.gloriagadams.com and www.slantedink.com

All of us at A Song of Six Pens are busy working on our writing projects this fall.

What will you be working on?

Welcome our Guest Author, Michelle Henrie

My Writing Journey

Michelle Henrie

Third time is the charm, right? At least that became the plan after quitting twice.

When I first decided to write, I had two small children and wrote picture books. They’re over a thousand words! I never submitted them to agents because I was frightened of rejection. At that time, I was battling depression, and writing was my outlet. I was on the fence about publishing because others would have to read my work.

Ten years later.

With four kids and a teen boy who hated reading, I started writing a young adult fantasy about powers from a meteor that hit the earth. He loved it and always begged for more. But I knew my villain was as sturdy as wet paper. Discouraged, I started a blog to review books and see what made them work. Wow! I learned a lot about what I liked and what worked for me. But was I ready to write again?

Four years later.

I’d had surgery and was lying in bed. For two years, I’d had an idea forming for a novel. With a notebook, I wrote everything I’d imagined in two weeks. Then I upgraded to my computer. But I kept this a secret from my husband and everyone for six months. Within nine months, I had 105,000 words. The first person I shared it with was my mom—she encouraged me to keep working on it and thought it was good. (Go ahead and roll your eyes.) I gave it to my husband, and he said he was confused and that it didn’t make any sense. The only fantasy he'd ever read was Harry Potter—surely, he was wrong. I donated money for a published author to read my novel. She hated it. Couldn’t say a kind word to a newbie. Her caustic review sent me into a spiral.

That’s when conferences started. And I put that on your basic wash and repeat cycle. I grew a thicker hide. Learned about sentence structure. How to use sentence fragments for impact. And I reviewed so many chapters with other “budding” authors. We worked so hard, but that doesn’t guarantee success.

But no one can define my success except myself.

That’s when I became an author without the “newbie” or “budding” or “wannabe” attachment. I’d written six novels, bunches of picture books, entries for Writers of the Future (and received some awards), and one graphic novel.

Seven years later.

I changed my approach on Twitter. My goal was to become noticed, and to do this, I hunted for writing tips. By posting and reposting, agents started following me. I branded myself: I’m always kind to others and supportive, I love art, and review tons of ARCs.

Then I got an email! An agent wanted to talk.

As per industry standards, I contacted all the other agents with my manuscript, letting them know I had an offer on the table and if they were interested in representing me, they needed to get in touch.

I got another email wanting to set up a conference call. This agent told me upfront she wasn’t necessarily offering representation…

Okay.

Please, cue Jaws’ theme song.

Da-da, da-da.

After we discussed the manuscript and goals for my career, she gave me an offer.

I couldn’t believe I had such a difficult decision. And after much consideration, chose the second agent but deeply respect the first. It came down to the vision the second agent had for my manuscript.

Now, I’m in the querying trenches with publishers driven by my agent.

One year, five months later.

We haven’t had a hit yet. And I’m revising the novels and picture books and writing new manuscripts. I adore working with my agent, but how to choose your agent is another story.

Write because you love it!

Check out Michelle's website: https://www.michelle-henrie.com/

Meet Guest Author, Sabrina Fedel

Sabrina Fedel is an award-winning writer and author of the YA novel, Leaving Kent State.

Recently, a poet friend from my MFA in creative writing program reached out to me for some advice on writing for kids for a teacher colleague of hers who has a first draft of a story and doesn’t know what to do next.

My first response was that I’d be happy to try to help. My second was to say that my advice would really depend on what this writer wants from her writing. It’s easy to assume that everyone writes with the hope of being published, but that’s not true for everyone (as David Rogers writes about in his blog). As Rogers points out, there is even evidence to suggest that writing solely for internal goals improves one’s creativity and enjoyment of writing.

But the reality is that most of us would love to see our name in print, to share our glorious stories with others, and to have them want us to share these darling creations with them. Most of us would probably also like to get paid for this. While I adhere to the premise that you are a writer if you write, I also waited to call myself a poet until someone actually paid me for a poem. Do as a say and all that. Some of us dream of being able to make a living as a writer, even if we don’t also dream of being famous. Some of us want it all, the whole Steven King experience.

So, the first step to figuring out how to be a “writer” is to find out what goals a writer actually has for their writing. The second step is for a writer to "know thyself." Writing with the aim of being traditionally published is a very different path from being self-published. It’s important to understand the differences to assess which path is the right one for you. Both paths have their benefits and drawbacks. For some, one or the other may be the right direction. For others, they may get traditionally published and then decide to self-publish. Or vice-versa.

Setting goals will also help a writer figure out what they need in their creative process. For me, a writers’ group is essential. Being part of a writing community is essential. For others, it may not be (though most of us should be open to critique, because even the best writers can improve from seeing their work through someone else’s eyes. It’s fun to think of Jane Austen concocting her stories alone in the countryside, but her family listened to her drafts and likely gave her feedback). I highly encourage you to find your community. With the internet at our fingertips, it can be done much more easily than in Austen’s day!

Finally, I think a writer needs to understand how important writing is to them. For me, writing is something I need to do. It’s a source of joy, self-understanding, and solace in a world that I often don’t understand. It keeps me grounded and present. It helps me get up on the days when getting up seems too hard. As country singer Luke Combs says, I’d still be doing this if I weren’t Doin' This.

But, if writing isn’t all that to you, that’s okay, too. The important part is to understand what you want out of your writing journey and what you need from it. For some, the difficulties of getting traditionally published are extremely disheartening. I’ve been there myself. And it’s okay to quit when you get to that point, and it’s okay to keep going because you still want to write even if no one ever reads your words outside of your writers’ group. But understanding what you need, and what you are willing to go through to try to achieve your writing goals, is an important part of the journey. Because goals are just that, something to aspire to. Once you’ve brushed off the eraser marks from the page, the important part is whether you want to start over, no matter what. The important part is to know whether the journey is as important as the finished product.

Happy writing!

Learn more about Sabrina on her website.

Twitter

Meet Children's Author & Illustrator Merrill Rainey

An interview by Gloria G. Adams

We are thrilled to have illustrator, author, paper engineer, and Master Doodler Merrill Rainey as a guest on our blog this month!

Hi Gloria, Thanks for having me!

Merrill, can you tell us a little about your journey to becoming a children’s book and magazine illustrator? Is this something you always wanted to do?

Let’s start with your second question first, as it is a good one and is something I’ve been thinking about over the last year. The simple answer is that I have come to the conclusion that being an author/illustrator is something that chose me. Creating books and products for young people seems to come second nature to me. It’s just something I know how to do. I’ve always been an artsy/crafty person and my childhood was full of moments of creation, and imaginary play.

These childhood moments are what laid the foundation for the things I am creating today! When asked, I also like to tell people that I enjoy creating for children because I have never lost my inner child! So, I create the things that my inner child would want to see on the shelf.

I started working towards my illustration career while attending Kent State University. I graduated in 2003 with a BA in Visual Communication Design with a background in illustration. At that time, I had interned at the Akron Beacon journal doing editorial illustration and design work and had a few opportunities to even illustrate a few featured sections. It was an amazing internship, and after graduation, working for a large newspaper seemed like where I wanted to be. However, the newspaper industry took a turn for the worse, which left me looking for different work, specifically anything with the description of illustrator in it. I can even remember applying to the Yellow Pages to illustrate and create the ads that showed up in the coupon section.

For a while, I worked as a Graphic Designer by day and worked on my portfolio at night. In 2007, I signed with the Tugeau 2 agency, working mainly on educational illustration assignments. Then in 2010 when my son Chase was born, I finally got my first big kid’s magazine assignment from Jack and Jill Magazine. This was just the start, and soon after the completion of that first job, new assignments started coming in regularly. At this time, I was still working my full-time job. After working an 8–10-hour day at the office, I would go home, we’d have dinner and put Chase to bed after which I would go back to work on contract work until about 4 or 5 in the morning. Then, I would sleep a few hours and go back to my day job. This went on for a few years. I am not quite sure what the heck was I thinking, or how I managed this for so long, but what it came down to was that I truly wanted to succeed more than anything else! By 2012, I was eventually making enough income to quit my full-time job and start working for myself.

Fast forward a few years to 2017… a lot of things had happened in that time from the loss of a few family members (that’s still a hard one), an addition of a baby girl to our family, to taking over as the Illustrator Coordinator for the Northern Ohio Chapter of SCBWI. It was also when I connected with my current literary agent Teresa Kietlinski of Bookmark Literary. Working with Teresa is where all of the magic started coming together, we refined my portfolio, started pitching ideas to publishers, and now, almost 7 years later we have 6 books together with 2 more on the way.

I will note that through all of this, without organizations like SCBWI and The Highlights Foundation, I would not be where I am today.So many key moments in my career, like meeting mentors and publishers, have happened because these organizations exist, and I will forever be thankful!

Who are the people who have influenced your work the most?

My kids! They reopened my eyes to remember what it was like to be a child. They helped me to remember what it is like to grow up and to experience pure joy and innocence again. Observing them daily gives me a firm understanding of what it is like to be a kid learning to navigate and find one’s self in the world.

Throughout the last 10 years I’ve been offered a few opportunities to go back to work again for various companies, but I decided not to, mainly because of Chase and Zoey. We may not have everything that all of their friends do, but I want them to see that if you work hard for what you want, you can achieve anything. When they are my age, no matter what they end up being, I hope they follow in my footsteps and know that they can achieve anything by working hard. I want them to realize that some things are more important and more valuable than the latest toy or technology on the shelf.

What exactly is a paper engineer?

Paper engineering is the art of taking flat sheets of paper and turning them into something 3D or 4D. It’s similar to Origami but we paper engineers use scissors and glue. :-) It really is very comparable to architectural, or mechanical engineering. I just use paper to create my final products. When it comes down to it, we engineers (no matter what kind) use the same precision and creative thinking to build products for our end users.

Some of my favorite paper engineers are Matthew Reinhart and David A. Carter.

I’ve read that one thing you want to do is to show kids how to see things differently. This really resonated with me. Can you tell us how you feel your books accomplish this?

The Color, Cut, Create series was created specifically to get kids to see a sheet of paper and know that by folding and bending it, they can turn it into anything they want. Odd Dot and I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that the kids using these books would have a successful time creating. It was also designed to indirectly educate the user. For example, in the Dinosaur World book, all of the dinosaurs are built the same way. My hope is that once the user has built one or two of them, they will know how to build all of them. Then, when they realize they are missing a particular dinosaur that they want in their world, they will now have the ability to create it themselves!

As I mentioned above, my siblings and I spent a lot of time using our imagination and creating things while growing up, and I want to make sure that today’s generations have the same childhood opportunities I did.

I’d like to hear more about the “lunchbox doodles.” What a great idea! And why do you call yourself a master doodler?

I have one answer for both questions! The master doodler tagline came from years of creating drawings for my son Chase’s school lunches. I caught wind of this idea from another dad’s blog who put a drawing in his kids lunches for 16 years. I thought that was awesome, so I gave it a try. It not only gave me the opportunity to make Chase’s day, but it also gave me the opportunity to test how fast I could draw something or come up with new characters, as well as try out new pens, markers, etc.

I had a pretty good run with drawing a doodle every day for almost 6 years (Pre-K–4th grade), until COVID. COVID got me out of the habit of doing this every morning. Even though it doesn't happen every day anymore, I do still try to get a few doodles drawn now and then during the school year for both of my kids.

For those who want to get better at drawing and become a master doodler, my advice is to draw with a pen or Sharpie. Something that you can’t erase. Doing so will help you to be more confident and precise with your pen strokes.

How much work/time goes into creating one of your books?

It depends on the book, but on average from start to finish it’s about two years. That timeframe is after the book idea has been acquired from a publishing house. That two years doesn’t include all of the time and prep-work beforehand leading up to the acquisition of the title (which can sometimes take years.) I’ve been working on a few stories for almost five years now and still haven’t completely figured them out. When I present to kids, I talk about and emphasize how trial and error is part of this process and to not give up if your idea doesn’t work out the first time. Reworking projects is just a big part of the whole writing and illustrating process.

How did having your work displayed at the Mazza Museum come about?

For a few years, I was working in cut paper collage work for some of my magazine illustration jobs. After a while, I started to collect physical pieces of artwork from these assignments, and I didn’t know what to do with them. So, I reached out to Ben Sapp at the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum about donating a few pieces. He graciously accepted and even offered that we could also do a small gallery show of the work. This was definitely a career highlight for me! It also gave me a little piece of mind that some of my cut paper works will be archived for as long as they will last for future generations to see.

You are currently the Regional Illustrator Coordinator for the Ohio: North Society of Book Writers and Illustrators. What are some of the things you do in your position with SCBWI?

I have been the Illustrator Coordinator for seven years now and I have loved every minute! My main goal in this role was to give back to a community and organization that had presented me with so many opportunities that helped me advance my career. When I stepped into this role, I focused on bringing in opportunities for the illustrators in our chapter to be seen by agents, editors, and art directors. I’ve also tried to focus on inspirational or educational experiences for our members. I spent a lot of time trying to build a cohesive look and feel to our local chapter by encouraging a consistent look to all of our events and graphics. It has been a wonderful experience. However, with that all said, at the end of this year I will be stepping away from this role. My time and energy is currently needed elsewhere, but I look forward to bringing in a new spark to help continue building what I have been working on for our region.

You’ve done work for hire for several magazines, been published traditionally through Odd Dot and Harper Collins, and have also published independently. Can you tell us your experiences with each and what you learned from them?

Having published both traditionally and independently, I can say that they both have been a lot of work. No matter which direction you decide to go in your publishing career, it takes your all to do it right! It takes a lot of time and effort to market your books, whether on social media or promoting at public events. It also takes a lot of time to review and edit your own work. You have to be involved in every step along the way…you are on 24/7!

If I had to choose one way to publish, traditionally vs. independently, that would be to publish traditionally. Here is why: per my experiences, publishing traditionally has allowed me to be able to work with a team of experts who know the best way to build my books so that they will be the highest quality, most user friendly, and actually get into the hands of the end user. It has allowed me opportunities to learn how the publishing world works. It doesn’t always work right, or in your favor, but I’ve gained invaluable knowledge on how to navigate situations that might arise with my next project or publishing experiences.

Are you ever planning on writing a graphic novel? (Or have you already written one?)

I have a few in the works, but nothing finished yet. Some stories just take longer to find their voice. Currently, I am illustrating the new Jack and Jill Protectors of Safe Tomorrows comic found in Jack and Jill Magazine. I am also working on a hybrid picture book/graphic novel with Hippo Park currently titled On The Air With Dr. Doodle Bug.

What upcoming projects can you tell us about?

I am currently marketing my next illustrated picture book which is a reimagined Florence Parry Heide classic picture book titled Giants Are Very Brave People, set to release on August 1st.

I am also working on two new projects. One is another paper craft book with Odd Dot titled Building Block Books: My First Town. This book is a take on the classic children’s building blocks where young builders will punch out, build, and stack a 3D city of their own. And I am working on, as mentioned above, a hybrid picture book/graphic novel with Hippo Park currently titled On The Air With Dr. Doodle Bug.

What’s your best advice for aspiring illustrators for children’s work?

If you really want it- Stick with it! Know that this career path is not your normal 9-5 job. It’s a constant hustle trying to figure out new projects, while working on current projects, and figuring out ways to market your work. Also, learn how to speak for yourself and your work, and never quit learning new skills or refining your craft.

Short and Sweet

Pantser or Plotter? Pantser

Guilty Food Pleasure? French Fries and Cookies

Favorite Hobby? Urban Sketching or antiquing for the perfect treasure!

Cat or Dog Person? Dog

Who would you like to have dinner with (living or dead)? My Dad (we lost him when I was 12.)

Do you do your best work in the morning, afternoon, or evening? When I first started out, I used to like to work between the hours of midnight and 5 am. Mainly due to the world being complete shutdown so I could just focus on my work. Now, it’s the morning hours, and sometimes late afternoons.