or so they surmised, but their guess wasn’t right….
*
When Moon shone her face at a quarter to one,
Fred polished his bones and got all the chores done.
He strung up some lights, putting candles in gourds.
It was time for a party and Halloween fun!
*
The dragons were hired to cater the food.
Fred’s organ and bone drum helped set the right mood.
A beast lent her bathtub–they all bobbed for heads.
At the kissing booth, vampires drooled as they queued.
*
They borrowed a head for a quick game of ball.
(The werewolf was grounded for trying to maul.)
They sang karaoke and howled to the moon.
There was plenty of trick-or-treat candy for all!
*
When wicks lost their flame and the bones were picked clean,
and Sun announced dawn with a wink and a gleam.
They helped with the dishes and cleaned up Fred’s yard,
they parted with hugs until next Halloween!
*
Visit Lydia’s website (https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/fall-writing-frenzy-entry-form-2022/) to check out more #FallFrenzy contest entries.
Hello friends! Please join me in giving an enthusiastic welcome to the writer and agent, Kaitlyn Sanchez, who is making a guest appearance on my blog, Eye on Writing. Kaitlyn has graciously agreed to let me pick her brain, and I am psyched to share our conversation. Thank you, Kaitlyn!
Here we go!
Question 1: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did it change as you worked your way up through the grades, or did it remain the same?
Kaitlyn: When I was a kid, I always said, “I want to be a people doctor, an animal doctor, and a writer in my spare time.” Then, in third grade, I had a magical teacher, Mrs. Cripe, who somehow harnessed my “social butterfly during class” tendencies and propelled me into using that energy for school work. From that year on, I wanted to be a teacher, like Mrs. Cripe. Of course, the next year, I wanted to be a fourth grade teacher, and when I got to middle school, I told my parents that I couldn’t decide if I wanted to teach English or math because I loved them both. So, of course, my dad – an analyst – went to the computer and came back with printed papers (ya know, the kind where you got to peel the outer edge off of – one of my favorite things to do as a kid!). He said something to the effect of, “When you’re an adult, they’ll need more math teachers than English teachers.” So it was decided; I would teach math, which is what I’m doing now. I started as a high school math teacher, and now, I’m loving teaching middle school math. Writing was always part of my life, I just never knew it could be a career, but that’s a whole different story.
Sarah: Wow, kudos to your dad for such insight!
Caption: Kaitlyn (bottom right) and her family
Question 2: In this interview with Ellen Levanthal, you said your husband said “…make sure there’s time for us…” after showing support for you becoming an agent intern. WOW! Sounds like you’ve got a strong relationship there! Good for the three of you! So, how DO you make time for hubby and Kiara while you’re teaching, writing, being an agent, and spreading your knowledge enthusiastically across social media?
Kaitlyn: Aw, thank you so much. I am very lucky to have such strong relationships, starting with my parents. They have always been so supportive, and I’m beyond lucky that my husband and friends are as well. A lot of people talk about their loved ones not getting their writing, and agenting can be even more complicated to explain. But luckily for me, my family and friends have actually believed in me more than I have myself more often than not.
Caption: Kaitlyn’s cousins held a celebration for her when her first book as an agent, Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmermann illustrated by Jamie Green, came out.
Beyond my family, my agency has really helped me find a balance because as an agency, we’re off duty from Friday through Sunday, so that allows me to use that time to be with my family. I also leave work at work when I’m teaching. I’m also trying to take my therapist’s advice to plan out times to start and stop agenting stuff each day to ensure a balance – I’m still working on that because I get really excited and obsessive when I work on agenting things like editing and making submission lists, but I’m getting there. Also, recently we implemented Thursday night Family Nights at my house, where no phones are allowed once I get home from work, and my clients have been incredibly supportive of this, which I think goes to show how wonderful and compassionate my clients are. So, everyone reading, please support these wonderful writers by ordering/pre-ording these books:
HATTIE HATES HUGS, by Sarah Kovorka (Click here to purchase.)
MUSHROOM RAIN, by Laura K. Zimmermann (Click here.)
Sarah: I love love LOVE the idea of Thursday night Family Night! I will have to try that with my family!
Question 3: What are the benefits of signing with Context Literary Agency over another literary agency?
Kaitlyn: There are so many wonderful agencies out there, but I adore Context for many reasons. To name a few, we’re one of the only agencies with a Brand Manager, Monica Rodriguez. She helps our clients with their brand as well as helps them understand and implement their publishers’ marketing plans. We’re also incredibly collaborative, with weekly roundups, weekly meetings, and tons of discussions on Slack.
Question 4: Who is your favorite mathematician and why?
One of my favorite female mathematicians is Ada Lovelace because she proves what I love to share: that math and writing are more similar than some people think as she was a mathematician and so wonderful at using her imagination as well.
Question 5:I was struck by something you said in one of the links on your website, how having a good support group helps you handle rejections. Do any of your critique groups have a “thing” they do for rejections (ritual, celebration of progress, chocolate)?
Kaitlyn: That support really keeps me going. We don’t have any rituals per se, but just sharing and supporting each other, knowing others are going through it and feeling the same things just really helps.
Question 6: Your excitement at finding your voice (enthusiastic!) is palpable on your website. Do you think ‘knowing’ our voice, as writers, comes from ourselves or from the observations and comments of others?
Kaitlyn: That’s a great question! I think it can come from either. For me, it came from others pointing it out, but for others, it can come from their own observations. The most important thing is to keep writing, writing, writing, and reading, reading, reading so that you can find and continue growing your voice.
Sarah: Yes, that is so write; I mean right. How far back can you remember telling stories to family and friends? Can you remember all the stories you created when you first learned to write? Do you think your voice has always been enthusiastic?
Kaitlyn: Haha, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who accidentally writes “write” when I mean “right”! As for storytelling, I’ve definitely always been a storyteller; my parents always loved sharing stories with my sister and I, whether they were about their intriguing lives or completely made up, so I bet I get it from them. I have always been notoriously bad at remembering my stories without writing them down. In fact, when I was a kid, maybe around 7 or 8, my family and I went on a snow trip. Some background, I was a sick kid growing up, sick so often, the school nurse and I were super tight. Anyway, of course, I had to get sick the first day of our trip and spent the whole time indoors, so I wrote and wrote. I adored that story, but I lost it! I tried rewriting it the whole way home, but I couldn’t remember most of it. I’m still devastated to this day that I can’t remember it. As for my voice, I think my writing probably has been enthusiastic since I’ve always been an enthusiastic person, but I’m delighted at how it’s developed over the years.
Question 7: You mentioned in another interview that you write when you’re inspired. Does that mean you WAIT for the muse? (Gasp!) Do you designate certain times on certain days to write? Are you inspired all of the time?
Kaitlyn: I definitely love writing when the muse strikes! For me, it’s often an image in my head that I get the honor of writing a story about. That’s probably why most of my contests have image components, ha! I definitely don’t write my own writing every day. For me, it’s usually during school breaks and every now and then on weekends when I’m inspired to write. Like last weekend, I woke up from a dream and thought that it could be a good idea for an MG or YA. I’ve never finished writing anything that long, but I do have a desire to write novels and a few ideas up my sleeve, so hopefully someday I’ll actually write them. I may have to do NaNoWriMo someday.
Sarah: Yes! Definitely try NaNoWriMo! (Click here, readers, if you want to learn more!) If you do, give me a heads up, and you’ll find the “Sarahnator” cheering you on in November!
Question 8: And now for our last question(s)…What are you looking for as an agent and what are your favorite books of all time? As you add to the list of favorites as new books come out, do you find that what you’re seeking as an agent also changes?
Kaitlyn: What a whopper of a question! How much time do you have? Lol. One of my favorite books as a kid was The Rainbow Fish – the bright, shiney scale totally intrigued me, and I also loved the Clifford books, but one that others may not know/remember is George and Martha. I have ‘Round and ‘Round practically memorized. For novels, I adored Thursday’s Child by Sonya Hartnett as well as Black Boy by Richard Wright and the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.
I definitely think as new books come out, my agenting wants change. I love Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend, The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel , The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson, and would love to rep a book that could comp to any of them. I think TV and film also influence my agent wants too because I would LOVE to have a book like The Mitchell’s Vs the Machines or Burden of Truth.
So there are a few agent wants. I also would be intrigued to see some good commercial NF for PB and some new hilarious PBs or PBs that really play with format.
As we conclude our conversation, and this blog post, I’d like to shout out a HUGE thank-you to Kaitlyn for taking time out of her super busy life to share her insight and knowledge with us. I am grateful for being able to interview this fabulous woman!
Giveaway- An Above the Slushpile Giveaway for Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez
So…HOW can you win this fabulous prize? There are several ways to gain points, and the more points you gain, the higher percent chance you have of winning!
Share that you added MUSHROOM RAIN, HATTIE HATES HUGS, OLD FRIENDS, AND BRAVE LIKE MOM to your Goodreads “Want to Read” list and/or your Amazon Wishlist. (1 point total)
Share that you ordered/pre-ordered a copy of MUSHROOM RAIN, HATTIE HATES HUGS, OLD FRIENDS, OR BRAVE LIKE MOM (1 point each; 4 points total)
Share that you did a purchase request for MUSHROOM RAIN, HATTIE HATES HUGS, OLD FRIENDS, OR BRAVE LIKE MOM at your library (1 point each; 4 points total).
Share that you left a review on Amazon OR Barnes and Noble for ANY of these books (1 point each; 8 points total).
Share that you retweeted or quote retweeted my tweet about this blog post on Twitter AND tagged some friends (1 point total).
I will RANDOMLY select one winner one week after I post this blog. May the luckiest person win! Thank you, Kaitlyn, for this wonderful opportunity!
I got out of a bad marriage in the middle of the pandemic while becoming sober. Someday, I’m sure I’ll be proud and amazed; for now, I still don’t think I believe it all! So that got me thinking…what else can I accomplish that I previously thought impossible? Can I call upon these superpowers elsewhere in my life? I’ll use this question as a springboard as I plan my 2022 writing year.
You’ve probably heard of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound). I’m not going to make “getting an agent” a goal, because it’s not Achievable; I can’t make this happen–it’s not completely up to me. But there are plenty of other, Measurable goals that I have. Here’s my favorite part: organzing my goals to make them Achievable over the Time of one year. (I know, I’m kind of nuts….)
I want to start strong with the coming of 2022. (Let’s face it: over a year-and-a-half of contentious divorce doesn’t leave much time for writing, let alone bandwidth for thinking about much else!) Here is my four-fold plan of attack:
1. Write more rough drafts of new picture book stories (let’s say ONE new manuscript per month).
2. Submit something. (I actually went through 2021 submitting next to nothing. I only submitted one poem to two magazines, and just for practice.)
3. Generate more magazine articles. In particular, I’ll use what kids’ magazines (Crickets, Highlights, A Boy’s Life, Stepping Stones) are looking for to practice writing poetry (let’s say ONE new magazine article per month).
4. Participate in all twenty-four of my local critique group meetings if I can, as well as keep in touch with all of my friends in the writing community.
Now I’ll break down those goals even further:
January through March, 2022:
Tara Lazar’s Storystorm is something I look forward to every year. I get so many ideas in that powerful month of January; I usually don’t have time to use all of them in the year ahead. (I also tend to get ideas throughout the year, usually while driving or just before falling asleep–I still have many ‘leftovers’ from 2021 to write about.)
And I’ll join Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 and actually participate in 2022.
Finally, I intend to enter the Valentiny contest in February (Susanna Leonard Hill), the #50PreciousWords contest in March (Vivian Kirkfield), and Madness Poetry in March (Ed DeCaria).
Oh, and I aim to compose one new blog post every month… and give my website a makeover.
April through June, 2022:
I want to use spring to expand the ideas I will generate in January into complete manuscripts–from scrawled notes in one of my plethora of notebooks to polished stories. As of now, I have twelve manuscripts that give me energy when I think about them and that my fingers are itching to write.
A few other things I want to explore next spring are researching the market, reading as many newer picture books as I can get my hands on, and compiling a list of good-fit agents and editors to whom I should submit.
And I’ll blog….
July through September, 2022:
The summer will be for submitting. I’ll do research and refresh my memory on how to write a good cover letter and get as many reasonable submissions out as possible.
I find querying to be a bit tedious, so it’ll be good to do it in the summer. I’ll spend some time submitting and then go outside in the sunshine for a walk or a jog.
Oh yes, and I’ll blog.
October through December, 2022:
NaNoWriMo is a must–I’ve been doing it for the past four years, and I don’t want to stop now. Even though I haven’t reread most of the novels I’ve created in November, I know I’ll get to them, just like I know the practice of writing is worth it in and of itself. Plus, I enjoy it!
This might also be a good time to resume editing my super special secret NaNoWriMo story from a couple of years ago. I’ve got a gut feeling about this one. Without giving the plot away, I’ll say that I relied heavily on my knowledge and experience as an optometrist to create it. I haven’t stopped feeling certain (since I wrote it in…2019?) that this story will go places!
I am so excited and happy…this is the first blog I’ve written in a looooooong time. I am reentering the literary world; get ready everybody, here I come!
I have just returned from my critique group’s second annual writing retreat. We spent three days in northern New Hampshire writing, relaxing, socializing, and eating (one of our writers is a professional chef!). One of the best things about this retreat is that it was structured, and yet flexible. We had a plan, but frequently amended the plan to include spur-of-the-moment activities or to designate more time where it was needed. I now feel refreshed in spirit, mind, and body; ready for more writing. In addition, I am immensely glad these ‘gurlz’ are my writing partners and, most importantly, my friends.
The Drives Up and Back
While I balk at sometimes having to drive an hour and forty-five minutes one-way to work, I thoroughly enjoyed the long drive to and from the retreat. I carpooled with one of my CPs. We were able to chat and catch up, something neither of us had had much time for in the past several weeks. It was the perfect start to three days of writer’s bliss.
Hitchhiking
In this
article by Kim, one of my critique partners, she explains how
to use ‘hitchhiking’ to get the creative juices flowing. While we ate lunch and
waited for all six of us to arrive, we practiced hitchhiking stories. One of us
would start a story, and we’d keep going around the table, adding a sentence or
two at a time, until the story ended. Let me tell you, the stories never went
in the direction I thought they were going to go. I was particularly grateful
for this activity: I used it to flesh
out some of my Storystorm
2020
ideas.
Juggling
One of our critique partners is a professional clown and circus performer. She treated us to a juggling break where we learned to juggle poi and practiced what we had learned last year: juggling scarves. This elevated our heart rates and got the blood pumping to our brains in preparation for our next activity: making vision boards.
Vision Boards
At the beginning of the month, we worked together to help each other come up with a focus word for 2020. Mine was ‘explore.’ We took our words to the retreat, and used scrapbook materials, magazines, and other craft supplies to create a collage representation of what our word meant to us. Set among the background of music and wine, this was the perfect creative activity for the evening. I made three vision boards! (I couldn’t stop myself!)
Morning Yoga and Wish Paper
Kate, another one of my critique partners, teaches yoga to teens at the library. She led us in poses that stretched the body, followed by an exercise to stretch the mind. We wrote wishes for 2020 on wish paper and curled each paper into a cylinder. We then placed the cylinders on a plate and lit the top of each one on fire. After a few seconds, the wishes leapt into the air, consumed in flames! I caught my charred remains and smeared some of the ashes into my writing notebook—I’m not really sure why; it felt symbolic.
Storymatic
I have to purchase this game
for writers. Jackie brought Storymatic—both the
version for kids and the one for adults—to the retreat. We selected cards like
“librarian in love” and “mirror” or “covered in tattoos,” “doesn’t feel
attractive enough,” and “obvious plastic surgery” and spent 10-15 minutes
writing stories which integrated the phrases. Then we read our stories out
loud. My favorite memory was not being able to finish the first (and then the
second!) sentence of one of my stories without everyone interrupting with
laughter and snorts.
Acting
We helped each other unstick our sticking points. This ‘helping’ took the usual form of ‘talking things out,’ except, however, when it didn’t! We discussed one partner’s plot points. We brainstormed titles for another member. After that, we acted out the picture book I’m writing and which recently has me stumped. Watching my story performed as a play was hilarious and fabulous, and probably one of—if not the—highlights of the retreat. This exercise—which was more fun than work—helped me immediately with setting, plot, dialogue, and a whole lot more. Above all, I am so grateful for these moments of laughter and improvisation and will cherish them forever, even if this particular picture book never gets published. (But I think it will! Someday!)
Freewriting
What would a writing retreat be without freewriting? There was plenty of this, thank goodness! I got to do my morning pages, kept up with Storystorm, and worked on drafts for at least two picture books. Similarly, I wrote poems, concocted silly brain-unblocking stories, and journaled. I may use one of the Storymatic ideas that I fleshed out during a freewriting session, and turn it into a picture book. In addition, I may also use a question one of my critique partners asked me—What would you tell your eleven-year-old self if you could go back in time? —as a blog post.
Conclusion
There is no ‘all-in-all’ or ‘in conclusion’ sort of ending that justifies just how amazing the entirety of this writing retreat was. Friendships were solidified and strengthened. Tears and laughter united us. And writing… did I mention how much I love Love LOVE writing?!
Have you been on a writing retreat lately? Similarly, what do you look for in a writing retreat or critique partners?
Statement: I know nothing about creating a website. I built this site following the instructions in GET KNOWN BEFORE THE BOOK DEAL and BUILD YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM. Recently I was made aware that when subscribers receive an email notification from me, they get a boatload of what I’m calling “Rattlesnake Ads” – things I have nothing to do with and are sometimes scary and inappropriate to view.
Request: Nothing I have read thus far has helped me figure out how to get rid of these Rattlesnake Ads. I feel torn between just getting rid of the subscribe button and really wanting to stay in contact with all of you! If you know how to help me fix this situation, can you please reach out to me and step me through it? Thank you!
In the meanwhile, I will try to limit what I publish.
NOTE (added on May 17, 2022): I wrote this before I studied Renee LaTulippe’s information on rhythm and rhyme (https://www.reneelatulippe.com/). YES, the meter is waaaaaaay off.
It’s finally here – our group blog! Over the past several months, my writing critique buddies and I have labored over every graphic, paragraph, sentence, and word. We poured all but our blood into this new website (well, maybe our horror-writing YA member shed a little).
It is with excitement, pride, and hope that I present to you The Page Half Full. Our mission statement is: A writer should never feel alone on their journey. The Page Half Full is the website of seven children’s book writers. This is a place where you can join us as we share our process and our progress. By drawing on our individual backgrounds and experiences, we hope to encourage and inspire each other and other writers to expand their own craft. We look forward to sharing and interacting with you!
The structure of our blog encompasses a weekday theme. Each Monday we will share a motivational quote. A blog from one of our members (on an equal rotating schedule) will appear on Tuesday. Wednesday will focus on a special word. Thursday is tip day. And on Friday we hope to end the work week on a fun note.
I hope you check us out and share with your friends!
