Giveaway with Valerie Bodden

Hey everyone! I want to introduce you to my wonderful critique partner, Valerie Bodden, who just barely signed with Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret!

Hey Valerie! Let’s start off with a generic question. Tell us a little bit about yourself!

That should be an easy one, right? But somehow, it never is! Let’s see. I’ve been writing children’s nonfiction for the school and library market for 12 years now and have written more than 200 books about everything from history and biography to bugs and roller coasters. I’m also a mom of four and a wife. So busy times – but I love it!

I love that you write children’s nonfiction! How did you get into that market?

I always loved writing both fiction and nonfiction, but I actually kind of stumbled into the nonfiction market when my husband and I were newly married. There happened to be several publishing houses in the area, so I decided it was time to go for my dream of being a writer/editor. I will always be grateful to that publisher (Creative Education, which I still write for) for giving me my first chance in publishing.

You’ve been doing nonfiction for quite a while then. What’s the biggest difference you find between that and writing fiction?

Both offer their own rewards and challenges, but I think the biggest difference lies in voice and intent. With my nonfiction, I’m working to present facts in a compelling manner that will keep readers interested, without ever losing site of the information I’m relating. But in fiction, even though there’s still plenty of research to do, I want the facts to be woven in so seamlessly that readers don’t even notice them. That, and the fact that I can completely make things up in fiction, of course.

Tell us about the book that you’re hoping to publish.

It’s called DROWNING IN AIR, and it’s a young adult contemporary novel told from dual point of view. Calli is a swimmer trying to do everything while taking care of her dying mom. Noah is a heart-transplant survivor taking risks to prove his life isn’t some cosmic mistake. I think the story is a little bit heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful, and I hope it shows that sometimes our greatest strength comes in making ourselves vulnerable to others.

How long did it take you to write and revise before you started querying?

I started this novel for NaNoWriMo 2014 – my first NaNoWriMo! I finished the first draft by early 2015. Then I set the book aside as I was swallowed with nonfiction deadlines. I came back to it in the summer to revise, and somewhere during that time, you read it and gave me great feedback (including keeping me from making a really embarrassing mistake about heart monitors!) and I revised again. By early 2016, I thought I was ready to query, so I sent out a small batch but then got sidetracked again by deadlines. The first queries didn’t result in an offer, but based on feedback, I did another revision this past summer. By fall, I was ready to query again, especially after polishing my query letter and first 250 words in the Nightmare on Query Street contest. So about two years, on and off.

I was so excited when you had me read through it! I thought you did such a great job of showing teenagers trying to figure themselves out, especially when they have to deal with illness too.

Thank you!

Did you base it off real experiences, or were your characters inspired by someone you know?

Fortunately, I have not personally gone through the struggles my characters face. But I’ve known teens who have cared for sick parents, sometimes without much help. So that really sparked Calli’s storyline. And Noah’s storyline occurred to me when my daughter’s class made gifts for a young boy with cancer from another school. I started wondering what that boy would be like when he grew up – how does a childhood illness like that impact the rest of a person’s life? And what would happen if they ever met? Of course, I took those initial seeds and expanded them into something completely different and unrecognizable, but that’s how it all started.

I’m so excited that Noah and Calli’s story is going to be out there! How did you react when you finally got an offer for representation?

Thank you! Reading that email took my breath away. And only my preschooler was home to confirm that the email really said what I thought it said. I kept telling her I couldn’t believe this was happening. Fortunately, she just went along with it, giving me big smiles and nods, like Mommy acted like this every day. After I talked on the phone with my agent (which still feels a bit surreal to write) it took a while for everything to sink in – I mean, like days. But then my family took me out to dinner to celebrate and that made it feel a bit more real. It’s been really fun to see how excited my kids are about it. I didn’t think it would matter much to them, but they’re so happy for me, which is sweet!

So I guess the biggest questions is: How do you find time to write with four kids?

Haha! I do a lot of juggling around naptime, bedtime, and any time I have to take them to practice or somewhere I’ll be waiting a while. Plus, my husband is incredibly supportive and takes care of things around here as much as possible when he’s home so that I can have time to write. It’s gotten easier in the past year or so with my daughter in preschool part time, but it’s still a challenge. Fortunately, I love what I do, so that makes it worth the missed sleep.

I’m glad, because you definitely wrote something I think a lot of people are going to love!

Aw, thank you! I hope so!

Congratulations on finding your agent! I hope we hear more good news in the near future!

Thanks so much Krista! You’re the best.

And it looks like you have something planned to celebrate too, right?

Sure do! I was helped by so many people in making my query and manuscript shine, and I’d love to do the same for someone else. So I’m giving away a query and first 10 pages critique to one lucky winner.

I can speak from experience. Your critiques are fantastic!

Thanks for taking the time to do this, Krista! I’ve had so much fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Our Lucky Winner is Megan Cutler! We'll be sending you an email with the specifics! Thanks to everyone who participated! 

Valerie Bodden is the author of more than 200 children’s books. Her books have received favorable reviews from Booklist, Children’s Literature, Foreword Magazine, Horn Book Guide, VOYA, and School Library Journal. Valerie lives in Wisconsin with her husband, four children, one dog, two cats, a growing collection of fish, and miscellaneous bugs that her children have ‘rescued’ from the outdoors. She spends most of her time writing or wrangling children and animals. Visit her online at valeriebodden.com

Paradigm Shift

A few weeks ago, I posted about agents being open to diversity. I didn’t expect the kind of positive responses that I received, and I was so grateful for the discussions that followed. I love having grown up conversations about issues that really matter, especially after watching the fiasco that’s turning out to be our election year.

But I digress.

I wanted to share a few more thoughts, and some comments that really made my day.

One of my friends asked this amazing question:

We all like to talk about ideas. But I think it’s more than talking about it. Or even bringing attention to the issue. As another person stated:

We have to change the way we talk about it. Making diversity seem like the half-brother freezing out in the cold only sets it apart even more. We have to treat it like it’s a part of the family. There’s no reason to act like it’s a new thing, or like it’s something no one’s considered before. Because we’re all exposed to diversity. Even when we don’t realize it.

After that conversation, I started combing through the MSWL threads on twitter, and I noticed two very different ways of approaching diversity.

Here is example number 1:

As you can see, this is what I mentioned in my previous blog post. They want diversity! They’re open to it! But what does that even mean? All that it tells me is that they’re on the band wagon, when they don’t even know what it really means.

Here’s example number 2:

See the difference? These agents take diversity as a given. They’re not throwing out random keywords, they know what they’re looking for, and they’re asking for it. It’s like if you represent speculative fiction and you say something like: guys, I’m seeing way too much paranormal fantasy. Got any contemporary fantasy? Same thing. Diversity is just a part of their list, and they know what kind of stories they’re looking for. 

And this one I just loved:

It's specific. They know what they want, and they're willing to ask for it. 

Even though I'm the one who brought up the topic, I feel like I'm the one who learned from the rest of you! So thank you, to everyone who added comments!

The First Step

I’m not an adventurer.  I usually leave that to my characters. 

For me, I love my comfort zone because it’s cozy and it’s something that I know.  I very rarely take risks without calculating all of the possible outcomes and yet, those risks and changes are what have made my life exciting.  In those moments when I have to move out of my comfort zone, leave what I know or try something new, I get a rush of excitement.

As many of you may remember, one of my New Year’s resolutions involved sending out my first queries in the month of January.  Writing is a passion of mine.  I do it because I love it.  But I’ve gotten to the point where I feel like it shouldn’t just be for me.  I want to share it with others.  Since I’ve decided to try traditional publishing first, that means querying. 

I participated in #Pitmad earlier this month, and WOW!  I was amazed by the fast-paced momentum that it went by.  I’m glad I participated, and maybe someday later I’ll be able to participate in another twitter pitch session, but I’m not sure that I liked the speed that it went by.  I much prefer taking things at my own speed, rather than trying to shout for attention.  I did have one editor request a query and the first 500 words, so it was a good experience, just one I’m not sure I’d repeat.

The rush of having someone actually request a query was fantastic.  The waiting, the anticipation… it was enough to make me want to try again.  This time, I sent out a query on my own, where it was just one on one.  I know the agent probably receives hundreds of queries a day, but at least I don’t have the feeling that I’m one of thousands trying to get attention.  (Though it’s probably not an inaccurate description.)

Last week, I received rejections from both the agent and the editor.  When I was talking to my mom about it later, I told her that I had the urge to print them both out and hang them up on the wall.

It’s not that I enjoy rejection.  I don’t.  But the fact that I was rejected also means that I tried.  I took that first step toward publication.  I tried and I failed.  But that doesn’t mean that I won’t ever succeed.  If I had never tried, then I would never achieve my goals.  If I never take that step, then I’ll never get anywhere.  And that’s why I’m going to celebrate this failure.

Picture taken and edited by me

The Power of Rejection

This week, I did something that I’ve never done before.  I sent a query to an agent.  I’ve sent queries to contests where several agents are involved and slush readers go through and pick the best ones.  In those contests, I’ve just never received a response, meaning that I didn’t make it to the next round.  But this time, an agent provided the opportunity for anyone to send their query and first 5-10 pages and receive either a request for more a very honest response as to why the query is rejected. 

So I summoned up my courage and sent mine.  For a week, I waited, and then I received the response.  It was a rejection, very clear and concise as to why she didn’t want to read the rest of my story.  Her reasoning made sense.  She wasn’t interested in the genre because she’d seen too much.  I know that finding the right fit can be a lot of work.  It’s like going through a bunch of job interviews.  Most of the time, (at least in my experience) rejection is more common than acceptance.

 

Picture taken by me

But there’s something more that this rejection means.  It means that I’ve tried.  I’ve put my toe in the water and stepped out of my comfort zone.  In a way, I’m proud of this rejection.  There’s a part of me that wants to print out the email and save it for future references.  To remind myself that if I don’t try, there’s no way that I can achieve.  So really, this rejection is my first step towards achieving my dreams.

She also gave me some great advice (maybe inadvertently).  She asked me what was unique about my story.  

I’d always focused on telling the important points in my query, who my characters are, what they’re fighting for.  But I’d never thought to focus on what makes my story unique.  Yes, every story has similarities to another, but it’s the differences that counts.  And now I know what to really bring out in my query. 

And that’s why I’m bragging.  I attempted and I didn’t get pulled down by a rejection.  Though maybe you should ask me after 25-50.  

  

Created by me

What’s the last thing you did to work toward your goals?