KidLitNation

Introduction by Judith Ashley

SUPPORT AUTHORS OF COLOR

Romancing the Genre is celebrating Children’s Books authors the entire month of June. This weekend we are featuring our own B.A. Binns. Blog Queen, Sarah Raplee, interviewed B.A. when she was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award for yet-to-be published authors in June 2010. When we had an opening in 2011, we invited her to join us.

This is B.A. Binn’s monthly post introduction.

Hi everyone!

I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  My debut MG novel, Courage, was recently published by Harper Collins. It's a great read for this, or any season.

Check my books out at http://babinns.com

Last month Barbara posted about a mentoring program sponsored by KidLitNation, a non-profit organization working to assist authors and illustrators of color break into publishing. She has given us permission to use that material this month while as an International Group Blog we celebrate children’s book authors and the Genre-istas share their favorite books growing up.

 Last year, KidLit Nation announced a mentorship program and selected three aspiring children's book writers to work with published authors.

The individuals chosen to be mentored in the KidLitNation 2019-2020 program agreed to share their experiences during the six month mentorship. You’ll see the questions and each of their answers as you read on.

To me, the most important question Barbara asked is why they wanted to write children’s books. As you read on you’ll see that these three women are serious about telling the story of their heart in the best way they can. To do that, they took a chance and signed up with KidLitNation’s mentoring program. 

Good writers are always learning how best to tell their stories. I’m looking forward to the day when Gabriella, Suzannah and Catherine are published authors.

Gabriele Davis comes from a racially and culturally mixed family: African American, Native American, and Swiss/Caucasian. She grew up loving to read, and realizing as she grew older that something was missing in books. There were no families like hers. She applied for the mentorship to write books with humor and heart that allow all children to feel embraced. She picked Russ Busse as her picture book mentor to work with her on her Picture Book, Mary Had a Little Slam.

Suzannah Sebayan is a Filipina-American mother and writer. Since the birth of her daughter, the lack of Filipina voices in children's literature made her determined to write children's stories featuring Filipino characters. She wants to give her daughter the kind of stories she wished she had while growing up. She selected Barbara Binns as her mentor for her Middle Grade story, Mari and Her Amazing Super Cape.

Catherine Velasco is a Latinx who grew up in a multicultural family. She hoped to craft a story that would help children feel less lonely and make them laugh a little too. Her Middle Grade novel is Hammerin' Hector vs. Godzilla Gomez.

Here are their thoughts about their 2019-2020 KIDLIT NATION MENTORSHIP ~

How did you find out about the mentorship program?

Gabrielle: I discovered the mentorship program through KLN’s webinar with Russ Busse in May 2019, which I found either on Twitter or FB. The session included an announcement about the program, so I hightailed it over to the KidLitNation website to locate the details.

Suzannah: I found out about the program from the SCBWI [Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators] Illinois listserv.

Catherine: I found information on social media, from Urania Smith [One of the KidLitNation founders].

Why did you want a mentor? What did you hope to gain?

Gabriele: I had been querying agents for a couple of years with bits of encouragement but no success, so I wanted to better understand my strengths and weaknesses as a picture book writer. I also hoped to improve my craft. I saw this mentorship as an opportunity to move closer to my ultimate goal of bringing my stories into the world.

Suzannah: I hoped a mentor would provide support as I continued working on my middle grade manuscript. I wanted feedback on this work in progress, and information on the publishing industry, which is new to me.

Catherine: I have been a mentor for 30 years on and off. First with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and then as a journalist, helping high school reporters. So I thought it would be nice to be a mentee and see what happens. I had hope to gain the insight of a veteran author and get guidance with my middle grade contemporary story. An editor asked me for 50 pages and I was hoping to get some help and confidence before I submitted it.

What was the mentoring experience like?

Gabriele: I feel really fortunate to have mentored with Russ Busse. Russ was generous with his time and feedback despite his very busy schedule. He has a keen editorial eye and a supportive, encouraging manner and was open to answering any questions I had. I really valued his honest feedback. For each manuscript, we began with a “big-picture” conversation. Then I got to work (unsure if I could accomplish what Russ had suggested) and always surprised myself with how quickly the revisions came together once I calmed down and let his feedback simmer. In our follow-up conversation, we focused on pickier, more line-level suggestions, and the revision process began again. In each case, Russ helped me tighten and fine-tune my story so that it felt submission-ready.

Suzannah: The experience was positive and productive. Barbara Binns and I spoke about once a month from August through March. I restructured and refined my manuscript, particularly the opening chapters. I also learned about agents and editors, finding a writing partner and/or group, dealing with critiques and building an online presence.

Catherine: It was a true gift. My mentor, Matthew J. Kirby, is a talented author and teacher. He shared his experiences in the publishing world – the good and the frustrating. We also talked about craft – especially setting which is my weakness. He generously read my entire novel and pinpointed areas that took him out of the book as a reader. That alone was priceless. I wrote diligent notes and now I’m enjoying the revision process, something I used to dread.

What is the most important thing you learned?

Gabriele: I gained a better understanding of how to pace my stories, especially how to effectively develop pivotal scenes (my tendency had been to rush through them). I learned to clarify my characters’ motivations and to trust my instincts regarding beginnings, endings and overall plot. Finally, I learned be patient during the revision process and to trust that the necessary ideas and words would come.

Suzannah: The importance of the opening chapters. I received support and encouragement, motivation to continue writing, feedback on my work and help in navigating the new-to-me children's literature world.

Catherine: Not to compare my book to the great author Judy Blume! That puts too much pressure on my character. Matt said that was unfair to Hector! That was one of my excuses for never submitting it – that it wasn’t good enough.

Would you recommend the experience to others?

Gabriele: Absolutely. Honest editorial feedback is invaluable to one’s growth as a writer. And a mentorship offers the opportunity to learn not only about craft but about the industry in general. I will always be grateful to KidLit Nation for helping me leap forward on my writing journey.

Suzannah: Yes, I would recommend it. I enjoyed working one-on-one with a mentor, and my manuscript is now stronger.

Catherine: Yes, I would recommend the program to others because it’s nice to have someone rooting for your book from the publishing world. Matt picked me as his mentee because he loved Hector’s voice and said I made baseball sound interesting even though he was not a big sports fan. That was encouraging to hear that the book appealed to non-sports fans!

Is there anything else you would like to say to others?

Gabriele: Know what you want from your mentorship. Then, work with your mentor to create a schedule that works for both of you, so that you can achieve it. Everyone’s busy. Having set times (and/or deadlines) will help both of you stay on track. Remember, you have an insider at your disposal. Don’t be shy. Ask ALL your questions! And be prepared to work hard. Working with a mentor can move your career forward if you take full advantage of the opportunity. Most important: have fun! Take joy in the process of creation.

Suzannah: For writers of color, please keep working on diverse children's stories. They are needed.

Catherine: I don’t want people to think all mentors will read an entire novel. I was in an unique situation where an editor wanted 50 pages and my book was selected in SCBWI’s 2019 Work-in-Progress Grant. Matt thought he could be the most help by giving me insight on what needs improvement since the book was getting interest in the publishing world. I truly appreciated his time and guidance, and KidLit Nation’s program. I feel more confident about releasing my book into the world.

You've heard from the mentees. As one of the people selected to mentor an aspiring author, let me say I enjoyed the process. Suzannah and I spent long hours on the phone, and I feel that I came to know her well. Mostly, I enjoyed sharing publishing experiences with her, both pitfalls and highlights, and providing feedback that helped her story grow stronger over the months. ~ Barbara Binns

Check my books out at http://babinns.com