Writer Spotlight: Beth Hollar Gier

Church youth director, MFA, baby goats, darlings, Schuler Books, no Kirkus, and Jazz: author Beth Hollar Gier

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author Beth Hollar Gier.

I grew up along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in a town called Muskegon. As a kid, I loved riding bikes, playing in the school band, and camping with my family.

Playing in the school band likely fed your love of music. In fact, you studied music in college. What did you hope to do with a degree in music?

I thought I would teach, mainly, and do some freelance playing on the side. I did both of those for a time, then turned my focus to other things.

What early events fed your love of reading and writing?

Young Beth

My mom read to us from the time we were very young, and my dad is a avid reader, so we had quite a few books in the house. We also made frequent trips to the library and the bookmobile made regular stops just down the street. My neighborhood friends and I sometimes sat in someone’s garage on rainy days and read books, which sounds a little strange, I know, but it’s true!

Beth Hollar Gier grew up along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. She studied music at the University of Michigan and worked with middle school and high school students for many years.

How many years did you teach? Did you prefer middle school or high school students? Were you teaching Marching Band?

I taught band and general music (no marching band) in the public schools in New Haven, CT for a short time, but the majority of my work with middle school and high school students happened while I was a church youth director for 15 years or so. It’s hard to say which age group I preferred, but middle school students are wonderful humans – so full of life and questions and goofiness!

Unlike a lot of authors, I didn't start writing stories until I was an adult. I actually studied music in college. But after working with middle school and high school students for many years, I went back to school myself, and earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University.

What was your epiphany? The inciting incident that brought you back to school to write?

The weekend before the COVID lock-down happened, my daughter and I – we’d dreamed of writing/illustrating a picture book together – attended a one-day class on writing for children at the Newberry Library in Chicago. 

At some point during the day, our instructor, Esther Hershenhorn, mentioned that there were a couple of really good MFA programs in writing for children, and I made note of them. 

Anyway – long story short – the pandemic hit, I applied to Hamline and was accepted, and that’s when I got serious about writing. Hamline’s program is life-changing – I encourage anyone thinking about an MFA in writing for kids to check it out.

As one of the more mature students, what was college life like? Specifically pursuing an MFA at Hamline U?

It was wonderful! Hamline is a low-residency program – students attend 5 residencies over the course of their 4 semesters of study. Our cohort’s first 3 residencies were held on Zoom, and then – finally – in July of 2022 we got to meet in person, and it was fabulous. 

Our cohort of 12 ranged in age from early 20s to early 60s, and we quickly became fast friends. I still talk with them regularly. I couldn’t be more grateful for the Hamline community.

As a first-time author, everything is new. How did you find an agent? How did you find a publisher for your MG novel-in-verse?

I still don’t have an agent, and I continue to query. I learned about West 44 Books – an imprint that publishes only novels-in-verse – through an NIV FB group. They accept un-agented submissions, so I sent them my materials and heard about 3 months later that they wanted to publish the story.

Some of us older writers despair at being pre-published in a younger publishing world. What effect did your age have in your journey to publishing It’s Like We Touched the Moon?

It’s hard to say. I sent out a lot of queries (for this and a couple other stories) and received a lot of rejections, but I have no way of knowing if any of those rejections had to do with my age. 

West 44 Books showed no signs of being concerned about the fact that I’m older than the average age of their other authors, and they were wonderful to work with.

Among the unusual facts about yourself that you list on your website, is this: Even though I’ve always been a city dweller, I have ridden in a vehicle with a baby goat on my lap. Twice.

Okay, now you have to tell the stories.

First time: My kids went to preschool on a farm in Iowa, and I went with them on a field trip to a nearby farm in order to purchase a new goat for the school. Somehow, I ended up in the passenger seat of the van holding and trying to calm a very frightened, tiny goat named Dexter.

Second time: I visited my daughter in Uganda, where she was studying, and we stopped along the road to purchase a goat that would be presented as a gift to her host family. Like Dexter before him, the poor thing was terrified, and I did my best to reassure him.

Likewise, the goose attack. What would you want us to know about geese?

This also happened at the preschool in Iowa. The goose’s name was Oliver and something I did set him off, apparently. He latched on to my leg at the knee and wouldn’t let go until a car drove up and started honking its horn. I now give geese a very wide berth.

So many untold stories: While camping on the Nile, I was awakened by two large monkeys jumping on my tent.

How does one find themselves camping in Egypt? And was it monkeyshines or primate assault and battery? Seems like life keeps handing you potential middle grade novels.

My daughter and I were camping in tents overlooking the Nile near Jinja, Uganda. As the sun rose, a troop of red-tailed monkeys bounded down the bank to the river, catapulting off whatever stood in their path. At first I thought something had fallen on the tent, but what I felt was the monkeys landing and pushing off. It was a pretty cool way to wake up!

You serve as a mentor for the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. How did you get involved? What are your duties as a mentor?

I became involved with MPWW through Hamline. Six times a year, my mentee – who is a very fine and very prolific writer – sends me a packet of work, along with a letter detailing thoughts about the work, questions, etc. 

My job is to reply within a month of receiving the packet, with suggestions, edits, notes, and other materials that I think my mentee might find helpful. (All of this goes through MPWW staff and staff at the prison, of course.) 

I really enjoy reading my mentee’s work and I am confident I’m learning more from my mentee than they are from me.

It's 1969, school's out, and 13-year-old, NASA-obsessed Grace is already uneasy about the long summer ahead. Her dad is in Vietnam, her mom is distracted by the news, and all her best friend wants to do is hang out at Lake Michigan with the popular kids. When Grace finds out that the local space camp has been designated "boys only," she is devastated. The one thing she thought might save her summer in the end―meeting an actual NASA scientist and hearing him speak―now seems out of reach. But Grace gets busy, engineering a plan that shows everyone Grace can do anything she sets her mind to.

The timing of your book is almost prescient, what with all the attention on Artemis. Where did Grace come from? What’s so special about 1969?

Hasn’t watching the Artemis mission been amazing? In doing the research for this book, I listened to newscasts and recordings of NASA engineers, read newspaper and magazine articles written about Apollo 11 at the time, and – while I think I’d be captivated by Artemis even if I hadn’t done that – I think looking at those sources helped me appreciate even more the wonder of these missions to the moon.

A lot happened in 1969! As if the lunar landing weren’t enough, it was also the year of ongoing anti-war protests, Woodstock, the Stonewall uprising, Charles Manson … the list goes on. 

As far as this story goes, though, I wanted to center it on humankind’s first walk on the moon, so it had to be set in 1969. I was younger than Grace is in 1969, so while I do remember just a little about Apollo 11, I really enjoyed filling in some of the gaps in my knowledge by doing the research for this book.

I think about the wish
I made with Dad
a long time ago.
‘It’s like we touched the moon,’
I murmur. (147)

You wrote the story as a novel-in-verse. Why did you choose that format? What were some of the other versions?

I wanted to write Grace’s story in verse because I felt I had more freedom to convey Grace’s experience and emotions organically. (I also really enjoy poetry.) 

The first version of this story was also in verse, but much longer – close to 25K words. All of the novels-in-verse published by West 44 Books are high/low readers (high interest/low reading level) and they all adhere to certain guidelines. For their middle grade books, the maximum word count is 7000, and the books are written at a 2nd/3rd grade level.

So working with West 44 meant cutting A LOT of words, and it was very challenging. I wanted to be sure the heart of the story was still there when I finished, so I had to choose very carefully which “darlings” to kill. 

The process was painful, at times, but I learned so much while doing it, because each time I had to ask myself, “Can the story survive without this? If I take this out, will the essence of the story change?” 

I’m not suggesting we should all cut our manuscripts by 2/3, but for me, asking those questions while working on any story helps me get rid of the extraneous info that the reader doesn’t need to know in order to understand the story.

The book’s main character Grace is praised as one of the reviewer’s “favorite strong resilient girls in literature.” Considering how the rights of women have changed drastically in our lifetime, how brave was Grace to try to bust the boy’s club of Space Camp?

In the small-ish, conservative-ish town where Grace lived, she had to be brave in order to challenge the status quo. I give her lots of credit for doing so.

Your book title: It’s Like We Touched the Moon, is all over google. How did you optimize your SEO?

Honestly, I really don’t know! Somehow posts by the publisher, Hamline, my local library, local Indie bookstores, along with a handful of reviews seem to have helped with this

And now what? What are you doing for marketing? Book launches? School visits?

Book launch

Schuler Books in Ann Arbor hosted my book launch back in September, and it was so much fun! I’m working on setting up school visits for next fall. I am somewhat active on social media, and my kid lit friends are quick to share posts, which I appreciate.

Speaking of marketing, how did you manage to snag so many reviews for your book, including Kirkus?

Interestingly, Google’s AI seems to be hyping my book by spreading misinformation about its reviews. Kirkus didn’t review my book, although I certainly wish they had, but AI persists in saying they gave it a starred review – it’s very strange! 

The reviews I did get came thanks to the marketing folks at West 44, a small but mighty group, getting the book out there.

What’s next for Beth?

I’m working on a quirky middle grade mystery called (for now) Iris Jones and  All That Jazz. I have a draft finished – the revision is going slowly. I’m also working on a handful of picture books and querying a couple of those.

Please list the social media you wish to share:

Instagram: @bethhgier

Website: www.bethgier.com

Writer Spotlight: Pria Dee

Second editor, Kirkus, Reedsy.com, pandemic, Tower of Pisa, and pen name: Author Pria Dee

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI. In this piece, meet author  Pria Dee (Priya Vennapusa).

My love for children's literature goes back to my own childhood, where books were my constant companions. Tell us about your life when you were young. Which books and which mentors helped to shape the young storyteller?

I was home-schooled in developing countries where my parents worked as doctors. While I had a rich childhood filled with unique experiences, it could be lonely with only books for company. 

I received my education through a service called the Parents National Educational Union based in the UK, and eagerly read the books sent to me. We often traveled far to access the British and American consulate libraries, which allowed me to borrow books for months due to our remote location. 

Authors like C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Beatrix Potter became favorites, and I’ve collected their works for my children to enjoy. I kept journals and wrote letters to friends and family, and often created stories and plays with friends to entertain our parents. These experiences have deeply influenced my love for writing and narrating stories for children.

You have many titles now published. You’ve obviously found a system that works for you. What has been your progression in the publishing journey? How does a book go from idea to bound and printed?

Most books begin as ideas that I jot down in my idea file. Some ideas persist in my mind until I can shape them into a story. The first draft is saved until the time feels right to let it evolve and develop. Many drafts are never read by anyone but me.

I’m part of an SCBWI critique group that meets monthly to improve our craft. I refine and share selected manuscripts based on feedback, and if I’m excited about a project after several critiques, I work with a line, development, and content editor to polish it further. 

Finding an illustrator who shares my vision is essential. I also hire a professional designer for the layout and cover. By test printing on Amazon and Ingram, I often have a second editor proofread the manuscript, and I share it with ARC readers for feedback. Only once I’m completely satisfied with the quality do I approve the final print release.

How do you wrangle reviews for your book? What does it take to get a Kirkus review?

I learned early that for librarians, educators, and industry professionals, credibility matters as much as a strong story. Rather than chasing volume or “guaranteed” praise, I focus on submitting well-edited books to established review outlets that publish independent, objective assessments, and I plan those submissions far enough in advance for reviews to be available around release.

For each release, I submit early review copies to established outlets such as Kirkus, Book Life/Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Midwest Book Review, and Reader Views to support discoverability with independent, professional coverage. 

I also invite readers to share honest feedback on platforms like Reedsy and Goodreads. I occasionally run limited-time discounts or giveaways to help parents, librarians, and educators sample a title and, if it resonates, leave a genuine review.

How do you find illustrators? What are the challenges and triumphs of working with another fellow creative to craft a satisfying book?

I have collaborated with four illustrators from Reedsy.com. I often return to the same illustrators for series books. Tina Perko illustrated the "Billy and Molly Butter" series, while YoungJu Kim, a SCAD artist, brought depth to the stories of Balu and Diya with her woodgrain backgrounds. 

Emily Hercock illustrated "Little Moe Can’t Fly" and "Me and My Long, Long Hair," with her husband, Michael, designing some of my books. David Lock added fun and humor to "Sport It!," "Finley the Frog," and "The Monster Did It!"

I’m excited to have a new illustrator for an upcoming book: Naya Kirichenko, whose work I admired in other Michigan authors’ books. I look forward to collaborating with her soon.

Each illustrator brings a unique perspective, and I have enjoyed working with all of them. While time zones and work schedules can complicate virtual communication, their patience and perfectionism make for a great collaborative team.

My long-term dream would be to both illustrate and write, so I am trying to learn the art of digital illustration. How goes the digital illustration quest?

I have been learning to use Adobe Express and Creative Cloud. So far, I have only created high-quality graphics for Amazon book pages, bookmarks, craft projects, and marketing images for social media. I also do sketches to help my illustrators visualize my concepts and ideas for a spread or cover. 

However, my skills as an artist are not yet where they need to be to create a full illustration. I enjoy taking candid photographs, and I can see my books including my photos instead of illustrations. The dream of illustrating is still very much alive, and I aspire to achieve it through practice and effort.


My book, *Balu Saves the Day*, was written and published during the pandemic. It received positive feedback and has won awards. I loved sharing that story so much that I continued my journey as a children’s author, and I have since published ten children’s books.

We’ve all got collective amnesia concerning the pandemic. Take us back to the early development of Balu. How challenging was it to have your whole household encroaching on your workspace?

At first, adjusting to everyone being home was a challenge. I was used to working from home with my kids at school and my husband at work, allowing me to focus on my job and writing in peace. Suddenly, everyone needed meals and was on Zoom calls, making it hard to find silence for creativity.

To cope, I began waking up two hours early to write and worked in my basement, taking nature breaks on the patio and walking at lunchtime. Balu’s story was inspired by health care debates and my experiences growing up in developing countries, where access to options is limited. 

During the pandemic, my community came together to distribute masks and meals for those in need, reinforcing the theme of community in Balu Saves the Day.

The pandemic underscored the fragility of life, prompting me to self-publish Balu’s story when most agents and publishers were not accepting queries, feeling the urgency to seize the moment and get my book out in the world…just in case.


Pria is the author of ten children’s books, all featuring diverse characters. How much of the world have you seen?

My parents loved travel, and starting at age six, I tagged along. By the time I was ten, I’d seen much of Europe and parts of the Middle East and formed lasting impressions about people and cultures.

That early start turned into a lifelong habit: I’m always adding places to my list that I want to visit. And because some landmarks are vulnerable, whether from climate change, conflict, or catastrophes, I want to visit remarkable places before they change. 

Pria's Travels

The Tower of Pisa can lean further, a bustling market in Morocco can collapse in an earthquake, and a Hawaiian volcano can destroy ecosystems. So I’m not afraid to be the annoying person taking a zillion photos, just to hold on to these incredible sights.

When I first brought my book, The Monster Did It!, into the world, I intended to capture the vivid curiosity and playful restlessness of a toddler who, in the throes of boredom and hunger, embarks on a whimsical journey of mischief, cleverly attributing his antics to an imaginary monster lurking in the shadows.

How did The Monster Did It go from a family bedtime story to a published book? What challenges did a first-time author face?

If an author is allowed to have a favorite book, then Monster is mine. It certainly is a favorite with readers. Any parent or caregiver knows how mischievous toddlers can be and how creative their excuses are. 

My children were no exception, and that story is written based on my experience as a parent and brings back precious memories. When I started to write it, I did not intend to be lyrical, but as I wrote it, that’s how it flowed. 

Monster is the one book where I had to publish a second version, because so many readers gave feedback that I ended the story with no consequences. I republished it, adding a postscript saying the child helped the mother clean up. 

One of the many advantages of self-publishing and print-on-demand is how simple it is to do something like that to make readers happy.

I remember my first SCBWI-MI gathering in December 2021 in Ann Arbor. Monster was a new release, and with only two books to my name, I was nervous and felt like an imposter about being there. Other SCBWI authors at the event were so welcoming and set me at ease by encouraging me, sharing tips, and experiences. It was a fun, and memorable occasion.

One important lesson I’ve learned on my journey is that while I may be the writer, I am not qualified to edit, proofread, illustrate, or design my books. No matter how many times I read my work, there is always a high probability that I will miss errors.

My critique group, editors, illustrator, and book designer all play vital roles in this journey. Additionally, the support from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators offers numerous resources, and my peers within that community help me navigate challenges by sharing their own publishing experiences. The result is a high-quality book that is worthy of my young readers.

How do you find the professionals to help you make your books the best they can be?

Reedsy.com has been my primary source for finding excellent professionals. However, nothing is more effective than seeing someone's work and hearing from fellow authors about their experiences with various experts. While I trust the professionals I have worked with in the past and will return to them for continuing a series, each new book presents an opportunity to explore something different.

One of my works-in-progress (WIP) is a children's bedtime story written as a poem. Although I have a passion for poetry, there is much I don't know about the technical aspects, so I sought out an academic expert who teaches poetry at a university and serves as an editor for a literary magazine. I truly value her insights and love the changes she has suggested to my work.

I would love to collaborate more with local illustrators, editors, and designers. When attending book events, I try to make connections and follow their work on social media, hoping that one of them will partner with me on a future project.

You’ve given back to SCBWI-MI. You help run an area Shop Talk, and you’re often on the Listserv. What other positions have you held within the organization? How do you make time for everything in your life?

I joined SCBWI after the pandemic in 2021. As a first-time self-published author, I understand that readers, including parents, teachers, and librarians, can be hesitant to invest in my work. Joining the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), especially SCBWI-Michigan, has opened doors for me.

Through this wonderful organization, I’ve made valuable connections, learned from established authors, and attended supportive events. I have been a co-coordinator for Metro Detroit for three years and a member of a picture book critique group for the same time. I would like to do more if an opportunity fits my skills. 

Finding time has always been a challenge, but connecting with fellow authors who share the same journey is rewarding. I gain energy and enjoyment from it. Anything I can do for SCBWI feels like an investment in myself and my fellow authors, helping us all grow together. I'm truly grateful to be part of SCBWI and to have such a supportive community.


The biggest challenge is getting the word out to our target audience and readers. I have engaged industry professionals as marketing coaches to help me understand the algorithms that drive platforms such as Amazon and Facebook.

Marketing, and matching gatekeepers and readers to your titles: what have you learned over the years? With all the changes, how have you had to adapt to the new social media landscape?

I am a writer who is inspired to explore a variety of topics; however, I can state without hesitation that self-promotion is my least favorite topic. To address my own shortcomings in this area, I have sought guidance from several professionals on effective strategies for promoting my work.

Through these experiences, I have learned several key principles:

1. The quality and pride in my work inherently communicate its value, and it is acceptable to share any accolades I receive.

2. Providing insights into my personal background fosters a connection with readers, allowing them to relate to me on a personal level.

3. There is no universal approach to promotion; each individual I engage with deserves my undivided attention to address their inquiries and demonstrate the merits of my book.

I acknowledge my limited expertise in social media; despite enrolling in various courses to enhance my skills, I recognize that I still have considerable room for improvement. 

Nevertheless, I am aware that inquiries about social media handles are commonplace, and I strive to concentrate on a select few platforms where I can maintain a consistent presence.


I had difficulty finding any children’s writing info on Priya Vennapusa, although I found two collections of stories with Priya Vennapusa as a contributor: The Mysteries of Suspense: A Collection of Short Stories to Intrigue You: A Zimbell House Anthology Hardcover and Puppy Love: 2015: An Anthology Celebrating Our Canine Friends. Is this Priya Vennapusa also Pria Dee?

What is your full name? How did you choose Pria Dee as a pen name?

My real name is Priya D Vennapusa. When I returned to school after being homeschooled until 8th grade, I discovered that there were many other Priyas in my class, as it is a very popular name meaning "love" or "beloved." As a result, teachers would call me by my initial, Priya D.

I value my privacy, and at the same time want my author name to be its own brand. So, I chose to go back to that childhood name as the pen name for children’s books. 

I noticed that people often had difficulty with the "Y" in my name. To make it easier for young minds to pronounce, I shortened it to Pria Dee, and thus my pen name was born.


Priya Vennapusa also won second place in a flash fiction contest for Rochester Writers in 2016 for The Plane. Yours?

Yes, that is me. To motivate me to write, I entered several writing contests, and many of them provided feedback or critiques that have helped improve my writing. Rochester Writers Group is one of those that I have submitted to in the past. I initially wrote under my full name until I self-published as Pria Dee.

I did contribute to the two anthologies you mentioned, though 😊 The Mysteries of Suspense: A Collection of Short Stories to Intrigue You: A Zimbell House Anthology Hardcover and Puppy Love: 2015: An Anthology Celebrating Our Canine Friends. 

I have also written and published fiction novels under a different pen name.


There are many Google hits for Priya Vennapusa. (Priya Vennapusa is a member of the Throwball Premier League Champions 2025, the Dangerous Divas) Relatives? Or is it a relatively common Indian name?

I am athletically challenged, being a bookworm, so definitely not the person on the Throwball team. Some of the Google hits are probably of my technical writing from my career in Information technology. 

Priya is a very common name, Vennapusa is a last name, less common, but there are probably a few others out there that are not me or related to me.

Were you a member of the Sewing Warriors of Detroit Suburbs?

My friends and I sewed masks for medical professionals during the pandemic and distributed them to groups and organizations who needed them. Sewing Warriors of Detroit suburbs was one of them.

What’s next for Pria Dee?

My next book, Me and My Long, Long Hair, is releasing this August. It’s a deeply personal story for me, inspired by loved ones who have faced cancer. Through Sita’s journey, I hope to generate interest and conversations about childhood cancer and compassion. 

I timed the publication to align with St. Jude’s Walk/Run in August in Royal Oak, to raise awareness, and to donate all profits from the title to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I hope that local book stores will allow me to host a book signing.

Looking ahead, I’m working to strengthen my query materials and would love to partner with an agent who can help position new projects with publishers and expand opportunities for wider distribution and translation.

I’m not able to do school visits because of my full-time work schedule, but I actively seek evening and weekend opportunities to meet young readers. I’m grateful to Pop of Indie for creating that kind of access in Metro Detroit, and I’ve loved connecting with families at their events. Long-term, I hope to build more school and library programming.

I am working on some middle-grade fantasy fiction, but the progress has been slow. I hope to devote more time to that endeavour soon.

It’s a challenging world for children’s writers, especially for picture books, but I believe that every book, including my own, has readers out there. I hope to find more of my readers and continue writing for them.


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Book Birthday Blog with Maryann Lawrence

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Maryann Lawrence on the release of Lily Pond

 

  

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Like a lot of my stories, it started with a phrase. “Once upon a springtime” is the opening to Lily Pond. I have no idea where that came from, but it does echo classic children’s literature, which I try to emulate in my stories. Nature finds its way into a lot of my children’s work, too, so it’s no surprise where that opening sentence led me.  

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book? 

Two things, I think. One is the aliveness of the natural world – the willow tree tickles, the rain sings and, of course, Lily Pond bubbles with laughter. The second thing is that change is neutral. It is neither good nor bad. So, we may look at the pond drying up and say what a shame, but then we look at the clouds and see how lovely they are. And then the clouds rain down, and we say what a shame again and, finally, ponds form and flowers bloom and we are back to how lovely. 

What was the most difficult part of writing this book? 

Even though I have other books, this was the first that I worked on with a professional children’s book editor (shout out to Kristin Batterton). After she read it, she said, you know, this pond needs to have more agency. I thought that was a good idea and I started playing around with it. We went back and forth several times and in the end, I had a pond that was negotiating with the sun. It was an awful story. And, worse, it didn’t even sound like me: I had overedited and lost my voice. So I decided no, the pond doesn’t need more agency. She needs to feel the frustration and helplessness of unwanted change same as everyone else because, in the end, that’s what the story of Lily Pond is about.  

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it? 

A write-up in The Mitten, for one! I am also angling for a table at a couple of book festivals this year and have been in contact with libraries and book shops around Michigan in hopes they will let me do a reading. Since my illustrator lives in the UP, I have reached out to a couple of stores in Marquette. Marketing and promoting are all new territory to me, so I am kind of fumbling in the dark, but I have high hopes.
 
The book itself will be available for individual purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Bookshop.org. Since this is a self-published book through Ingram Spark, the book will also be available through independent bookstores after May 11, which is the publication date. Which happens to be my granddaughter’s birthday and, yes, that was on purpose.
 
You can also order a copy from my website maryannlawrence.net via Buy me a Coffee.

What's next for you? 

Well, I am nothing if not prolific: I have a cache of children’s books in various stages of completion, mostly picture books, three of which I am currently pitching. I also have a few early readers and chapter books that need revising and editing. And the ideas just keep coming. Honestly, it would be great to find an agent who connects with my work so I can concentrate on what I do best, which is writing.  

More about the book . . .

A little pond in the woods delights in the children who come to play. When a drought sets in, she must face an uncertain future. Lily Pond is a story of love, change, and the wonder of the natural world.  

Published by: Self-published, Mad Mama Publishing

Illustrated by: Glenn Ernest Becker 

More about the author . . .

Maryann Lawrence is the author of Season of the Great Bird and Uneventful, with two forthcoming books: the children’s picture book Lily Pond, to be released in May 2026, and the poetry collection Where I Lay Nostalgia to Rest, forthcoming in June 2026.
 
Her poetry, short stories, and essays have appeared in literary journals, magazines, and small presses, and she is the managing editor of the literary journal The Dolomite Review. She lives in an historic mansion in Bay City, Michigan, with her husband, son, and a watchful German Shepherd named Marley.
 
She shares poetry and essays on Substack under her own name.

Instagram: @mlawre18

https://www.facebook.com/MaryannChircoLawrence 

 

 

Writer Spotlight: Patrick Flores Scott

 Slam poetry, teen section, Christy, murder, road trips, awards, and pooch: author Patrick Flores Scott

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author Patrick Flores Scott.

You grew up on the West Coast, and became a teacher. In 2005, you started writing. What was the catalyst? Where did the writing bug come from?

I had written plays with friends and acted in the past. So I had already been a creative person. I found myself in a period where I needed a creative project. One presented itself when I started working with struggling middle school readers. 

I saw a lot of them carrying around chunky popular novels that I knew they were struggling to get through. I thought there was a need for more of those high interest, lower reading level books so those emergent readers wouldn’t have to dip into material for younger readers in order to find reading success. 

Fortunately, in a middle school there are a lot of real-life characters and real drama that I could draw from as I set out to write my first novel, Jumped In. It only took me eight years to get it published.

 

Patrick taught public school in Seattle, Washington, for many years and has written for theater and the slam poetry stage. Care to talk about your experience with writing for theater? What is slam poetry?

I wrote four plays with writing partners. In all four cases, we were going to produce and act in the plays. There is a lot that you can get away with in the writing when you know you’re going to be delivering the lines. So there was a lot of craft learning when I made the switch to prose. I do miss the back and forth of collaborative writing a lot. I’d love to get into a collaborative project again.

Slam poetry is poetry that is meant to be performed. There is a lot of leeway within that. I wrote and performed at some poetry slams (competitive poetry!) about the same time I was writing Jumped In. That experience made its way into the book. 

 

When I thought my draft was ready, I went to the library in search of a book that looked and felt like Jumped In. I thought, "If an agent liked this, they might be into my book." I picked up S.A. Harazin's Blood Brothers, and found out that her agent was Steven Chudney. I sent him a query letter and pages of the novel. He liked it. It happened really fast and I consider myself extremely lucky.  

Brilliant strategy. Was it your idea entirely, or did you get hints along the way?

I had actually queried an agent once years before when I was not at all ready to do so. I got a form rejection and sat with it for a long time. I didn’t feel the rejection emotionally at all. It was just like, there’s a bureaucracy with all these doors and I didn’t know which door to knock on. I realized that I didn’t know anything about that agent. I needed to zero in.

There came a day I was in a library after years of working on the novel. I closed my laptop and thought, I’ve done everything I can. It’s time to get an agent. 

I didn’t know where to get started with an online search, but there was a teen section full of books just steps away. In retrospect, it feels like I came up with a pretty good strategy. But really, it was a timing thing. I needed an agent in that moment. And there was a wall of YA books right there. I had the time. So walking to that wall was the only possible next step.

 

I started writing in 2005. I got my agent in 2009. The book sold in 2011 and came out in the summer of 2013. It was a long process. My agent believed in me as a writer, but he wasn't sure about my draft. He decided to just send it out to a couple editors at a time. When the rejections came in, we'd look at the feedback and he'd say, "Whattaya think?" I'd tell him what I thought I should work on next and then I'd go do rewrites. It was a slow, but positive way of dealing with rejections. When Christy Ottaviano bought the book, it was way better than it had been after that first round of rejections.  

Christy Ottaviano is editorial royalty. What was your experience, as a debut novelist, working with her?

Christy is so nice right off the bat. Her first editorial note was that I had to cut twenty out of my first sixty pages. Okay, huh? Not so nice! I have to subtract one out of every three pages? And I need to do that twenty times?

My first complete draft of Jumped In was sixty-five pages. I gave it to readers at that length (note: I didn’t have a clue what I was doing). From that first draft, I was always growing and building and stretching the story. 

By the time I got it to Christy, it had gotten a little fat. I didn’t realize it, of course. So her note came as a shock. But I figured I had to take the note. In the end, cutting those twenty pages made the book flow a lot better. 

The experience of cutting pages full of pretty darn good writing ended up being a huge learning process for me. I learned that just because sentences are well-crafted and you’ve spent a lot of time making them great, doesn’t mean they’re actually serving the book. 

I learned to enjoy cutting! I learned to take a note and trust that I’m going to find something new in the process of addressing it. And I learned to trust Christy.

The book is a little funky. There are poems that show up out of nowhere and, for a time, the reader doesn’t know those poems are from a different voice than the first-person narration. 

And when Christy first got the book, I now realize that it didn’t fully work. But she just made it really clear that she believed in the book and she believed in me, and it was inevitable that we were going to get it where it needed to be. She’s great. 

 

There’s a short YouTube video where you’re asked about a time your book made a difference to a reader. You said you were teaching high school reluctant readers, and you wanted to write a story that they’d want to read. You succeeded, in that a teen reader took on Jumped In, and it was the first novel she ever finished. 

But she only gave the book 4 stars because (spoiler!) her favorite character dies at the end. She said she’d never be able to forgive the author. Did you have a version of the story where Luis didn’t die? American Road Trip, (spoiler!) doesn’t have a character die. Did her reaction help temper your authorial bloodlust?

Patrick at a school visit

I think that readers’ amazing review came way after I’d written American Road Trip. But speaking of bloodlust…American Road Trip ends up with the protagonist and his vet brother ending up on their great uncle’s farm. The uncle is a calming, nurturing stabilizer in the book. He’s going to help the vet brother settle down and get healthy and he’s going to give him this new skill in teaching him how to farm the land.  

So…I thought if I was ever asked to write the sequel to American Road Trip, it would start at the uncle’s funeral so the brothers would be destabilized and grieving and have to figure out next steps alone. Alas…that book was never written and there were no deaths in No Going Back, so, by my math I haven’t murdered any characters since my first book. 

But I will not hesitate to murder characters in the future.

 

Patrick titled this "Big glasses."

My parents drove us—me and my sisters—from our Seattle area home to Wisconsin for a reunion when we were all teenagers. Three hormonal teens squished in the back seat of a Ford Fairmont. Middle of Summer. Vinyl seats. No air conditioning. Two out of the three—mortal enemies. Seventeen hundred torturous miles. We camped the whole way. I definitely drew on that trip as I wrote the book. 

Who was the odd-person out? How do you and your siblings get along now that you’re all adults?

I guess I wasn’t in the enemies group. It was a really hard time and there was a lot of legit volatile energy in that car—not all that different, really, from the mental health crisis going on in the car in American Road Trip. We definitely didn’t understand it that at the time. We were reading anger and spite when the reality was a health issue and a fight for survival.

My sisters and I get along now. It’s complicated, of course. But much less complicated than back then. We love each other, but somewhere deep there’s work happening to separate who we’ve become from who we were back then. I wish that wasn’t the case.

 

You said your many road trips were predicated on speed, on wanting to get from here to there. You’ve since embraced the journey, and expressed a desire to take your family on a more leisurely trek. Have you been able to? What are some dream road trips in your future?

We went on a really great trip from Ann Arbor to Mackinac Island. We got a little trailer during COVID and we hit the road! And we learned…that we are not trailer people. Camping is good. But let’s just say I’m not wired for maintaining all the systems on a trailer. 

Later, we drove to Orlando (no trailer). A great trip down there. The best part was seeing the beauty of Appalachia. I’m from out west, so that was new to me. We ended up wrecking the rental car in Orlando…okay, it wasn’t “we.” I was at the wheel. 

We’re still looking for that leisurely trek. Oh, wait, we just made it from Ann Arbor to Niagra Falls and back last summer. Zero issues! Totally leisurely and fun. Through Canada on the way. And back on this side of the border. Great trip. I totally recommend it.

 

Tell us about Carol Lombardozzi-O’Callaghan.

Good old Carol! I wrote about her in a Mitten post from 2018. Carol is the editor you call on when you’re in the thick of the rejection process. I was lucky to get some really good responses in rejection e-mails for Jumped In. However, after a while, I focused less on the really good responses and more on the rejections. 

So, in a moment of feeling down, I wrote a letter to my agent from the famous editor, Carol Lombardozi-O’Callaghan. It was basically a list of every nice thing every rejecting editor had said about Jumped In. It’s a great letter! It helped put me back in the mindset that the years of work I’d put into writing Jumped In had led something that was worth fighting for. To see the original post and the letter: https://scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com/2018/09/rejection-remix-by-patrick-flores-scott.html

 

Your most recent novel, No Going Back, like all of your titles, has garnered a ton of praise, starred reviews and awards.  What are some the honors that have been bestowed on each book? Does this recognition give you a leg up when trying to market your next work?

Patrick was an Amelia Walden finalist for Jumped In

Jumped In won the Washington State Book Award and was a finalist for the  National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. That book wasn’t a big seller, so that little bit of critical acclaim was really helpful when it came time for Christy to take American Road Trip to acquisition. 

American Road Trip got the starred reviews, state award nominations, a nice little NY Times review, and before the big ALA awards, I got the head’s up that it was one of nineteen books in the room where they were deciding on the Printz Award. I knew that wasn’t going to happen because there were so many big and terrific novels that year. 

But all of it was really helpful again, when it came to selling No Going Back. No Going Back received the gold standard from Junior Library Guild and really good reviews. But zero stars. Not a one! I am so proud of No Going Back! I love that book! But it hasn’t been a seller at all. 

It’s been a little challenge to, once again, reframe my brain, to focus on the joy I had writing that book. The great feeling when the story came together. The love for those characters. And to realize that I did my thing and market forces did their thing. And one isn’t necessary a reflection of the other. 

I made that pivot and I’m in one of the most creative periods of my life. I’m working mostly on a couple little kid books and a bunch of grown-up short stories. I’ve come to this realization that my brain is more geared to working on shorter material. 

Between my super-slow writing and the glacial pace of the publishing industry, it took me eight, nine, and nine years each (with a lot of overlap) to get my books published. I want to feel what it is to finish more often. 

Writing is writing, so there’s nothing easier about shorter pieces. But I’m revising an entire short story in a few hours now. That revision is a version of finishing for me. I come upstairs from my office walking on air. There is nothing like completing a novel, but I’m finding I love working at this new pace.

 

Each of your novels took numerous rewrites and many years from concept to book birthday. No Going Back was no different. Where did the idea come from, and what did it take to make it a reality? Did your writing process differ from your first two novels?

After college, I briefly worked teaching improv drama to incarcerated kids at a little prison in the woods near my home in Western Washington. I always thought I wanted to try to look at the life of a teen leaving the carceral system. The writing process was pretty different. I was trying to write it as a novel in verse for years. My agent at the time, Steven Chudney, gave me a little pep-talk (ass kicking?) in which he explained to me that I had better give him a novel, and soon. 

He did a great job of guiding me through the process of turning a mess of poems and poetry styles into a pretty straightforward prose narrative, supported by poetic flash-backs. I’m really grateful for Steven’s insistence that I (a theme here?) pivot and write based on my strengths. The novel came pretty fast from there.

 

One of your short stories made it into a published collection, I See Reality. Three YA novels suggest you’ve embraced long-form storytelling. Are your short stories remnants of longer works? How did your story end up in Reality?

McMillan decided to do a short story collection by some of their YA authors. Christy got me the gig! She asked me to do it and I couldn’t say no even though I had only written one short story previously—and that was for an English class in high school. I found my inspiration in a news article. Christy and I had a little brainstorm and that helped me get going. 

The short stories I’m working on came from rough drafts I did for a story club group I was a part of with some screenwriting friends. Our goal was to push out one story each month. We emailed the stories to each other. We were all to read the stories, but give no critical feedback. The goal was to write, not to perfect. It was great. 

I would always wait until the last minute to write my story and inevitably, I’d end up with some quirky, desperate middle-age character dealing with some little conflict in the most absurd way. I began to see where my creative mind was pushing me.

 

 

Three published YA novels, bristling with issues, heart, and trauma. Now you’re considering a middle grade graphic novel with a megalomaniacal pooch who may eventually solve crimes. A big change in form and attitude. What’s your thought process?

I know it seems like a big change. But I think the weird thing might be that I wrote three super earnest young adult novels. I love those novels. But I’ve always dabbled in different forms. And a lot of creative silliness. I had the good fortune to get representation and a terrific editor and to get Jumped In published. 

Then there was the expectation that I keep going with more books in that vein. I was more than happy (thrilled!) to oblige and walk that path for a while. 

Now it feels like I’m back to my normal state of dabbling in this and that and using creative time to entertain myself with a mega maniacal pooch and short stories about all manner of misfits. We’ll see when the dabbling journey brings me back to YA. 

 

You are one of four Michigan children’s authors on the BookSmitten podcast. The second season was the four of you novelists trying your hand at picture books. What did you learn about the writing required for some of the youngest readers?

In an effort to learn more about children’s books, we always seem to drift toward the technical. All the business of publishing stuff, and the supposed “rules” of picture books—pages, word counts, what you can and cannot say in a pb—but the learning really came in connecting with writers who come from a deep place of wonder, searching, empathizing, digging…all the heart stuff. You have to begin there. 

And you have travel in that place of wonder and discovery for as long as you can. The other stuff is the craft and business work will come a lot easier after you’ve spent that slow time digging deep.

What’s next?

This answer to me is more about process. Next means finding a way to sit at my desk with an open, clear mind every morning. Then see what happens.

 

Any social media you care to share:

@patrickfloresscottwrites for instagram

Also, Booksmitten Podcast on all the platforms:

Booksmitten

Booksmitten (Apple)

Booksmitten (Spotify)

 

Writer Spotlight: Heather Smith Meloche

Three years old, superpower, dopamine, sophomore jinx, and back to school: author Heather Smith Meloche

 Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author Heather Smith Meloche.

What was young Heather like? When did she realize she was a writer?

Young Heather was lucky enough to have a mother who valued the library and read to her constantly. Back then, the library did not have a checkout limit, so I would pick out as many picture books as my mom and I could carry. We’d bring them home, read them all, and then go back for more. 

I was shy, imaginative, and had a babysitter my mom’s age who would fill books with my stories and then illustrate them with me. So, I knew I wanted to be a writer by the time I was three years old.

What did you get from school?

If you mean, how did school nurture my writing life, I’d say a pivotal year was my freshman year. I was still in junior high back then, no middle school yet, so I was in the oldest class in the school, and my Advanced English teacher, Mrs. Dobbelstein, brought in local poet Margo LaGatutta to do a workshop with us. I remember never wanting that class to end. 

Poetry, for me, felt like a superpower. It was my gift, unique and fulfilling and empowering. Then, in college I mentored for two years with poet Diane Wakoski (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/diane-wakoski), which furthered my love of poetry.

I am an impatient human, and, I mean, like, really impatient. I want things done now and before now. So getting used to the publishing industry, which often moves at a glacial pace, has really taught me to take deep breaths, calm down, and curb my need for speed. I’ve even tattooed the reminder on myself. ;) 

How about now? Is deep breathing enough?

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, which makes a lot of sense if I think about how I’ve always been—unorganized, in my own imaginative world, needing to move a lot, having a hard time slowing down. While diagnoses are merely labels, it helps me recognize where my quirks and habits come from so I can begin to reprogram myself a bit. 

I still tell myself to breathe, but now I know that exercise is key to my mental health and that when I get bored with what I’m working on, I have to push through rather than go find the next dopamine fix. I have so many half-finished projects because I needed to maintain the excitement with “the next shiny thing.” I’ve learned that doesn’t serve me or the career I want in writing. 

Tell us about how RIPPLE went from idea to published YA. It was the "It" book for a while. Was there talk of a movie?

Not sure if it was ever the “it” book, but it had its time in the light. Ripple took a long time and went through several iterations and two agents before it was published. 

I even condensed it down to a short story in verse before it finally made it to print. Never talk of a movie, and I never planned to write a sequel. Those characters were very close to me, and once I let them free in that book, I almost felt free to move on to something else.

What are you writing now?

I’ve done a lot of publishing of short work—poetry and short fiction. Most recently, I had a short story published in Lunch Ticket (https://lunchticket.org/the-weight-of-snow/), a fantastic publication I had been trying to get into for a while. 

I also write with poets across the nation in February through a group spearheaded by poet and kid lit author Laura Shovan, during which we write a poem a day based on prompts. After February, I always have a couple poems that stand out and that I can submit places. 

I’ve learned a whole lot from the fabulous Shutta Crum about submission persistence. I took a webinar with her where she showed us her Duotrope submission log. That woman submits!! Which is why she continues to publish regularly. Again, the lesson from her was that not taking action means nothing happens, and nothing happening really cripples a writer’s confidence.

Do you believe in the Sophomore Jinx?

Heck, yes! But I wouldn’t call it a jinx. It really is a struggle inside each writer after they go through the debut publishing process, whether it’s traditional or small press or self-publishing, to determine if this process is something they want to go through again and again. It’s a lot of work, a lot of stress, and a lot of digging deep to combat the second-guessing and the imposter syndrome. 

For a while, I wasn’t sure the introvert in me wanted to go through the marketing and panels and talks and workshops that writers need to do to promote themselves. 

Also, I really believe my sophomore slump, which continues on the novel front, has been due to me being too worried about what others want or think rather than just sinking into the work and letting it organically become what it needs to become. 

Now that I’m older, “losing my filter,” as they say, and not caring as much about what other people think, I allow myself more freedom to develop the work fearlessly. I believe only time was going to get me to this point. 

I needed to grow as a writer, as a woman, as a professional, and now I’m in a place where, when I write, it feels a lot like a statement from a writer in some magazine or book I read a while back—that writing should have that feeling like you had when you were a kindergartener happily and blissfully stringing wooden blocks onto a thick, colored string. 

The act of creation should be a blissful thing, and when it’s clouded by fear and expectation, it’s a shame and definitely cripples progress.

 

What’s your favorite form of social media? Which would you recommend? Which have you quit?

I’m not great with social media. However, I think for writers, Instagram and video content works really well. 

I’ve left Twitter for many reasons. It has felt toxic for a long time, but I appreciate platforms like BlueSky and Instagram that prop up and cheer the work of writers by readers and other writers. 

Substack is also important. I haven’t dipped into the Substack writing world, only reading, but if I get another novel contract, I will create posts there.

 

Artwork by Joe Meloche

What’s next for Heather?

I already have a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language and have been teaching international students at the college level for twenty-eight years. My job fills me up so much, and my students are some of the greatest people I have ever met. 

However, now I’m also back in school and getting an MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing through Emerson College, which was my dream school when I graduated from high school. They have an all-online program that I’m working through part-time, and so I’m writing a “romantasy” for my graduate thesis. 

It’s been so great getting back to school and chatting with writers daily. While I work and write, I’ll keep publishing the small stuff—poetry, short stories, articles. Every little bit counts toward writing career progress.

Any social media you’d wish to share:

Website: heathersmithmeloche.com

Instagram: @hsmeloche

BlueSky: @hsmeloche.bsky.social

Threads: hsmeloche