The Mitten: Introducing PAL Mentor, Leslie Connor! An interview by Ann Finkelstein

SCBWI-MI is holding two mentorship competitions this year! Both are for novels. The difference between the two mentorships is the eligibility. The mentorship with Leslie Connor is for Published And Listed (PAL) members, and the mentorship with Kelly Barson is for Associate and Full Members (non-PAL).

The submission window for the PAL mentorship is April 2-23, 2018. (That’s soon, and you’ll need a complete draft to apply.)
The submission window for the non-PAL mentorship is June 4-25, 2018. (You have a little more time, but get cracking on that draft anyway.)

Complete submission instructions can be found on the SCBWI-Michigan website.

Both mentorships are going to be fantastic. For questions about eligibility or submissions please contact SCBWI-MI Mentorship Coordinator, Ann Finkelstein.

PAL Mentor, Leslie Connor

Today, we have an interview with our PAL mentor, Leslie Connor. Leslie lives in Connecticut where she is the author of ALL RISE FOR THE HONORABLE PERRY T COOK, CRUNCH, WAITING FOR NORMAL, THE THINGS YOU KISS GOODBYE, DEAD ON TOWN LINE and MISS BRIDIE CHOSE A SHOVEL. Her latest middle-grade novel, THE TRUTH AS TOLD BY MASON BUTTLE, hit the store shelves in January. Leslie’s books are written with so much heart that they’re likely to break the reader’s heart as well.

What do you like best about writing novels?
~I know it sounds funny, but I love feeling deeply beholden to the main character. I’ve been entrusted with their story and I want to tell it well.

What do you like least?
~It’s not a lot of fun when that character stops talking for a while, or, to put that another way, when I shut down because I don’t want to face the difficult truths of their story.

Describe a typical writing day.
~I start on the trail. I walk my dogs out in nature and put myself into my story. I do a lot of “dedicated daydreaming” in the woods. I don’t always work chronologically but I focus on a scene that I know is coming and let it play. My contention is that it’s easier to write a scene that I have already watched in my mind’s eye. I come home, pour some tea, and get started.

Which of your books was the most fun to write? Why?
~My first book. The best headspace is having nothing to lose. I’m at my best when I can get back to that place.

When you’re reading for pleasure, what features of a book typically impress you the most?
~I am a sucker for a great reveal! There is nothing like that the dawning, the realization, that an author meant for me to hold onto a tiny detail that would come swinging back at my heart many chapters later. Wow!

What brings you joy?
~Hearing from a reader who has made a heart to heart connection to a story.

What inspires you?
~Everyday life. The power of the human spirit. Truth.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
~I have got to get to Scotland; I think some of my ancestral peeps might still be there. Vancouver, B.C. is also on my bucket list simply for the beauty of the place.

What aspects of being a novel mentor are you most looking forward to?
~I believe in the power of positive community and I think it can exist even between just two people. As writers, we do the majority of our work alone. But in my experience, critique/feedback is invaluable. My goal is to help another published author bring a manuscript to the next level—something that satisfies them beyond their previous accomplishments.

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?
Sure! I’m looking forward to a new book in January of 2018. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is about a learning-disabled seventh grader and his struggle to tell a most important story—the one about the day he found his best friend dead at the bottom of a tree fort they shared. I’m working on another middle grade novel about an orphaned girl and a rescue dog. (They arrive to the same last-chance home within days of one another.)

Ann Finkelstein is a former scientist who discovered that writing novels is more fun than wrangling test tubes. She coordinates the SCBWI-MI mentorship program and helps Charlie Barshaw host Lansing Area Shop Talks.

Coming up on the Mitten blog: Come back next week for a special post from illustrator Sara Kendall who created the artwork for our upcoming 2018 Fall Retreat. SCBWI Michigan and Indiana are teaming up for a creative weekend at Pokagon State Park.