Writer Spotlight: Jacquie Sewell

Schmitt Park, Mighty Mac, crit group help, Whale Fall Café, libraries, and Explore the Deep: author Jacquie Sewell

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author and librarian,  Jacquie Sewell.

What was childhood like for young Jacquie? Where did you live, go to school, find books? Was there a specific age where you decided books would be your future? 

I had a wonderful childhood growing up in Schmitt Park, a neighborhood on the northeast of Green Bay. Some of my best friends yet to this day, are friends from that neighborhood. We roamed the hills and forests and backyards from dawn till dusk - at least that’s how it seems in my memory. 

Squatting next to a whale skeleton
at the Anchorage Museum.

A highlight was the year I turned 8 and the parents formed a Swim Club and built a neighborhood pool. From then on our summers were spent “at the pool”. 

My mom was a voracious reader and I think I inherited my love of books from her. Although my grandfather, who I never knew, was a writer. Not professionally, but he wrote for his church yearbook and newsletters, and I’ve discovered several family histories that he wrote. Both my sons are wonderful writers so I think the writing gene came through the Jarstad side of the bloodline. 

To answer your question: I can’t remember a time I didn’t love to read. Books were a huge part of my childhood and many a time my mother (the voracious reader) told me to “get my nose out that book”. : ). 

Another of my “best friends” from my childhood is Judy Bolton, the girl detective created by Margaret Sutton in the Judy Bolton series of books. I’ve read through all 38 titles three times in my life - it might be time to do it again! 

You were a freelance contributor to Lansing City Limits Magazine. Which pieces are you most proud of? 

I recently dug out my copies of LCLM in preparation for an author event. I’d forgotten how many articles I had written! Of course the first piece I sold: “A Branch From Lansing’s Family Tree”, has a special place in my heart. I was curious about the place names around Lansing - a little research unearthed so many interesting stories about the men and women who helped make Lansing a great Michigan city. 

Another article I think about often was about a dear woman from my church. Carrie had the greenest thumb that ever lifted a trowel. She gardened by the phases of the moon just like her father taught her. I was thrilled to share her story in “The Moon and Carrie Thornton Color the Earth.” 

What moved you to write a magazine article about Anna Coleman Ladd, an American sculptor who made masks for the facially injured WWI soldiers? 

I don’t remember how I first heard about Anna. A special part of that article was the fact that my former Girl Scout Leader, a dear woman I am still in touch with, helped me gather some of the research materials. She was living in Washington DC at the time. She and her husband went to the Red Cross archives and the Smithsonian and photocopied documents for me. 

Can you tell me how Mighty Mac came to be a book?  When did you first find your way into the story? What kind of research was involved? How did you find your publisher?

I was  the librarian at North Aurelius Elementary School - it was around 1999, maybe 2000. A fourth grade student wanted to do her Michigan History report on the Mackinac Bridge. We didn't have any books on the bridge in our library. I searched the public library and every where I could think of. There were no books for kids telling them the story of our Miracle Bridge. So I decided to write one.  

Inspired by Sleeping Bear Press's books with layers of text, I envisioned telling the story through a cumulative verse at the top of each page, supplemented by interesting facts in the body of the text.  Sleeping Bear expressed interest at first but then decided to go with Gloria Whelan and her fictional account of a family involved in building the bridge.  

A year or so after that disappointment I read about a young man in Caledonia who had created a publishing company, Peninsulam Publishing, to publish his own Michigan focused books. I contacted him to see if he ever published other authors.  He agreed to take on Mighty Mac and published it through Amazon. 

Research is my joy - it was such an interesting journey learning about the building of the bridge and the people who made it a reality. The Mackinac Bridge Authority and the Michigan Dept of Transportation have wonderful websites with lots of great photos and information. 

Mighty Mac in the background

MDOT let me go through their photo archives and use photos for the book. I was so fortunate that two of the men who served on the  Bridge Authority that built the bridge, Larry Rubin and William Cochrane, were still living when I was doing my research. They both agreed to meet with me. They were very encouraging and helpful.

And of course, almost everyone I meet who grew up in Michigan has a story to share about the bridge or waiting in line for days! to take the ferry across the straits.

Mighty Mac is Illustrated with historic photographs taken by Herman Ellis during the bridge construction. Ellis must have his own story. Was Mac originally conceived as a chapter book? 

No - Picture books are my love. Working as an elementary school librarian cemented picture books as the best-genre-ever in my heart. And yes - Herman Ellis would be a wonderful subject for a biography - he sounds like a very interesting and creative man. 

Whale Fall Café started when you read an article. Dr. Robert Vrijenhoek of MBARI and Dr.Craig Smith ended up being credited with ensuring the book’s scientific accuracy. What was it like working with the marine biologist doctors? 

Dr. Craig

Both gentleman were extremely approachable and helpful and encouraging. They read through my early manuscript. And offered corrections and suggestions. They responded to questions I emailed them. I was very thankful for their help. I didn’t know it when I began my research but my son, Josiah, had taken a class from Dr. Smith! I later met him and visited his lab while in Hawaii visiting my son. 

Between August and September 2019, your critique group saw two different drafts of Whale Fall Café, before you sent it to Tilbury House and earned a contract. Please share the names of your crit group members who helped make the book happen. 

They were so helpful! We were an online group, The Dream Catchers: Isabel O’Hagin, Cherie Meyers, Jennifer Burd, and Paulette Sharkey. Thanks for reminding me of those gracious, helpful women! 

The back matter for Whale Fall is at least another book, especially since the story was originally conceived as a chapter book. How do you know when you’ve got enough back matter? 

A lot of the back matter had originally been in the text. My critique partners suggested moving it to the back and making a more accessible picture book. That was the revision that made all the difference! For me, I use the back matter to expand something that is touched upon in the main text - so once I’ve covered the important topics I call it a wrap. 

You’ve hooked me. In your book, Whale Fall Café, you tease the reader about some of the deep-sea café customers, the “hagfish, sleeper sharks, and zombie worms.” Was it your idea to highlight this weird aquatic life? 

Yes - when I read the article about whale falls and heard about these creatures I thought, “Kids will love this!” Anything weird or gross captivates children and what’s weirder that a bone sucking snot worm (aka a zombie worm)? 

Whale Fall Café is featured on the University of Chicago Marine Biological Laboratory website. Are your books in other unusual places? 

I didn’t know that - that’s great! I’ve emailed numerous aquariums and museums so hopefully there are others out there that are offering Whale Fall to their visitors. I am excited to share that Whale Fall Cafe was chosen to be a part of the 2025 Detroit Public School Curriculum and Instruction Local Authors Panel. 

On top of all the author stuff, you are a full-time librarian. How did your library career start? What are some of your proudest moments? 

I retired from being a full time librarian in 2015. But I’ve kept my foot in the door (or my nose in the book) by working as a substitute librarian at the Howard Miller Public Library. 

My library career began with a phone call from the principal at my sons’ former elementary school. My oldest was heading off to college and it was time for me to find a job that could help pay tuition. That had always been our plan - I was blessed to be able to stay home with my boys when they were growing up. 

Now they were leaving the nest and that’s when God opened the door to The. Best. Job. Ever! (Other than being a mom). I jumped at the chance to be the school librarian at North Aurelius School in Mason. And I loved it!! 

On vacation w/family

Proudest moments: creating a kid-friendly environment in the library through ongoing displays, monthly themes, and kid-sized furniture I had specially made by a local craftswoman. 

I am also proud of the fact that I started a student volunteer program in the library and introduced my students to storytelling. Several times a quarter I would “tell” the weekly story instead of “read” a book. The power of story never ceases to amaze me. 

Did being a librarian help with the promotion and marketing of your books? Not as much as I would have thought - but that’s more on me. Marketing is not my strong suit. 

You’ve worked in the Mid-Michigan library system from 1999. You spent 8 years at Okemos school libraries. What are some of your favorite memories working there? 

See above. : ) Also I loved working with my parent volunteers. We had a wonderful international community because of MSU - so some of my moms were Indian, some Korean. I also had the privilege of helping an educator visiting from China curate a collection of books for a library back in China. 

Tell us about some of your most memorable school visits. 

Unfortunately Whale Fall Café released in 2021 and you remember what the world was like in spring of 2021 - so I have yet to do a school visit for WFC. : ( I have read it to my great-nephews’ classes and was impressed by how much background knowledge the children had (in 2nd grade!). 

I did several school visits for Mighty Mac and enjoyed sharing our great bridge with kids. I’ve also done several adult presentations based on Mighty Mac. It’s always fun because almost all the people in the audience have a connection to the bridge and many have interesting stories to share. 

The Giants of Calaveras County … What are they? 

The Giants of Calaveras County are the Giant Sequoia that have survived for centuries in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I first encountered them while vacationing out west - a truly spiritual experience - to stand in the presence of the largest trees in the world. Some of the trees in the grove were alive when Jesus walked the earth!

I have performed it for kids and adults as a storytelling presentation. But it is currently languishing in my file drawer. 

How do you know Write for Kids? 

I don’t remember where I first came across Children’s BookInsider / Write for Kids, but I appreciate the informative articles and the monthly above the slush pile opportunities. Laura and Jon Backes offer knowledgeable and genuinely helpful information for children’s authors. 

With longtime friend, Barb Tabb.
They grew up together in magical Schmitt Park

What’s next for Jacquie Sewell? 

I would love to find a publisher for Explore the Deep: From A to Z. This is a project that grew from my editor’s suggestion. I have loved learning about the deep ocean and am passionate that people of all ages need to learn more about it and appreciate the wonders that lie under the waves. 

Unfortunately my editor retired before I could complete my manuscript so . . . But Explore the Deep did win the SCBWI Work in Progress Award so hope springs eternal.

Writer Spotlight: Sondra Soderborg

 

Portable dishwasher, THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN, turkey herding, weight-lifting, ZOMBIE CAT: author Sondra Soderborg

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author, and weight-lifter Sondra Soderborg.

Breanna in SKY ROPES was a secondary character in HEY EYEBALL who “kept stealing the scenes.” How’d she do that?

So EYEBALL (the current working title) is the first book I wrote. It hasn’t found a publisher yet, but I still have hope, hope being a primary currency in this business! 

Like any beginning novelist, I didn’t know what I was doing, and the early drafts are just a series of character studies around a single event. Breanna was a tough kid, opinionated, brash, proudly misbehaving. She had energy around her from the start. 

I didn’t know that that was a way our books kind of guide us to our stories (as George Saunders talks about). But one day, in a late draft, Breanna was walking down the stairs at school, and she knew Mitchell, my MC, was watching her. 

As she disappeared out of sight, she lifted up her hand and flipped him off. That was the first time one of my characters shocked me. She came alive and has stayed strong and distinct ever since. 

First published book at 60. Not so bad for a spring chicken. Persistence, how?

I am a dog with a bone. I really do stick with things. 

But in 2006, when I was about to go back to practicing law, my husband and I had what I still consider an extraordinary conversation about how I wanted to write for kids and wasn’t doing it, and maybe it was time to get serious. 

Mylisa's latest

I didn’t go back to the law. I just tried to focus on writing and on learning about this byzantine business. At that point, I was already working with my great friend Mylisa Larsen. 

We exchanged work and checked in once a week, just to create some structure and accountability. I went to SCBWI events. I went to workshops. I just kept writing and editing. Mylisa and I tried to help each other, but we didn’t know enough and had some terrible ideas. But we learned. 

Along the way, there was enough encouragement to keep going. I could do that work because we could live on one income. It was a privilege to persist the way I did. 

Your primal moment in reading development involved six-year-old you on a portable dishwasher, looking at pictures and trying to sound out words. You had health problems that made reading hard. Was this another bout of fake it until you make it?

This is such a core story for me. I was in a coma as an infant, and the doctors told my parents that there was no accounting for what brain damage I would have as a result. They specifically said that I wouldn’t be able to learn to read. So that was the expectation. 

My first grade teacher, Estelle Smith, in SLC, UT,  was smart and paying attention, and I am so lucky. She assured my parents I could learn and taught them how to teach me. I was behind, but I suspect my aptitude for reading was pretty normal. 

It took time and practice and we worked while I sat on top of that portable dishwasher and my mom or dad washed dishes. The reason it’s so significant is that I didn’t think it would happen.

I remember every victory in learning to read, like understanding the sounds of vowels. Big deal! And then once I learned, I wanted to read everything. The book I remember most from first grade is The Cat Who Went to Heaven.

In an interview you said your work, RUBY was “especially close to your heart.” But your next sentence is about BARNABAS. What’s so heartfelt about RUBY? And what does a seven-year nap in a drawer do to BARNABAS?

Showing Baby Grand,
Sondra doing what she loved best at 13

RUBY. Ah! That is another book that hasn’t found a publisher. I wrote it after Sky Ropes. RUBY is close to my heart because it was based on work I did in child advocacy as a lawyer. 

It is about a young girl being asked to decide whether she wants to remain with her mom, who Ruby loves, but who, over years, can’t  provide stability, or to be adopted by a long-term foster care parent. The setting is different. The names are different. 

But some (not the most graphic)  details are real and the impossible choice that child faced is real. It is an experience burned into my heart. 

BARNABAS. Seven years in a drawer means time to grow as a writer. The book is contemporary fiction, but the character is mythological. The story and characters are steeped in magical realism. 

I didn’t have the skill set to handle those things when I wrote my first 300 page draft. Even when I got it out of the drawer, it was very hard to pin it down. I’m hoping I managed.  It is currently with my agent. 

Breanna is fearless—except of heights. How is Sondra with high places?

I have some fear of heights. But it’s manageable. I can drive on steep mountain roads (in daylight). I can stand on the glass floor of the CN Tower. My legs are wobbly, but I can do it. 

Breanna’s fears are pathological. And she’s earned them. I started Sky Ropes by wondering what this character from EYEBALL who wasn’t afraid of anything might, in fact, be afraid of. 

Once I realized it was heights, I went to a team-building camp that my kids had been to with the Ann Arbor Public Schools. High ropes were part of that. At first, I thought it was enough to observe. But I had to do the ropes in the end. It was very instructive!

Talk about the law you practiced.

I worked for a Detroit firm doing litigation right out of law school. Then I was a clerk to a US District Court judge in Detroit. That was a great job. By then I had two kids and I did contract work for a small litigation firm. I taught paralegal training at Scott Regional Correctional Facility. I taught Civics at a high school in Ann Arbor. I kept moving further and further away from the law. I didn’t really have the stomach for the conflict that was at the heart of most of the work I did. But I appreciate the education and the experience.

You credited a “community of writers” for help in getting published. Care to thank any by name?

I owe so much to the writing community I’ve  met through Highlights: Patricia Lee Gauch, Mylisa Larsen, Louisa Jaggar, Susan Wheeler, Sharon Dembro, Christine Carron, CS Perryess, Stella Michel, Tara Carson, Lisze Bechtold. What I love about the group is that we are deeply committed to helping each other succeed.

Why change Ann Arbor into a pseudonym, when so much real-life Michigan is in the rest of SKY ROPES?

This is an interesting, writerly question, one I weighed in writing my book. Beecham, the fictional city that is largely a stand in for Ann Arbor, is in both EYEBALL and SKY ROPES. I wanted to use real details from my city, to keep things grounded. 

But I also wanted the freedom to change what I needed to change, and that meant it wasn’t actually Ann Arbor. So I changed the name. 

In some ways, that almost- my-city-but-not-quite quality helped with the magical realism that is simply part of my books. Hewing to reality helps that magic shine when it comes.

First novel, you got blurbs from Jerry Spinelli, Gary Schmidt and K.A. Holt. How’d you score them?

That was wild! So after I did notes with my amazing editor Taylor Norman, she moved from Chronicle Books to Neal Porter. When it was time to do blurbs, I got a note from a new editor that I interpreted as meaning I had to go get blurbs myself. 

I absolutely panicked (cue calming phone call with Patrick Flores-Scott). I had met Jerry at Highlights, and I contacted Patti Gauch to see if she thought it made sense to contact him. She did. She gave me his email, I asked, he said yes. It happened very quickly. 

And then I got an email from Chronicle clarifying that they would help me. It was a sweet moment to be able to say, “Okay, great, and I’ve got Jerry Spinelli.” 

They reached out to Gary, who I knew, because I take classes through Whale Rock Workshops. He had actually coached me a little on the book, the scene on the school bus. 

And then Kari Ann was on a list of possibilities Chronicle suggested. Kari Ann and I are agency mates, we both have books from Chronicle, and I respect her and her writing very much. I picked her from the list.

Turkey farm

Okay, I’ll bite. Turkey herding?

I grew up in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. My dad and Grandpa owned the family farm together in southern central Utah (Sanpete County!). They raised thousands of turkeys. So my first job, starting at probably age six or seven, was helping herd turkeys when we needed to load them into trucks to move them to bigger coops or . . . for other reasons turkeys ride in trucks. 

The way you herd turkeys, is you form a line of people with gunny sacks and you shake the sacks at the turkeys and you move toward them and guide them as best as you can.  It was smelly, sweaty  work and the full-grown tom turkeys were as tall as I was. But I did it with my cousins and uncles, and I felt useful. And I got paid.

I was an absolute farm dilettante, working occasionally and mostly riding the horses. But that farm is precious in my life.

Being a teacher in high school and in prison. What’s the big difference?

Security, structure and pain. Going to work through prison security is intense. Metal detectors, bag searches, pat-downs. If babies were coming in, the guards would change their diapers to make sure no contraband was inside. The messages that you were entering a different, very controlled  world were clear. 

The pain was in how deeply the women missed their kids. I was a mom myself, expecting my third, and that pain was the hardest part. They were good and serious students, some because they were training for jobs outside and some because they could earn better money as paralegals inside. 

I taught at the Ann Arbor Academy, which is a private school for neurodiverse kids. That was a loosely structured school, completely different than the control of the prison. I loved that there was room there for kids to be themselves. The students were the joy at both places.

One book. How many awards?

Three

The Friends of American Writers’ Young People’s Literature Award 2024

The Scripps National Spelling Bee Great Words, Great Works selection for sixthgraders, 2025

Current nominee for the Great Lakes/Great Books Award, grades 4-5.

Highlights and Patty Gauch. How are you connected to them?

Theo

I found Patti Gauch at Highlights. She is one of the people who worked with Highlights in the early days to build the foundation for the extensive training and resources they have now. 

My writing partner Mylisa heard Patti speak when Highlights was held in Chautauqua, NY. She called me and said, “I found a teacher for us.” It took me years to have the courage to apply, and I only did it when Mylisa confronted me for not taking this necessary step. 

That’s the kind of writing community I have, one that holds me accountable. There happened to be room in the group the year I applied, and I have been with them ever since. That was probably 12 years ago. 

Composing is hard, revising easier. Are you better at paring down or building up?

I have to do both. I write to find my story at first. Sometimes, my first drafts lack voice, but they have a narrative line. And then I build on the things that feed that narrative line and cut what doesn’t, and I eventually find voice. But right now, I’m working on a new book, Zombie Cat, and its definitely leading with us. That’s exciting for me. 

Weight lifting. You lift weights. You have a coach. For your health. Are you a badass?

I started weight-lifting because I knew it was healthy and my son kept bugging me to do it. It turns out, I really like it. 

During the pandemic, when life felt so strange, I got a virtual coach. It helped me physically and emotionally to learn to lift well during that time. 

Getting strong is a really powerful thing. It changes how I move through the world and how I understand myself. It has strengthened my courage. If that’s bad-ass, I’ll take it. 

It feels like survival in this current moment, claiming fierceness, strength, honesty, thick-skinned toughness, and the power of words to meet what we’re facing.

CHRISTINA KATERINA AND THE BOX by Patricia Lee Gauch. How is it 50 years?

I know! I read that book in my friend’s basement as a kid. She was a challenging friend, but boy did they have good picture books!

How did you come to work with the esteemed Erin Murphy of EMLA?

I bid on access in a fundraiser for hurricane relief that Kate Messner organized. It was a little bit complicated and I didn’t actually win. But I was offered the chance to donate anyway. Erin read Eyeball. We talked on the phone, and I could just hear her weighing the question of whether or not she would offer me representation. That was one tense call.

Was CAMP WHATEVER the working title of SKY ROPES?

Yes. My editor didn’t want it to sound like it was a camp book, because that is its own genre and Sky Ropes didn’t fit there. She was right.

Eulogy for your Uncle Allen was also about your dad and his brothers. Quite a tribute to lives well-lived.

Thank you! I am lucky to have kind, grounded, extended family members.

You, Jack Cheng and Shari Swanson, 2024. What was the honor?

Friends of American Writer’s Young People’s Literature Award. It’s a long-lived, serious literary group in Chicago, honoring writers from the Midwest or writing about the Midwest, who are early in their careers. I was in great company.

Old family pic

What's next?

What's next for me is a new book called ZOMBIE CAT about a girl, Carmen, who knows her beloved cat is going to die soon. And yet, as summer passes and the cat lives on, she begins to wonder if the cat might have actually turned into a zombie. 

Please share your social media platforms:

FB: Sondra Sumsion Soderborg  

IG: @ssoderbee  

Website: sondrasoderborg.com 

I'm hoping to get to Bluesky next month.

 

Remembering Katena Lafkas Presutti

How Many Lives are Touched? Remembering Katena Lafkas Presutti

Compiled by Charlie Barshaw

On Dec 31, 2024, at 11:46 AM, Diane Telgen wrote:

Hello, Michkid friends,

I’m very sad to share the news that my dear friend and longtime SCBWI-MI member, Katena Lafkas Presutti, passed away this weekend. I first met her through SCBWI over 20 years ago, when I joined an Ann Arbor critique group she had founded. Katena was a dedicated writer and a wonderful cheerleader, and I’ll miss her very much. I’m attaching a link to her obituary, which contains details for her funeral service.

Katena Lafkas Presutti (photo supplied by Diane Telgren)

Katena attended many Michigan conferences, and hopefully many of you were lucky enough to meet her. https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/34252241/katena-lafkas-presutti


Diane Telgen
Chicago (formerly of Canton, MI)


Anita Pazner wrote:

Many SCBWI-MI members remember Katena as a quiet force to be reckoned with. Her kindness, humor and twinkling smile always added so much to any gathering or conference. She had a gift for making everyone feel special and like a member of her family.

Katena and I had an instant connection when I joined her Ann Arbor critique group many, many years ago. We were both only children and whenever I had a chapter I wanted read but not picked apart—Katena was my go-to reader. 

She found the beauty in everyone’s words. She would comment on a particularly well-written phrase or enchanting description. I always enjoyed hearing what she saw in my manuscripts. She was a devoted friend and gracious host, opening her home to her critique group and providing traditional Greek treats, coffee and hot tea to everyone who visited.

One thing I know I gained from Katena is confidence in my work. She was a gifted writer who worked diligently on her manuscripts but always made time to help others. Reading chapters from her historical fiction novel was never a chore. Her characters jumped off the page with heartwarming details and emotional resonance. I’m only sad her work was not published during her lifetime. She was one of the good ones and she’ll be missed.
 

Anita Pazner


also Anita:


There were so many of us who had their lives and their work enriched by knowing Katena. I am one of many. She was kind and helpful with a wicked-quick sense of humor. May we all live up to her expectations and the example she set.


Natalie Aguirre wrote:

Natalie Aguirre

I was very fortunate to have known Katena for over 20 years and to be in her critique group for over 10 years. I so agree with everything that everyone has said about her. She was a wonderful person and a talented writer. She was dedicated to her writing until near the end of her life, even when she was dealing with the challenges of John's declining health, his death, and her move after he died. And she was receiving possible feedback from an agent on her current submission. I know our critique group will feel a terrible hole in our hearts and our group without her there, as will I.


My heart goes out to all of us missing her.


Natalie Aguirre
Literary Rambles

Ruth Barshaw wrote:

Big hugs, Diane. Thank you for letting us know.
Katena was a beautiful lady. I too remember her from events back in the days when we met often.
I didn't know she liked competitive ballroom dancing! That is so intriguing.
And, doesn't 80 seem young these days? It does to me.

May all who miss her feel her inspiration.
May all who love her feel her love.

Let's keep creating. We don't know how far our influence carries.

For those who can't easily follow the link at the moment, here is the text for her obituary.
-----------------------------------------

Katena Lafkas Presutti sadly passed away at the age of 80 on December 29, 2024. She was born on July 25, 1944 to George and Matina Lafkas.

Katena was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She graduated with an Associate Degree from Cleary University. Soon after, she explored living in New York and Connecticut, where she met her husband, John. They married on September 27, 1992, and decided to settle in Ann Arbor. Katena started her own headhunting firm and worked hard at recruiting executives from all over the country. She was an active member of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, where she joined the Philoptochos Society, and participated in various ministries.

Katena’s two passions in life were competitive ballroom dancing and writing. She prided herself on being the founder of a writer’s group in Ann Arbor. Katena was an avid writer who loved writing fictional novels that were loosely based on her family’s real-life experiences. She also enjoyed traveling, cheering on the U of M football team, and watching reality TV, especially Dancing with the Stars.

Katena is survived by her stepchildren, John (Cheryl) and Lorraine (Matthew) Levey; grandchildren, Linus, Naomi, and Shaina Levey; godchildren, Stephanie Janet Hayes-Jackson, Andrea Coffman, Chrisoula Pefkaros, and Sharron Michos; many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She is also survived by her dear friend and caregiver, Julie Torres, and longtime best friend, Pauline Skinner.

Katena was preceded in death by her husband, John Presutti; her parents; and her beloved cat, Gracie.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, January 3, 2025 at 11:00 am with visitation beginning at 10:00 am at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 3109 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103. Burial will follow at Bethlehem Cemetery, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent in Katena’s honor to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 3109 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 or made online.
------------
Love and peace to you all.

<3 Ruth
Ruth McNally Barshaw
www.ruthexpress.com

Lori Eslick wrote:

Diane, I am very sorry to hear of your loss, all of our loss.
Safe travels home to Katena.
This is a small community. Hold each other close.

All good things,

Lori McElrath Eslick

Kristin Lenz:

I was lucky to know Katena too. She was always interested in our individual projects and so supportive. I think I might have first met her at one of Shutta's summer gatherings 20 years ago when I was new to SCBWI.

She came out to cheer me on at one of my book events in Ann Arbor many years ago. Being a new author, I didn't know that we were expected to sign/write only on the title page. I wanted to write her a longer note, so I used a different page and the bookseller tried to stop me! But of course, Katena told her she didn't mind, and I finished my appreciative note to her.

Thank you for sharing, Diane. Much love and comfort to you and Katena's family and friends.
Kristin
--
Kristin Bartley Lenz
Writer, LMSW Social Worker
Author website


Betsy McKee Williams:

Thank you, Diane, for posting this sad news. I am glad I got to meet you at Katena's funeral service, and so glad to have been in her critique group for years. Katena was a wonderful and supportive friend, a great commenter, and a great writer. I too hope to see her novel on bookshelves someday.


Paula D’Addona

I first met Katena about nine years ago. I was a member of her critique group. We often met at her house. Katena welcomed everyone and made them feel like family. She hosted critique group holiday dinners until Covid hit and we met on Zoom.

Katena sent encouraging emails when anyone in our group was going through a difficult time. I appreciated that and could feel her love and prayers.

Katena gave thoughtful and positive critiques. Her suggestions were given in a way that made you grow in your writing, but never made you feel down about yourself as a writer.

In my time with Katena, much of her writing was kindled by her Greek heritage. Whether it was a New York romance, or a story inspired by her grandfather coming to America, she was proud of her heritage.

The final time I saw Katena was last summer at her husband’s funeral. Though her health had not been great, she greeted everyone in her usual loving way, making each of us feel special.

Paula D'Addona


Kim Bartosch

I met Katena in 2018 or 2019—my memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be, so I’m not entirely sure of the exact year I joined her writer’s group. I was introduced to the group by Betsy Williams after meeting her at an SCBWI Shoptalk in Ann Arbor. My first meeting was at Katena’s house, and I’ll never forget how warm and welcoming she was. She was such a gracious host—so kind and thoughtful—and she made me feel right at home from the very start.

Being part of Katena’s writer’s group gave me the opportunity to read her young adult romance and her middle-grade novel based on her grandfather’s journey from Greece to America. Her writing was always rich with beautiful descriptions—I could vividly picture the settings in Greece and New York City, almost as if I were there myself. And her food descriptions! The way she wrote about Greek dishes made me crave every delicious meal she mentioned. I even teased her once that she should write a cookbook.

Beyond her talent for description, Katena had a gift for giving writing advice in a way that made you want to improve—not just for yourself, but because you wanted to impress her with your next revision. She inspired me, and I know she did the same for so many others.

One of my favorite memories of Katena is our last Christmas celebration at her home with our writer’s group. She made the evening so much fun—her warmth and joy were truly infectious. We spent the night laughing, sharing stories, and simply enjoying each other’s company. It was a wonderful time, and I’ll always cherish that memory.

Meeting Katena and joining her writer’s group was one of the biggest reasons my book got published. Her support, along with the encouragement of the rest of the group, helped me shape my YA paranormal mystery, Ask the Girl, into its best form. With their help, I was able to win the writing competition I entered—an achievement that ultimately led to my book being published with Woodhall Press. 

Katena’s advice and encouragement during the revision process kept me going, pushing me to tackle every edit and rewrite with determination. I’ll always be grateful for her belief in me.

Katena would be overjoyed if Neko were published. This middle-grade novel was so close to her heart—it told the story of her grandfather, who, at just 12 years old, fled an abusive father in Greece, boarded a ship to America, and found a way to survive on the streets of New York City in the late 1800s. She poured so much passion and hard work into this book because she deeply wanted to share his journey. I truly hope her family finds a way to publish it. If they do, I have no doubt she’ll be doing backflips in heaven.

also from Kim Bartosch:


I’m going to miss Katina and her beautiful smile so much. My heart is broken losing such a wonderful friend and critique partner. When I moved to Michigan, she, Todd, and Betsy welcomed me into their critique group with open arms. I’ll always be grateful for her friendship, guidance, and the chance to be part of her writing circle. 

I really hope her family will consider publishing her stories—she’ll always live on in my heart, but it would be so special to see her legacy continue in her work. My favorite was her MG about her grandfather who came over from Greece.

Jay Whistler:

Jay Whistler

I met Katena at one of my first SCBWI-MI conferences over 20 years ago. From the moment I did, I could tell she was a special person who saw the good in everyone around her and always had a kind word. She was soft-spoken and quiet, but she was anything but meek. 

At that same conference, she and I were in the same peer critique group. She listened to comments people made, observing. At last, she would offer her thoughts, focusing on aspects no one else had addressed. 

It was my first conference, so I didn't have a lot of experience with critique groups. She was quite astute, as I came to learn over the years, and I can still picture her in that first group, her back to a giant picture window, just the barest hint of a smile on her lips, as if everything she was hearing were somehow the most important words she'd heard all day and she was privileged to hear them. 

Katena attended many conferences over the next two decades, and I always made a point to say hello. She was a calming presence during a chaotic weekend.

In 2016, I attended the novel intensive at the Boyne Retreat and was once again in a group with Katena. Everyone at our table was an amazing writer, and we all received wonderful feedback from one another. 

The group got along so well, one of them decided to keep us together as a critique group in 2017, and then we held our own retreat in the spring at the Gilchrist Retreat Center near Three Rivers, Michigan. We wrote during the day and came together in the evenings to critique, share writing prompts, talk about books, and revel in all the creative genius around us. 

I got to know Katena even better through this critique group and the retreat, and I will always be grateful for that because she showed us all what a truly special woman she was, what a huge heart she had, and she made us all feel like our words mattered. Hers certainly did, and I will think of her fondly whenever I hear her name.

Jay Whistler also wrote:

Diane, thank you for such a lovely remembrance of a lovely soul. I was fortunate enough to be in a critique group with Katena for a while, and she was a generous, kind, thoughtful, and encouraging member of our group. 

Her story was filled with a pride for her family roots, and you could tell it was the novel of her heart. I only wish it had wound up on bookshelves for everyone to experience.

Jay Whistler

Diane Telgren:

Diane Telgen

I first met Katena through SCBWI in 2002, when I was seeking a critique group after moving back home to Michigan. SCBWI matched me with Katena's group in Ann Arbor, and I quickly learned to value her feedback. 

Not only was she thoughtful and clearly dedicated to her writing, she was kind and supportive. 

We remained in the same monthly group for ten years, cheering each other on as we built our novels chapter by chapter or got feedback at the several SCBWI-MI conferences we attended together. She remained a valued critique partner even after I left Ann Arbor, and always ended every phone call with, "I know you're going to get published some day. Your work is just too good not to find a home." 

I always believed that Katena would find success, as well, for she was so dedicated to improving her novel based on her grandfather's experience leaving Greece and coming to America. Katena's community meant a great deal to her, whether it was her family, her Greek community, or her writing friends, and I will miss her wise insights and loving generosity.

Diane Telgen


Shutta Crum:

Katena was a student of mine when I was team teaching creative writing with my husband at Washtenaw Community College way back in the early 1980s. She was attentive and very interested in improving her writing.

Katena became a regular member of the Friday Follies, often sharing her writing from the prompt given that day.

I think she would be proud of the fact that she brought so many people together through her generosity and friendliness.

Shutta also wrote:

Ok, no. Katena was an old soul. Always urging others on. She was a student of mine many years ago. Thank you for letting us know Diane.

Shutta Crum

Betsy McKee Williams

Many years ago, Katena co-founded the critique group which I've been part of for the past ten years. We often met at her house. Katena was the most gracious host, always offering us food and drink, coffee or tea or something cold, and Greek treats. We'd sit around her dining room table and help each other improve our writing.

Katena was a wonderful critique partner. Her comments, written in her very distinctive handwriting, were always both helpful and kind. She asked good questions. She was a great cheerleader for us as well, constantly encouraging each of us, supporting and believing in our work.

Katena was a great storyteller and a fine writer. I have read large parts of her two novels in progress, which drew on family stories and her Greek heritage. She worked on those novels in our group and at SCBWI writing retreats. I wish she had been able to finish them. Her loss reminds me to 'write like I'm running out of time.'

I miss Katena.

Our group misses Katena.

Betsy McKee Williams

Writer Spotlight: Darcy Pattison

 

New Mexico, homeschool, revisions, Publish, Mim's House, and quilts: Author, presenter, and publisher Darcy Pattison

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author, writing teacher, and publisher,  Darcy Pattison.

You were born the fifth child of seven on a ranch in the hills of New Mexico. Your upbringing runs like a “thread through much of what I write.” How so?

Coming from a large family means I had independence at an early age. It was impossible for my parents to keep track of everything that every child did every minute of the day. Choosing a career as a writer draws upon that independence as I choose what to write about and how to write about it. I’m also aware of family dynamics in a story, how siblings and parents relate to one another. My daddy was a cowboy—a real cowboy—and my mom tried wild ideas to earn money. I think I still have that attitude of working hard to earn something.

You were always a reader, but it wasn’t until you were homeschooling four children that you began to write. The advice was: if you wanted to teach children how to write, you must write in front of them. What else did homeschooling teach you?

Homeschooling taught me children’s literature, as I sought out the best books for my kids. I loved the teaching of Charlotte Mason who said that literature can teach kids in rich and diverse ways.

It also taught me that there are many ways to live out your life and values. 

I started homeschooling at a time when it was questionably legal. I went to legislative committee meetings to lobby for new legislation to allow us to homeschool. 

Once approved, I still faced years of people asking me why I was homeschooling. It helped clarify my goals for homeschooling, while also helping me see that there are many options. Later when I chose to indie publish, I think the homeschool experience gave me courage to move forward.

In a bio blurb, it’s mentioned that, before you were ten years old, you came within 20 yards from summiting the Continental Divide.  The reason you didn’t: you didn’t have the necessary gear to scale the last vertical yards. Did you climb the mountain just because it was there?

Ha! I climbed because my older brother said we should. The Continental Divide was right in our back yard, less than a mile from our house. I think HE did it simply because it was there! But I did it because I was told to—until the last bit was just too steep, and I turned back. I’m joking about the necessary gear!

In the same paragraph, it’s mentioned that your bucket list included kayaking off the coast of Hawaii, and eating curry in Mumbai. Still on the list? Is there anything more you’ve added?

Yes! I’d still love to kayak the NāPali coast of Hawaii. We were there years ago, but it was the wrong season because the winds and waves were too high. I’d love to go back. And yes! I’d love to eat curry in Mumbai. This year, we traveled a lot, spending a month circumnavigating Colorado (and climbing a 14-er, a mountain over 14,000 feet tall), and then a couple weeks in Czechia and Poland. Traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people, is an important part of my life.

When a student complained they didn’t know what to write, you’d tell them to write that they don’t know what to write, over and over again. Very soon, they’d find something more to write. “Words breed more words,” you said, and you use the same technique on yourself. You’ve got more than 70 books out, so it obviously works. Why is that?

I taught Freshman Composition for about seven years and that strategy—just write something!—worked over and over. These were intelligent young students who had thoughts, just no courage and confidence that they could express themselves well. 

My job was to teach them to write a five-page essay with confidence and competence. When they handed in their first essay, it was common to hear them comment that it was the best thing they’d ever written. Duh! It was the only time they’d ever revised ten times!

We did five in-class hand-written revisions, and then they had to go home and type it up. That essentially was another revision, though they didn’t realize it. So, a total of ten revisions. 

Their daily grades were a check mark: they either did the revision and had a typed version or they didn’t. By doing revision that targeted one, and only one thing at a time—opening, closing, using great verbs, writing complex sentences, or using sensory details—they could focus on strengthening one thing at a time.

I’ve learned to do the same thing: write something, then revise. 

Sometimes, I still do targeted revisions. For example, I might look at the timeline of events and work to get that straight. But my subconscious mind always works on the whole piece. 

I think it’s a good trick: give your “left-brain” something to do to stay busy, while your “right-brain” takes over and does the real job of revision. The left brain is happy: Hurrah! I got the timeline right. And the right brain is happy: Hurrah! I used a great phrase to connect the opening and conclusion, and by the way, did you hear the language I used here?

In 2014, you were at a career crossroads. You’d published eight books with traditional publishers over a decade. What was your Eureka moment when you embraced independent publishing?

September 2025

I turned 59. I realized that I didn’t have an editor waiting with bated breath for my next book—and never would. I attended a master class on self-publishing and realized that I had to decide. Either quit. Or bring books to market myself. I came home and drew a line in the sand and bought 1000 ISBNs. I was committed.

Then, I put my head down and worked for five hard, wonderful years, publishing books that I loved, just because I loved them. When I finally looked around, I had over twenty books published and a thriving career: starred reviews, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book awards, and more.

I’m actually a hybrid author and think that every book is a decision point for how to bring the story to the market. My default decision is that Mims House Books will publish my stories. 

But I also have three popup books with a small religious press, Dayspring Books, a division of Hallmark. Because the popup mechanisms are more complicated to produce, I’m glad to leave these to Dayspring’s expertise.

When laying the foundation for the success of a new indie publication, why are the cover and the metadata so important?

Amazon and other book distributors are, at their heart, just big search engines. Everything we do online depends on the search engines to deliver our books in their results. 

That means you MUST have engaging metadata. The cover, title, subtitle, description, # of pages, author bio, illustrator bio, ISBNs, formats, and so on will help the search engines figure out when to highlight your book, and for which readers. Without accurate, intriguing, interesting metadata—you’re sunk.

In an interview you once compared your career to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He followed The Terminator with Kindergarten Cop, and you wanted to do the same with your books. What was your Kindergarten Cop?

I loved looking at Schwarzenegger’s work and realizing that he had two tracks for his work: thrillers and comedy. For me, I love writing science fiction or fantasy. I considered that my main work. My Kindergarten Cop was the nonfiction science/STEM books. They have taken over my career and do much better than my novels. But I still write novels because they are my first love.

While doing your Schwarzenegger business model, you’ve managed to publish multiple books in a year. Do you have a routine for a “normal day”?

No! There is no normal.

You counsel writers, “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams.” Your novel THE WAYFINDER was traditionally published, but a follow-up novel was rejected and languished in your drawer for years. How did you finally resuscitate your dream?

THE WAYFINDER was my first legacy published novel (Instead of “traditionally published,” I prefer the term, “legacy published.”) But my editor left. How many times do you hear that? Too many. It’s rare for an editor to stay in one place long enough to build a substantial list of titles. I got caught in that change of personnel, and the replacement personnel wasn’t as interested in my work.

Still, I had the second book well under way. When I decided to indie publish (Instead of “self-publish,” I prefer the term, “indie publish.”), it was one of my first books to publish, THE FALCONER. The two stories were set in the same world, with the protagonist of the second book the granddaughter of the protagonist in the first book. It felt right to bring her story to life, too.

9-book Moments in Science series

When marketing your non-fiction books to schools and libraries, you realized that Amazon, although a giant in the self-publishing industry, was not the way to go. What did you find was the way to go?

Amazon is the elephant in the room and any marketing must account for it. However, there are many ways to reach teachers and librarians: great reviews, conferences, direct email marketing, review copies, speaking at schools, and more. Everyone can reach out to the educator market in many ways!

Tell us about your Shrunken Manuscript Revision strategy.

In the early days of my writing, I was poor. A friend sent her manuscript for review, and I didn’t want to print the whole thing double-spaced and typical font size because it would spend too much money on paper. So, I shrank it. I removed the double spacing, changed the font to about 9-point font, and removed the extra spaces at the beginning and ending of chapters. Suddenly, a chapter could be a single page. I could start to see the shape of the novel. The hardest thing about novels is their length. How do you keep everything in your head and remember how chapter one relates to chapter nineteen? The Darcy Pattison Shrunken Manuscript technique removed that problem. See this video for a full discussion of the technique.

You and author/illustrator Leslie Helakoski are partners in presenting picture book writing techniques. Leslie said that both of you were stuck in an airport after separately presenting at a Highlights workshop. Why are you such an effective teaching team?

I respect Leslie Helakoski’s books, her working style, and her writing style. We don’t agree on everything, but our goals are always to strive for excellence, while respecting an author’s personality, history, writing style and goals. When we teach together, I interrupt her to add a comment, or she interrupts me to add something. Because our goal is to help the students strive for excellence, the meshing of our teaching works. I am a better teacher because she challenges me and makes me think in new ways. I love working with Leslie!

Why “Mim’s House”? Is there a significance to the name?

Yes! My husband and I own a three-story Victorian house in the historic downtown Quapaw Quarter of Little Rock that we use as office space. When we looked at the house, I agreed to buy it if I could use the funny, weird attic space as my office, while my husband would use the rest as the office for his real estate appraisal company. In the Quapaw Quarter, they name the houses after the family who lived there in 1890. So our house is named the Mims House after the Mims family. I work in the Mims House; I am the Mims House publisher; Mims House is who I am.

You have a passion for quilting. I was going to call it a hobby, but you’ve won awards and been recognized for pieces you’ve created.  A writer friend also quilts, and I know from her experience that it takes storage and space to work. Unlike knitting, it’s not portable. When did you start? Do you have a dedicated quilting space? What do you do with the quilts you create?

Yes, I’ve had quilts in regional art shows, and one quilt on the cover of a quilting magazine. I have an unpublished manuscript about the history of quilting in the US, illustrated with quilts made by or for kids. Maybe I should publish that soon! I quilted until COVID hit, but somehow since then, I don’t do much anymore. Mostly now, I make books, not quilts.

Demonstrating the eclipse 2024

What’s next for Darcy?

Maybe I’ll revise that quilt history manuscript and publish it. In the meantime, coming in September is PUBLISH: Find Surprising Success Self-Publishing Your Children’s Book. For the last four years, Mims House Books has earned over $100K/year, a rare thing in our field. But I think there are many strategies and ideas that can help authors turn their books into a thriving career. I hope to help people draw their own lines in the sand.

 

 

Please include any social media platforms you’d wish to share:

IndieKidsBooks.com – blog about indie publishing children’s books

DarcyPattison.com – personal site

BlueSky - @darcypattison.bsky.social

Facebook – facebook.com/darcypattisonauthor