Debut Authors Panel: Lala Watkins

Debut Authors Panel: What to Know About the Path to Publication

Moderated: Martha Brockenbrough

Q: Tell us a bit about your journey.

Lala started in product development and graphic design and initially didn't think about making children's books. She began making comics for her Instagram and a good friend/fellow bookmaker, Mika Song, connected Lala with her agent. 

"I didn't really decide when to start. When it came, I said 'The time is now!'"

"A connoisseur of good vibes," she continues to embrace fun and joy, creating stories that represent her, her culture, and her bubbly view of life. 

"Let's do it all until they say no!"

[Laugh]

Check out Lala's Instagram 

IG: @acaseoflala

Q: Was there a pivotal moment in your learning/play with art when things clicked for you?

Lala has always felt ready. She grew up always drawing so she knew it was what she loved. 

But as she started to make children's books, she had to remind herself that there are other types of artmaking, not just animation. So she reminds herself that she is an illustrator. 

"I am an artist."

"You are seen."

There were new challenges that came to the forefront when she started working with publishers like composition, scheduling, and deadlines which definitely overwhelmed her. 

"I totally felt imposter syndrome. I had bad days with crying breaks. I had a lot of expectations of myself but I push through."

But lately, she has been finding messiness, and playfulness with her style, medium, and process.

"I let myself play. Traditional work can be scary but be free, play, and just do it. Take action to have fun! It relieves stress. Don't be caught up in trying to be the best!"

Q: On the creative process: What does it feel like when you get an idea? Where does it live in your body?

Lala is really good at concepts, having worked as a product developer/graphic designer. 

"I have a lot of practice in pitching."

Lala currently has a document with all of those concepts. She keeps a logline of the ideas and how she would pitch it. 

"I get ideas from everywhere. Sometimes I'll be laying in bed and say 'Wouldn't it be cool if...' then I let my imagination run wild and free, letting it come up with random ideas."

Now she says she has to work on how to "make the sandwich," but from there, she tries to take the idea and make it suitable for a child. 

Q: On writing for children: How do you get into the child's mind?

"I feel like a child"

[Laugh]

Lala takes in big topics and concepts, whether on social media or from life and asks:

"How would I explain to a five-year-old? How can I make this fun in a way that is simplistic?"

Questions from attendees:

Q: How many years did it take you before you were agented?

Lala had an unconventional journey to becoming agented but it took a year or so before she landed a book project. But she has a great relationship with her agent, who "knows her heart" and who is supportive and helpful when it comes to concepts, ideas, and pitching. 

It was such a great panel! It was helpful, inspiring, and powerful to hear about their journey! 

Check out the books of these debut authors at the SCBWI Bookshop!

If you want to view this session to hear the full content, along with the rest of the conference, register at https://www.scbwi.org/events/summer-conference-2023. Replays of the conferences will be available until September 10, 2023.

Lala Watkins
Author/Illustrator

Lala Watkins is an author-illustrator extraordinaire whose work is like a summer pool party, and everyone's invited! She makes playful illustrations and lovely stories that make her heart (and yours) emote the heart-eyed emoji. She graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and Interactive Communications from Ringling College of Art & Design. She has worked as a product designer, product developer, illustrator, and graphic designer at Sanrio, Paper Culture, and Cartoon Network. Let's be friends!

Debut Author Panel: K.X. Song

Topic: What to know about the path to publication

K. X. Song is a diaspora writer with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Her debut young adult novel, An Echo in the City, was published in June 2023 with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. You can visit her online at kxsong.com.

Martha Brockenbrough (panel moderator) calls this book timely and wonderful. 

Martha asks: Is this the first novel you've worked on, or were there more over time?

This is not the first novel K.X. wrote. It was probably her eighth or ninth fully drafted manuscript. Those books needed to happen for K.X.'s  debut to come out, as she slowly got better with each.

Martha: You mention you written other novel before this one...Can you pinpoint a moment that taught you what you needed to know?

K.X. can't pinpoint one specific moment, but calls it more of a continuation or a journey. With each novel she wrote, she could see herself becoming a better writer, and the responses from editors and agents started to creep up (going from form rejection to more personal). 

Martha asks about creative process:

KX started out as a pantser, but now is more in the middle of pantser and plotter. K.X. often gets ideas when showering or swimming, but her forthcoming came to her in a dream. She quickly wrote notes upon waking up, and started plotting immediately the next morning then she was drafting a couple days later. That's unusual for her. K.X. usually let's ideas germinate for a while. With the book K.X. is working on now, it's been completely different. She wrote a first draft, realizing the tense and point of view were wrong, and she found herself going back to the drawing board time and time again. So while one book came to her and came out smoothly, it's usually a messy process for her.

Martha: Your book gets into complicated politics. How did you make it accessible for readers?

The  pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong was lead by young adults, and it was a landmark movement in history. K.X. shares that interviews were pivotal for her to get into that mindset, and to also tap into important details she couldn't have known (like a door that pushes inward rather than outward as she had written it). 

Martha: How many years were were you working before being published?

K.X. was writing for 5 to 6 years before getting her first agent, who sold her debut but they parted ways and her current agent sold her second novel. K.X. shares that it's so important to sign with an agent who connects with your work, and not just one piece of work, but collective work because your career will be long. K.X. also shares what many have said: No agent is better than a bad agent. 

Martha: If you could go back in time, what do you wish you would have known? 

KX is a long distance runner and she feels a lot of fear that she wont' be able to complete the journey. She feels the same way when she's writing. What if she can't write it, finish it? She keeps a note for herself where she can see it: "Trust the process. Trust the progress." She reminds herself she feels those feelings each time, and remind herself those feelings will pass. And that she can and will finish! 

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I would attend this conference for this panel alone! If you want to view this session to hear the full content, along with the rest of the conference, register at https://www.scbwi.org/events/summer-conference-2023. Replays of the conferences will be available until September 10, 2023. 

Debut Author Panel: Hanh Bui and Levi De La Rosa

 Topic: What To Know About The Path To Publication

An inspiring Debut Authors Panel with Hanh Bui, Levi De La Rosa, Frederico Erebia, K.X. Song, Lala Watkins, moderated by the brilliant Martha Brockenbrough. This post focuses on takeaways from Hanh Bui and Levi De La Rosa, but be sure to check out Team Blog posts about the other debut authors!

Hanh Bui pursued a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and taught second grade, inspired by her first teacher at the refugee camp. She serves as co-chair of the Equity and Inclusion Team for the Mid-Atlantic region of SCBWI. She is the author of The Yellow Áo Dài and Ánh's New Word, (Feiwel & Friends, Macmillan). You can find out more at HahnBui.net, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Levi De La Rosa is a a 32-year-old artist with a passion for drawing and a love for myths, legends, and folklore. "I find inspiration in the stories that have been passed down through generations, and I enjoy exploring these tales in my art." During a local chapter contest for SCBWI Guatemala, Levi's work caught the attention of Editorial Amanuense, and Levi was offered the opportunity to publish his first book. 

Levi's debut book, Historias del Mayab (written by Ezequiel Tinajero and illustrated by Levi) is a collection of stories about the Mayab. Levi says he struggled with depression the past four years, but therapy and illustration helped him find a way out. He tries to draw in his sketchbooks every day, a habit he established during his difficult years. His book is published by Mitsu, which belongs to Grupo Amanuense.

Levi says he experimented with a variety of different media until he found techniques and a process that best suited him and his work. He also revisited archaeological sites he remembered visiting as a child to bring back memories of what he felt like back then and to recreate a list of events, to help him better connect with young readers in his stories.

Be patient, Levi advises creatives. Things will come when they are meant to come.

Hanh says her debut picture book, THE YELLOW ÁO DÀI (illustrated by Minnie Phan),  is an inter-generational story inspired by a conversation she had with her 6-year-old daughter, who saw her grandmother's áo dài (Vietnamese garment). Hanh wrote the story because she wanted to her daughter to get to know her grandmother through these kind of memories. Hanh noticed that there were few books about Vietnamese culture in her daughter’s school. She points out that yellow represents happiness in her country.

When Hanh gets a story idea, it's usually during unexpected times (e.g. washing dishes), usually a memory from her childhood. She'll jot down the idea, usually on her phone, until she has some quiet time and is back home, and then she'll visualize the scene in her head. 

"A memory is not a story," says Hanh, so when developing her story she will work on adding layers. Settings and characters, for example, but also getting to the emotional heart. She'll think back and remember how she felt back then, try to recall conversations, and gradually add layers of connection and ways to help young readers relate.

Hanh says she writes the books she wishes were around when she was a child, and that children still need today.

On the topic of agents: Hanh strongly recommends finding the right agent. Her first agent didn't share her vision, so they parted ways. 

Hanh's next book, Ánh’s New Word, tells the story of a refugee child embracing her voice and speaking her first English word aloud with the help of her teacher, for publication on May 14, 2024. It will be illustrated by Bao Luu.

Hanh's final piece of advice: "Protect your heart as well as your art." She says that sometimes when it gets overwhelming with too many opinions and critiques, she reminds herself of the original joy. Listening to feedback and being willing to revise is important, but stay true to your original vision.

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Register for the SCBWI Summer Conference at https://www.scbwi.org/events/summer-conference-2023. Replays of the conferences will be available until September 10th, 2023.

Also be sure to check out the Faculty Conference Bookshop and the Portfolio Showcase!

Debut Author Panel: Federico Erebia

Author Federico Erebia is a retired doctor and woodworker (who worked both of those careers simultaneously for 15 years!) and in continued multitasking fashion he’s also translating fellow panelist Levi De LaRosa’s answers for us today from Spanish to English. 

With the advent of the Pandemic Federico no longer felt safe working in stranger’s houses building cabinets and furniture, and so began to write down the many years of stories that had been rattling around in his mind. With everything that Federico does, he says, he’s approaching it after having already obsessed about ‘that thing’ a lot, calling it his neurodivergent approach to life and art.

His debut book, PEDRO & DANIEL, is also a memorial to his brother who passed away 30 years ago. Federico’s medical career was focused on providing care to HIV+ patients in the late 80s and 90s (Federico’s brother died of AIDS in 1993) and Federico describes that earlier era as a horrible time that people have forgotten about, the amount of ostracizing that happened for that HIV+ community cannot be downplayed. It’s important to not forget our history, he says, it’s always important to revisit it so that we aren’t destined to repeat it. Federico wanted his book to be a place to remember and celebrate the memories of the 40 million people that have died of AIDS.

Moderator Martha Brockenbrough talks about how we live in an era where people are trying to prevent young people from reading diverse stories and suppressing the truth and that stories like Federico’s are the ones that are trying to be banned. Federico talks about how the entire first part of his young adult novel is actually made up of his 17 picturebook manuscripts that he’d written that people had told him weren’t appropriate issues for children to be reading about. But Federico is aware that many young children are living these difficult, violent experiences.

“It’s such a powerful time the first time you SEE yourself in a book, or on a movie screen, or on a TV show.” 

Martha reminds us pushback like the kind Federico experienced is often not about keeping children safe, it’s about adults being too uncomfortable to hear the truth.

Federico is on the SCBWI Impact & Legacy Fund Steering Committee, among others, and one of the reasons that he does so much volunteer work for SCBWI is because joining SCBWI was the most important thing he feels he did to become an author, “There are so many opportunities to volunteer, it’s a wonderful organization all over the world.”

When remembering his path to publication, Federico says, “It’s hard to explain to people that haven’t read it, I did take a lot of risks, and I’m so glad that my Levine Querido editor, Nick Thomas, kept letting me take those risks.”

Bonus detail for artists: Julie Kwon, whose illustrations appear in PEDRO & DANIEL was found on Instagram by Thomas.

Debut Author Panel: Colleen Paeff

Colleen Paeff received a bachelor’s degree in set design for theater from California State University, Fullerton, before becoming a bookseller, preschool teacher, and newspaper columnist. (She never did become a set designer!) Her debut picture book, The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem (illustrated by Nancy Carpenter), was named a 2022 Robert F. Sibert Informational Fiction Honor Book and won the 2022 Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction Text for Young Readers. 

What were you like as a kid? 

Colleen had a huge imagination as a kid, and like fellow panelist Pamela Harris, Colleen also loved Judy Blume saying, “To this day, every time Judy Blume appears, I start crying.”

When did you start writing?

Colleen got her first idea for a book in college when she was introducing her pet lizard to her dad who then leapt onto his glasses (the lizard did the leaping, not her father). Colleen admits that manuscript is still sitting in a drawer but that is what started her off. 

Between your first college lizard story and your debut book you may have experienced some challenging moments where you wanted to give up, how did you push through? 

Colleen says, “I feel like I did give up many times along the way. I had my family, and raised a child. I’d send a manuscript out and get rejected and then wait five years, and then revise it and send it out again… But the thing that really brought me back to writing seriously, after my daughter moved out for college, was I went to an SCBWI Writers Day and entered one of the contests."

Colleen's lizard story won one of these contests and that gave her the thought that maybe there was something there, it gave her a boost of confidence… "Now when I look back at the editor rejection letters, I received they weren’t really rejection letters—I didn’t realize what a big deal it was for someone to take the time to write something personal—it was actually an invitation to do more.”

Colleen credits trusting herself more than learning a new element of writing craft as the biggest factor in her sales success, and that a big part learning to trust herself came from finally finding her writing community. When Colleen first started to get serious about publishing she sent a request out on the SCBWI message board asking for people who were in the LA area that might want to join a monthly children’s book club. Ann Whitford Paul ended up seeing that post and invited Colleen to a write-in where she met lots of other local children’s book creators.

How did The Great Stink come about?

“How to be a Victorian was a book I was reading as research for another project, and it mentioned something called The Great Stink: When the River Thames was fullllll of sewage, and then, when a heat wave happened, it created this horrible, horrible smell…”

Colleen happened to be going to London and while there visited the Crossness Pumping station that pumped all that stink into a reservoir. Colleen found it all so fascinating. “What I hope readers take away, what I didn’t even realize, is that we still have billions of gallons of raw sewage going into our fresh waterways every year.” 

How has publishing changed your life? 

Colleen still has the same voices in her head saying the same mean things, sadly the publishing deal did not make the voices go away, but she keeps writing anyway. “Writing is so weird, for such a long time you don’t have The Book Deal. And yet you’re still spending so much time writing, working on it, revising, and YOU have to be the one to do it all. Now I feel like I have a team of people who have faith that I can publish a book, too.”

Look for Colleen's second book, Rainbow Truck (co-written with Hina Abidi and illustrated by Saffa Khan) from Chronicle Books in August of 2023 and learn more about her at www.colleenpaeff.com or on Instagram @ColleenPaeff and Twitter @ColleenPaeff.

Debut Author Panel: Winsome Bingham

 

Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur and master cook (at dinner parties, reunions, and get-togethers). She is a teacher by trade, and author by choice, and a disabled military veteran by circumstance. She received both a bachelor's and master's degrees in education and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She has more than 15 years of  teaching experience. You can find her writing on a deck while waiting patiently with a camera to capture a submarine shooting out of the water or acquiring and editing manuscript that will one day find its place on bookshelves around the world. 

Winsome's debut picture book SOUL FOOD SUNDAY is about a little boy coming of age and his granny who teaches him to cook soul food.

What were you like as a kid, and was there some part of your childhood that made you feel called to do this work?

As a kid, being a writer wasn't on Winsome's radar. But when she was growing up her granny read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, and Winsome read every single one, too. She loved to read. But, it wasn't until she was working in high schools that she found herself creating stories for her students (out of need), and she started to put those students into the stories. At one point her VA therapist encouraged her to get back to what she liked, and luckily for all of us, writing was one of those things. 

Was there a time you wanted to give up, and what made you keep going? 

Someone wanted her to take God out of the book, but Winsome wasn't willing to do that. Having God in the book was about being totally true to the character. Winsome shares that there can be things that you can be willing to let go of, but if it's something you firmly believe in, stick with it. 

Winsome also added to some previous panelist's comments sharing that it's a good thing to remember that agents and editors get rejected too. She also reminds us that agents work for you. 

What was the craft lesson, that once it snapped into place, you sold your debut book?

Everyone's journey is so different. Winsome shares that she hates revising. Currently she's been revising a picture book for over a year. Sometimes you just can't get it right. She wants to get it right the first time around, and part that is because she has a traumatic brain injury, and she doesn't trust her brain.

Revising is part of the process, and for Winsome part of that is being able to talk it through (with her agent and editor). 

How did your debut begin for you, what did it teach you about yourself, and what do you hope it makes readers think about? 

For Winsome, Soul Food is about community. It's about love. She wanted to write a book about black joy. There are so many books about black and brown people that have an oppressive narrative.

How has publishing changed your life? 

"I don't know if it changed my life, because I'm still doing what I do." But Winsome took a job in publishing and now works as an editor at a publishing house, Reycraft Books. Now Winsome has some say in stories that get into readers' hands. 

Final thoughts:

Read, read, read. And write the story that you want to write. 

Debut Author Panel: Pamela Harris

Pamela N. Harris is an author of books for young adults. Her debut novel, When You Look Like Us, is an Odyssey Award winner for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Young Adults, as well as the winner of SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award for Young Adult Fiction. It is also an NAACP Image Award nominee (2022) for Outstanding Literary Work: Youth/Teens, and a 2022 Edgar Award nominee for Best Young Adult novel. Pamela’s next young adult novel, This Town is on Fire, is set to be released in 2023.

Q. Talk about your childhood lived experience and what called you to the work you do today.

A. Harris is a self-described "Blerd," Black + Nerd. An only child from a military family, she traveled the country and moved around a lot. This happened before the internet, so young Harris could not keep in touch with friends left behind—which often left her feeling lonely. That's where books came in, they became her best friends! She loved reading anything by Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. And one of her favorite books was Troll Prince!


Q. What were some of the most challenging moments along your journey?

A. The entire journey was more more challenging than expected. Harris started out writing YA at a time when blogging was a popular thing. In her spare time, she read blogs like YA HIGHWAY, friending YA writers and watching while friends got agents and went on to get published. Things happened at a slower pace for her, however. Even after getting an agent, 7 or 8 years went by without getting a book deal—which was discouraging. "The whole process was exhausting. Maybe the world doesn't want to hear my stories," she said to herself. For awhile, Harris focused less on her writing and channeled more energy onto getting a PhD. By that time, she'd lost her motivation to write. But it was was writers like Angie Thomas and Nic Stone that offered hope. Up until that point, Harris felt like she had to write Black characters for white audiences. What she learned from Thomas and Stone is the importance of being honest about her culture—presenting her authentic self through her words.


Q. What was the craft lesson, the missing piece, sold debut book

A. While drafting was her favorite part of the writing process, she didn't feel confident when it came time to revise. But after attending a revision retreat led by Cherl Klein (today the editorial director at Lee & Low Books), things began to make more sense. Klein broke the revision process down, scene by scene, emotional beat by emotional beat. The session helped her to determine what her characters need to say and how they need to evolve. She also learned to use spread sheets during the revision process. Recommended: Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults (Asterisk Books, March 2011).

Q. How did your book begin? What do you hope your book will make readers think about?

Harris' debut You Look Like Us came at a dark time in her life. She'd experienced a lot of rejection and was sick of it. She'd just earned her PhD and was preparing to become a professor in higher Ed, when an editor reached out to her looking for book that centered black characters in a mystery-- to which she jumped at the opportunity. After writing and submitting a few drafts, the editors liked her work. Soon, she found herself flying to NYC to meet with her publisher. Still, she struggled with writing authentically. It wasn't until she stopped writing with a filter, turning off her inner censor.

Q. How has publishing changed your life: 

A. Harris is now better with allowing herself time to write. Over time, she fell back in love with reading—especially on Audible! Read through listening has made her a better writer. 

Debut Author Panel: Dustin Thao #scbwiSummer22

Dustin Thao is a Vietnamese American writer based in New York City. He graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in Political Science, and is currently in a PhD program at Northwestern University where he studies critical media literacy. He writes contemporary fiction, and his debut novel You’ve Reached Sam is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller. You can find out more about Dustin at DustinThao.com, on Twitter at @Dustin_Thao, and on Instagram at @theDustinThao.

Moderated by the wonderful Martha Brockenbrough (a former Team Blogger) and assisted by ASL interpreters Keturah and Steve. 

Published by Wednesday Books, You've Reached Sam is a YA novel about love, loss, and what it means to say good-bye. "Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend, Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cell phone to listen to his voicemail. And Sam picks up the phone." 

Q. What challenging moments did you experience, and how did you keep going?

The first urban fantasy that Dustin queried over two years received no requests, which was discouraging. He temporarily up on writing and went back to school. After he graduated, he decided to give writing one last try after revising. He was thrilled to get a request from an agent, and even though they said no, he was encouraged.

Dustin says that Twitter pitch parties also were a source of encouragement in his search for an agent. He received 80 requests from agents! The two agents who made offers to him happened to quit the same year, however, and he ended up getting his agent through a cold query.

Dustin's advice: Once you have a project, move onto the next one.

Q. What did you learn during your process that transformed how you work?

You've Reached Sam is the first book that Dustin really wrote for himself. The previous book was written more for trends.

Dustin's advice: Stop chasing big trends (though it's ok to be aware of them). You're going to be spending a lot of time on your book, so write a story that means something to YOU.

Dustin says that many of his early rejections described his main character, Julie, as being unlikeable and rude. Some early readers who gave him feedback also complained about this. When Dustin said he was considering revising yet again, his editor gave him wise advice: You can't expect everyone to like your book. No matter how many times you revise, there will always be someone who dislikes it.

Q. How has publishing changed your life?

Dustin says that in terms of finances, his life has not changed that much. He is still living on a student stipend and in school working on his Ph.D. 

In terms of publicity, however, he is thrilled. He hadn't anticipated how much his book would blow up on TikTok, and his book has been on the New York Times bestseller list on eight months. 

Dustin's takeaway: Even if your book is a runaway hit, it doesn't necessarily translate into financial reward...or at least not right away.

Q. How important is it for a writer to have a social media platform?

Dustin says that TikTok is a really big space for authors right now, but says he is not on TikTok. He isn't really on social media but does have a social media presence.

Dustin's advice: You don't need to be on social media to find an agent.

Q. Any advice about critiquing and critique partners?

Dustin says you need to find critique partners who is completely honest with you. He only has two critique partners, and one is his sister. His sister is ruthless, he says ("Dustin, this is terrible. Why are you wasting my time?" 😂)

Q. What is your biggest piece of advice for unpublished writers?

Don't obsess too much about trends. Write the book that you love.

The Debut Author Panel Begins!

Moderated by Martha Brockenbrough, the "Debut Author Panel: An Honest Talk About the Path to Publication" has four debut author panelists:

Clockwise from Martha at top left, the panelists are:

Pamela Harris, whose debut YA mystery is "When You Look Like Us"

Winsome Bingham, whose debut Picture book is "Soul Food Sunday"

Colleen Paeff, whose debut Picture book is "The Great Stink"

Dustin Thao, whose debut YA novel is "You've Reached Sam"

also pictured, in the 9 o'clock spot, is ASL interpreter Keturah.

Look for individual blog posts for each debut author!