Crystal Kite Winner Interview Week: Tammi Sauer, MOSTLY MONSTERLY

Today's winner interview is with Tammi Sauer, whose book MOSTLY MONSTERLY won the 2011 Crystal Kite Award for the Texas/Oklahome region. To learn more about today's award-winning author, visit her website or check out her blog.

Please tell my readers a little about your winning book.

MOSTLY MONSTERLY, illustrated by the oh-so-awesome Scott Magoon, stars a monster named Bernadette who, underneath her fangs and fur, has a deep…dark…secret. She has a sweet side. Horrors!

How does it feel to receive an award voted on by your peers? What does this award mean to you?

It feels amazing to have received an award voted on by my peers. The Oklahoma/Texas region is stellar, and it consistently puts out incredible books year after year. Knowing that many of the members voted for MOSTLY MONSTERLY is both a thrill and an honor.

How long have you been a member of SCBWI and to what degree are you involved? How has your SCBWI membership been helpful to your career?

I have been a member of SCBWI since 2003. Each year I attend both SCBWI-Oklahoma Conferences as well as the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles. I am a regular speaker at the Oklahoma SCBWI Fall Conference and have presented at Wisconsin, Florida, and Kansas SCBWI Conferences as well. In addition, I will be speaking at an upcoming Texas SCBWI Conference this fall. Yeehaw!

I attribute many of my successes to SCBWI. I learned about Sterling Publishing, the house that gave me my first picture book acceptance, through the publication Connie Epstein puts together each year. In 2004, one of my manuscripts was nominated for the Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award. In 2006, I met my Simon & Schuster editor during an SCBWI manuscript consultation. In addition, my manuscript consultation at the 2007 Annual Summer Conference resulted in a sale. PRINCESS-IN-TRAINING (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), illustrated by Joe Berger, is set to debut in 2012.

What else do you have coming up?

My third picture book with Simon & Schuster is scheduled for a spring 2012 release. ME WANT PET!, illustrated by Bob Shea, stars Cave Boy, a prehistoric kid in search of the perfect prehistoric pet. My editor recently shared the final art with me. OOGA. Me love it!