"Be A Change Maker" – The 2015 Crystal Kite Interview with Laurie Ann Thompson

In the West Division, the winner of the Crystal Kite Award is "Be a Change Maker" by SCBWI Western Washington member Laurie Ann Thompson!

Author Laurie Ann Thompson

Lee: Please tell us about your Crystal-Kite winning book!

Laurie: BE A CHANGEMAKER: HOW TO START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS is a how-to guide for teens who want to effect positive social change in their communities or around the world. Equal parts instruction and inspiration, the book includes advice and exercises as well as profiles of young people who’ve already launched a social venture. My goal with the book was to convince kids that they really can be the changes they wish to see in the world... and then give them the tools to go out and start doing it, right now. 

Lee: Are you seeing nonfiction books for young readers getting more respect now, and is your win perhaps a welcome sign of that?

Laurie: I think so. The demand for nonfiction for young readers has increased due to the Common Core State Standards, which has definitely resulted in more respect for children’s nonfiction authors. The standards have also led to more high-quality nonfiction titles being available in recent years, which in turn allows more readers to discover how much they enjoy reading nonfiction for kids. It’s even starting to cross over just like YA fiction did: I’ve had many adults tell me how much they enjoyed my book and learned from it. That was a welcome surprise, indeed! 

Lee: How long have you been involved with SCBWI, and can you share what you feel you’ve gained by being a member?

Laurie: I joined SCBWI in 2004, and shortly after I started working on what eventually became BE A CHANGEMAKER. Besides years of education on craft and marketing, countless manuscript consultations, and bi-weekly meetings with my fabulous critique group--all of which were made possible by SCBWI--volunteering for the organization also let me be a changemaker myself. Being a co-regional advisor for SCBWI Western Washington was a life-changing experience for me, and I was able to lean on those experiences for research and anecdotes that ended up in the book later. FInally, the camaraderie from my SCBWI pals is what kept me going all those years. This book simply would not exist without SCBWI. 

Lee: Do you have any advice to share with other children’s book writers and illustrators?

Laurie: Find yourself a community! Becoming an author is usually a pretty long, hard road: Don’t let it be a lonely one, too! You’ll need peers to ask what you’re working on so you’re accountable for producing new material. You’ll need trusted readers to give you good feedback to help make your work shine and help your craft grow. You’ll need friends--friends who really get it--to help you up when you get knocked down… and to help you celebrate when you succeed! I believe that kidlit people are the nicest people in the world, so no matter how much of an introvert you are, don’t be afraid to connect and make some like-minded friends. You never know where it might lead!

Thanks, Laurie!

I also contacted Dana Sullivan and Dana Arnim, the co-Regional Advisors for SCBWI Western Washington, to find out more about Laurie and their region. Here's what they shared:

The Western Washington chapter congratulates Laurie Ann Thompson on her recent honor of winning the Crystal Kite award for Be a Change Maker: How to Start Something That Matters.

Laurie joined SCBWI in 2005 and spent many years volunteering for our Advisory Committee, before stepping up to serve as our Co-Regional Advisor from 2009 to 2011, leading with a calm, encouraging and enthusiastic hand. She continues to volunteer on our Advisory Committee as both Nonfiction Coordinator and Published Member Liaison. With all her knowledge, mad diplomacy skills and writing chops, we just can’t let her go.

Laurie is most definitely on a literary roll. Be a Changemaker published in September, 2014 and her picture books, Emmanuel’s Dream and My Dog Is the Best hit the shelves in January and June, 2015. Somehow, between her SCBWI duties, school visits, raising two kids and a dog (with the help of SCBWI-widower Bernie) she manages to keep to a rigorous writing schedule, fueling rumors about more book deals under way.

Congratulations, Laurie! Your years of volunteering, mentoring and organizing have already earned you a place in our soggy, northwest hearts. Your Crystal Kite win is so well-deserved and honors not just your writing, but your tenacity and desire to make the world a better place. Western Washington is a much better place for having you in it.

About our chapter

The Western Washington chapter of SCBWI spans north/south from the British Columbia border to Oregon and east/west from the Cascade Mountains to the Olympic peninsula. Most of our 800 or so members tend to live in the Seattle/Bellevue area, but our island members are loyal and prolific, if somewhat reclusive. We hold monthly Kid Lit Drink Nights through the year; regular monthly chapter meetings with presentations from October through May; annual writer retreats; and collaborative illustrator retreats with the Oregon chapter every other year. Our wildly popular Inside Story is held twice a year at rotating bookstores to celebrate and promote the recent publications of our local authors and illustrators. For 24 years we have presented an annual conference with stellar faculty, breakout sessions, roundtable manuscript critiques, portfolio showcase, full-day master classes, and a faculty/attendee cocktail party.

Find out more about Laurie at her website here.

And to learn more about SCBWI Western Washington, visit their regional website here.

Congratulations again to Laurie on "Be A Change Maker: How To Start Something That Matters" winning the 2015 Crystal Kite Award!

The 2014 Crystal Kite Winners: ONCE UPON A MEMORY by Nina Laden, illustrated by Renata Liwska (SCBWI Western Washington)

The Crystal Kite Award is given by SCBWI in 15 divisions across the globe. In this 15th (and final) profile of our 2014 winners, the spotlight shines on ONCE UPON A MEMORY by Nina Laden, illustrated by Renata Liwska.

Representing SCBWI Western Washington (from whence Nina Laden hails), ONCE UPON A MEMORY won for the Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota Division.

Award-Winning Author Nina Laden

Lee: Please tell us about your book!

Nina: “Once Upon A Memory” began as poem that I wrote during a particularly difficult period in my life. I was walking on the beach and I found a feather and as I held it up and tested it in the wind, it got me wondering if it remembered that it once was a bird. That question, “does a feather remember it once was a bird?” led to a string of questions that turned into a poem as I kept walking down the beach- until it got to the point that I nearly had to run home to write them down before I forgot them. 

At first I thought the book, which I originally called “Does A Feather Remember?” was going to be a whimsical board book with novelty flaps that revealed the answers. Things didn’t go that way, in fact they changed at a SCBWI conference in my home state of Washington. 

A few years back I was faculty at our SCBWI-WA Spring Conference and after the conference ended, editor Connie Hsu (who was with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers at that time) and I had a glass of wine and discovered that we both had the same birthday. On a whim I decided to send “Does A Feather Remember?” to her, and after a series of revisions, a chunk of time, and the submission of four different samples of my different illustration styles decisions were made. Little, Brown became the publisher. Connie became the editor- and for the first time ever, I became the author only. It was actually a very interesting experience and a lesson about letting go. My style was just not “sweet enough.” (I have never been accused of being “warm and fuzzy. Hah!) 

Working with Connie was wonderful and it was a lot of work. Every single word and every concept/image was thoroughly scrutinized. I was ever so grateful to help choose the fabulously-talented Renata Liwska to illustrate this book. Renata and I have become friends through this experience. There is even a cultural bond because Renata is originally from Poland, and I, too am part Polish. (My last name used to be Ladinski and was changed by my paternal grandfather.) 

Through all of this, “Does A Feather Remember?” became a beautiful, evocative picture book, and Little, Brown felt that I needed to change the title. This was a difficult thing for me to do, but it was a group decision. I submitted many ideas and everyone agreed that “Once Upon A Memory” was the best choice. There is so much of my own curiosity and wonder at the world we live in; to see this book come to life from an idea on the beach, to a gorgeous book about so many deep and important questions has been a reward after a long period of not creating the books that sustain me. 

Lee: How long have you been involved with SCBWI, and can you share what you feel you've gained by being a member?

Nina: I didn’t know about SCBWI when I submitted and published my first book, “The Night I Followed the Dog,” back in 1994, but I found out about them right after I was published and I joined. I can’t remember if it was late ‘94 or in ‘95. I tell people that I wish that I had known about them before I was published, but I think that not knowing has given me a greater sense of value of this incredible organization. SCBWI has been such an invaluable tool for networking. That is my number one reason for never letting my membership go after almost twenty years. Writing and illustrating is solitary work, and when I first started I didn’t even own a computer. Now we do have way too much social media connecting us to the point that we are over-stimulated. The SCBWI connections are the most meaningful ones in my book, though. I do wish I could attend more conferences, but being involved in the organization in the small way that I’ve been has helped me feel like part of such a great community. SCBWI lets us all share our knowledge and we pass on information and inspire each other. 

Lee: Do you have any advice to share with other children's book writers and illustrators?

Nina: My advice for other children’s book writers and illustrators is to keep a journal/sketcbook/scrapbook. I’ve always done this – I put everything in my journals: ideas, stories, poems, drawings, cartoons, things I’ve cut and pasted... Anything that means something, even if I don’t know what it is. It could be the seed of an idea. You must feed your imagination. And you must get out into nature. I know we talk about keeping your “butt in the chair,” but... If you don’t get out there and have adventures and explore, you won’t have things that inspire you to write and draw. I truly believe that to create we have to “recreate” which is “re-create” if you look at the syllables... (and you have to eat well, too, there is an “ate,” there and I believe that cooking is also a connection to creativity.)

Thanks so much, Nina!

I also contacted SCBWI Western Washington co-Regional Advisors Dana Sullivan and Dana Arnim to find out more. Here's what they wrote:

SCBWI Western Washington tends to have most members clustered in the Seattle/Bellevue area, although we span from the British Columbia border up north all the way south to where Washington meets Oregon. We spread from the Cascade Mountains all the way west to the Olympic peninsula. (SCBWI’s Inland Empire region serves most cities and towns east of the Cascades in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.) SCBWI WWA hosts an annual season of events which includes: monthly programming from September through May, a conference in April, Inside Story events, illustrator exhibitions, "Kid Lit” drink nights, both writers' & illustrators’ retreats, and a series of schmoozes in both the north and south sound areas. 

Thanks to Nina and the Danas, and Cheers to both Nina and Renata on ONCE UPON A MEMORY winning the 2014 Crystal Kite Award!

You can find out more about Nina at her website here.

Learn about Renata Liwska and see more of her beautiful illustrations at her online home here.

And discover lots more about SCBWI Western Washington here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

The 2013 Crystal Kite Winner Profiles: Western Washington's Kim Baker (for "Pickle")

SCBWI's 2013 Crystal Kite Award for the USA West division (Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota) is Kim Baker for her middle grade novel, "Pickle."

2013 Crystal Kite Winner Kim Baker!

I contacted Kim to find out more...

Lee:  Hi Kim!  Please tell us about your book.

Kim:  PICKLE is about Ben Diaz, a new 6th grader who enlists a crew of new friends to form a secret prank task force. Their front is an after school pickle making club. The type of pranks the club pulls off are more about goofy fun and surprise than anything mean-spirited, with varying degrees of success. Ben decides not to include his best friend, Hector, in the club. Hector's grandmother/guardian is the school's authoritarian principal and Hector can't keep a secret.

It starts with a classroom full of ball pit castoffs, and gets crazier from there. Complications and hijinks ensue, friendships are tested, and Ben has to decide what he stands for. My editor describes it as FRINDLE meets FIGHT CLUB for middle schoolers (Without the boxing. Or the soap.). That's about right. I honestly wasn't sure what kind of audience it would have, but PICKLE was a Junior Library Guild Selection, one of the New York Public Library's 2012 Best Books for Reading and Sharing, a finalist for the 2013 Children's Choice Awards (Book of the Year for 5th-6th grade readers), and the 2013 Crystal Kite West winner (!!).

Lee:  How long have you been involved with SCBWI, and can you share what you feel you've gained by being a member?

Kim:  There are a few parts to my answer, but they're all pretty intertwined. I've been a member since 2005. I thought I would write picture books when I first jumped into writing for kids, but I was terrible at it. I learned that being a picture book appreciator is not the same as a picture book writer. I joined SCBWI, went to a regional conference, and quickly realized I had NO idea what I was doing. I can be a little introverted, and I'm not a big joiner, but I wanted to have all my chips in for becoming a children's book writer. I started volunteering for my SCBWI Western Washington chapter, everything from bringing snacks to the meetings to regional advisor. Being closely involved helps me to stay active and present. It gave me a reason to overcome shyness and be part of the community. I attend all the conferences, workshops, and book events that I can. It's like an apprenticeship for me, and it's fun.

I spent some time just finding my voice and honing my writing. I thought about giving up a lot, but I didn't. I pulled back and didn't send anything out on submission after my lousy picture book manuscripts in 2005. I wrote a lot, but that stuff is locked away in a dark drawer. Forever. The odds of getting published are not in anybody's favor, and I wanted to make the best impression that I could. I wrote PICKLE in 2010, revised it a few times, and had a feeling that it was ready. I can be, um, overenthusiastic about things, so before I sent it out I confirmed that with faculty consultations at conferences and peer critique feedback (from great friends that I met through SCBWI!).

I took the leap and sent PICKLE to a short list of prospective agents that I had connected with at conferences. I'm fortunate to be working with Sara Crowe, who then sold it to Roaring Brook Press.

Our region is large and very active. The community is amazing. Being around such warm and creative people is so fun and inspiring. Lin Oliver calls it "the tribe," and you really get a sense of what that means at events. When I began attending the big summer and winter conferences as part of the SCBWI WWA regional advisory team, my tribe grew even bigger. I keep in touch with friends I've made through SCBWI all over the world through social media. We have a fab new regional advisor team this year, but I'm thrilled to be attending the summer conference as a panelist. It's important to me to attend every chance I can.

I thanked the SCBWI in PICKLE's acknowledgements, because I know I wouldn't be published without this fantastic organization. So, I've gained education, community, focus, confidence, friendships, and a path to publishing I would never have found on my own. I am forever humbled and grateful.

Lee:  Do you have any advice to share with other children's book writers and illustrators?

Kim:  Hmm, advice is tricky. I believe that everyone has their own path. I thought I was doing it wrong for a long time because my writing process is pretty different than how people advised me that it should be (read: Disorganized. Slow. Crazy). I tried it their way, and it didn't work. I didn't want to quit, so I went back to my way. I implement new ways here and there, but it's stayed basically the same since the beginning.

I would say to be genuine, patient, and brave, whether you're published yet or not. Give yourself permission to invest the time it takes to find your unique voice and stories and be the best writer (or illustrator) that you can be. Most of the crummy stuff I wrote in those first few years were stories that I thought might be marketable. You can't really write to the market (particularly if you write a bit on the slower side, like me), and I couldn't do my best unless it was a story that I felt needed to be told.

You should feel that your story has a place in the market, but isn't for the market, if that makes sense. Writing a novel takes enough commitment that you need to be as invested as you can be. PICKLE is silly, but it's also a little subversive and about standing up for yourself and finding your own path. It's a common theme, but I knew that nobody else was going to tell it the same way I would. In the past, I wrote stories that I worried that someone else would write and sell before I finished. I didn't really think about that with PICKLE. It's a little weird, and I know it's my own.

Find your weird. 

I think I need to get that on a t-shirt.  "Find your weird."  Excellent.  Thanks, Kim!

I also connected with Joni Sensel (SCBWI Western Washington's Published Member Liason) to find out more about SCBWI Western Washington and Kim's win...

The Western Washington region typically serves about 700 active members living in the western half of the state (more or less), including Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. We have a couple of dozen events a year, most notably an annual conference serving 400, a fall weekend professional retreat, workshops, Inside Story events to promote PAL members' new books, northern and southern network events, and more than our fair share of Kid Lit Drink Nights. About a third of our members are traditionally published, many as bestsellers, and about a quarter are illustrators or author/illustrators.

 Kim recently spent two years our region's co-regional advisor (with Jaime Temairik) after serving three previous years as assistant regional advisor, and she continues on our Advisory Committee. She's one of our resident stand-up comics — the humor in her book comes naturally and is regularly on display for those of us lucky enough to know her in person — and members often comment on how much they've enjoyed her MC duties at a number of our events. She's also the best faculty-spotter, face-recognizer, and schmoozer imaginable; as ARA, she made it immensely easier for us to chat up and snag great faculty for our events. Her handcrafted Cookie Contest trophies, medals, and other coveted prizes have made our annual holiday cookie contest a growing hit for a number of years. It's been great fun for many of us to watch her career as she worked on manuscripts, shared them with us for critique, and ultimately sold Pickle as her debut. We're thrilled to see the book's great reviews, Children's Choice Finalist honor, and well-deserved Crystal Kite award!

Brenda Winter Hansen (Western Washington's co-regional advisor along with Dana Arnim) added,

"We're so proud of Kim." 

To learn more about Kim, visit her website here.

And to find out about all the great things SCBWI Western Washington is up to, visit them at their website.

Thanks to Kim, Joni and Brenda, and cheers to Kim on her Crystal Kite win for PICKLE!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee