Calling All SCBWI-L.A. PAL Illustrators: Be a Mentor In 2019!

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Andrea J. Loney, Catherine Linka, Kathy Kottaras, mentoring, mentors, mentorship, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Wade Bradford

By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

For the past four years, SCBWI-L.A. has been offering mentorships to pre-published members, switching between writers and illustrators. It will be illustrators’ turn again in 2019, and that’s where out PAL illustrators come in!

As past mentors can tell you, the experience is incredibly rewarding. We asked some of them to share about why they decided to throw their hats in the ring and how they’ve benefitted themselves from being mentors.

Here’s what they had to say:

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SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Day 2018 Tips, Take-Aways, and Winners!

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Allison Moore, Andrea Loney, Carol Heyer, Hannah Mann, Happy LaShelle, Lorin Oberweger, Mary Ann Fraser, Paula Wiseman, Sarah Jane Abbott, Terry Pierce

By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News

Hannah Mann, Allison Moore, Sarah Jane Abbott

Numerous new attendees mingled with a sold-out crowd at SCBWI CenCal’s 2018 Writers’ Day on Saturday, October 13. Although the Central-Coastal California region hosts this event every year, ALL SCBWI members, as well as non-members, are welcome to attend, so keep an eye out for next year’s info on our website.

Two editors and two agents imparted their craft and industry knowledge to an eager audience. Sarah Jane Abbott, Associate Editor at Paula Wiseman Books and Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster), shared her insights on picture books with heart. Editor Allison Moore from Bloomsbury Children’s Books presented resource lists for crafting and submitting our manuscripts. Agent Hannah Mann from Writers’ House spoke of using personality flaws to create real characters.

Enter the 2019 Writers Day Contest! Past Winners Scored Agents and Publishing Deals!

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agents, awards, contests, published, SCBWI events

By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

As your humble SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator, I can tell you that entering Writers Day contests is not only fun and exciting — it can also be helpful in getting your manuscripts polished and noticed. I love deadlines and have always used Writers Day contest deadlines to force myself to work on my various projects. As a result, my work has placed a few times and won twice: a picture book in 2011 (LA region) and a YA novel in 2010 (Central-Costal CA region). My winning picture book attracted my agent, Jen Linnan, who subsequently sold my winning YA. (Look for my YA debut Cursed from Charlesbridge Teen on June 25, 2019!)

Still not convinced? Here’s a little more evidence of the value of entering Writers Day contests from one of last year’s honorees, Colleen Paeff:

“There’s nothing like winning a writing contest to confirm that you’re heading in the right direction. When I won my first Writers Day contest in 2014, I’d been dabbling in writing picture books for a decade. The award was exactly what I needed to convince myself it was time to get serious. If I gave it my all, I thought, I just might end up a published author. Two years, more manuscripts, lots of workshops, a couple conferences, tons of reading, and several revisions later, the same story caught the interest of an agent who eventually took me on as a client.

#KT250 Winning Entries, 3rd Quarter 2018

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agents, contest winners, contests, fantasy, literary fiction, middle grade, mystery, publishers, SCBWI members, seeking publisher, seeking representation, The Last Bookstore, unpublished, YA, young adult

#KT250 is a Kite Tales quarterly community contest! We’re proud to announce this quarter’s winners and share the first 250 words of their unpublished manuscripts. We encourage agents, publishers, and mentors to reach out to any they find intriguing!

To find out how YOU can enter for next quarter, check out contest info here. Entries are now being accepted for next quarter!

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

The Winners of the 2018 Sue Alexander Grant Are Announced!

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Cambria Gordon, Helena Ku Rhee, Julia Edwards, Moni Ritchie, R.S. Mellete, SAG, Sue Alexander Grant

By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

To deem the results of the 2018 Sue Alexander Grant a “close call” would be putting it mildly. The top five manuscripts all ranked within a point of one another, with this year’s winner just edging out the runner-up.

Speaking of the winning manuscript, one of our anonymous judges noted, “It has all the pieces: Great voice, unique world-building that is nicely integrated into the storytelling, a cliff hanger ending, great humor mixed with tension and good dialogue.” Another judge added that it was the “most original manuscript of the group” and a “perfect middle grade” story.

The cherry on top? This year’s winner was last year’s runner-up!

SCBWI-L.A. Twitter Banner Contest Winner: Illustrator Gail Buschman

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digital illustration, illustrating, Illustration, illustration prompt, illustrator resources, illustrator tips, prompt, Twitter Banner Contest

In SCBWI-L.A.’s first Twitter Banner Contest (a bi-annual event), illustrators were asked to submit their most creative response to our prompt: GROW. The winning contestant’s artwork is featured on the Los Angeles Region SCBWI Twitter Profile until the next contest with a feature article published here on Kite Tales. Illustrator Gail Buschman won! Read on to learn more about Gail, her tips and tools, her own illustration prompt for anyone looking for some inspiration, and to see her winning image!

Community Corner with Susan Lendroth: From the Sue Alexander Grant to Publication

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awards, published, publishing, SAG, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Susan Lendroth, Working Writer's Retreat

By Susan Lendroth

In 2010, I submitted the picture book Not So Loud, Natsumi! to the Sue Alexander Grant contest sponsored by SCBWI-LA. Little did I realize the winding road my story and I would take over the next eight years from contest entry to manuscript submission to eventual publication.

#KT250 Winning Entries, 2nd Quarter 2018

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agents, contemporary fiction, contest winners, contests, Fiction Autobiography/Biography, horror, middle grade, mystery, publishers, SCBWI members, seeking publisher, seeking representation, The Last Bookstore, unpublished, YA, young adult

#KT250 is a Kite Tales quarterly community contest! We’re proud to announce this quarter’s winners and share the first 250 words of their unpublished manuscripts. We encourage agents, publishers, and mentors to reach out to any they find intriguing!

To find out how YOU can enter for next quarter, check out contest info here. Entries are now being accepted for next quarter!

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

The Sue Alexander Grant is Open. Why Should You Submit Your Writing?

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Andrea Custer, contests, critique groups, critiquing, pitching, SAG, SCBWI community, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Sue Alexander, Sue Alexander Grant, writing

By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

It’s time once again to polish up those manuscripts and submit to the Sue Alexander Grant, the winner of which receives a guaranteed spot and free tuition to the SCBWI-L.A. September 2018 Working Writers Retreat.

The WWR is an intense critiquing weekend with critique sessions, revision time, and parties ­­— including karaoke! The retreat culminates in a first-pages pitch session with four acquiring editors and agents.

I recently caught up with last year’s Sue Alexander Grant winner, Andrea Custer, for her insight on the retreat, how it influenced her writing, and why you should apply for this grant to attend.

KAROL RUTH SILVERSTEIN: Did you put in a lot of work on your manuscript before submitting it to the Sue Alexander Grant or did you have a polished manuscript ready to go?

ANDREA CUSTER: I workshopped it with my critique group as I was writing the first draft. They are an amazing group, quite astute, and so I had the benefit of their comments early on and had already revised the first half of the manuscript based on their feedback. Submitting it for consideration for SAG was actually a bit of an impulse! I saw the reminder on Facebook that the submission deadline was coming up, and thought why not go for it? I had about a week to re-read, polish, and get it ready. I found out I’d won on my birthday! It was the best gift I’ve ever gotten.

KRS: What was your favorite part of the retreat? What was most valuable?

And the 2018 SCBWI-L.A. Mentorship Contest Winners Are…

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Andrea J. Loney, Jennifer Fitzgerald, mentors, mentorship, Monica Mancillas, picture books, SCBWI community, Wade Bradford

By Karol Ruth Silverstein, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

SCBWI-L.A. is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2018 Mentorship Contest. These two lucky writers will each enjoy a six-month mentorship with their respective PAL member mentors. To all those who applied but were not selected, please know that our mentors considered the competition very steep. Your applications definitely made it difficult for them to choose their mentees.

“I am so honored by and grateful for everyone who submitted to be my SCBWI mentee,” mentor Andrea J. Loney said. “Everyone put a tremendous amount of thought, passion, and heart into their applications and it showed. So I encourage everyone who submitted to keep going, keep writing, keep critiquing, keep sharing, keep networking, keep revising, and once again, keep writing. I’m looking forward to seeing your words in the world.

And now for our lucky winners: