Ask an Editor: What Makes a Character Have Agency?

25 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS in Ask an Editor, Tips and Tools

Tags

agency, authors, character development, Henry Cole, Jacqueline Woodson, Leo Espinosa, main character, MC, MG, picture book, writing tips, YA

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Hi Christine–The feedback I received from an agent on my picture book was that my main character “lacks agency.” What does this mean and how can I fix it?—Michelle, Burbank

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Interview with YA Author Britta Lundin

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS in Author's Perspective

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Britta Lundin, hyperion, Like Other Girls, screenwriting, Ship It, YA

Southern California-based author Britta Lundin’s YA novel, Like Other Girls (2021, Hyperion) has been on several “Best of 2021” lists. Her debut YA was the popular Ship It. She’s also a TV writer for Riverdale, Betty, and The Big Leap.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! In Like Other Girls, Mara’s angry outburst gets her kicked off the high school basketball team. When she’s (briefly) on the girls’ volleyball team, it’s not a good fit so she joins the football team. At first, being the only girl isn’t really a big deal, but it turns into a larger movement when four other girls join too. In your first YA book, Ship It, (about fandom) you said you wrote what you knew; because of your experiences, you’ve been on the inside “seeing how the sausage is made.” (Love that quote!) Your bio says you were a multi-sport athlete so is Girls another “sausage” story?

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Interview with YA Authors Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren

30 Wednesday Mar 2022

Posted by Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cowriters, cowriting, Faith McClaren, Horror Hotel, paranormal, path to publication, supernatural, Victoria Fulton, YA, YA Horror

Los Angeles writers Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren are an award-winning coauthor duo. In their YA, Horror Hotel, the YouTube-famous Ghost Gang—Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki—visit a haunted LA hotel notorious for tragedy to secretly film after dark. They expect it to be just like their previous paranormal huntings (spooky, but harmless) yet soon wonder if they will survive the night.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! I couldn’t put down your new YA, Horror Hotel. What inspired you to write a scary book for a YA audience as opposed to an adult one?

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Ask an Editor: Word Count

19 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS in Ask an Editor

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

MG, middle grade, PB, picture book, word count, YA, young adult

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Hi Christine – What’s the best place to find current word counts for when I write children’s books?

—Mar, Los Angeles

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Ask an Editor: Understanding Categories

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by Christine Van Zandt, author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNDERPANTS in Ask an Editor

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Tags

book categories, categories, MG, middle grade, PB, picture book, YA, young adult

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Hi Christine – What determines book categories? For example, how are middle-grade books different than YA books? Thanks. —Jamie, Los Angeles

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#KT250 Winning Entries, 1st Quarter 2020

21 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in #KT250, Contests & Grants

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

agents, contest winners, contests, drama, literary fiction, 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!