Interactive Interview with an Agent: Susan Hawk

So excited for today’s interview, which features Susan Hawk of The Bent Agency. This is an interactive interview, so Ms. Hawk will drop in periodically throughout the day to answer your questions in the comments. More information on that below. Check out Ms. Hawk’s responses to the usual questions, and then I’ll meet you at the bottom!

KV: How did you get into agenting?

SH: I worked for over 15 years in children’s book marketing. A little more than two years ago, I realized that it was time to try something different--I knew that I wanted to stay in children’s books, but learn something new.

This coincided with the birth of my second child, so I took some time off, and during that time I considered agenting. Then I saw a post on a neighborhood parenting e-mail group from Jenny Bent. She had just opened her own agency, and was looking for readers. I got in touch, we hit it off and after awhile, she asked if I’d like to start working as a children’s book agent, and here I am! I couldn’t be luckier than to have landed with Jenny, and the first nine months of agenting have been exciting.

KV: How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?

SH: For me, everything begins with the book. When I read something and can’t put it down, that’s when I know I’ve found something that I want to represent. And then, it’s my job to communicate that feeling, and to connect an author with an editor who shares this feeling about the book. Essentially, this is what I did in my previous life marketing books, and as a librarian--I’ve always enjoyed sharing books I love.

So much of the work in publishing is collaborative, I think to an extent that many don’t recognize (it’s hard to tell from the outside), and I really enjoy that kind of work. That’s the kind of relationship that I establish with my clients. The key to any collaboration, of course, is open communication from both sides.

KV: What client work do you have coming out soon? What drew you to those writers and/or projects?

SH: I have four clients all of whom are revising and writing now. Their work runs the gamut: a middle-grade book about a lovable iconoclast called Baloney Boy; to a YA romance set in a world that has much in common with medieval Arabia; another about the long hot summers of childhood, solving a family mystery and taking that first peek into the adult world; and the last a YA with some paranormal aspects, about a boy who must save his sister’s life, which is hard to do when you’re already dead.

There’s a feeling that I think we all have, when you sit down with a book, crack open the pages and an hour passes in what feels like five minutes. You’re in a world that you don’t ever want to leave, with characters you hope to know forever. The projects above are all very different, but have one thing in common--I didn’t want to put them down.

KV: What genres do you represent? What genres do you definitely NOT represent?

SH: I’m open to just about anything, my reading tastes are broad. I’d love to find a great mystery, and I’m looking for humor. Sci-fi is at the top of my list. I’ve always read fantasy, but I’m not looking for epic, high fantasy right now. Historical fiction is another favorite. I love boy books. I’m very picky when it comes to paranormal and romance, and am looking for something in those genres that feels fresh.

KV: What query pet peeves and/or pitfalls should writers avoid when querying you?

SH: Really, for me, it comes down to the strength of the writing. I’m less concerned with the query itself, than I am with the sample pages that the author attaches, so be sure to include your first ten pages.

To avoid pitfalls, it’s best to look closely at an agent’s submission info, which should always be available online--if you make sure to follow the instructions there, you’re in good shape.

KV: What are you looking for in a manuscript right now?

SH: What pulls me into a book faster than anything else is that magic combination of great concept and authentic voice. I’m looking for exciting stories, told in a compelling way, with characters that are true to life. I’m drawn to the quirky and unique and have always loved books about people who see things just a bit differently. But story is key, I do want something to happen to those lovely characters!

KV: What’s the best way to query you?

SH: E-mail me a query letter that briefly tells me about you and your book. Include the first ten pages of your material in the body of the email and send to kidsqueries@thebentagency.com. For more on querying me, see www.thebentagency.com/submissions.html.

Thanks again, Ms. Hawk, for all of this great information. Your passion for your clients’ work is wonderfully apparent. That is what we’re all looking for, after all--an agent who is as passionate about our writing as we are.

If you have a question for Ms. Hawk, feel free to leave it in the comments. Please note that I’ll be cutting questions off at 4:00 p.m. EDT (which is 1:00 p.m. PDT), so don’t dilly-dally!

Little Things

Yesterday, I shared some of the big things I’d like to see before I die. Today, I want to share some of the little things.

1. Fireflies. I don’t think you Easterners realize how totally awesome these bugs are. I’d definitely be willing to trade a few scorpions for some fireflies.

2. A field of sunflowers. Wouldn’t a field of sunflowers, all of them facing the sun, just be the happiest thing you’ve ever seen?

It’s a shorter list, I know, but I’m still adding to it. Happily, the list of little things I’ve already seen is longer.

1. Wild dolphins frolicking in the waves. My in-laws lived in Carlsbad, California, for a few years, an d we always went to the beach every time we visited. On one of our outings, I saw two dolphins cavorting in the same breakers we’d been swimming in earlier. I decided they must have been on their honeymoon:)

2. Caterpillars morphing into butterflies. When I was around nine, a neighbor lady offered my mother two caterpillars in a jar. She took them, of course, and for the next couple of weeks, we watched these caterpillars eat their way through bunches of leaves, spin themselves into cocoons, and emerge as two huge monarch butterflies. As I watched them fly away, I got this strange twist in my stomach. I didn’t know then--but I do now--that it was the bittersweet twinge all mothers feel when they watch their little ones go out into the world.

3. A whole rainbow. I walked out of a college class one afternoon, and there it was, a whole rainbow, a perfect arc that touched the ground in two places. If I’d been the gold-chasing type, I would have had two chances that day.

Again, I’ll probably come back and add to this list over the next few days or weeks, but since I-gots is at preschool right now, I want to get working on Bob. So I’ll finish by asking you the same question I asked yesterday (well, almost the same question): What little things would you like to see before you die, and which ones have you seen already?

Big Things

We all have a list of big things we’d like to see before we die. Here are a few of mine, in no particular order:

1. The Hagia Sophia. When I took AP Art History in high school, this was the building I fell in love with. The Hagia Sophia has been both a basilica and a mosque, but I want to see it for its clerestory, a window-lined wall that rises above the roofline of the surrounding walls. The Hagia Sophia’s clerestory is just below its dome, and they say that at certain times of day, when the light’s shooting through those windows at just the right angle, the dome looks like it’s hovering on a cloud of light. I’d like to see what a cloud of light looks like.

2. Italy, any or all of it. I’m not picky.

3. New York City. I’ve had a fascination with this city for a long time, even before I started trying to publish a book:) When Honey Bear got to go there on a mock trial trip before we were married, I was supremely jealous. (He was kind enough to bring me back a New York City T-shirt, though, which I still wear proudly.)

4. The Grand Canyon. I live, like, an hour away from the North Rim (if I don't mind taking a four-wheeler up and over a mountain on a gravelly trail), but I’ve still never been there. Maybe when I-gots is a little older, we’ll have to make the trip (though I think I’d prefer going the long way around in a car).

5. Angel Falls. Have you seen that shot in the BBC’s Planet Earth, when the camera sweeps over the top of Angel Falls and down the drop-off? It’s not the world’s tallest waterfall for nothing.

6. Ireland. (See the comments.)

7. An erupting volcano. I'd prefer not to be in the path of the erupting volcano, but hey, if I ever am, at least I'll be able to check another thing off my list. Gotta look on the bright side, right?

8. The Mississippi River, 'cause it's huge. Have you seen how huge it is? Out here in the West, our rivers come in medium, small, and so small a three-year-old can hop across them.

And here are a couple of big things I’ve already seen:

1. Yellowstone. I’ve even stood thirty feet down a boardwalk from a wild buffalo. A herd happened to come through the patch of mud pots we happened to be looking at, and when I broke through a knot of people, well, there it was. My little sister was with me, so I muttered to her, “Let’s just put our heads down and back away slowly.” If a park ranger had been there, he or she probably would have had a fit.

2. The Alamo, which is actually much smaller than it looks. I lived in San Antonio for about a year as a kid, and we visited the Alamo several times. My dad is something of a war history buff.

I might come back and add to this list over the next few days or weeks, but for now, I’ll just turn the question back around to you. What big things would you like to see before you die, and which ones have you already seen?

Interview with, uh, You

No agent interview for you this week, although I've got some great stuff in the pipeline, including another interactive installment with Susan Hawk of The Bent Agency coming up next week. Today, though, I want to focus on you.

First and foremost, I want to know what you write. I must admit, I've been pretty selfish when it comes to contacting agents about doing these interviews. For the most part, I've concentrated on agents who rep YA, fantasy, and sci-fi, since that's what I write. In the future, though, I want to interview agents who rep things that are more proportionally representative of the genres you write, so let me know in the comments (even if you write the same things I do, because you might never see another YA/fantasy/sci-fi agent again otherwise:) ).

Also, I'd love to hear your suggestions for making these interviews more helpful. Do you have a great general question you think I should ask every agent? Do you like these all-purpose interviews, or would you rather read agents' takes on specific topics (like effective revising, for instance)? I probably can't incorporate every piece of advice, but if it sounds like a good idea to me, too, I'll definitely take it around the blog for a spin.

In sum, please leave a comment with the genres you write and any other ideas or suggestions you have to make these agent interviews the best they can be.

Recipe Recommendation: Sloppy Dawgs by Rachael Ray

Liesl’s Pasta Fagioli and Peasant Bread recipe reminded me that I haven’t posted a recipe recommendation in a while. Honey Bear and I made this one again just last week, and I remembered how full-flavored it is. If you’re looking for a way to reinvent your hot dogs, this is it.

The sloppy dawg takes the idea of a sloppy joe and trades the ground beef in for cut-up hot dogs. Here’s Rachael Ray’s recipe, if you’d rather click through to her site, and here it is again, with a little extra commentary:)

Sloppy Dawgs

1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin, if you’re Rachael Ray, although Curtis Stone says extra virgin is a waste of cold-pressed oil if you’re just going to heat it up)
1 pound hot dogs, chopped or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (Rachael Ray reminds you that you can eyeball this amount, but heck, it’s cooking--you can eyeball everything:) )
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
4 hot dog rolls, toasted and buttered (if you want to give yourself more work)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the hot dogs to the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan. Continue cooking until the veggies are nice and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pan, and cook until aromatic, about a minute. (Rachael Ray is fond of saying, “Your nose will know when it’s done,” and that’s really the case with this tomato paste. As soon as you can smell it, you’re good to go.)

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire and tomato sauces. Add that mixture to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until thick and saucy, about 5 more minutes.

Pile the meat sauce onto the buns. Top with tomatoes, pickles, and mustard, if you like.

When we made this last week, Honey Bear and I were a little short on hot dog, so we added some fresh eggplant from our garden (Honey Bear’s idea). It turned out great, so feel free to improvise.

What have you been cooking lately?

Book Recommendation: MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

Five words, six syllables: This. Book. Blew. Me. A-way. Enough said.

(Feel free to gush about MOCKINGJAY all you want in the comments. I only ask that you not mention any spoilers. That way, we won't ruin anything for the people who haven't read it yet.)

Interview with an Agent: Wendy Schmalz

Today’s installment of “Interview with an Agent” features Wendy Schmalz of Wendy Schmalz Agency. Prepare to be impressed.

KV: How did you get into agenting?

WS: I read Tennessee Williams’s memoirs in high school. He wrote a lot about his agent. At the time, I didn’t know what an agent was, but it seemed like a pretty terrific way to make a living. In college, I had a part time job with a journalist. His wife was a novelist and she got me an interview with the agency representing her, Curtis Brown, Ltd. I got the job and loved it.

KV: How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?

WS: I feel strongly about representing authors whose work I’m passionate about and who are passionate about their own work. I think it’s a mistake to write for the market.

Every relationship is different, but, like any relationship, there has to be chemistry and trust and respect. A good agent/author relationship lasts a lifetime. It’s about career building, not the latest project.

KV: What client work do you have coming out soon?

WS: Here are some recent and upcoming books:

Bestselling novelists Myla Goldberg and April Henry both have new novels. Myla's THE FALSE FRIEND is a psychological drama (Doubleday). April's thriller about a kidnapped blind girl is called GIRL, STOLEN (Christy Ottaviano Books/Holt).

Two new middle grade series have just been published, Amanda Marrone's creepy, funny books called THE MAGIC REPAIR SHOP CHRONICLES (Atheneum), and Sue Stauffacher's witty, charming and informative series ANIMAL RESCUE TEAM (Knopf).

Amanda has a new paranormal romance called SLAYED about vampire hunters to add to her successful backlist at Pulse.

Australian Kathy Charles's crossover novel JOHN BELUSHI IS DEAD about two teens obsessed with celebrity death is just out from MTV Books.

Graphic novelist Jason Little's MOTEL ART IMPROVEMENT SERVICE, the sequel to his successful SHUTTERBUG FOLLIES, will be published by Dark Horse.

Award-winning South African novelist Michael Williams's NOW IS THE TIME FOR RUNNING is coming from Little, Brown.

Seymour Simon's Smithsonian/Collins photo essay TROPICAL RAINFORESTS is the latest of his successful books in that series.

Julie Anne Peters’s love story SHE LOVES YOU, SHE LOVES YOU NOT will be out next year from Little, Brown, as will Denise Vega’s ROCK ON.

KV: What drew you to those writers and/or projects?

WS: The true and easy answer is that each of them is extremely talented and a joy to work with.

KV: What genres do you represent? What genres do you definitely NOT represent?

WS: I prefer realistic YA and middle grade novels. I prefer things with a bit of an edge--nothing too sappy.

I don’t like techno sci-fi. I’m not taking on any new picture book writers.

KV: What query pet peeves and/or pitfalls should writers avoid when querying you?

WS: I hate cute query letters. Tell me about your book as concisely as possible. Don’t start off quoting statistics (a lot of people do). Avoid clichés (I can’t take another “journey of self-discovery” letter). I like to know why authors want me to represent them. Have they done their homework? Do they know my tastes and my authors? Or are they just sending out queries to every agent in the country?

KV: You only want to see the query letter and synopsis in a writer’s initial contact, but several respected industry sites have advised writers to include a few sample pages at the bottom of every query, whether the agent asked for them or not. So if a writer goes ahead and adds those pages, do you find that more assertive or obnoxious?

WS: Are you saying my site is not respectable? :) I think you can tell a lot by the letter itself. If you can’t write a letter, you can’t write a book. If a writer has pasted a few pages, that’s fine. I wouldn’t think it too assertive or obnoxious.

KV: What are you looking for in a manuscript right now?

WS: I don’t have a wish list. Like everyone else, I’m looking for fresh, original, well-told stories.

KV: What’s the best way to query you?

WS: I prefer e-mail queries, although I only answer an e-mail if I want to read the manuscript. Go to www.schmalzagency.com for more information.

Thank you, Ms. Schmalz, for these responses. And good luck to everyone who decides to query her. If you’re fortunate enough to land Ms. Schmalz as an agent, you’ll be joining an impressive list of authors.

Have a great weekend, all!

Book Review: THE STONE TRAVELER by Kathi Oram Peterson

Today we’re celebrating the release of Kathi Oram Peterson’s third book, THE STONE TRAVELER, which came out at the end of August. Ms. Peterson has been known to haunt these parts, so I'm more than pleased to be a part of her blog tour.

Ms. Peterson’s junior novel follows the first-person narratives of two main characters: Tag Quincy, a modern-day teenager with a fondness for dog collars, and Sabirah, a first-century nineteen-year-old from somewhere in Central or South America. With the help of a mysterious stone, Tag travels back in time to help Sabirah rescue her father, who has been captured by the nefarious King Jacob, or so she suspects. But here’s the catch: Since Ms. Peterson weaves her tale around events described in the Book of Mormon, Tag already knows the story will end with an inferno consuming Jacob's kingdom. What remains to be seen is whether Tag will survive the day.

THE STONE TRAVELER takes a while to get going, but by the end, I wanted to find out what happened to Tag and Sabirah. Tag starts off as a sulky, eyeliner-wearing moron, but over the course of the novel, he breaks out of that stereotype and matures into a fairly well-rounded human being able to think and act for himself. I didn’t always buy Tag’s character development--even when he’s still wearing the dog collar and eyeliner, he’s quoting most of the relevant Book of Mormon stories almost verbatim (despite the fact that most of the clean-cut Mormon kids I know don’t remember those stories as well as he does)--but by the time I reached the climax, I was rooting for him.

Would I have recommended THE STONE TRAVELER if I hadn’t been a part of the blog tour? Probably not. Then again, I recommend very few of the books I read because I only recommend books I absolutely loved. THE STONE TRAVELER doesn’t fall into that category, but it was all right.

Thanks for dropping by, and be sure to check out the other stops along THE STONE TRAVELER blog tour for a chance to win a Kindle. For a complete list of the other blog tour participants, check out the sidebar of Ms. Peterson’s blog.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive a free copy of THE STONE TRAVELER in connection with this review, but as you can see, that didn’t stop me from giving you my honest opinion about the book.