So happy to share that MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS has gotten some kidlit love lately! The Children's Book Council selected it as a 2025 Librarian's Favorite Award for third-fifth graders Complete list HERE. The March 2025 issue of The Horn Book gave it a shout-out along with seven other novels, saying that it was a great read for intermediate and/or middle-school readers who enjoy imagining what it was like to live through various times in the past. Read the full article, "(Re)visiting the Past." HERE. The Omaha Public Library chose it as an Omaha Pick, placing it on their curated list "Historical Fiction That's Not WWII." FInd it HERE. And the Morton Grove Public Library called it a Recommended Read for kids!
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(c) Caroline McPherson, carolinemcphersonillustration.com Welcome, Michael F. Stewart, Kidlit AuthorHow did your love for being a kidlit creator begin? My first chance to write for kids was when I responded to a call for authors from an educational publisher. I wrote four graphic novels for them: a sports, a thriller, a fantasy, and a mystery. Talk about lucky! I’ve always loved reading and never really grew out of kids books and YA, and then I had four kids of my own and haven't felt the need ever to progress past young adult, at least in mindset. You've written so many types of books for kids, from chapter books to novels in verse, from the silly to the intense. Despite their dissimilarities, how would you say they share the same essence, theme, thread, or universal truth? In truth, they don’t all share the same themes. Every book changes me a bit and the world changes too. If I could point to two key themes I return to, it would be 'the meaning of life' and 'technology' and the intersection of these. How does technology shape us? Where do the dangers and opportunities lie? Beyond that, I'd have to say I write a lot about mental health as way of coming to understand the challenges of our sometimes wonky and fascinating minds. From one wonky mind to another, I'd say those are very important things to address! (c) Caroline McPherson, carolinemcphersonillustration.com How did you and Kelly find each other? I went to a 'How to get an agent' seminar in which Kelly was a panelist and submitted after. A few months later, the seminar worked! I think it helped that we had both attended the Vermont College of Fine Art's MFA, Writing for Children and Young Adults (which is fabulous!). True proof that well-written queries work! Why do you enjoy working with Kelly? So many reasons! Kelly has an incredible gut instinct that I have come to trust. She’s full of great ideas on how to improve my projects, while always being supportive and diligent with her notes. She brings the crew together and cares for us and our progress. Most importantly, she communicates. We have these magical spreadsheets, which she updates with new submissions, passes, and the reasons for the pass, with thoughts on what we can do better or change to ensure our best chances of a yes. She is a team builder with her clients, to be sure! Okay...last question. Why do you have a cat on your head? Is said kitty alive and well? Cat? What cat? Please do not make fun of my custom toupee. :) Okay, jk, so that is a very rare cat. You've heard of a thinking cap? This is a thinking cat. When I'm really struggling, it's useful to put the thinking cat on my head and consider what I'm doing with my life. I've tried a thinking dog but results were mixed. It's nice to know how supportive your cat is of your creative endeavors! Hopefully she purrs when she senses your ideas are good! Well, Mike, thanks for coming by, and for sharing a little about your kidlit journey. Wishing you, your feline friend, and your works of the pen my very bestest! Thank you, Dionna, for inviting me to chat with you. ![]() Michael F. Stewart has authored over two dozen books for kids and young adults. With works ranging from interactive digital epics and graphic novels to humorous middle grade and surreal young adult novels, several of which have won their fair share of accolades. Michael enjoys stretching the limits on his storytelling and working with other authors young and old to tell their stories. He has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Ottawa with his partner, four daughters, a cat, and a dog. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website michaelfstewart.com. You can connect with him on Bluesky @openmike.bsky.social, and on Instagram @mfstewart. (c) Collen Muske, colleenmuske.com Welcoming Heather Mullaly, Kidlit Author!Salutations, Heather! Thank you for allowing me to interview you about your kidlit journey! Thank you for the invite! My pleasure! So when did you realize you wanted to write for young readers? For a long time, writing was a hobby. I wrote whatever brought me joy. It was only when I had a story that I wanted to share with the world that I started paying attention to categories. That story was YA, so I set out to learn about writing for young readers. Right about that time, I was at the YMCA when a total stranger got on the elliptical machine beside mine and started talking to me. This was not normal behavior for this gym. But she couldn’t contain her excitement because her first picture book was being released in four days. We struck up a conversation about writing and kidlit and I begrudgingly admitted that I was working on a YA novel. She told me about the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the regional conference that was taking place locally in a few weeks. I don’t believe in coincidence. So, I went to my first SCBWI conference. How serendipitous is that! Did you enjoy the conference? I loved spending three days talking about kids’ books, about the process of writing them, about the joy of reading them, and about the impact they can have on a young reader’s life. And I loved the community. When I came home, I announced to my family, “I have found my people.” And I never looked back. SCBWI folks really know how to lift others up and cheer each other on, to be sure. Though your first book was for young adults, you now write for middle-grade readers, too. Do you approach each project differently in order to keep the target audience in mind? For me, stories always begin with the main character. I play with ideas, but if I don’t connect with the main character, they never make it to the drafting phase. My middle grade main characters tend to come to me with clear personalities and straight forward goals. My young adult main characters take more coaxing and are often unclear about what they truly want. Their lives are more complicated, and their stories reflect that. The main character determines the target audience and the feel of the book. Are your YA stories vastly different from your MG novels? All of my stories have what people tell me is a dry sense of humor. That said, my middle-grade, The Legend of Hobart, which is a fairy tale, has a very different feel from Life and Other Complications, which is a contemporary YA novel about a teen living with HIV. (c) Collen Muske, colleenmuske.com Interesting process! It certainly proves the point that a good story no matter the category always begins with character. So how did you snag your literary agent, Kelly Dyksterhouse, who is my amazing kidlit literary agent, too? Kelly is amazing! We found each other through my long-time writing mentor, Sarah Aronson, who recommended Kelly to me. She knew Kelly from conferences and by reputation (Sarah is friends with Kellye Crocker who is another Kelly Dyksterhouse client.) Sarah felt that Kelly would be a good fit for me and my funny middle grade novel. So I queried Kelly Dyksterhouse. She loved the project, and the rest has been history. I love funny reads, and can't wait to read yours when it comes out! What are you working on now? My current work-in-progress is a younger YA about a girl who wants to join the Malacks, an order of elite warriors who swear their allegiance to the people of the Koros Sea rather than a particular kingdom or ruler. I took the project to the Highlights Foundation Whole Novel Workshop and am now in the midst of my first major rewrite. It’s been a lot of fun. Sounds like it would be! Well, Heather, thanks so much for stopping by. It's been delightful hearing a little bit about your story. Do keep in touch and let us know when your newest releases are hot off the press. Will do! And thanks again for the invite! ![]() Heather Mullaly is an award winning author of books for children and teens. A passionate believer in the power of story, when she isn’t writing them, reading them, or listening to them, she can usually be found baking something that involves chocolate, thinking up new story ideas before she’s finished the one she’s currently writing, or hanging out with her family, who happen to be even more fantastic than the characters in her head. So far her books include: Life and Other Complications, a 2021 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medalist; The Legend of Hobart, a Kirkus Best Book of 2021; and Hobart’s Second Quest, which will be releasing next month! Preorder HERE for your chance to win some cool stuff! You can find Heather, who is represented by Kelly Dyksterhouse of The Tobias Literary Agency, at heathermullaly.com. (c)Colleen Muske, colleenmuske.com Kelly Dyksterhouse, Kidlit Literary AgentSalutations! Kelly, thanks for coming by! You're welcome! I would especially love to know how you found your way to becoming a kidlit agent. Really, the way I found myself into being an agent, first at Raven Quill Literary Agency founded by Jacqui Lipton, goes back to what we’ve always tried to teach our kids: whatever you do, do to the best of your ability with a constant willingness to learn, and doors will be opened to you. That is how I’ve tried to live, and while my road to becoming a literary agent was unexpected, each step led organically to the next, landing me where I am today. So what were those steps? I knew I loved kidlit, both reading and writing it, so in 2014, I got my MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. My goal was to both hone my writing craft and to earn a degree that would give me a skill so that I could work once my kids were out of the house. At the time, I was thinking I’d write and teach writing and children’s literature at the college level. While at VCFA, I interned at The Bent Agency, reading slush, full manuscripts and refining my editorial skills. I later followed Susan Hawk to Upstart Crow, where I worked as an assistant and editorial reader and really learned all things agent-y. I was very content working for Susan—I was doing everything I loved: editing, teaching, reading, working with people. I got to work with writers, help them develop their manuscripts from idea to polished draft, and eventually saw their books on the shelves. The job was (is) a perfect blend of left brain/right brain, which suits me great! But I still hadn’t considered agenting myself until Jacqui approached me and asked me to join her at Raven Quill. At this point, I’d had several years working in literary agencies, and Susan was incredibly encouraging that it was time I made the leap to taking on my own clients. I took a couple of months to think and interview agents whose practices I really admired, and was thrilled to join forces with Jacqui at Raven Quill in 2020. Then, when Jacqui's agency moved in with The Tobias Literary Agency in 2022, I moved in too, and that's where we both are today. Are you enjoying being an agent? I’m having the time of my life! So there you have it: proof that good things can happen despite the crazy times in which we live. (c) Colleen Muske, colleenmuske.com What type of books/clients do you represent? I think the books I am most drawn to walk the line between commercial and literary. In other words, they have a big hook and ask big questions. I love books that have that holy trinity of amazing character/engaging plot/compelling voice. All of that can happen in any genre for any age group. I have clients that achieve it in PB, CB, MG and YA, both fiction and non-fiction in all genres. In terms of new clients, my ideal client is someone who is never done learning and who is willing to take a risk and try new things--whether that be in yet another draft of the same book or in taking the leap into another kind of writing. I think that a true writer is someone who is always growing their craft. As a children's book writer, what type of books do you enjoy penning? How do you juggle the role of writer and agent? Oh, this is a great question! One I am still trying to find the answer to. I have several of my own projects in the works at various stages. I write mostly MG, I think because that’s the age I was when books really made a big impression on me. I will get into a great writing groove--I’m most productive first thing in the morning--and then a client project will come in, or be ready to go out on sub, and I will lose my own momentum. I have a very hard time focusing on myself if someone I’ve committed to needs my attention. But I am learning to give a bit of grace to myself and find productivity in that ebb and flow. I think your clients would understand! Does one skill set (writer/agent) inform the other? Yes, I do think that writing informs my skill as an editor. Absolutely. It’s the difference between understanding something at a purely academic level and the deeper understanding that comes from truly experiencing it. Also, I think it helps me relate to my clients better. I understand what it means to be stuck, how hard it is to cut a character you love, how messy that middle can be. And mostly, how excruciating the waiting game is and demoralizing rejection can be. I think this deeper understanding makes me a better advocate and cheerleader. That you do amazingly well! Thanks for stopping by, Kelly. I really enjoyed your visit. I enjoyed being here! ![]() Kelly Dyksterhouse, literary agent with The Tobias Literary Agency, grew up with a book always in her hands and a story always in her head. The important role that books played in her early years developed into a passion for children’s literature in her adult life. Kelly holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults for Vermont College of Fine Arts and has interned as an editorial reader at leading literary agencies and worked as an independent developmental editor and writing mentor. She considers the opportunity to help bring books into existence to be a great honor, and it is a particular joy for her to work alongside authors as they develop their project from idea to polished manuscript. The best feeling of all is when those manuscripts end up as books in the hands of children. Find Kelly online at kellydyksterhouse.com. This post was updated from one that appeared here in September of 2020 James Madison Regional Library--my library system--is the absolute best! And I'm not just saying it because they hosted my book launch, and now have a place for six copies of my debut novel for young readers, MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS, on their shelves at five different branches. (Four copies of my book are checked out right now, BTW, which totally rocks my kidlit socks!)
My love for my library system is not new. I've loved it since my branch was a tiny thing that had its card catalog stuffed neatly inside cabinet drawers, and due date cards were stamped and placed inside envelopes on the inside of book covers. (I even remember when my local branch got its first computer that went onto the internet via a telephone line! BURRRRWEEEEEWOOO...) My first library card is probably considered an antique. (And yes, I cried when I thought I lost it.) Back in the 90s, the highlight of my week was pushing my two daughters in their double stroller down to my branch to check out new books. (Though sometimes, we checked out the same book over and over again.) How I loved our summers when we could enjoy being entertained by some of the best storytellers ever--for free. My kids never minded the cramped and hot conditions of the kids section where the storytellers performed. Throughout the decades, my librarians and I have known one another by name. We've talked about my writing long before I was published. They've helped me locate rare books through interlibrary loans when I was doing research. They've listened to me when I hit a writing journey roadblock. They've been a huge part of my kidlit community. Even now they're cheering me on! Seeing that JMRL red sticker on the spine of my project of the heart, smack dab next to books written by Patricia MacLachlan and Kekla Magoon--well, that's the butter cream icing on top of my debut-year-cake. YUM! Do you have a library system that you love? Share your story in the comments below. My Debut GroupThe seven traditionally published middle-grade books authored by my debut group The 24/7s received stellar industry reviews, were on end-of-the-year best book lists, and were selected as JLG Gold Selections! |
About MeI am a children's book author who loves learning about lesser known individuals shining in the margins of African American history. My debut novel for young readers, Mama's Chicken & Dumplings (Margaret Ferguson Books, 2024), received a starred review from Shelf Awareness and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. I am Copying, reposting, or otherwise republishing anything on this blog without permission is strictly prohibited.
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