Color Me a Kidlit Writer
  • About Me
  • Mama's Chicken & Dumplings
  • Reviews
  • Other Books & Stuff
  • Magazine Work
  • Work-For-Hire Books
  • School Visits
  • Events
  • Interviews, Blog Parties & More

BLOG PARTY! Meet Kelly's KidLit Crew Member

10/5/2021

0 Comments

 

Kellye Crocker 


Picture
Laura Carson Photography

Kidlit Member 
of 
Kelly's Crew


Welcome, Kellye, to Day Five of my blog party! Thanks so much for coming!

Hi Dionna! It’s so great to be here. Thank you for all you do to support kidlit authors and illustrators! 

Your turn to tell. How did you find your way into becoming a kidlit author and why do you love it?

I grew up reading and loving kidlit and never stopped! For a few decades now, I believe some of the best, most ground-breaking writing has come from picture books, middle grade and YA novels and non-fiction.

After working 14 years as a newspaper reporter, I quit to become a full-time, self-employed freelancer. My first year went surprisingly well, and my boss (me!) rewarded her only employee (me!) with a trip to Los Angeles for SCBWI’s annual conference. That was in 2000, and I’ve been a member ever since. Both the Iowa and Rocky Mountain chapters have been so important in helping me learn about the industry and connect with a creative community, which I think is critical. At the national conference, I heard a woman speak about her experience as a student in Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. It sounded amazing, and I wanted to do it. But with a job, a spouse, and our young son, I didn’t have much time and even less money.

Four years later, I took out student loans and entered the program! I graduated in 2006 and have been writing fiction for young people seriously since then. 

SCBWI and MFA programs like VCFA are true-blue learning opportunities for anyone in this industry, to be sure! Do tell more!

I signed with Kelly in May 2020 (my birthday week and during a pandemic!). Fourteen years is a loooooong time to write seriously, dream of being published, and not be! One issue: I was a reluctant querier. After writing six novels, the one I sent Kelly was only the second I’d queried. I also experienced a serious illness during that time. Anyway, Kelly sold my middle grade novel about a year after I signed with her.

Awesome sauce!

It was awesome!

The answer to your second question—why do you love it?—is why I kept writing. I love how writing allows me to constantly learn, experiment, and improve. The “kidlit years” offer such rich material, and I very much still feel like a kid inside! When I was young, books were a lifeline, and it is my biggest dream to pay it forward and create work that inspires young readers, makes them think, and gives them hope.

Hope is so important in these uncertain times. I heard one of your projects of the heart was acquired recently. Do tell, what's it about?
 
I  just turned in a revision for Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties, a contemporary middle grade novel and my debut, which is scheduled to be published in the fall of 2022 by Albert Whitman and Co. The story was inspired by my move to Denver in early 2015. After living in Iowa for about 100 years, the only thing I knew about Denver was that my spouse had a job there. (That “young son” of ours had just graduated from high school!) I was in a bit of a funk about my writing, and my dear friend, Sarah Aronson, suggested I take a playful approach. I took her words to heart! Colorado was so different, and I knew I’d never again see it with new eyes. Everyone loves Colorado, including me, and it was fun to write my protagonist’s contrarian view.

Here’s the book's blurb that ran in Publisher’s Weekly: "When her father takes her to Colorado to meet his girlfriend for the first time, 12-year-old Ava must come to grips with both her newly diagnosed anxiety disorder and her rapidly changing family. But she learns from the mountains that it's okay to want two opposite things at once, and that the bravest people are the ones who are scared but do what's right anyway."

My move to Colorado was the shakeup I didn’t know I needed, and it also triggered a lot of anxiety. I was diagnosed with anxiety in the late ’90s, as an adult, but I believe it’s something I probably was born with and always have had. I finished the first draft of this story in late 2016 and, even then, anxiety in young people was a growing concern. Obviously, the pandemic has made it so much worse, creating serious mental health challenges for many young people. I’m glad that mental health is being discussed more openly now, and I hope my story can serve as a mirror or window and sliding glass door—to use literary scholar Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s iconic metaphors—for middle grade readers.

Dad's Girlfriend and Other Anxieties sounds like a great MG read! What do you love about working with Kelly Dyksterhouse of Raven Quill Literary?

I love everything about working with Kelly! She’s scary-smart! She’s also kind, funny, responsive, and grounded. She’s very insightful and an excellent editor. She has solid industry experience and, at the same time, as a relatively new agent, she’s highly motivated to build and deepen relationships with editors. I also appreciate how genuinely positive she is. It’s about keeping the focus on what’s important—the joy of creating and making a difference in young people’s lives. I love how Kelly is helping her clients create our mini-flock community, too!

I also feel incredibly grateful to be part of the bigger flock! Shout out to founder and agent Jacqui Lipton, the other agents Kortney Price and Lori Steel, and assistant Lindsay Flanagan, who are really working hard to create something special at Raven Quill Literary Agency.

I agree! Raven Quill is an amazing kidlit place to be planted! Thanks for stopping by Kellye, and do let us know when your book releases so we can throw it a launch party!

Thanks for having me, Dionna, and will do!

Picture
Kellye Crocker is the author of Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties, a contemporary middle grade novel coming in the Fall of 2022 from Albert Whitman & Co. She’s a former newspaper reporter and freelance journalist who has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, and Glamour. She’s also worked in library youth services and has taught writing at two Iowa universities. Now, she’s encouraging the next generation of writers as part of the Young Writers Program faculty at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, the largest literary nonprofit in the Mountain West. Kellye, who lives in Denver, holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a bachelor’s degree in news-editorial from the Missouri School of Journalism. Like her protagonist, Kellye lives with anxiety and is always up for some belly breathing. She also loves to read, make art from the recycling bin, and explore the mountains with her husband and their naughty black lab. You can connect with her at kellyecrocker.com, on Twitter @kelcrocker and on Instagram: @kellyecrocker. Kellye is rep'd by Kelly Dyksterhouse of The Tobias Literary Agency.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Me

    I 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 
    represented by Kelly Dyksterhouse of The Tobias Literary Agency.


    Copying, reposting, or otherwise republishing anything on this blog without permission is strictly prohibited.

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Picture

    Archives

    June 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    February 2015
    May 2014
    March 2014
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    1935 Labor Day Hurricane
    1935 Vinegar Hill Charlottesville VA
    Abigail Halpin
    A Big Mooncake For Little Star
    Abrams Books For Young Readers
    Adriann Ranta Zurhellen
    African American Business Owners 1930s
    African Art By Children
    Aladdin Pix
    Albert Whitman & Company
    Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs
    Alfred A. Knopf
    Alice Ratterree
    Alvina Ling
    Alyssa Bermudez
    Amanda Vacharat
    Amy Harding
    Amy Lee-Tai
    Andrea Beatriz Arango
    Andrea Brown Literary
    Angela Dominguez
    Angie Arnett
    Angie Miles
    Angie Smibert
    Anna Lapera
    Anna Staniszewski
    Anne Marie Pace
    Anne Moore Armstrong
    Annual Virginia Book Events
    A POEM GROWS INSIDE YOU
    Arrows
    Arthur Levine Books
    Art-Themed Challenges
    Ashley Spires
    Ashley Walker
    Autism Picture Book
    Bagram Ibatoulline
    Balzer + Bray
    Barb McNally
    Barb Rosenstock
    Beach Lane Books
    Ben Franklin's Big Splash
    BIRD NERD
    Blink YA Books
    Blog Hop
    Blog Parties
    Board Books
    BO AT THE BUZZ
    Book Launch
    Book Launch Parties
    Book Trailers
    Boyds Mills And Kane
    Boyds Mills Press
    BRAVE BALLERINA
    Brenda Woods
    Brian Rock
    Bright Literary Agency
    Brown Books For Young Readers
    Busy Eyed Day
    Busy-Eyed Day
    Calkin's Creek
    Callie C. Miller
    Candlewick Press
    Capstone
    Carina Povarchik
    Caroline McPherson
    Cetologist
    Changes In Publishing
    Charlie & Frog
    Charlottesville Illustrator
    Charlotteville
    Chronicle Books
    Clarion Books
    C. M. Surrisi
    Colleen Muske
    Colleen Paeff
    Comic Book Creator
    Confetti Kids
    Content Editor
    Coping Skills School-aged Children
    Copyeditors
    Cover Reveal
    Coyote Moon
    Craft Of Storytelling
    Craft Of Writing
    Crenshaw
    Cricket Magazine Contributor
    Critiquing
    Crossover
    Cyndi Marko
    Cynthia Cliff
    Daniel Bernstrom
    Daniel Nayeri
    Dave Mottram
    Dawn P. Noren
    DC KidLit Events
    Deaf Main Characters
    Deborah Diner
    Deborah Lakritz
    Deborah Prum
    Diana Ma
    Dionna Mann
    Dish Up A Reading Delight
    Disney-Hyperion
    Dolores Andral
    Donna & Libby Farrell
    Don Tate
    Doris Kutschbach
    Ebony Glenn
    Eerdmans Books For Young Readers
    Elliott Smith
    Engaging The Audience
    Erica Perl
    Erin Murphy
    Erin Murphy Literary Agency
    Ethan Suspended
    Eucalyptus Tree
    EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY
    Farrar Straus And Giroux
    Fearless Public Speaking
    Feiwel & Friends
    Felicia Macheske
    Fine Art Raven Photographer
    Flashlight Night
    Fort Building Time
    Foundry Literary + Media
    Four Beautiful Picture Book Biographies
    Fran Cannon Slayton
    Frann Preston Gannon
    Frann Preston-Gannon
    Fred Koehler
    From My Notes
    Garvey's Choice
    Getty Publications
    GIFTS OF THE MAGPIE
    Good Illustration Ltd.
    Grace Lin
    Grammar Tip
    Great Nocturnal Book For Kids
    Growing Up Pedro
    Hannah Barnaby
    HarperCollins
    HB Steadham
    Heather Brockman Lee
    Heather Mullaly
    Highlighter SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Newsletter
    Holiday House Books
    Holly Webb
    Holt Books For Young Readers
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    How To Draw A Lion
    I Love My Library
    Interviews
    Iris Deppe
    IVELIZ EXPLAINS IT ALL
    Jacqueline Jules
    Jacques Kaufmann
    Jacqui Lipton
    Jefferson School
    Jen Malia
    Jennifer Ann Richter
    Jennifer Elvgren
    Jennifer Laughran
    Jennifer Unter
    Jen Shulman
    Jess Brailler
    Jessica Sinsheimer
    Jewell Parker Rhodes
    Joanie Stone
    Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
    John Parra
    John-platt
    Joy-jones
    Julia-kuo
    Julie-matysik
    Jump-back-paul
    Jumpy-jack-googily
    June-hunter
    Kara-reynolds
    Kar-Ben Publishing
    Karen-kane
    Karen-nagel
    Kate-testerman
    Katherine-applegate
    Kathleen-kellett
    Kathleen-rushall
    Kathryn-erskine
    Katrin-dreiling
    Kell-andrews
    Kelly Dyksterhouse's Crew
    Kellye-crocker
    Kidlit411
    Kidlit-agent
    Kidlit-agent
    Kidlit-art-director
    Kidlit-artist
    Kidlit Author
    Kidlit-author-illustrator
    Kidlit-author-illustrator
    Kidlit-book-designer
    Kidlit-coauthors
    Kidlit-cville-blog-party
    Kidlit-editors
    Kidlit-editors
    Kidlit-events
    Kidlit-events
    Kidlit Love
    Kidlit-reviews
    Kid-reviewer
    Kids-can-press
    Killer-whales
    Kristenpaige-madonia
    Kwame-alexander
    Kweli-the-color-of-childrens-literature-conference
    Ladybug-magazine
    Laura-lyn-disiena
    Law-and-authors-a-legal-handbook-for-writers
    Leah-henderson
    Leaving-room-for-the-illustrator
    Lee-low-books
    Lerner
    Leslie-stall-widener
    Less-is-more
    Levine-querido
    Lilliput
    Lilys-new-home
    Linda-pratt
    Lindsey McDivitt
    Lion Of The SKy
    Lions-cheetahs-rhinos-oh-my
    Lisa-bronson-mezoff
    Literary-agent-interviews
    Little
    Little-brown-books-for-young-readers
    Little-brown-books-for-young-readers
    Liza-wiemer
    Lois-sepahban
    Lois-sepahban
    London
    Lynne-chapman
    Madeline
    Madelyn-rosenberg
    Making-it-not-too-personal-query-etiquette
    Mama's Chicken And Dumplings
    Mani-semilla-finds-her-quetzal-voice
    Marc-boston
    Marfe-delano
    Margaret-ferguson
    Margaret Ferguson Books
    Maria-gianferrari
    Marvelous-cornelius
    Marvelous-cornelius-blog-party
    Mary-amato
    Mary-jane-penny-candies
    Maryland-kidlit-events
    Mary-rand-hess
    Matt-forest-esenwine
    Maverick-childrens-books
    Megan-wagner-lloyd
    Meg-medina
    Meg-medinas-oneminute-writing-tips
    Melissa-gorzelanczyk
    Melissa-manlove
    Michael F. Stewart
    Michael-j-rosen
    Michelle-meadows
    Middlegrade
    Moira-donohue
    Monica-mancillas
    My-work
    Nancy-carpenter
    Nancy-paulsen-books
    Nedda-lewers
    Nfpost
    Nikki-grimes
    Noaa-scientist
    Olga-m-herrera
    Olivia-hinebaugh
    One-day-in-the-eucalyptus
    One-good-deed
    Only-my-dog-knows-i-pick-my-nose
    Orcas-by-dionna-l-mann
    Orchard-books
    Pam-ehrenberg
    Paper-wishes
    Paper-wishes
    Paper-wishes-blog-party
    Paper-wishes-blog-party
    Paula-yoo
    Peachtree-publishers
    Penguin-workshop
    Personal-rejections
    Phil-bildner
    Picture-book-about-change-and-grief
    Picture-book-biography
    Picture-books
    Pj-books
    Planting-parsley
    Poet-remarkable-story-of-george-moses-horton
    Pottypartybydionnalmann
    Pov
    Preorder Campaign
    Prestel-junior
    Proofreading
    Queries
    Query-kombat
    Query-kombat-2018-grand-champion
    Race-car-dreams-blog-party
    Random-housedelacorte
    Rashin-kheiriyeh
    Raven-quill-literary-agency
    Rejections
    Renee-graef
    Return-to-the-secret-garden
    Ritu-hemnani
    Roberta-pressel
    Rosie-mccormick
    Running-press
    Ryan-hayes
    Saffron-ice-cream
    Sairom-moon
    Sam-gayton
    Sam-hundley
    Sampsons-happy-pals
    Sarah-jane-freymann-literary-agency
    Sara-holmes
    Sarah-whang
    Sase
    Scholastic-press
    School-visits
    Scott-dubar
    Scrap-artist
    Sd-schindler
    Sensory-issues
    Seth-fishman
    Setting
    Sharon-chriscoe
    Shirley-ngbenitez
    Short-pump-bump
    Simon-schuster
    Sing-it-like-celia
    Sleeping-bear-press
    Slush-piles
    Solo
    Sonia-sanchez
    Sourcebooks
    Sparknotes
    Spencer-hill-contemporary
    Spooky-cheetah-press
    Stan-fellows
    Stephanie-fitzgerald
    Susan-bartoletti
    Susan-batori
    Susan-vanhecke
    Susan-wood
    Suzie-townsend
    Swenke-elementary-book-trailer-crew
    Sylvia-liu
    Tag-your-dreams
    Tami-traylor
    Teresa-bonnadio
    Terrible-typhoid-mary
    Terri-fields
    The 24/7s
    The-amazing-age-of-john-roy-lynch
    The-boney-hand
    The-crossover-review
    The-great-stink
    The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music
    The-innovative-press
    The-most-magnificent-thing
    Therese-makes-a-tapestry
    The-tale-of-rescue
    The-unbeatable-lily-hong
    The-wild-garden
    The-word-a-storytelling-sanctuary
    THINGS THAT SHIMMER
    This-little-piggy-an-owner-manual
    This-little-piggy-has-a-blog-party
    Thread-of-love
    Tillmon-county-fire
    Tips-for-book-events
    Tom-angleberger
    Tom-birdseye
    Towers-falling
    Trombone-shorty
    Uwe-stender
    Va
    Vinegar-hill
    Virginia-festival-of-the-book
    Virginia-kidlit-events
    Virginia-kidlit-events
    Virginia-literary-events
    Virginia Readers' Choice Primary Selections 2024-2025
    Want-to-play
    Wendy-shang
    Wordsong
    Work-for-hire
    Writing Advice
    Writing-process
    Writing Quotes
    Yaroslava-apollonova
    Zara González Hoang
    Zoe In Wonderland