KRISTIN BARTLEY LENZ INTERVIEW AND THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have debut author and friend Kristin Bartley Lenz here to share about her YA contemporary THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO that released this month. I’ve known Kristin for years through our Michigan SCBWI, and am so happy to see her debut as an author. Sharing these experiences with friends is one of the reasons I still love blogging so much. And I’m super excited to read Kristin’s book because of the issue of loss and going on that the story explores—something very personal to me. 

I just got to see Kristin yesterday at one of her debut celebrations at Nicola's Books, a local indy bookstore. It was so fun seeing her debut, and all our local SCBWI members and friends who caame to celebrate with her. Here we are together.

  

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads: 

Competitive climber Cara Jenkins feels most at home high off the ground, clinging to a rock wall by her fingertips. She’s enjoyed a roaming life with her mountaineering parents, making the natural world her jungle gym, the writings of Annie Dillard and Henry David Thoreau her textbooks. But when tragedy strikes on an Ecuadoran mountaintop, Cara’s nomadic lifestyle comes to an abrupt halt.

Starting over at her grandparents’ home in suburban Detroit, Cara embarks on a year of discovery, uncovering unknown strengths, friendships, and first love. Cara’s journey illustrates the transformative power of nature, love and loss, and discovering that home can be far from where you started.

Hi Kristin! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Hi Natalie! I’ve been following your blog for so many years, it’s exciting to be here! I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but somewhere in my teen years I lost confidence in my writing and pursed another career instead. My social work career was a detour on my writing path, but it greatly expanded my worldview and shaped my growth as a writer.

2. I bet your social work experience was super interesting and gave you insight into different types of people. Where did you get the idea for THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO?

My husband and I discovered a new world of outdoor enthusiasm when we moved near the mountains in Georgia and California: hiking, white-water kayaking, climbing. We followed the careers of well-known mountaineers, and one by one, each of those climbers died while attempting epic summits. Most of them had spouses and children. I began to wonder what it would be like to be the child of a professional mountaineer. How would that child’s upbringing be different? And what if both of her parents were extreme mountaineers, not just one? How would this shape her world?

3. Cool that your husband and you shared this passion. Some of the reviews for your book mention how the readers felt transported to the world of rock climbing in your story. I know you love mountains. But did you draw on your experience or research in getting the details so right? Do you have any tips for other writers?

My own rock-climbing experience definitely helped me, but I also needed to do a lot of research, especially since part of the book is set in Ecuador. I recently wrote a guest post with research tips based on my experience writing this novel.

4. One of the things that appeals to me about your story is how it focuses on Cara’s transformation and character journey after her tragedy. Were there any surprises for you in her growth as a character?

Not necessarily surprises, but her character gradually grew over time with more and more layers being added. While coping with loss and a major move across country, Cara is discovering herself and developing as a young woman – her body is changing and she has a new awareness of femininity and sexuality.

5. Layers are so important to a well-developed character. What was the biggest challenge you faced in writing or editing your story? How did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was trying to balance all of the various and often conflicting feedback I received from agents, editors, and other writers. At one point, I tried to listen to all of it, work all of it into my revisions, and I got lost in my story. I had to set the manuscript aside, and then follow my gut when I returned to revise much later. If I had listened to all of those voices, this manuscript would still be stuck in my computer. It was so rewarding to finally find an editor who shared my vision!

6. Oh, I can so relate to that frustrating challenge, and I'm sure others can too. You sold your book through winning a contest—the Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize. Share how that came about, why you decided to enter the contest, and tips for others considering contests. 

To be honest, it was an impulsive decision. I saw the announcement right before the deadline, and I

recognized Elephant Rock Books because the last YA novel they published went on to win a Printz Honor, and I loved the story. Carnival at Bray was a literary, realistic coming of age novel with depth and heart, and I thought my book might be a good fit for this publishing house too.

Contests are a great way to receive validation for your work, publishing credits, and visibility to agents and editors, but research is very important to avoid scams. There are reputable organizations that have contests, such as SCBWI and RWA, or publications such as Hunger Mountain. Elephant Rock Books will be looking for their next Sheehan YA Book Prize winner in 2017.

7. What an awesome publishing story. You also won the YA manuscript competition at the Midwest SCBWI conference this spring. How awesome! How is that helping you with your writing and your plans as a debut author?

Winning the manuscript competition was helpful because it got my new novel in front of a New York editor. I never anticipated publishing with a small press, but I’ve had such a great experience with ERB. I’d do it all over again if I could, but they only publish YA novels through their Sheehan contest. So that means I need to go back on submission for my new novel.

8. Even more amazing! You're inspiring us all. Your agent is Carrie Pestritto. How did she become your agent?

Actually, this is another example of winning a contest and the generosity of the Kidlit community. Many bloggers host pitch contests as a way to give back or pay it forward, and my agent Carrie Pestritto from Prospect Agency (http://www.prospectagency.com/) was accepting pitches on Monica Bustamante Wagner’s Love YA blog (http://monibw.blogspot.com/). *waves to Monica who has a new NA novel, Frosh, out now!* Carrie selected my pitch for a different YA novel, asked me to revise, and then offered representation. That novel hasn’t sold, and it’s another example of trying to balance everyone’s revision suggestions. I had to set it aside for awhile, and I pulled out The Art of Holding On and Letting Go which had been resting. And ta-da, that’s the manuscript that finally sold first.

9. Wow! Your experience is such a great example of how contests can help. How are you juggling marketing your book as a debut author with your job as a social worker, being a wife and a mom, and running The Mitten, Michigan’s SCBWI blog? Has this affected your marketing decisions? How?

I’ve definitely had a few freak-out moments! So many wonderful opportunities have been offered to me, but much of it is out of my comfort zone. It’s exciting, but stressful at the same time. I’m learning as I go and leaning on the support and wealth of knowledge from author friends.

I’m no longer working as a clinical social worker; instead I’ve been able to blend my writing and social work careers by writing for non-profit organizations in Detroit. This is flexible, contractual work, and I’m fortunate to have writing time while my daughter is at school. Managing SCBWI-MI’s blog takes time every week, but nothing like the amount of work you do for Literary Rambles on top of your lawyer career. I admire you, Natalie! I have lots of help from my co-editors and guest contributors, and it’s inspiring to be in the midst of the writing/illustrating community and share their successes.

10. I love what you do at The Mitten. I've moved into contract writing too, and I love it. What are you working on now? 

I hope to be revising my new YA novel with an editor soon. It’s a much darker contemporary that deals with human trafficking. While it’s on submission, I need to start something fresh!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kristin! You can find Kristin at

www.kristinbartleylenz.com

https://twitter.com/KristinBLenz

https://www.instagram.com/kristinbartleylenz/

 Kristin and her publisher have generously offered a book giveaway of THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through October 8th.  If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This in for U.S.

Here's what's coming up:

Next Monday Natalie Lorenzi will be doing a guest post with a giveaway of her MG historical A LONG PITCH HOME.

The Monday after that follower and debut author Sheri Larson will be here with a guest post and a giveaway of her MG fantasy MOTLEY EDUCATION. 

The following Monday debut author  Ellie Swartz will be here for an interview and giveaway of her MG contemporary FINDING PERFECT.

Hope to see you on Monday!