Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Rebecca Eskildsen Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/23/2025
  • AnalĂ­a Cabello Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/14/2025
  • Isabel Lineberry Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/21/2025

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews were all edited in 2021. Every year since then, I update some of them. I also regularly add information regarding changes in their agency as I find it. I have been updated through the letter "N" as of 1/26/2024 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

Literary Agent Interview: Carey Blankenship-Kramer Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Carey Blankenship-Kramer here. She’s an associate agent at Azantian Literary Agency. 

Status: Carey will reopen to queries in May 2025. Please check the agency website to find out when she reopens to queries.

Hi­ Carey! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Carey: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.

 

I’ve always been a huge reader, and one of my core memories as a child was realizing wait, there are people behind books?! On top of knowing I wanted to be a published author one day, I also knew I wanted to help other authors realize their dreams too. When I first graduated with my degrees English and Creative Writing in 2016, I decided to pursue another field, because at that time I would have been required to move to NYC to work in publishing and I’m not a city girl by any means. But once remote work opened up more and I earned a lot of experience with internships with agencies and small publishing presses (plus my Master’s in Writing and Digital Communications), I decided to get serious about becoming an agent in 2023. After sending out a few cold emails to agencies to see if they needed a junior agent, I found my first position. Then in January 2025, I moved over to the Azantian team! I’m also glad I pursued other opportunities when I graduated, because now I have almost over a decade working in marketing to help my authors promote their stories. 

Since I’ve become an agent, I’ve signed with ten incredible clients, sold two books, and had a blast reading some beautiful and inspiring stories. Can’t wait to see what happens next! 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

Founded in 2014, Azantian Literary is committed to guiding the careers of both new and established voices in fiction and nonfiction, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented. Whether a heart-warming contemporary, a moving true story, or a grand epic fantasy, we look for the universal truths in our stories that connect us all. I love working with Azantian, because all the agents are so passionate about what they do and beyond eager to help one another accomplish our goals and our author’s goals. It’s such an empathic, talented group that I’m beyond proud to be a part of. The agents at Azantian are doing good work, and my goal as a literary agent to help marginalized voices tell their stories very much aligns with Azantian’s goals. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

I represent the full gamut of age groups and genres! Really the only thing I’m not looking for is nonfiction. Sorry to nonfiction writers out there, it’s just not my cup of tea. As far as things I’m specifically looking for:

 
  • Stories from marginalized creators featuring diverse characters.
  • Graphic novels from author / illustrators. 
  • Lyrical writing. I love beautiful metaphors and descriptive language.
  • Horror, horror, horror! I love kids getting chased by ghosts / the supernatural or adults having to battle haunted houses. Freak me out without having to be heavy-handed with gore and violence.
  • Speculative stories have a special place in my heart. Anything that is set in our world but something is off / different I’m a huge fan of.
  • Multimedia story telling. Love books that use things like podcasts, social media posts, texts, etc. to explore themes.
  • Main characters that are very driven and headstrong, even to the point of being toxic. Love people that give off Taurus energy.
  • If your characters play tennis or video games, I’m interested!
  • I’m queer and neurodiverse, so I especially love queer romances and identity searching with ND characters. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

PBs:

  • Author / illustrators.
  • Stories that teach readers something without being heavy-handed, whether that’s an emotional lesson or something cultural.
  • Stories that focus on different cultures and types of families.
  • Something that makes you feel warm and fuzzy after reading it.
  • A spooky story that explores folklore from other cultures, like THE SKULL by Jon Klassen.
  • Not the biggest fan of potty humor or silly stories where the focus is solely on humor.

MG:

  • Queer first crushes and identity searching where homophobia isn’t the main focus.
  • Coming of age novels hold a special place in my heart, especially when they explore darker themes or issues, like with THIS APPEARING HOUSE by Ally Malinenko.
  • Really looking for horror in this space especially.

YA:

  • Speculative stories featuring angsty teenagers now having to figure out a supernatural problem, like with IF YOU COULD SEE THE SUN by Ann Liang.
  • Cozy fantasy where it’s easy to slip into the pages and forget the real world.
  • Contemporary that explores big problems and takes your breath away, like with WE DESERVE MONUMENTS by Jas Hammonds or IF TOMORROW DOESN’T COME by Jen St. Jude.
  • A tennis focused story, especially if it involves a queer romance.

Adult:

  • A page-turning thriller. Bonus points if it involves the supernatural, like Simone St. James. Or if it uses different mediums, like NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell.
  • If you’ve got a weird little book that doesn’t fit neatly into genre boxes, I would love to see it.
  • Books that focus on unique lines of work or places where settings are almost like another character, like with ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES by Charlotte McConaghy. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?

 
  • Nonfiction.
  • Books where cheating is the main focus or plot point.
  • Stories where animals die.
  • Historical fiction.
  • Books where spies / government espionage / war / soldiers are the main focus or main characters.​
  • Romance stories when romance is the only focus. I’m not a big romcom reader. BUT if you’ve got more things going on like character growth and big emotional problems, like with LOVE AND OTHER WORDS by Christina Lauren, then I’d love it, especially if it’s queer or features BIPOC characters. 

My list is also very full of PBs right now. That’s a harder yes for me, at the moment. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

Above all, I want to help marginalized authors tell their stories and get their voices heard. Whether your reader is a kid or an adult, every single person in this world deserves the chance to see themselves in a book. 

Aside from that, I’m looking for a story that either moves me, teaches me something new, reconnects me to the human experience, and/or makes me afraid to go to sleep at night. I want to represent all genres and age groups, because I read so widely and so many books have made me fall in love with their pages or helped me connect with some part of me or the larger human experience in general. 

I will say most of my clients have a very strong voice and writing that leans more lyrical than contemporary. And their character arcs are so satisfying. But they vary across genres and age groups. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

Yes, I’m a very editorial agent. Editing is my bread and butter. Typically, when I sign with a new author, they can expect to go through at least one round of edits. But for most cases it’s been two. One to wrap up any big picture items such as plot or character growth. Then a second pass to make sure your prose is as shiny as possible before we go out to editors. I always offer a collaborative approach, however. At the end of the day, you know your manuscript the best. And I never want to edit something that will change the core of your story and its themes. I always chat with my authors about changes and what works best for them and the market. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

Authors can query me at Query Manager only when I’m open! My form will guide you with the information I need and how I need it. I typically require the first ten sample pages with each query as well. As a gentle reminder, if you query me via email or website form, or ask me questions about your query via the same methods, I won’t be able to respond and will have to delete your message sight unseen. Just to be fair to all the other authors following the rules. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

I typically don’t go for projects that open with a dream, a prologue, or a phrase that goes along the lines of “I know what you’re thinking” or “Let me explain how I got here” etc. The element that all these writing styles have in common is I’m instantly reminded I’m reading, and I’m not settling into your story or your world. I like to be able to sink my teeth into your writing immediately. If your first ten pages can help me escape this world, that’s fantastic. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

My response time is slower than I’d like right now, but I do respond to all queries and requests for pages. I’m taking about four months to respond to things right now, but I never mind a nudge. But I will always respond, I promise, even if it takes me some time. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

Yes, I am! For the right project and the right author, of course. I wouldn’t be able to work with authors on the stories they already have published, so I would need them to query me with a new story that we would then work on. But because my goal is to work with my authors their entire career, having already been published isn’t an auto-rejection for me. 

For authors who are already published and are trying to find an agent to represent them, I encourage you to be honest in your query letter! Let me know about your previous deals, how the sales numbers are looking if you have that information, and why you’re looking for an agent now. Letting me know your story is just important as pitching your current manuscript. That way, I’ll be able to tell if I can help you move along in your career or not. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I currently represent ten extremely talented authors and illustrators. I’m so lucky to work with them! I’ve got clients who create PBs, MG, YA, and adult fiction. They range from heartwarming contemporary stories to horror that will make you jump at the shadows in the corner of your eyes. Aside from being incredibly talented with lyrical writing and page-turning plot, my current list of authors is also 100% BIPOC, queer, and/or neurodiverse. If you’d like to learn more about my clients and what drew me to their work, you can click the link below: 

https://www.careyblankenshipkramer.com/authors.html 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

You can check out my previous articles and interviews on my press page on my website, available here: https://www.careyblankenshipkramer.com/press.html. I’ve been lucky enough to be on a few podcasts so far and looking forward to even more! 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Writers can query me via QueryManager when I’m open: https://QueryTracker.net/query/3066. 

As far as links on the web, here are mine! 

Website: https://www.careyblankenshipkramer.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/careyblankenshipkramer/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/careybk.bsky.social

Twitter: https://x.com/careyfblankensh 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

Querying is really tough right now, and it’s been getting tougher over the years. There are just not enough people in publishing to help tell the stories of everyone writing them. While you’re querying, be gentle with yourself. Know that rejections can be extremely subjective and what might not work for me will absolutely work for another agent. And make sure you keep writing, which is the biggest challenge of all while you’re querying. But the world needs your stories, so look after your mental health and fight against burn out with every turn of your page. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Carey.

 Giveaway Details

­Carey is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through May 3rd. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address. 

If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

 Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Wednesday, April 23rd I have an agent spotlight interview with Rebecca Eskildsen  and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, April 28th I have an interview with debut author Alby Williams and a giveaway of their MG Where There Be Monsters 

Thursday, May 1st I’m participating in the Come What May Giveaway Hop 

Monday, May 5th I have a guest post by author Donna Galanti and a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card giveaway to celebrate the release of her MG Loon Cove Summer 

Wednesday, May 7th I have an interview with author Aimee Phan and a giveaway of her YA The Lost Queen and my IWSG post 

I hope to see you on Wednesday! 

 

 

 

Rain Drops on Roses Giveaway Hop

 

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm excited to participate in the Rain Drops on Roses Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox and Mom Does Reviews. I'm doing well. I just started traveling more to visit my father-in-law and family in Texas, and that's been fun. Spring is finally starting to come. We had snow on the ground one morning last week. I'm looking forward to planting my vegetable garden in the next few weeks if it stays warm. I hope things are going well for you too.
 
Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card

I am offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on Amazon. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to reading. 

If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway Details

To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by April 30th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon gift card and your email address. Be sure to include your email address. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.

 Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, April 21st I have an agent spotlight interview with Carey Blankenship-Kramer and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, April 23rd I have an agent spotlight interview with Rebecca Eskildsen  and a query critique giveaway

Monday, April 28th I have an interview with debut author Alby Williams and a giveaway of their MG Where There Be Monsters

Thursday, May 1st I’m participating in the Come What May Giveaway Hop

Monday, May 5th I have a guest post by author Donna Galanti and a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card giveaway to celebrate the release of her MG Loon Cove Summer

Wednesday, May 7th I have an interview with author Aimee Phan and a giveaway of her YA The Lost Queen and my IWSG post

Monday, May 12th I have a guest post by author Leah Stecher and a giveaway of her MG A Field Guide to Broken Promises

Wednesday, May 14th I have an agent spotlight interview with AnalĂ­a Cabello and a query critique giveaway

Friday, May 16th I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop

I hope to see you on Monday!

And here are all the blogs participating in this blog hop:

MamatheFox, Mom Does Reviews, and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Debut Author Interview: Mia Araujo and Afia In the Land of Wonders Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Mia Araujo here to share about her middle grade fantasy Afia In the Land of Wonders. It sounds like a fantastic story inspired by West African kingdoms and has gorgeous illustrations. I’m looking forward to reading it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads: 

In her stunning literary debut, Mia Araujo presents a gorgeous reimagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, spinning a new story that is accompanied by arresting, ethereal illustrations about twin sisters and how one must venture outside the safety of their home, into the wilderness, in order to find herself and true happiness.

Afia has always felt like half of a whole. Her twin sister, Aya, is perfectly happy with fulfilling their family's expectations of them. But Afia dreams of exploring the world beyond her secluded cliffside home of Dafra. She dreams of adventure.

When she meets a charming shape-shifter named Bakame, who dazzles her with promises of a magical land called Ijabu, Afia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Although it will mean leaving everything she has ever known behind, including her beloved sister, Afia follows Bakame into the forbidden forests surrounding Dafra, from which no one has ever returned.

Filled with magical sights, a charismatic Queen and her intriguing court, Ijabu is everything that Afia has ever dreamed of. But she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and this fantasy world demands a terrible price. With the help of a mysterious trickster, Afia must evade the Queen's hunters and the lost dreamers of Ijabu, who wish to pull her deeper into their web.

Now, Afia must find the courage to survive while standing on her own--or risking losing herself completely to the wonders of Ijabu.

Debut author-illustrator Mia Araujo weaves an extraordinarily luminous and beautiful story, inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, about what it takes to find your true self, even if it means facing your deepest fears.

"Nothing short of an amazing adventure into a fantastic world, Mia Araujo has crafted a beautiful narrative, made all the more incredible by stunning visuals that overflow with heart and soul." -- David F. Walker, Eisner-award winning author of Bitter Root and The Second Chance of Darius Logan
 

Follower News

 Before I get to Mia’s interview, I have Follower News to share.

Sandra Cox has a new release, Reuben Hayes. Here’s a blurb: The crusty middle-aged rancher had only ever loved one woman. And now her daughter stood on his doorstep. And here’s a buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Reuben-Hayes-S-Cox-ebook/dp/B0DWQBGT88

 


Jennifer Lane also has a new short story release, Behind the Catcher’s Mask. Here’s a blurb: Fast-pitch softball is Andie Wilson’s life. She’s a fierce pitcher hoping to score a college scholarship, and she hates the annoying distraction of cocky baseball players crashing her high-school charity game. But she doesn’t anticipate the impact of one baseball player: Colt Turner. As Colt stares at her through his catcher’s mask, his steadfast gaze may be just what she needs to guide her through a crisis. And Colt may need Andie, too—to cope with the secret hiding behind his mask. And here’s a buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZL7M23F

 

 Interview With Mia Araujo

Hi Mia! Thanks so much for joining us. 

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

Im an Argentine American artist and first-time author born and raised in southern California. Since 2007, Ive exhibited my artwork in galleries, museums, and conventions and have done professional illustration for newspapers and books, including Silvia Moreno Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Gabe Cole Novoa’s The Wicked Bargain. I also co-host Painted in Color, a BIPOC art podcast on YouTube with my friends, Lauren Brown and Eric Wilkerson. 

I’ve been obsessed with drawing ever since I was a little kid. When I was 8 years old, I remember telling the class on my first career day that I wanted to be an artist and an author when I grew up. 

I majored in Illustration and minored in Creative Writing at Otis College of Art and Design in 2007, but I stopped writing for years after graduating because I was suddenly afraid that I wasn’t any good at writing and that I had to figure myself out before I could write. So for years, I focused all of my creative energy on my paintings and drawings. I finally came back to writing again in 2012, when I started the project that would become this book.  

2. Where did you get the idea for Afia In the Land of Wonders? 

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of my favorite books from my childhood and I’ve wanted to reimagine my own version for years. 

My twin sister, Barbra, and I grew up inseparable, so when I moved out and left home for the first time, it was really hard living apart from her. I felt lost without her and like I had to figure out who I was on my own, so I decided to write her this story as a way to reconnect with her. 

Your Writing Process 

3. Your story is based on West African kingdoms. What research did you do to create your fantasy world and how did it affect your world building process? 

Most of the fantasy books I grew up with were set in European worlds or fantasy versions of them and I


never questioned that. But after taking an African Art History class in art school and learning about the great West African kingdoms of the 10th-16th centuries, I desperately wanted to see more fantasy stories inspired by them. My way of paying homage to these kingdoms was to create the fantasy world in this book. Its a reflection of my admiration for the people who lived there and who made the art that inspired me so much. 

Since this is my first attempt at fantasy world-building, I wanted to educate myself as much as possible on the inspiration for the world of DjiombĂ©—the Saharan trade routes that connected the African continent with the rest of the world at that time, the lavish kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, the libraries, universities, and learning centers of DjennĂ© and Timbuktu. I looked to the writings of Ibn BattĹ«ta, who wrote some of the only first-hand accounts still available to us today of everyday life in these kingdoms. I also read West African stories to balance out the European influence of the fantasy stories of my childhood. I didnt want to link too strongly to any real world culture, so I used a range of influences for the setting of the story. 

4. You started writing Afia In the Land of Wonders in 2012. Share about what your writing process was like and how it evolved over the time you wrote and revised your story. 

This story went through a lot of evolutions since 2012, but I didn’t truly start writing a draft until 2017. Up until then, I was mostly focused on figuring out who the characters were, what they wanted, the world-building, and how the story would look visually. I was also working service industry jobs 40-60 hours a week during those days, so I really only got to work on this story part-time. 

My writing process usually starts with scribbling notes, making word lists, using index cards, and trying to find patterns and connections between all the pieces of the story. I always turn to drawing, reading, and research when I hit a dead-end. I incubated my writing until about 2020, which is when I finally felt safe enough to start asking for feedback. It’s super important to find people who you feel safe sharing early drafts with, but who will also be honest about what you need to improve. 

The initial manuscript was finally finished in May 2022 and I revised it as much as I could until I submitted the final in January 2024. Having a few months away from my manuscript at a time while I waited for my editor’s notes actually helped me feel less precious about making changes. 

But despite all the evolutions, from the very beginning, I knew exactly how I wanted the story to end because I knew where I wanted my main character to end up. So Afia’s emotional arc has been my compass throughout the twists and turns of the writing process. 

5.  Afia In the Land of Wonders is an Alice in Wonderland retelling. How did you keep some elements of this fairytale while making your story unique? What advice do you have for writers wanting to write a retelling? 

In the beginning I was staying as close as possible to the original story because I was really nervous about doing a whole reimagining of my own. I didn’t have any faith in my ability to write a compelling story. During the pandemic, I had my first chunk of time to really sit with the story and realized that I needed to be bolder in my reimagining. And I’m so glad I did that—the characters all take inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s cast, but they are their own characters and have evolved beyond what I imagined back in 2012. I also make references to iconic scenes and details from the original story, like the mad tea party, the “eat me” cakes and “drink me” bottles, the trial, etc but I only used details that fit into this world and story. 

My advice to anyone wanting to reimagine a beloved story (if you’re anxious like me) would be to set aside your imposter syndrome or intimidation of the original work! Find that personal connection to the story—who are you writing this for and why? That emotional core is what will make your reimagining truly yours, no matter how many times it’s been retold by other writers. And of course, listen to your characters and let them take you where they need to go—that’s the most fun part of the process for me. 

Your Journey to Publication 

6. When did you start querying this book? How did you know you were ready to start querying? 

My journey was a bit different, since I started with the artwork before I ever got to the manuscript. For years while I was working my day job as a server, I exhibited the concept art for this project at comic conventions and shows like Emerald City Comic Con, WonderCon, and GenCon to see if anyone else would be interested. The people I met in person at these shows would follow me on social media, join my mailing list, or Patreon afterward, and a lot of them have been watching this project develop and have been supporting me for years—I really owe a lot to their enthusiasm and encouragement. 

When the pandemic hit, I was deep in the outline stage of my manuscript when one of my paintings went viral on social media. That’s actually how I met my agent, Regina Brooks from Serendipity Literary, who helped me go straight into the submission process.  

7. It's cool how you met Regina Brooks. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like? 

Regina asked me to write two sample chapters before she agreed to represent me. From that first conversation, I felt a connection with her—she understood what I was trying to do and believed 100% in making a full-color illustrated novel as a debut, even when other people were telling me that no publisher would pick it up unless it was in black and white. 

We went on submission in November 2021 with the first 7 chapters and some sample artwork. Regina worked very hard to find the right home for my book. Even though we had several rejections, Scholastic was the perfect fit. Like Regina, they were on board with a full-color illustrated novel. Regina has been there every step of the way for me, giving me feedback on the manuscript and edits, answering my emails and phone calls even after incredibly long days. She really is the best, most hard-working agent I could hope for! And shout-out to her assistant Emma Loy-Santelli and social media manager Scott Richmond, who have both been incredible too. 

8. You’re also a very talented artist and illustrated Afia in the Land of Wonders. Did you also design your gorgeous cover? How has it been working with your publisher on edits for your book and the illustrations? 

Thank you so much! Yes, I painted the wraparound cover art in acrylics and created the spine art, but the rest of the design is by my amazing book designer, Omou Barry. I feel extraordinarily lucky to have gotten such an amazing team on this book. Designing and laying out an illustrated novel like this is no small feat, and I had a very specific vision for what I wanted, but my designer Omou, creative director Elizabeth Parisi, and editor Lisa Sandell did an incredible job and went beyond what I could’ve imagined. Lisa was a fantastic editor, and was super kind and patient as this was all new for me—she understood what I wanted to do with the story and everything she suggested was in full support of that. 

The most challenging part of the whole process for me was trying to finish the manuscript and creating 30 acrylic illustrations and 20 pencil drawings in 2 years….but the publisher was kind enough to bump the release from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025 so that I wouldn’t have to rush any of it. I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience or team as a first-time author. 

Promoting Your Book 

9. How are you planning to celebrate your book’s release and promote it? 

My favorite local bookstore, Arvida Book Co. in Tustin, CA is hosting a launch event for my friends and family on my publication day. I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone who has had to hear me talk about this book for so long and who has supported me and cheered me on the entire time. It’s going to be very emotional to have them there with me on that day!

 Aside from those events, I attended the New Orleans Book Festival and TLA in Dallas to share about my book and did my first school visit last month. After the book is out, I’ll continue sharing my process on social media and Patreon—I have a lot of behind the scenes sketches, videos, and process photos of the 12 years that went into this. Im also working with my agent and my publicist, Brooke Shearouse, to schedule other events and school visits. Ill be sharing the details for those on my website and socials. 

10. As an artist, some of your clients are Penguin Random House, HBO, Wizards of the Coast, Imagine FX, and the Washington Post. Are any of your connections with them or others in the art world helping you spread the word about your book? Did you learn anything from working with them that is helping you as an author? 

Not those clients specifically, but I am still in touch with artists from my gallery days, coworkers from my service industry jobs, fellow illustrators and artists from the years I exhibited at conventions, and former instructors and classmates from college too. I’m lucky to have met so many incredible people throughout my career and many of them have already been helping me get the word out for my book, which I’m super grateful for. 

Each one of those stages of my life helped me tremendously—waiting tables forced me out of my shyness of talking to strangers and the people-watching there gave me lots of ideas. Working a convention booth helped me learn how to talk to people about my art and to practice pitching what my stories are about. All of these bits and pieces of my life inspired my work but also helped me improve at presenting it and myself professionally. 

11. What are you working on now? 

I have several story ideas I’m working on now—a couple of picture books, some middle grade stories, and a middle grade series that I’m especially excited about, but it’s too early to share. All illustrated, of course! As labor-intensive as this book was, I really do love using pictures and words together to tell my stories and would love to create as many stories like this as possible. For anyone who’s curious to follow the process or to get the first peek at future stories, feel free to join my mailing list or Patreon page. 

Thank you so much for having me, Natalie! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Mia. You can find Mia at: 

 Giveaway Details

Mia’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of Afia In the Land of Wonders for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by April 26th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or follow Alby on their social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S. 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Wednesday, April 16th I’m participating in the Raindrop in Roses Giveaway Hop 

Monday, April 21st I have an agent spotlight interview with Carey Blankenship-Kramer and a query critique giveaway 

Wednesday, April 23rd I have an agent spotlight interview with Rebecca Eskildsen  and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, April 28th I have an interview with debut author Alby Williams and a giveaway of their MG Where There Be Monsters 

Thursday, May 1st I’m participating in the Come What May Giveaway Hop 

Monday, May 5th I have a guest post by author Donna Galanti and a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card giveaway to celebrate the release of her MG Loon Cove Summer 

Wednesday, May 7th I have an interview with author Aimee Phan and a giveaway of her YA The Lost Queen and my IWSG post I hope to see you on Wednesday!