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There are no floating platters larger than these in the world.

And there is no greater star than Danielle Smith, who was just (drum roll, please) included on the list of the PW Star Watch. Nearly 300 entrants, my friends. Forty finalists. Just a handful of agents. And Danielle is one.

I nominated Danielle for this prize months ago, long before I even knew if Wild Blues (and me) would ultimately find a publishing home. I nominated her because I know her soul and her commitment to books and her kindness. These are the words I wrote. I am so happy for Miss Danielle.

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Now here’s a young woman you must meet.

Trained as an engineer, hailed early on as a major KidLit blogger (that award-winning 200,000 hits-a-month “There’s a Book”), and frequently consulted as a Cybil’s judge, say, or as a board member of the BEA Book Bloggers Advisory, Danielle Smith turned to agenting just a few years ago. At Foreword Literary she sold the sensation, Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book). Now, at Red Fox Literary, Danielle is continuing to both create careers and extend them for authors and illustrators of picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult literature.

Don’t try to pin her down to a single style or a raging trend. Don’t build, for her, a box. Don’t be ashamed to name your dreams. Don’t come to her mid-career (as I have) worried that your mid-career is maybe, perhaps, oh no, more like your end-of-career.

Because Danielle Smith has a plan for you. And it won’t be the well-trod one.

How about this,she’ll say, in the twinkle of an email.

We have momentum,she’ll say.

Optimism fuels the goodness in my life, she’ll say.

And she’ll be right. About all of it.

Danielle is innovative. She’s connected. She’s thoughtful. She reads, she advocates, she suggests. Agents (great ones) do all of those things, but Danielle further distinguishes herself by her approach—a philosophy that puts kindness first.

Kindness.

Imagine.

It’s tough out there in the publishing world. It’s hustle and razzle dazzle. It’s solar blast and fizzle. It’s the hot new thing and the marketing slogan. Danielle somehow quietly stands above the fray. She sees what must be done and she does it—with integrity, with an open heart, with a deep desire to populate the world with good books.

By taking on books and authors she genuinely believes in, by celebrating their victories all along the way, by practicing the art of gratitude, by caring deeply about the power of stories, by bringing her whole self (and indeed, her two adorable kids, her test readers) to the task, Danielle has the capacity to restore one’s faith in the publishing business.

She has certainly restored mine.

Danielle Smith is a rising star. That Snappsy, her first sold book, has been featured almost anywhere a book can be featured, gained a gigantic fan base, and started a movement. Her line-up of recently sold books wouldn’t fit on this page. Her connections to TV, movies, and foreign rights surprise even those who know how excellent she is.

She’s no wheeler-dealer, this Danielle Smith.

She’s something more. Proof that excellence can also be the product of humanity, dignity, humor, and love.

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Last October, Danielle M. Smith, a friend and agent, picked up the phone and called me. My husband and I happened to be away, at a just-the-two-of-us retreat. It was raining. Outside, a river rose. I talked to Danielle for close to an hour.

About life, moose, cookies, hope. About what I was and was not writing. She asked the question. I said "not much." Finally, I confessed. There was this book, this very personal book, a book that I'd been writing. I wasn't sure I'd ever publish again. But the truth was, I couldn't stop myself from writing.

A few weeks later, I finished that book. I sent it to Danielle, a presumption. It isn't as if she'd asked for it. In fact, she actually had not. Danielle was busy building her new list with Red Fox Literary. She was selling story after story. I don't think she was in the market for another client. But there, with this book, I was.

She read right away. She had a hunch. A little while later, the book went to auction.

So, Danielle, this is for you. And this is for Caitlyn Dlouhy, editor extraordinaire, who said so much when we first talked that still resonates here, in my head and heart. And this is for the other really kind and smart editors who talked with me that week. Each of you a boon. Each unforgettable.

Sometimes, we give up on ourselves. Sometimes we're given (a gift) brand new chances.

I'm grateful for this one.

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Sometimes everything falls into place. A dear friend becomes an agent. She sells (she does!) a book (two books). She forges a link to another special person. A conversation begins.

Who hasn't listened to an All the Wonders podcast and thought, Oh, my. What intelligent questions. What a happy dialogue. What a voice that Matthew Winner has. Who hasn't secretly hoped for the chance to be a guest?

Thanks to my agent, Danielle Smith, thanks to the sale of that book (those books), thanks to her generous linking of me to Matthew Winner (a writer, librarian, husband, dad, and All the Wonders wonder), I had my secret hope answered. I'm episode 272, and during our conversation I talk about the making of sentences, the intrusion of the writerly impulse, the story called THIS IS THE STORY OF YOU, and, well, my new news. Matthew reads from my book. So do I.

All of that is here.

Thank you infinitely, Mr. Winner and, of course, the remarkable Ms. Danielle Smith.

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Yesterday, amidst much corporate work, three things happened:

I learned that Going Over, my 1983 Berlin Wall book, has officially launched as a paperback, and I thank Chronicle Books for its faith in this story. (And the darling Taylor Norman, for tweeting the news.)

I learned (again from Taylor, who has so steadfastly supported this book) that This Is the Story of You has gone to print, with its gorgeous jacket and incredibly generous quotes from Dana Reinhardt, Tim Wynne-Jones, and Margo Rabb (and its Junior Library Guild citation).

I talked to Danielle Smith, who (in a matter of days) read the middle grade novel I've lately been obsessed with, said so many reassuring things, talked with me about some decisions I'd have to make as I refined the story, and said yes to representing me. I have known Danielle for almost as long as I have been writing for younger readers. The popular force behind the beloved There's a Book blog, Danielle has read my stories, always. She has supported me in a multitude of ways—throwing blog parties, walking the floor of the BEA with me, calling just to talk, listening as I worked through ideas. A few years ago, Danielle launched a career as an agent and today, as a member of Red Fox Literary, she is seeing her authors receive raves and stars, foreign sales, and success at hoped-for houses. I've always been happy to call Danielle my friend. I'm incredibly happy to be taking this step forward into the land of Middle Grade with her.

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Woo-hoo!!!

Spring is here!

And so is

And don't forget, all you illustrators, that this will be followed by a related Illustrator Contest in April!!! (to be announced and elaborated on as soon as the writing part of the contest is over! :))

And now, so that everyone will feel happy and confident about posting their stories, I will share my sample, a Wild West twist on The Gingerbread Boy at exactly 400 words (phew!):


Wasn't that nice of me?  Now you can all feel brave and smug, secure in the knowledge that your story is better than that!!! :)

Anyone besides me feeling an urge to sing?
     "Like a Cornpone Cowboy
     riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo
     Cornpone Cowboy..."

No? Darn! I was hoping the exceptional quality of my singing would distract you from that story even though "cornpone" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "rhinestone"  :)

I can't wait to read what you have all come up with!  Let the fun begin! :)

And remember to check back here for entries added in the comments.  I'll list them as they come in :)

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Writing is a solitary profession. Sitting on our bed, laptop balanced on a pillow, wearing mismatched jammies all day (well, that’s how I work, anyway), we don’t gab at an office water cooler or take swanky lunches with colleagues. We’re alone with our characters—who can drive us nuts! We’re alone with our ideas, our words, and a vat of java.

Most writers I know are hard on themselves. We are our worst critics–we’re very hard on ourselves. We can spend all day writing and feel as though we’ve accomplished nothing. It’s nice to hear someone say what we’ve written has potential, has vision, has made someone spit all over their keyboard in laughter (the highest compliment, I think).

So today I bring you the story of three kidlit friends who came together with one goal in mind—to take an author’s career to the next step. To provide an encouraging, supportive environment in which she can thrive. Folks, you gotta have friends. Luckily, the kidlit community includes some of the best people around.

Please welcome author Brenda Reeves Sturgis, consulting editor Emma Dryden, and agent Karen Grencik!

TL: Brenda, your debut picture book TEN TURKEYS IN THE ROAD was released by Marshall Cavendish last year and quickly earned both critical and commercial success. Most people think you publish one book and you’ve got it made. But you felt your career needed a boost. How did you come to this conclusion?

BRS: Thank you for this thoughtful blog post, and for interviewing the three of us.

I sold 10 TURKEYS IN THE ROAD in 2008 and at that time I was represented by another agent, but in 2010 we parted ways and I was left trying to navigate the children’s lit world, alone.

I queried for many months and got personal, kind rejections. After a long period of going it alone, I knew that I needed to find out what was holding me back from finding my perfect-for-me agent. I had heard of Emma Dryden for years, and had great respect for her. She was and is knowledgeable in all aspects of publishing. I was confident that by hiring Emma she would know what needed tweaking, and what I needed to do to progress in my quest. I contacted Emma and she agreed to consult, we set up a phone call, and I sent her my manuscripts.

TL: Emma, what was your reaction when you read Brenda’s work? What did you propose as the next step in her career?

ED: When Brenda first contacted me, she explained her situation—she was a new writer with one book under contract; she’d been with an agent and was currently seeking a new agent; she was “trying to do everything right,” but it didn’t seem to be paying off and she was starting to question how she could keep her dream of being a children’s book author alive. There’s nothing that concerns and upsets me more than to hear an author or artist is questioning their dream. Coming up with a strategy to find an agent would be the easy part; helping a distressed author regain their confidence and adjust their outlook was

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