Kelly Thank you! I’m thrilled to be invited!

Kelly Absolutely. I do believe in the power of crafting a mission statement, whether it’s done on a professional level or a personal level. There’s something very profound about articulating your goals and desires, but also taking the extra step of putting those thoughts into writing. A mission statement can be a way to link back to what’s truly important, reminding us not to forget about why we create art in the first place. Often a mission statement defines the difference between what’s important and what’s essential.

For anyone who’d like to read an example, you can find one on the critiques page of my website. I have a writing manifesto, which is very similar to a mission statement, just a bit longer: klgoing.com/kl-critiques

Kelly I read the book Christy by Catherine Marshall in sixth grade and decided that I wanted to join the Peace Corps. I kept that dream alive all through high school and college, and eventually I joined MCC – an organization very similar to the Peace Corps. I fulfilled my two year term, then stayed a bit longer (one of the best experiences of my life!) but eventually I came home and had no idea what to do next. I’d always imagined myself being a life-long volunteer. So now what?

My father is a biologist and he ran his business from our house. He had one employee, a geologist named Andrew Taylor whose father worked at Curtis Brown, Ltd. Andrew knew that no matter what else I was doing, I’d continued writing novels as a hobby, so he suggested that I visit his father, a book agent, to “talk books”. I did and by the end of that day, Clyde Taylor (whose claim to fame as an agent was that he represented the foreign rights to The Godfather) had suggested that I apply to work at Curtis Brown. I protested, saying that I wasn’t an English major, but he said they were looking for people who read broadly, loved books, and could articulate their thoughts well. That described me. Taking the job at Curtis Brown completely changed the trajectory of my life.

Kelly Because my parents both shared a love of books, we read aloud together as a family from the time I was small right up through high school. There’s no better training for a writer. I liken it to learning to play music “by ear”. I was always surrounded by stories.

The Borden Estate (where they once made Borden’s ice cream) was a rich environment for the imagination. I lived in what had once been Mr. Borden’s dance hall but had since been converted into two apartment units. Across from my window there was a huge barn that had once held the cows but now held props from Broadway shows. The doors were always locked, but I remember pressing my eye to any tiny crack I could find. There was also an abandoned, overgrown greenhouse, graves in the woods, and a huge mansion on the hill.

Kelly People always ask how it felt to have had my first novel published, and they’re referring to Fat Kid Rules the World. But in reality, I’d written several novels that went unpublished before Fat Kid came out. I’d written fantasy novels all through my high school, college, and MCC years that I never submitted, and then the first novel that went out on submission was a YA called Colors. It didn’t get picked up but it did generate significant interest and was an important part of my professional development. One valuable piece of feedback that I received in a rejection letter suggested that I needed to make my characters “larger than life”. I took that advice and applied it in a literal way to my next novel, which was Fat Kid Rules the World.

Kelly Honestly, it varies. I love creating picture books because I have a six year old son, so I’m immersed in that world. Picture books are such a unique art form, and I love how specific the requirements are, like writing poetry that must appeal to ages three through adult.

When it comes to middle grade, I love the audience. These are my favorite kids to visit at schools and libraries. They’re still so innocent and adoring. So impressionable!

YA is wonderful because there are few limitations as to what you might write about, so when I work in YA I feel unfettered in a way I can’t be when writing for younger audiences.

So, each genre has its pros and cons. At certain times I’m drawn more strongly to one or another.

Kelly I’d agree with that statement. I do think it’s important to consider where your readers are developmentally, and where an outright tragedy might be appealing to some adults on an intellectual level, I think a lot of teens will reject that approach. That said, many books that get used in high school curriculums can be very tough. My niece, who is a sophomore, read both Oedipus Rex and Elie Wiesel’s Night this year. So, I would never say there’s a line that can’t be crossed, but I would say that hope is always a plus.

Kelly Thank you. Pieces of Why is the story of Tia, a young girl growing up in a rough part of New Orleans. She’s a talented gospel singer, but her father is in prison for murder and she’s never been told the full extent of his crime. When she finds out, she has to come to terms with how this defines her life and whether she can reconnect to the joy that’s always been part of her singing.

This book was inspired by many things. I did my years of volunteer service in New Orleans, so I was impressed by my time there and by many of my own experiences during those years. My father has been actively involved in prison ministry, and there are literally millions of children in this country who have a parent in prison, so I also felt inspired to write a book these kids could identify with and see themselves reflected in a positive way.

Kelly I would not want to be a kid today. Social media is presenting kids with so many new challenges, and they don’t get a break from them. For so many kids, their phone or computer allows their social world to intrude on their family world, so what was once a sanctuary can easily be shattered. I think kids today are growing up with an unprecedented level of public judgement, and I hope that the literature written for them can continue to do what literature has always done best: shine a light on the hidden facets of humanity so readers see even the most “shameful” parts of themselves reflected with honesty and ultimately redemption.

Kelly The world of publishing has changed SO much in the decade since I began my career. When I first started, I was held up as an example to other authors because I had a website. (That’s all I had! Nothing more… ha!) Now, you need to keep up not only a website (with continually fresh content), but also the various social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Vimeo, etc. These sites are constantly changing and you could easily devote a lot of your time to maintaining an on-line presence and marketing your work.

Recently, someone in publishing said to me, “Oh yes, you YA writers have to be your own PR people.” And it felt good to have that acknowledgement, but also sad that this is the new reality — fighting to get noticed. Maybe this sounds less than idealistic, but I’m a pragmatist, and I think that people who are considering writing as a career should think about whether marketing is something they’d enjoy or not.

As for developing the craft of writing, my advice would be the exact opposite. Block out publicity, publishing, sales figures, Amazon rankings … get back to the basics of why you want to write and let the love of storytelling sustain you through the difficult parts of the journey. Let it inspire you to keep learning as much as you can.

So, it’s a sharp dichotomy these days, and living within such extremes is not for everyone.

Kelly I’ve found that since becoming a mother, my career goals have changed a lot. I’m more open to allowing myself to try new things because I’ve had to adapt my creative process a lot simply to continue writing at all. I’ve loved stretching myself to learn how to craft picture books, and now I’ve been asked to co-write a screenplay for Dog in Charge. (The rights haven’t sold yet, but we’re hoping to shop around a strong script.) When Fat Kid was being adapted I didn’t feel as if script writing was something I could learn, but this time around, I felt ready to try something new. One incredible blessing of motherhood is that I know my most important creative endeavor is shaping my son’s life – his story – so in an odd way, that frees me up to take more professional risks because my identity isn’t tied as closely with my work-related persona.

As for long term career goals, I’d love to move into a position of mentoring more aspiring authors, with a specific focus on exploring issues of self-care. The creative process can be an incredible blessing, but it can also be an emotional roller coaster ride, and I’ve spent years trying to figure out the secret to existing in that place where you take care of yourself and thus have more to give to the world at large, instead of that place where you’re passively riding the waves of elation and dejection that can come from putting the work you’ve invested your heart and soul into on public display.

Kelly That’s a great idea. I also wonder if the pressures of social media are being addressed often enough and for younger audiences.

I have a photo gallery on my website where I’ve asked authors and illustrators for their best advice for young people. I said that it could be writing/art related or life related. The responses have been incredible. One of my favorites was from Loren Long and he said, “You don’t always have to be the best.” I think that’s a message kids need to hear more often. Unconditional love.

If you’re interested in seeing the photos, you can access them at: klgoing.com/photo-gallery

Kelly I don’t feel consistent at all! It’s so nice to hear that it might appear that way on the outside! I feel as if I’m a slow writer and I bounce around a lot. I think there’s a winning formula (at least financially) where you put out a book a year that’s approximately the same as your last book, and I’ve never been able to fit into that formula. My creative process refuses to work that way, much to my chagrin. And my schedule since becoming a mother allows for maybe twenty work hours on my best week – and it’s never my best week. Ha. What keeps me writing is a combination of absolutely refusing to give up, even if that means reinventing myself – and wanting to produce stories that my son will be proud to read.

Kelly “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a great fortune must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen

Kelly My role model is Cynthia Rylant. I adore everything she writes. For fun, I love Jane Austen. I also read non-fiction of every variety, and I LOVE supporting indie writers, so I read a ton of self-published work on my kindle.

Kelly Reading. I know, I know… I wish I could say something more exciting like alpine skiing or skydiving. But this is my life. I read. I’m also addicted to The Great Courses, and I parent, and sometimes I get to do some teaching with the Highlights Foundation, which I adore.

Kelly That would be a tie between when Fat Kid Rules the World won the Printz award and attending the premiere of the movie down in Austen, TX at SXSW. Both were dreams come true and absolutely wonderful experiences. At the movie premiere, it was held at an old theater that was set up to serve food and drinks, so I sat in my seat eating cheesecake while watching the movie based on my book on the big screen. I literally thought, “this is author heaven!”

Kelly Greece. I am an Alexander the Great fanatic… and I would love to visit the places where his story played out.

Kelly In addition to the Dog in Charge script, I have five picture books at various stages – either being illustrated or awaiting a match with an illustrator. I have two novels at the half way mark, but I’m honestly not sure which of them will get developed. Maybe neither one. I’ve learned over time that it’s okay to let things go when they’re not working, so I have to see how they develop over time.