What:
A friend emailed me the other day to say she ordered 17 copies of my book to give as gifts. Seventeen!?! She wanted to know when she could stop by my house to get them signed. Please, I will come to you!
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Friends have shown up at yoga class and soccer games with copies of my book to sign. Book clubs have selected my book, posted fun photos on Instagram, and asked if I could meet with them. Librarians and teachers have popped up on Twitter and Facebook. A high school student made a thank-you card after I visited her school. She actually painted a re-creation of my book cover! I’ve been amazed and so appreciative of this outpouring of support for my debut young adult novel, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go.
Why:
I worked for over ten years to get published. I’m a social worker, a mother, and many times my writing got set aside. But I always came back to it; I’d become immersed in a community of writers. We learned together and poked and prodded and cheered each other on. But most of all, I had to keep writing for my daughter. She was waiting (not very patiently!) for my book. I had to show her that with hard work and persistence, you can achieve your goals, your dreams. Ten+ years, two agents, three novels, countless revisions, too many rejections, just enough praise, more revisions, and then finally, I found an editor who shared my vision.
How:
I won a contest! My agent really liked this manuscript, but we were at a crossroads on revision. She suggested a major change that I wasn’t sure about. At the same time, I just happened to see the final call for the Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize from Elephant Rock Books. I had heard of this small press because the previous Sheehan winner, Carnival at Bray, earned high accolades – it was a Printz Honor Book and received a starred review from Kirkus.
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When they called to tell me I won, I was honored and excited, but nervous. This wasn’t the big New York publisher I had dreamed of, but I’m so glad I took the chance. Elephant Rock Books nurtured The Art of Holding On and Letting Go through every step of intensive editing, design, marketing, publicity, and sales. I grew as a writer and felt supported every single week of the process. I’d do it all over again with my next novel, but ERB will be looking for their next Sheehan Prize winner. They launched my book out into the world and provided a vast safety net; now it’s carving its own path, in the minds and hearts of readers, thanks to the support of so many book-loving communities.
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As much as I had hoped to be published five years ago, the timing was right. My writing is much stronger now, I’m proud of the work I’ve sent out into the world, and best of all – my daughter is now a teenager, the perfect age to read my first published novel. She’s proud of me too.
Bio:
Kristin Lenz is a writer and social worker from metro-Detroit who fell in love with the mountains when she moved to Georgia and California. Now she’s back in Detroit where she plots wilderness escapes and manages the Michigan Chapter blog for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Her debut young adult novel, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, was a Fall 2016 Junior Library Guild Selection. Learn more at www.kristinbartleylenz.com
Links:
Kristin’s Website
Facebook
Amazon Page
Twitter
Goodreads
The Art of Holding on and Letting Go is available on Amazon | B & N | B-A-M | IndieBound | Powells
Amazon Page
Goodreads
The Art of Holding on and Letting Go is available on Amazon | B & N | B-A-M | IndieBound | Powells
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is the author of In the Context of Love, award-winning adult contemporary fiction
2016 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
2016 USA Book News “Best Book” Finalist
2016 Readers’ Favorite Finalist
2015 Great Midwest Book Festival Honorable Mention
Angelica Schirrick had always suspected there was something deeply disturbing about her family, but the truth was more than she bargained for.
“…at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey.” ~ Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage, and critically acclaimed Once Upon a River,and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters
Buy now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Thanks for having me on your blog, Linda! Happy New Year!
You’re welcome! I know fellow writers will appreciate hearing about your determination and eventual success.
Great format for an interview! It’s nice to hear about a long road that ends in success.
Thank you! And I wholeheartedly agree on the value of a success story after a long road!