After parting ways with my old agent (she was fantastic but was more of a project-to-project agent and I really wanted a career agent who would represent all of my stories), I was on the hunt for a new agent. I was not excited to be back in the query trenches, but I know it is all part of the process. After lots of research, searching and querying (with lots of rejection and silence in between), I signed with Christine Goss at Fine Print Literary in December 2025!
Christine is responsive (which I love as I try to get back to people asap!), super organized and keeps me (and her other clients) updated each step of the way. She appreciates quirky, and I definitely have stories that fit into this category. She is open to representing all different types of PBs (non-fiction, fiction, rhyme, prose – which I have) as well as chapter books, MG, YA, etc. (which I would love to focus on at some point). It’s only the beginning and I already feel like a true team. We are officially out on sub — fingers crossed!
I tend to focus on writing fiction picture books that incorporate humor and heart. I had never really thought much about writing nonfiction. I enjoyed reading nonfiction and thought that is where things would stay. Until…
a webinar changed everything.
I am part of 12×12 — a community that encourages picture book writers to write 12 drafts a year. Each month there are amazing webinars that discuss about picture books from all different angles — illustration, rhyme, how to hook the reader, satisfying endings, etc. I am always amazed how much there is to learn about the art of picture books. In May 2023, 12×12 was hosting a Book Chat on Woven in the World, the late Katey Howe’s award-winning nonfiction picture book. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to get out of the webinar since I only wrote fiction picture books up to that point. Once Katey started talking about her stunning book, I was instantly mesmerized. I didn’t realize nonfiction could be so beautiful! Katey wove beautiful, lyrical language on every page. I also was drawn in by the description of the research she did for the book. It was fascinating how she immersed herself into the world of weaving. I was inspired and came away from that call with a new goal — I was going to try and write a nonfiction story.
But what would I write about? There are so many subjects to choose from. I decided to start with a subject I know kids love — animals! After some brainstorming the phrase Hail the Tail popped into my mind. I searched online as well as went to my library to do some research on picture books about animal tails. The only problem? My librarian said they didn’t have any books on animal tails specifically — but I realized that was more of an opportunity than a problem. I found a potential hole in the market! I got started right away. I checked out as many books about animals that I could and jotted down any information I could find about their tails. After I collected my research, the words flowed pretty quickly. Writing in rhyme is really exciting to me and I was surprised to find that writing lyrical non-fiction was a smoother process for me than lyrical fiction. I think because for non-fiction I had the overall framework to work with already (the existing information on animal tails), instead of creating the whole story from scratch with fiction and making it rhyme! I couldn’t believe all the different ways animals can uses their tails and loved creating a lyrical portrayal of their tail-ents.
HAIL THE TAIL was sold to Andrea Welch at Beach Lane Books/S&S in Spring 2025 and will be coming out in February 2027! The amazingly talented Elisa Chavarri will be illustrating. I can’t wait to see what she does with it!
So I guess my point is to be open to new things. Even if it is something not currently on your radar screen. Challenge yourself. Push your boundaries. If I decided not to branch out, I never would have known that I actually love writing non-fiction. *I actually just sold a companion story to HAIL THE TAIL to Beach Lane Books called CHEERS FOR EARS (a lyrical non-fiction story all about the amazing things animal ears can do!) and am working on some more non-fiction ideas.
Since one of my first book festivals in Chappaqua (where I got to meet the super kind and talented Sujean Rim and Susan Hood!) I was hooked. It became a dream of mine to be able to attend as an author one day and that dream came true on October 13th at the Warwick Book Festival. It was everything I had hoped for (and more!). The conference organizers/staff were so kind and thoughtful throughout the entire day (they dropped off gift bags for each author filled with a homemade bookmark, journal, pencil, sticker, and snacks!) They even delivered a delicious cupcake during the afternoon for a pick-me up! I was lucky enough to be seated next to Alyssa Satin Capucilli (author of the beloved Biscuit books!!!) and Jyoti Gopal (I had seen Jyoti speak at an event at my local library and she is a total rock star!) and across the way was Beth Ferry and Rebecca Gardyn Levington (two of my writing inspirations). It was a bit of a surreal moment for me to be surrounding by these talented authors who have had so much success. (I may have had to pinch myself a few times that day!). I had a blast talking to kids/families about The Imposter and Emily Snook, the World’s Smallest Cook. Hearing the kids’ stories/insights made the day so special. Thank you Warwick Festival for making this girl’s dreams come true.
We’ve traveled quite a bit this summer. One of my favorite places to go is Rehoboth Beach, DE to visit family, hit the beach/pool and do some back-to-school shopping at the outlets (got to love the no sales tax in DE!). I also got the opportunity to do a story time at Browesabout Books (one of my all-time favorite bookstores — it has everything!) Despite the event starting with a declaration from one of the attendees “I do not want to do story time” ;-), we all had a great time (reading The Imposter, talking about their own favorite stuffed animals and making bracelets for themselves and their loveys). An added bonus — a friend of mine, who I haven’t seen in years, stopped by and we got to catch up. So fun! I also got the opportunity to meet one of my critique partners in person, which was another highlight. We caught up on life, writing and the rest of our plans for the summer. I also stopped by the amazing Bethany Beach Books to sign some copies of The Imposter (and will hopefully do a story time there in the future!).
After taking out thousands of picture books from my local library (the Scarsdale Library) it is a dream come true to see my debut picture book, The Imposter, as one of the choices on the shelves! The Scarsdale Library has been like a second home to me. I have checked out stacks and stacks of books for me and my kids throughout the years, attended awesome events put on by the Library, helped my kids with homework, worked on writing/revising manuscripts and researched new stories. The Scarsdale Library even hosted my launch party back in March. I could not have asked for a more perfect place to launch my books into the world. I am thankful to have such a beautiful space/resource so close by!
Upcoming Events
Past Interviews & Appearances:
Warner Public Library (3/11/25)
Womrath Bookshop (11/16/24)
Warner Public Library (11/13/24)
Dobbs Ferry Library (11/12/24)
Eastchester Library (11/7/24)
Scarsdale Library, Scarsdale, NY (11/2/24)
Edgewood Elementary School (10/21/24)
Interview on Simply 7: Jena Benton’s Blog (10/18/24)
