Readers! I want to send you a book from your local bookstore! (Or from mine if you don’t have one.) But I’m choosing the book: It’s the almost-released middle grade novel The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie.
I don’t know Amy, not off-screen anyway. But we became fast friends online years ago (no idea how many!) as two blogging moms of four trying to raise kids with a sense of faith and tradition. For me, that’s Judaism. For Amy, that’s Mormonism. We have lots of other things in common, too, and interesting differences, but I will get to HER BOOK now, which I found original, endearing, and so well-written. I really loved it, and I don’t use the L-word often. I also appreciated the Iowa setting. Yay for the Midwest! It would be great for readers age 8-12, but also for adults.
I asked Amy some questions having to do with her writing process, decisions she’s made about her blog, and about the day she got “the call” from her agent. I think you will find her experience and advice really inspiring!
1. How long have you been working on writing fiction?
In 2007 I had a story in my head that I had to get on the page. It would not leave me alone! Like most first novels, it was really a glorified autobiography. After three months of furiously writing, I thought it was possibly publishable. (Hahahaha! I was gloriously naive.) I edited, rewrote, and queried literary agents for years until it dawned on me that perhaps I should start writing another book. I don’t see that first novel as a failure. It really was a schooling ground for the craft of writing.
2. So, I could have written that first paragraph about myself, right down to the querying frenzy. How long have you been working specifically on this book?
THE UNFORGETTABLE GUINEVERE ST. CLAIR was conceived in November of 2012 for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I highly recommend this exercise. You write about 1200 words every single day in November and by the end of that crazy busy month, you have a 50,000 word draft. It’s likely a terrible draft –BUT YOU HAVE A FIRST DRAFT! The book now, is totally different than that draft. The original was written for adults, had a different title, and major characters who no longer exist. In 2013, I rewrote, edited, and rewrote it again and started querying literary agents once again. Querying is a brutal, time-consuming, soul-sucking endeavor. The rejection rate is ridiculously high, but I started to look at it like a numbers game: the more I queried, the higher the chance of acceptance. I took agent and beta-reader feedback, eventually turning GUINEVERE into a middle grade novel. Almost immediately, I had two interested agents. Amazing.
3. Wow! You’re giving me so much hope. As you know the novel I’m currently working on began during NaNoWriMo. Okay, so I’ve been wondering about your blog and how the novel fit in. At what point in the novel-writing process did you start blogging?
I started blogging in 2008. The need came on suddenly and strongly. It was my “third thing,” which is something that made me happy, filled my emotional tank, and was totally unrelated to marriage and family life. Blogging was low-stakes writing with feedback from people who kind of liked me. If you look at those old posts, you’ll see they are entirely about the funny things my kids did. At that time my four children were nine-years-old and under. Writing was something I could do during nap time. That hour taught me to hustle, and to write quickly without worrying about perfection. Writing a blog helped me hone the craft of writing succinctly and for an audience.
4. I noticed that you didn’t write much about the novel-writing and agent-querying process on your blog. Can you talk a little bit about that decision?
You are right; I have not written a lot about it. I’m not sure exactly why, but I wasn’t sure how it would be received. Would it be gloating? Self-promoting? I felt self-conscious. I should probably write more about it because it really is a grueling process that is also fascinating and fun to read about.
5. I would have been cheering you along every step. I bet all your readers would have, but I get it. It’s nice to have some projects that are totally private. Tell us about the day you heard from your agent that the book sold. Those of us working on novels want to live through you!
Oh my goodness. Just getting the agent? That phone call? It was so thrilling. One of the best days of my life – after so much hard work and being told NO NO NO – finally a YES. I queried GUINEVERE for a couple of years (and was also querying other novels I had been working on.) I queried an agent who said MAYBE, if you rewrite it (this was a different book). I rewrote the book. Agent said, “I really love it…but no.” WHAT?! This happened ALL THE TIME. I queried her again, this time with GUINEVERE. She said, “I think you’ve got something here, but my middle grade list is full. Let me refer you to my colleague.” That was what really opened the door – a referral.
I queried her colleague, Zoe Sandler of ICM. She asked for the full manuscript right away via email. A few days later she sent another email. When I saw her name in my inbox, I snapped shut my computer and shut my eyes, knowing that it was going to be yet another NO. I dropped my head and said, “God, I know it’s a NO. Please help me be able to handle this. Let me be okay.” I opened my eyes, opened the computer and read the email: “I loved your manuscript. Can I give you a call?” I can’t even tell you…. Zoe called me a few days later (a torturous wait!) while I was babysitting adorable twin girls. We spoke for about 40 minutes, and while I was spoon-feeding squash, she finally said the magic words: “I would love to represent you.” We edited again before pitching to about 15 publishers. They all said No. Except for one: Simon and Schuster. They offered me a deal in Feb 2017. I cried. It was such a moment.
6. As a fellow mom of four, I NEED to hear your top three tips for getting the book done.
You GRAB those “free” moments and YOU HOLD ON TIGHT!!! Nap time was SACRED writing time. In the early days I usually had about an hour a day. I grabbed morning and night minutes when I could. It was a bit of an obsession. Motherhood has been helpful in that there has never been any time for “writer’s block.” It’s a job that you have to get done every single day. And it didn’t happen every day, but that was always the goal. Even when I wasn’t writing, plots and characters were swirling in my head. I was always scrawling on paper. I felt a great NEED to make this happen.There was also the great fear of failure. After so many years of NO, I was just going to give up? I felt a stubbornness settle in my heart.
Sitting down every day is still my goal. I carry a notebook everywhere I go. The manuscript is a jealous thing. It needs attention every day. If you give it attention, it will give YOU attention. But if you don’t give it attention, you start to lose the thread and inspiration. It starts to lose interest in YOU.
Every night I look at the day ahead and calendar writing time into the day. It never gets easier, even with all of my kids in school full-time. Something is always pulling you away, begging for your time, whispering that you can’t do it. Make it a priority. Make it something you do EVERY DAY and it will become a habit, something you HAVE to do. Resistance will subside (until tomorrow when it rears its ugly head again!).
7. Do you see a sequel in the future or are you on to other characters?
I don’t see a sequel for GUINEVERE, but I do have a series in mind that I’m itching to get working on. I’m about to pitch my second stand-alone novel to my publisher. Cross your fingers for me. And thanks for having me here, Nina!
Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.
Joanna! You are the winner! Email me the name of your favorite local bookstore and your home address. Can’t wait to hear what you think! Nina (ninabadzinblog@gmail)
Thank you so much, Nina! I really appreciate you having me here and cheering me on. Also love that you promoted the local bookstores – really fabulous. GOOD LUCK to you; it will happen, and when it does, you’ll be on MY BLOG!
My mom was recently diagnosed with early dementia. This is going to be a book that hits close to home. Memory loss is such a sad disease. As far as the writer and her process, I am in awe that a mother of four can find ANY time to work on a project of their own. That alone makes me want to support her work!
I am inspired that the novel came out of NANOWRIMO. It has me itching for November even though it’s only the first weekend in June! I have a 5th grader and live in the midwest. And I want to read the book, too.
Wow! I think it’s amazing that Amy was able to write this book while raising four children! I give her so much credit for sticking with her writing, especially with her book going through transitions and revisions! How cool that it ended up as a middle grade novel! I’m looking forward to reading it and adding it to my classroom library! (I teach 4th grade). Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book, Nina!
DEAR NINA: Conversations About Friendship is a podcast and newsletter about the ups and downs of adult friendship. I’m the host, Nina Badzin, a Minneapolis-based writer who accepted a position as a friendship advice columnist in 2014 and never stopped. DEAR NINA, the podcast, started in 2021, and has been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere!
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HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site!
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DEAR NINA: Conversations About Friendship is a podcast and newsletter about the ups and downs of adult friendship. I’m the host, Nina Badzin, a Minneapolis-based writer who accepted a position as a friendship advice columnist in 2014 and never stopped. DEAR NINA, the podcast, started in 2021, and has been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere!
Get The Newsletter
I send emails through Substack with the latest anonymous friendship letters, podcast episodes, book reviews, and more.
Readers! I want to send you a book from your local bookstore! (Or from mine if you don’t have one.) But I’m choosing the book: It’s the almost-released middle grade novel The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair by Amy Makechnie.
7 Responses
I love the premise of a young girl settling into a new town and navigating issues big and small.
Joanna! You are the winner! Email me the name of your favorite local bookstore and your home address. Can’t wait to hear what you think! Nina (ninabadzinblog@gmail)
Thank you so much, Nina! I really appreciate you having me here and cheering me on. Also love that you promoted the local bookstores – really fabulous. GOOD LUCK to you; it will happen, and when it does, you’ll be on MY BLOG!
My mom was recently diagnosed with early dementia. This is going to be a book that hits close to home. Memory loss is such a sad disease. As far as the writer and her process, I am in awe that a mother of four can find ANY time to work on a project of their own. That alone makes me want to support her work!
I am inspired that the novel came out of NANOWRIMO. It has me itching for November even though it’s only the first weekend in June! I have a 5th grader and live in the midwest. And I want to read the book, too.
I remember ordering this book, but your recommendation made me put it on hold at the library!
Wow! I think it’s amazing that Amy was able to write this book while raising four children! I give her so much credit for sticking with her writing, especially with her book going through transitions and revisions! How cool that it ended up as a middle grade novel! I’m looking forward to reading it and adding it to my classroom library! (I teach 4th grade). Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book, Nina!