Website Spotlight: SCBWI Official Blog

The SCBWI Official Blog is available under the ‘publications’ drop-down menu on the SCBWI website.

New posts are added twice a week and you’ll find “industry news, interviews, and in-depth posts addressing everything from book promotion, to school visits, timely issues and more.” The blog archive goes back to 2010 and has something useful for all SCBWI members. It’s well worth a look!

By Margaret Lea

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Kelly Bennett is coming to town!

By Margaret Lea Kelly Bennett credits an elementary school teacher for praising her writing and sticking it on the board. This gave her confidence to write more. And surprisingly, it was Kelly’s unhappy first marriage that also spurred her writing. In 1985, while trying to make this marriage work, she decided to do something solely for herself. She wanted to take a volleyball class at the university near her, but they didn’t offer that. So instead, she took a class on writing and marketing children’s stories. There she fell in love with writing for children. She also met another woman, Ronnie Davidson, who became a writing partner for twenty years. They published their first book together in 1987 and five more over the years. Kelly has now published around 25 books, both by herself and with others. She credits writing friends for keeping her accountable. For example, she and one friend would set a...

Interview with Agent Morgan Hughes

Getting to know Morgan Hughes By Renee Nolte Lubbock-based Morgan Hughes is from the Midwest. You can take the girl out of Kansas, but you can't take Kansas out of the girl! She and her family are HUGE Chiefs fans, especially Quarterback superstar Patrick Mahomes. She is doubling up on rocking the support because she also attended Texas Tech with him; that's super cool! While in college, Morgan interned for agent extraordinaire and NY Times Best Seller Holly McGhee. Hughes learned a great deal from her, including how to exude confidence, which has helped her gain respect in the industry and empowers her to advocate for her clients. Morgan is now a literary agent for FinePrint Literary, working remotely from the sidelines, taking in Football, and hoping to score some new clients! Getting down to the nitty-gritty, here are inquiring questions you may find helpful: What happens if a pitch is not accepted? First, research who is the best agent for your book. I...

Tonya Ellis

By Margaret Lea Tonya Ellis, one of our own Houston chapter members, is both self-published and traditionally published in many KidLit genres. Read all about her journey in the email interview below. 1) Tell us about your writing journey. For example: When did you start seriously pursuing writing? What most helped you develop your craft? What genres do you write? I've always loved reading books and writing, and I thought about pursuing writing as a career after I won a young author's competition in the fifth grade. Back then, I wasn't sure how I'd make a living writing books, so I decided to become a journalist. After college, I got a job as a business reporter at a newspaper. When my family moved to Houston, I wrote freelance articles about local celebrities for Sugar Land, Cy-Fair and Katy Magazines for ten years. I became interested in writing for children while sharing my childhood favorites with my own kids. My youngest son didn't relate to many of the ...

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