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Wendelin Van Draanen

 By Margaret Lea 


     Wendelin Van Draanen, author of over 30 books across all age groups, will be the speaker at the Houston chapter meeting, August 4, 2025. Her 2001 novel FLIPPED was made into the 2010 movie FLIPPED, directed by Rob Reiner. 

Her presentation for our chapter is going to be “Keeping Hope in the Mail” and will focus on personal strength, commitment to craft, and strategies for not giving up.

Below is my interview with Wendelin.


1) Your website says it took ten years for you to get published. How did you find an agent? Have you stayed with your original agent?

It did take ten years! But I recommend writers work smarter than I did. I didn’t join SCBWI until after I had my first book deal. I definitely did everything the hard way! Trying to help others who are presently struggling is the main reason I wrote Hope in the Mail—my non-fiction book for writers in pursuit of their publishing dreams—and why my husband Mark and I recently started a YouTube channel—Coffee With The Authors. The goal for both is to provide helpful information, fuel to keep writing, craft tips, and real-world traditional publishing insights.

    I actually signed with my agent after I found an interested editor for my first book HOW I SURVIVED BEING A GIRL. And I’ve been with that agent through 30+ books now.

2) What type of writing does your husband do? Which of you started writing first?

    Mark (Parsons) writes YA. He’s presently having the fun of seeing his latest novel THE 9:09 PROJECT come out in foreign languages. We both get really tickled about foreign editions—they’re unique and so interesting! 

    Mark was the original writer, but got sidetracked by years of writing non-fiction for national magazines. I never had a knack for that, but discovered the joys of writing fiction from him. He finally swung back to fiction and is so much happier focusing on that!

3) I see that you write for every age group. Do you have a favorite age to write for?

    My wheelhouse is what I call YYA—Young YA—for upper-elementary to young high school readers. Middle school years can be tough, so I find purpose in writing stories that can help kids through those growing years. 

4) At what point were you able to quit your classroom teaching job and transition to writing full time?

    It was a complex decision impacted by a commute, a lack of on-campus daycare for my kindergartener son, a teaching job that was all-consuming and not that well compensated, and my publisher wanting me to travel to conferences etc. in support of the SAMMY KEYES mystery series. Also, we’d just bought our first house and had a hefty mortgage, so it wasn’t an easy decision to give up a steady paycheck, but Mark encouraged me to take a leap of faith into publishing and I’m so glad he did. 

5) When they made FLIPPED into a movie, did you get any input with director Rob Reiner?

    I did meet with him to discuss the ending and the time period, and I spent time on-location during the filming, which was so interesting and educational. Overall, it was a fantastic experience!

6) How often do you aim for a new book release? Do you work on multiple projects at a time?

    I’m very linear. I don’t start a project unless my whole heart is in it, and I don’t stop until I reach The End. Sometimes I will have to put a project on hold while I address an editorial letter/revision of a different book, but I don’t jump from project to project during the initial creation. My head and emotional state would be very confused if I did that! As far as schedule—I do have contracted deadlines, but I like to write a book before I submit it because I want the luxury of my own timing to produce something that reflects what I envision in my head and in my heart. Things always turn out better when you’re not rushed…as long as you have the discipline to work steadily toward their completion. 

7) What is your best advice for pre-published authors?

    Dream big, work hard, don’t give up!

8) What is your best advice for published authors?

    Enjoy the ups, don’t despair the downs!

9) Please share an “I can’t believe that just happened” story that’s related to your writing career. 

    I live in California. In 1999, I was working fulltime as a high school math and computer science teacher, and I got a call while at school that I’d been nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award from Mystery Writers of America for my second book, SAMMY KEYES AND THE HOTEL THIEF. After ten years of rejection, this was a really sweet moment. 

    Then the formal “Dress to Kill” invitation arrived. And my publisher offered to fly me and Mark to New York City (where I’d never been before) and host us for a few days. At the very poshy awards ceremony, I met Mary Higgens Clark who called me “Princess” when she shook my hand. (I was wearing long white satin gloves and a short pink chiffon dress with wispy shoulder sashes, and her comment got me over the embarrassment of what I learned that night—everyone in New York wears black.)

    Then they did the whole open-the-envelope-and-the-winner- is thing and read out my name.

    That was definitely a cannot-believe-this-happened moment.







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