Tuesday Debut – Presenting Kelly Conroy! PLUS A Giveaway!

Hey there, my friends! It’s been a couple weeks, hasn’t it? Nothing like a contest to sidetrack us from business as usual. Speaking of which, if you haven’t yet voted for your favorite finalist in the Halloweensie Contest, you still can until 5 PM Eastern today! Just click over HERE!

But now we are ready once again for Tuesday Debut!

And the first Tuesday Debut item we have to address is the winner of Kim Larson’s giveaway from back before the contest. The Little Press is kindly giving away a copy of GOAT’S BOAT WON’T FLOAT by Kim Larson, and the winner is. . .

ROSE CAPPELLI!!!

Congratulations, Rose! Please email me so I can organize getting your book to you!

The second thing is this week’s giveaway! Today’s debut-ess, Kelly Conroy, is kindly offering winner’s choice of a book, a picture book critique, a half hour ask me anything, or a virtual school visit where she can read her book and answer kids questions [probably 15-20 minutes]! Wow! What an amazing giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment below by Monday November 25th at 3 PM Eastern and you will be entered to be the randomly selected winner!

Now that all the goody-giving has been covered, let’s get to meeting our Tueday Debut, the lovely and talented Kelly Conroy, and hearing about her journey to publication with the absolutely darling YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING!

Title: You Are My Everything
Author: Kelly Conroy
Illustrator: Abigail Hookham
Publishing House: Tiger Tales
Date of Publication: 11/5/2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 3-7

A lyrical and heartfelt tribute from a parent to their “everything,” their child.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Kelly! Thank you so much for coming to talk with us today. We can’t wait to hear all about how this adorable book came to be! Where did the idea for this book come from?

KELLY: This book process was different than normal. Tiger Tales approached my agent and asked if she had any clients who would like to audition to write an I Love You book.

Tiger Tales came up with the title and suggested it might be about elephants.

I pulled from my own life by looking through baby pictures of my sons to relive the baby years. I watched elephant documentaries and cried and cried! The movie Elephant Whisperers had me convinced that I was actually the mother of elephants. And I revisited the movie the WAITRESS. The first time I saw it – I hated the first 80% of the movie. I didn’t like that she didn’t want her baby. But then I got to the birth scene and the movie totally redeemed itself! I think that scene, more than any other I’ve ever seen, accurately portrays what it feels like to be a mother. 

[SLH: I’ve tried 5 different ways, but I can’t get the video to embed – sorry! Try going HERE!}

I recommend paying attention to what moves you and using that as inspiration in your writing.

SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?

KELLY: The first story I ever wrote was a pay-it-forward story about how my son made everyone around him happier. If he smiled, strangers smiled. If he giggled, strangers giggled. Fast forward several years to when Tiger Tales spoke with my agent and asked if I could incorporate a baby’s magical effect on a community. I said, “Yep!” The first draft took one week, but it also took 14 years.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

KELLY: I started this by brainstorming different metaphors in a notebook. I usually start writing in a notebook because it allows me to scribble in the margins and draw arrows to rearrange things.  I wanted this to be in rhyme, so when a pattern emerged,

Original:

You’re my early morning sunrise

with a brightly painted sky,

the clouds, the birds, the butterflies,

the breezes swirling by.

I switched to my computer and wrote and revised as I went. I only wrote two or three versions before I sent it off.

This was much faster and more efficient than usual because I wanted Tiger Tales to select me for this project!

SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?

KELLY: I had been writing for a long time when I received this challenge, and after writing a lot of manuscripts, you can sort of feel when a story has magic. When I’m bursting at the seams, excited for SOMEONE to read my story, that’s when I send it off. In addition, I have accumulated a brilliant group of critique partners along the way who give me invaluable feedback. Finally, I have my amazing agent who won’t let me submit anything that isn’t working.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

KELLY: My primary goal for a LONG time was to sign with an agent. I attended and volunteered at all local SCBWI events, attended Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature (RUCCL), entered your [Susanna’s] holiday contests (where I started writing in rhyme), won a mentorship (for rhyming PB’s), and joined the Poets’ Garage. I signed with my first agent in 2019, quickly discovered we weren’t a match, and signed with my current agent, Sarah Stephens at Red Fox Literary, whom I met through a referral, in 2021.

SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?

KELLY: I started the project in April 2023 and got the official “yes – they are using your manuscript,” in July 2023, which is very quick, but it also felt like a LONG time while I was living it.

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”?  (Best moment ever! 😊 ) and how did you celebrate (if you care to share 😊)

KELLY: I read the email as I was walking into Target with my two sons. The three of us started yelling and jumping up and down in the middle of the parking lot!

SUSANNA: Isn’t that amazing? When you’re just living your regular life and suddenly – BAM! – you’re going to be a published author?! 😊 How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

KELLY: Again, my situation was different. We were working on revisions and contract negotiations at the same time, so I signed the contract a few weeks after they gave the green light.

SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?

KELLY: The money was what I expected (if you are new to this – do NOT quit your day job) but the publication timeline was much faster. The book’s birthday is about a year and a half after I started working on it, which was VERY fast.

SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

KELLY: My editor, Perry Emerson, helped make the story deeper and stronger with each round.

The first version was about a mom and baby elephant. The second was about a mom and a baby elephant traveling across the Sahara to meet the extended family, and the third was about a mom and baby elephant traveling across the Sahara to meet the extended family, without any elephant-specific words, so that the text could also apply to people.

SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?

KELLY: I saw some sample drawings and covers and received a physical BLAD (Basic Layout and Design), which we call F&G in United States, in December (best Christmas present ever) and was blown away by all of them. I think the book is so gorgeous. I’m beyond thrilled with what Abigail created! I love how realistic yet whimsical her illustrations are and think the end papers are genius!

text copyright Kelly Conroy 2024, illustration copyright Abigail Hookham 2024, Tiger Tales

Regarding art notes – the text is full of metaphors about what a baby means to a family, so on each spread I included a simple art note explaining what the elephants are doing.

Example:

6-7

[Mom & Baby Elephant waking up, sunrise.]

You’re my early morning sunrise,

painting gold across the sky,

and my love for you soars higher,

when I see your face nearby.

SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

KELLY: As of early September, I have received a Kirkus review, and that was REALLY COOL! I feel like a real live author now.

SUSANNA: You ARE a real author now! 😊 How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

KELLY: In mid-September I received copies of the picture book in five different languages. Then a week later, I received a copy of the board book that Little Tiger Press is releasing in the UK in January 2025.

SUSANNA: Wow! How amazing that it’s in five languages and a board book edition already! What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

KELLY: They presented the book at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023 with a life-size illustration of the elephants in their booth! Beyond that, they have reached out to all the reviewers and distributors and done all of the marketing and promotion things that I am not an expert at, but they certainly are.

SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

KELLY: I have planned six bookstore events and have several school and library visits in the works. I joined a promo group and have been posting on Instagram.

SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?

KELLY: I started writing seriously in 2014, but at the time I had two small boys, which gave me about two hours a week to dedicate to writing. I was able to gradually add more and more time each year. I sold my first book in 2022. I SEE YOU IN THE STARS: A ZODIAC BOOK FOR BABIES will be released in Fall 2025 by Familius, LLC.

SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up and coming writers?)

IKELLY: think this is going to be a weird answer – it is really really easy to get discouraged. I felt like the elusive “it” was happening for everyone else and was never going to happen for me. But then, I started getting into The Universe/Law of Attraction, and manifesting, and gratitude journals, and woo-woo stuff like that, and it helped me calm down and see that everything was unfolding how it was supposed to. Things were happening in the background on my road to publication long before I was aware.

Whether that stuff is real or not, thinking that it might be allowed me to turn all of my worrying, pity-party energy into creative storytelling energy which, made me happier —and my writing got better.

If you want to know more about this, I recommend:

  • You Are A BadA$$ by Jennifer Sincero
  • Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
  • The Magic by Rhonda Byrne

SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?

KELLY: Susanna, discovering your website was a game changer for me. Taking your class expanded my knowledge of craft, and entering your contests forced me to create a website, bolstered my confidence, and got me further entrenched in the wonderful writing community. Thank you for everything you do for the kidlit community! Thanks for having me!

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and pay it forward to other writers, Kelly! We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from you, and wish you all the best with this darling book and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Kelly, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond! And remember, your comment below by Monday November 25th at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running to be randomly selected to win winner’s choice of a book, a picture book critique from Kelly, a half hour ask me anything with Kelly, or a virtual school visit where Kelly can read her book and answer kids questions [probably 15-20 minutes]!

Author Kelly Conroy in her office with her writing partner, Chewy 😊 Kelly says, “I don’t snack much, but my crutch is naps. I find a lot of inspiration as I’m falling asleep. I’m serious.”

You may purchase Kelly’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)

Indiebound/Bookshop.org
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:

– purchasing their books

– recommending their books to friends and family

– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians

– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores

– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries

– sharing their books on social media

– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.

Thank you all for stopping by to read today!  Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday!  Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊

Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts?  Check them out HERE!

51 thoughts on “Tuesday Debut – Presenting Kelly Conroy! PLUS A Giveaway!”

  1. Katie Schwartz says:
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    Katie Schwartz's avatar

    I am going to get my hands on this book, has so many things I love – written in rhyme – includes nature, and elephants! I really love seeing your advice Kelly about manifesting the positive, I am planning to start doing this, and stop the not so positive thoughts that easily pop into my head. Thank you for your inspiring post, and congratulations on this book!

  2. Pam Adams says:
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    Pam Adams's avatar

    This book looks amazing and I loved the insight the interview provided.
    I would greatly appreciate being entered in this week’s give-away.

    Thanks much,

    Pam Adams

  3. robdonart123 says:
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    robdonart123's avatar

    Your interview has inspired me. I love elephants and from looking at the illustrations, this book surely will touch many hearts. Congratulations and thank you! ♥️

  4. Elizabeth Volkmann says:
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    Elizabeth Volkmann's avatar

    Kelly is so joyful and so inspiring! I love everything about her journey – even (especially) the woo-woo part! 🙂 Really looking forward to reading this book. Thank you!

  6. Emily Roberts says:
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    Emily Roberts's avatar

    This book looks amazing! I read that your agent was approached for you to audition to write a text. Does that happen often? An amazing opportunity!

  7. kathalsey says:
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    kathalsey's avatar

    What a beautiful book, Kelly! I love hearing your story, too, about your journey to publication!

    I, too, am surrounded by kidlit peeps who have that trad. pubbed book. I have a WFH BB out now w/ KiwiCo Press, but want folks to be able to buy my book from a bookstore!

    Sharing how you felt gives the rest of us a boost! BTW, does Tiger Tales accept un agented authors? I looked it up, but it was unclear!

      • kathalsey says:
        kathalsey's avatar

        Hi Kelly, I don’t think they do either! Much of what I write fits Tiger Tales aesthetic. All the best and ty for the kind comments! Kathy

    • Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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      Susanna Leonard Hill's avatar

      I’m surprised folks can’t buy your book in bookstores, Kathy! I have done WFH and the books are available everywhere. I wonder that your publisher doesn’t put them out there! Maybe at least you can get your local indie to carry it? Or your local B&N? Offer to do an event…. something? Your book SHOULD be available in bookstores!

    • Susanna Leonard Hill says:
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      Susanna Leonard Hill's avatar

      I am so glad if Kelly’s interview gave you renewed optimism, Patricia! Keep up your good work! The difference between writers who are published and writers who aren’t is that the ones who aren’t gave up. Kate DiCamillo submitted over 470 times before she got published and she said, “Imagine if I hadn’t submitted 472!” (or whatever the number was – I confess I don’t quite remember 🙂 )

  9. Barbara Kimmel says:
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    Barbara Kimmel's avatar

    What a great interview! Thank you for sharing your journey. I’m definitely going to take a look at your “woo-woo” book suggestions!

  15. Shasha8282 says:
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    Susan Jakubowski's avatar

    Thank you for a wonderful interview. We need more books like Kelly’s. Every child should be able to hear that they are “everything” to their parents. What a wonderful world it would be!

  17. Sheri Delgado Preston says:
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    Sheri Delgado Preston's avatar

    Thank you, Kelly, for sharing your journey and being so open and inspirational. Your book is lovely. Can’t wait to see/read your future publications!

  20. seahorsecoffeeelektra79018 says:
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    seahorsecoffeeelektra79018's avatar

    I love elephants and am saddened to know so many are being slaughtered for their tusks. Books like yours, I believe, are most helpful for bringing awareness to these beautiful, gentle animals. Perhaps someday our world will appreciate all of nature and allow all God’s creatures to survive and flourish. Thanks Kelly

  22. carmen2750 says:
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    carmen2750's avatar

    Such an inspiring interview with Kelly Conroy! Thanks Susanna for interviewing her! Good luck Kelly as you continue to write!

  29. ptnozell says:
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    ptnozell's avatar

    You Are My Everything looks so sweet – perfect for my newest grandbabies. And I loved reading Kelly’s story of perseverance on the way to that elusive “yes”.

  30. Wendy Greenley says:
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    Wendy Greenley's avatar

    Your book looks gorgeous, Kelly! I was just reading a FB post by Diane Ochiltree where she talks about her love affair with elephants! I had a webinar with your agent, and agree that she’s awesome. 🙂 Good luck with your next book success! The book magic is real.