Tuesday Debut – Presenting Karen Latchana Kenney PLUS A Giveaway!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I am so glad to see you all! 😊

I hope you all had wonderful, happy, healthy holidays filled with love and family and peace and relaxation. (I know – those things don’t always go together 😊 – but hopefully you managed!)

I hope the beginning of the brand new year is filling you with inspiration to write and read and learn and polish your skills and produce some of your best work ever!

We can get off to a good start by announcing the winner of Maria Antonia’s giveaway from before the holidays, a giveaway of her book, THE CHRISTMAS ELEPHANT (U.S. address only) OR a PB manuscript critique (non-rhyming, fiction please) – what a great way to start the new year. And the winner is. . .

Lindsay Moretti!!!

Lindsay, please email me and let me know your choice so I can get your prize to you!

As if that weren’t enough fabulousness, today’s debut-ess, Karen Kenney, is offering a signed copy of Snow Steps and some swag to a winner (US addresses only, please)! All you have to do is leave a comment below by Monday January 13th at 3PM Eastern and you could be the randomly selected lucky winner of Karen’s beautiful book!

And now, without going off onto irrelevant tangents about whether January is the best or the worst month of the year, or about how many cookies are a reasonable and responsible dessert and how many are over the line into self-indulgence and you’ll-have-to-run-2-extra-miles-tomorrow (but really, does that line exist? Is there such a thing as too many cookies?), allow me to introduce today’s debut-ess, the one and only Karen Latchana Kelley!

Title: Snow Steps
Author: Karen Latchana Kenney
Illustrator: Irina Avgustinovich
Publishing House: WorthyKids, Hachette Book Group
Date of Publication: 11/05/2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 4–7 years old

Lakshmi just moved from rural, sunny Guyana to a city in icy, frigid Minnesota, and the hardest part is the cold, white snow. Lakshmi’s too scared to walk in it, so her mama has to carry her everywhere, but then a new friend helps her fears melt away.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Karen! We’re delighted to have this chance to meet you and hear all about your journey to publication with beautiful and timely SNOW STEPS! (It is snowing heavily at my house as I write this, so it feels very appropriate!😊) Where did the idea for this book come from?

KAREN: Snow Steps comes from my childhood experiences during my family’s very first winter in America. It was really hard dealing with the deep snow and freezing cold of Minneapolis, such a big adjustment from Guyana’s tropical climate, and I refused to walk in the snow at all that first winter. As an adult, I realized that was part of my immigrant experience—adjusting to a new climate in a new culture—and I wanted to write this story to share a bit of the immigrant experience from a child’s perspective.

SUSANNA: Whoa! Minneapolis! That would be a shock after Guyana! How long did it take you to write this book?

KAREN: I started writing the first draft of Snow Steps in late 2017. I was really nervous to write something so personal and wasn’t as experienced with fiction, but I pushed myself to complete that draft, knowing it was just a beginning. My final draft was completed and ready for publisher submission in 2022.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

KAREN: I did! It took about 16 rounds of reviews and revisions before I was ready to submit my manuscript to my (future) agent. Luckily, I had some amazingly talented and insightful writing critique partners who helps me get it in good shape.

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

KAREN: I think it was that last critique, when there were just a few minor comments left. After that revision, I felt as ready as I could be.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

KAREN: As I was drafting, I was also searching for an agent. I sent Snow Steps to my future agent and after a few revisions with her, she took me on as her client! I was so thrilled! After that, my agent started submitting to publishers right away!

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”?

KAREN: Well, I had many rejections. My agent started submitting in March 2022 and I heard two publishers were really interested in October that year.

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, (which these days is more likely to be “the email”)? 

KAREN: I was thrilled to receive two offers right around the same time in November 2022. It took me a bit to figure out which publisher felt right to me, and that was really stressful. It was not an easy decision, but I went with what was in my heart. I told all my writing friends (the ones who really get the struggle) and went out with my family for a lovely celebratory dinner!

SUSANNA: Wow! How amazing that you had a choice! But also, how stressful to have to choose! How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

KAREN: After some negotiations between WorthyKids and my agent, I got my contract in early February 2023. So, it was around three months.

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

KAREN: I’m so thankful I have an agent who is diligent and experienced in negotiating contracts. I admit I didn’t have a lot of expectations (or knowledge about the finer points) and so was very glad for her guidance. I ended up with a contract I was very satisfied with.

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

KAREN: It went so smoothly with my editor! She respected my voice and our vision for the book was aligned, so I just made a few very minor changes during a few rounds of reviews.

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

KAREN: This was such a fun part of the process! My publisher asked my opinion on illustrator options and we completely agreed on the best artist for this book—Irina Avgustinovich. She is a wizard with illustrating snow, something that can be really difficult to draw, and her characters were so alive and full of energy.

I included a few illustration notes with my manuscript. I wanted the main character Lakshmi to be biracial (like me) and included notes about race for her family. And some of my notes became illustrations that were a bit different than what I had written (but turned out much better than I imagined).

Here’s one note: [Illus. Note: Taking a seat in a crowded bus, grocery bags packed in with them.]

And here’s the illustration it became. I love the many faces peering out the bus windows!

From Snow Steps, written by Karen Latchana Kenney, illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich. Published by WorthyKids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. All rights reserved.

I also provided notes on sketches and color illustrations for the publisher.

SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

KAREN: I got my first copy—an advance copy—in August 2024! I was so excited, I had to take a picture with my new book. I cried when I looked through and saw how beautiful it was. It was unreal—six years and many doubtful moments later it was finally in my hands.

Karen with her beautiful book!

SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

KAREN: WorthyKids has been wonderful in finding ways to market Snow Steps—from a Goodreads giveaway and sending promo graphics for me to use to providing bookmarks and stickers for events, plus much more.

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

KAREN: I definitely used those graphics WorthyKids sent to me and posted as much as possible about the launch and events I had planned. I have done storytimes at several local bookstores, participated in a holiday book market, and am finding ways to collaborate with other children’s authors. I also made sure to submit Snow Steps to book awards that seemed to be the right fit.

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

KAREN: Well, I’ve written many school/library books that I took seriously (one even won the Mathical Book Award honor), but I seriously started working toward a trade picture book in 2017. So, it took around five years to achieve that dream!

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?)

KAREN: It’s a struggle for all authors (and it takes SO long), but if you love writing and you have this dream, do not give up! Many times you will want to. Those are the times to share with your critique group and your writing friends. They will share their struggles and successes too! Having friends and family to lean on kept me going when I wondered if I should. And their successes showed me it was possible. I’m so glad I listened to them.

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us today, Karen, and share the benefit of your experience. We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from you! Wishing you all the best with this and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Karen, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond! And remember, your comment automatically puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a signed copy of Karen’s book, SNOW STEPS, if you leave it by Monday January 13th at 3PM Eastern!

Author Karen Latchana Kenney

FB:
Me: https://www.facebook.com/karenlatchanakenney , Karen Latchana Kenney
Publisher: https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsBooks , WorthyKids
Instagram:
Me: https://www.instagram.com/latchanakenney/ , @latchanakenney
Illustrator: https://www.instagram.com/iravgust/ , @iravgust
Publisher: https://www.instagram.com/worthykidsbooks/ , @worthykidsbooks
Twitter:
Me: https://x.com/KLatchanaKenney , @KLatchanaKenney
Publisher: https://x.com/worthykidsbooks , @worthykidsbooks

You may purchase Karen’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!

64 thoughts on “Tuesday Debut – Presenting Karen Latchana Kenney PLUS A Giveaway!”

  4. Barbara Kimmel says:
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    Barbara Kimmel's avatar

    Congratulations on your beautiful book! What a perfect time for a snow book as the country is being blanketed! (I’m especially excited to read your post because Irina is illustrating my next book and this artwork is amazing!)

  5. Sonja McGiboney says:
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    Sonja McGiboney's avatar

    Karen, your book is beautiful. I looked at your school/library books and they look just like the books my kids loved to take out when they were in elementary school. The titles are so diverse. How did you end up going from a book about frogs to the Nat’l Geo book on WW1?

    • Karen Latchana Kenney says:
      Reply
      Karen Latchana Kenney's avatar

      Thank you, Sonja! I really love to learn about all kinds of topics, and so my school/library books cover a wide range.

    • Karen Latchana Kenney says:
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      Karen Latchana Kenney's avatar

      Thank you, Susan! Yes, I love seeing how the illustrations end up being so much more than the simple art notes.

  7. pathaap says:
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    pathaap's avatar

    Love the title, Snow Steps, you chose for your book, Karen! For me, it’s an invitation to read more of this wonderful story. Congratulations!

  10. Lucretia Schafroth says:
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    Lucretia Schafroth's avatar

    Thank you for sharing your inspiring journey of the road to publishing this PB, Karen. Your personal story sounds like it offers kids in similar circumstances comfort and the prospect of triumph while giving their classmates and friends insight and empathy for others experiencing such a major cultural/geographic transition. Congratulations!

    • Karen Latchana Kenney says:
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      Karen Latchana Kenney's avatar

      Thank you, Lucretia! I hope it will . . . I wanted to foster empathy and understanding of the immigrant experience as well as that of anyone moving to a new place.

  17. Cathy Ballou Mealey says:
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    Cathy Ballou Mealey's avatar

    Congratulations on your debut Karen! The illustrations are beautiful and fit so well with your heartwarming story!

  19. Brenda Covert says:
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    Brenda Covert's avatar

    Congrats on finding an agent and getting 2 offers. That sounds like a dream! As does holding a physical copy of the book in your hands!

  20. loriwilliamswriting says:
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    loriwilliamswriting's avatar

    I loved reading about your journey from beginning to write trade books to having a published book in your hands. I’m from Minnesota so I understand the cold winter snows they have there. Can’t imagine your experience coming from a tropical place.

    • Karen Latchana Kenney says:
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      Karen Latchana Kenney's avatar

      Thank you, Lori! Oh you’re from Minnesota! I’ve talked with other immigrants here who say the snow was one of the biggest changes they’ve learned to deal with. It can be a shock at first!

  22. robincurrie1 says:
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    Robin Currie's avatar

    The thrill of doing something totally new when you are old enough to remember it1 Thank you for sharing your story.

    • Karen Latchana Kenney says:
      Reply
      Karen Latchana Kenney's avatar

      Yes! Pick up your pencil and start something new. You never know where it will lead you. Thank you, Sherri!

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