Hello there, my lovelies! Welcome to today’s edition of Tuesday Debut!

In case you’ve managed to miss it somehow, TOMORROW is the opening day of Halloweensie 2025!!! The 15th Annual!!! (Please imagine a moonless night, a spooky fog, candy corn rain, grinning jack-o’- lanterns, and a horde of costumed ghosties and ghoulies doing the Monster Mash because my Canva skills are not that good!🤣) I hope lots of you have entries ready (or almost ready! 😊) If you haven’t started yet, you can get the submission guidelines HERE and you still have until midnight Halloween to get your entry in!

I’m so excited to read all your stories!

But right now, I’m excited to announce giveaways and then introduce you today’s debut-ess!

First, the winner of Emily Rosen’s generous giveaway from last week – winner’s choice of a either a Zoom visit with the classroom or library of the winner’s choice OR a 30-minute Ask Me Anything for the winner with Emily – is. . .

Sally Cressman!!!

Congratulations, Sally! Please email me so I can put you in touch with Emily to collect on your prize!

Second, we have a new giveaway for this week! Holiday House will send a copy of BEFORE I LIVED HERE to one lucky winner (U.S. addresses only, please) and Stacy will send a bookplate, stickers, and bookmarks! I have read this book and can highly recommend it! All you have to do to put yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday November 3rd at 3 PM Eastern! (Just be forewarned that, due to Halloweensie, it will be a couple weeks before the winner is announced!)

And finally, at long last, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Stacy Jensen, today’s Tuesday Debut, so she can tell you about her journey to publication with BEFORE I LIVED HERE! It has been my very great joy this fall to get to introduce you to both Pamela Courtney and Stacy Jensen who were in the first and second months of Making Picture Book Magic way back in February and March of 2013, and who, through dedication, hard work, talent, and unwavering belief in themselves and their writing, stayed the course to publication even though it took a while. I hope they both provide tremendous inspiration and encouragement to those of you who are working hard and still waiting for your moment. So please join me in welcoming Stacy Jensen!

Title: BEFORE I LIVED HERE
Author: Stacy S. Jensen
Illustrator: Victo Ngai
Publishing House: Holiday House
Date of Publication: Aug. 26, 2025
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction (Informational)
Age Range: 4-8

In Before I Lived Here, a boy peels away each layer of the history of the land his house sits on. Follow along from the construction of the neighborhood back to the planning of it; from the ranchers and log cabins that predated it, back to the region’s Indigenous people and their eviction from the land . . . all the way back to the time of the dinosaurs.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Stacy! We are so thrilled to have you here with us today. Thank you for stopping bby to share the wisdom you’ve gained on your way to publication with Before I Lived Here! Where did the idea for this book come from?

STACY: I lived in a growing neighborhood. My first draft focused on the children in the neighborhood, but I knew the book was about the change that children saw. Eventually, I focused more on the land. The children in my neighborhood saw lots of changes to the land — more people, houses, community parks and pathways, and lots of construction.

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

STACY: I wrote my first drafts very quickly, but the revision took years. I worked on many different manuscripts throughout this process. BEFORE I LIVED HERE has a long timeline. My son was 3 (2013) when I had the idea and wrote a draft. He was 15 (2025) when it published.

Maybe the biggest takeaway is that had I given up on this story, I wouldn’t have a published book. And also — work on multiple manuscripts at the same time.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

STACY: Yes. It felt like a million. My first drafts are nothing like the published book. During the revision process, the original structure didn’t work. Once I decided to go back in time, it made sense. I had help from critique partners at every stage of the revision process.

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

STACY: After the structure was in place, I did more research and streamlined each spread in the story working through the time represented. Then, it made sense to submit.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

STACY: I submitted this story through writing conferences and to agents over the years. There was a lot of work going on between the idea and publication day. It wasn’t until my agent Ana Crespo submitted it in 2021 that it sold.

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”?

STACY: Neal Porter responded to the original submission that he was thinking about the story. Weeks later another publisher made an offer. Ana let everyone know we had an offer to see if anyone else was interested in the story. Neal responded with an offer and we happily accepted.

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 😊)

STACY: Funny story. We were getting our son a cellphone for his birthday and upgrading our phones, so I missed ALL the calls, emails, and texts about the offer from Neal. When my phone was updated and fully charged, I recall Ana’s text appeared for me to call her. It was exciting and funny that I was missing this big news since I had no phone service.

SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

STACY: We received the offer in May and the contract by August. I feel like it was a short-time frame.

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

STACY: We sold world rights to the book. My agent negotiated all the details of the advance, royalty numbers, etc. I read through the contract and gave feedback along the way. It’s great to have an agent to work through these issues. I believe I received a middle-ish advance from numbers I’ve seen and heard.  

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

STACY: Our first change was the title. Neal suggested it needed a verb, so I worked through title ideas. I came up with BEFORE I LIVED HERE before the book announcement was made. I really loved it. Due to the timeline of illustrations, we didn’t work on the book for almost two years after it sold. We changed a couple words in the text. The bulk of the time I spent with editors and the wonderful copy editors involved citations and sources in the backmatter.

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

STACY: Illustrator Victo Ngai is so talented. Her illustrations are gorgeous! I find something new every time I look through the book. I included notes on almost every spread due to the time periods. I assisted through the illustration process when historical photos were needed. We only communicated through the editors.

I saw sketches during various stages. I love the details Victo included throughout the book. Readers I’ve met have raved about Victo’s work.

At a recent story time for BEFORE I LIVED HERE, a parent asked about the author and illustrator relationship. I shared how we’re part of the same team, but we didn’t talk directly about the project. She was surprised. She thought authors and illustrators were best friends. I love that idea. It feels that way when you read and experience a picture book.  

Interior from BEFORE I LIVED HERE. Text copyright © 2025 by STACY S. JENSEN. Illustrations copyright © 2025 by VICTO NGAI. Used with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

STACY: The first one I learned about through a Google Alert. Later, my editors emailed all of us. Some reviews were embargoed — meaning we couldn’t share the news until a specific date.

The reviews were nice. I loved seeing how people reacted to the book. In all, we received five trade reviews (Kirkus Reviews and Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books were starred reviews) and the book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. So, I feel very blessed with the book’s reception.

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

STACY: The offer arrived May 17, 2021 and I received a copy of the book on May 29, 2025. I was expecting a Spanish version of a picture book and was surprised to see Holiday House on the label. I opened the package. It was a wonderful surprise. On the print run, I never asked, which is crazy, because I love details like that. I was too busy working through last minute publicity details — like how to get books for giveaways — than to ask about print runs.

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

STACY: The book was included in catalogs, available on review sites, and copies were sent to book reviewers. They also sent copies I asked to be sent to reviewers.

I also know that some reviewers, etc. checked out the book simply because it is a new Neal Porter Book and that Victo Ngai was the illustrator.

The publicity department also made me aware of times the book was included on a blog or a website. It was a group effort between Google Alerts, the publicity department, and friends to find mentions of the book.

My book is featured by the group marketing team for Holiday House, Peachtree Publishers, and Candlewick. For events like ALA, friends captured photos. The book will be at the publisher’s booth at events like NCTE.

The publicity department shared some of my social media posts and created some of their own.

For my launch, I decided to give away 20 copies of my books at the food pantry where I give books to families once a month. Holiday House, Peachtree Publishers, and Candlewick Press gave me over 300 books to give away. I made treat bags with a snack, stickers, bookmarks, and an activity sheet. It was a wonderful evening to give away so many new books to families.

This is me at the food pantry line with books (including Before I Lived Here) and the treats we gave to the children. 

SUSANNA: Wow! That is absolutely wonderful! Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

STACY: I worked for more than a full year before publication to work on marketing ideas and creating assets prior to publication. I had a note on my computer during this time asking: “What did I do to market BILH today?” I created graphics. Wrote down ideas. I practiced reading the book out loud.

I created a book trailer on my own and other swag items like bookmarks, stickers, and a postcard. I am having an education guide created for the book with all the curriculum information. I also created my own school presentation and another presentation on research. And, after I did that, I’m consulting with an expert on ways to improve them.

Here is a picture of me at a school visit. I really loved sharing the book with the students.

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

STACY: I worked for decades as a journalist. Like many, after I became a mom and spent a lot of time reading picture books, I tried to write one. I’ve written a ton of rough drafts. I wrote my first children’s book manuscript in 2011 when I joined SCBWI and attended a writing retreat and the first manuscript sold in 2021 (three days before I turned 50).

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?)

STACY: A best use of time and funds is to use your library card. I read 300 picture books each year. Classes and craft books are great — and you should take them to improve your writing — but a great foundation is to read, read, read, and study the books you find in the library. Also find a critique group. You need to share your work.

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

STACY: Oh, I think, I’ve said enough. I’m thankful to you (and your writing class) and so many writers for their support over the years.

SUSANNA: Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Stacy! You gave us so much helpful information. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to learn from your experience, and I think I speak for everyone when I wish you all the best with this and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Stacy, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!

And remember, your comment on today’s post by Monday November 3rd at 3 PM Eastern will put you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a copy of BEFORE I LIVED HERE from Holiday House (U.S. addresses only, please) along with a bookplate, stickers, and bookmarks from Stacy! (Just be forewarned that, due to Halloweensie, it will be a couple weeks before the winner is announced!)

Author Stacy Jensen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacysjensen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StacySJensen/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stacysjensen
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/stacysjensen/
Twitter (X):  https://x.com/stacysjensen?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacysjensen/
Website: https://stacysjensen.com/
Bluesky: stacysjensen.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stacysjensen

You may purchase Stacy’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!