Welcome to our special Thursday edition of Tuesday Debut!

Sometimes, there are so many wonderful new authors to share that I can’t fit them all on Tuesdays, and I knew you wouldn’t want to miss this one!

Today’s debut-ess has written an absolutely gorgeous, lyrical book which has received three starred reviews – pretty impressive for a debut! It is based on a true story. I hope you will love hearing about it as much as I did!

In addition, she is offering a giveaway – winner’s choice of either a copy of her beautiful book, OR a query letter critique! All you need to do to put yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday, March 23rd at 3 PM Eastern.

Please join me in welcoming Rebecca Rose Mooradian, author of Rose By The Sea: An Armenian Journey of Courage and Hope!

Title: Rose by the Sea: An Armenian Journey of Courage and Hope
Author: Rebecca Rose Mooradian
Illustrator: Myo Yim
Publishing House: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (@simonkids)
Date of Publication: March 3, 2026
Fiction or Nonfiction: historical fiction
age range of your book: 4-8+
ISBN #: 978-1665944137

Dzovinar (“zill-ven-ar”) lives with her family in Armenia, where the hillside is dotted with sheep and the apricot trees bloom every spring. She loves her home—but one day, soldiers storm her village, and she returns to an empty house. Their parents gone, Dzovinar and her sister are forced to flee. Afraid and alone, they journey across the desert, then over the ocean: first to France and then to America, where they hope a new future will bloom. Changed but not lost, Dzovinar takes root in a new land…forever a rose by the sea.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Rebecca! Thank you so much for joining us today to tell us about your gorgeous book! I think our readers are going to be very interested in the history. Where did the idea for this book come from?

REBECCA: This book is based on my great-grandmother’s immigration story, so it has been with me as long as I can remember. My father, Don Mooradian, worked as a columnist and wrote about Dzovinar (“zill-ven-ar”)  in an article when I was 6. That article was called, “Let’s forget old hatreds.” I think there are a lot of echoes of that piece in Rose.

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

This was one of this magical experiences where the story had been rattling around in my brain for so long that by the time the first few lines occurred to me the rest wrote itself in a few hours. That is not at all the norm for me, but I think I had been thinking about Dzovinar for so long that I knew what the book needed to be. I wrote it in an afternoon in 2020.

SUSANNA: That is incredible. I’ve read just a few excerpts that are available and the writing is so lyrical and lovely! So moving! What an accomplishment to be able to write it in an afternoon! Did you go through many revisions?

The version I wrote six years ago is essentially what was just published. There are a few changes that happened once it was at Atheneum — I think the biggest one was that in theoriginal draft it was a little less clear that Dzovinar’s parents were gone; I had the line about her father’s boot being left behind on the front walk, but I hadn’t made it super clear, and didn’t have details relating to her mother’s disappearance. My editor also had me add some more reflective lines while Dzovinar is on the boat in which she is remembering her parents; likewise at the end there is a bit more of a summary of what she’s been through. There’s a fine line when writing about a period of history this dark; clarity is important but I did’t want anything to feel overly explicit either.

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

It went out on submission in 2022. Between writing it and going out on sub I switched agents, and there were other works out on submission so this one waited around a while.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

It went out on submission in September 2022. I already had an agent for a different work which never sold.

Rebecca’s writing buddy, Wendell Juniper (Wendy June) 😊

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”?

It was a few days! It happened so fast. It went out on 9/26 and by 9/29 we’d had emails from two editors saying they were taking it to acquisitions, and were told ‘yes’ after zoom calls with each. An auction was set up, but I knew already who I wanted to go with based off very different visions for the book; one editor wanted to omit some of the specific places/names so it would become a more universal immigration story. The other wanted to lean into the Armenian aspect of the story. Because it is family history and because the Armenian genocide is an important part of history that needs to be remembered, I knew which one of those visions most aligned with mine and was thrilled to go with Atheneum.

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 ☺)

I got the offer on October 17, 2022. It was an email and I was totally over the moon. I think I celebrated by buying a book at my favorite bookstore.

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

It felt like forever!! In actuality, it was May 2023. That is a pretty long on ramp though not unheard of.

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

It took so much longer and was more involved. I really didn’t know what to expect and was so grateful for my amazing agent at the <me (Alice Fugate at Joy Harris — she now works at University Press of Kentucky).

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

I received my edit letter in April 2023. Once illustrations were underway there were a few more edits. I really love line editing and loved working with Feather Flores.

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

Part of my contract was that I would get to provide meaningful feedback on the illustrator choice, and I submitted a long list of illustrators I could picture working on Rose. Looking back, I can’t imagine this book with anyone other than Myo Yim. She added such magic and whimsy to the story, and did such an amazing job with historical and cultural references. I loved that Sonia Chaghatzbanian was the Art Director/Designer with Simon & Schuster as well and always knew that Rose was in the best of hands. The notes I gave were essentially, “This is beautiful! This made me cry!” I always felt Myo Yim did an incredible job.

text copyright Rebecca Rose Mooradian 2026, illustration copyright Myo Yim 2026, Atheneum BFYR

text copyright Rebecca Rose Mooradian 2026, illustration copyright Myo Yim 2026, Atheneum BFYR

SUSANNA: That’s wonderful. The art is truly gorgeous. Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

That was surreal! I didn’t know what to expect and it felt so affirming to see that the book was making its way out into the world. I feel honored that Rose received starred reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, and Booklist.

SUSANNA: Amazing! Congratulations! That is such an accomplishment. Though from what I’ve read, extremely well-deserved! How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

Offer was October 2022 and first copy in hand was November 2025. Three years!!!

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

They’ve submitted it for reviews. They’ve reached out to bookstores and sent promotional copies out. They’ve also reached out a few places to try and schedule events.

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

I reached out to a few book reviewers through instagram. I haven’t done much in way of promotional materials. That is something I would probably want to do differently (better!) with subsequent books.

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

I’ve always written and have had an agent since 2018. So it was 4 years of having an agent before I sold my first book. I have had so many close calls and rejections over the years. It is such a hard industry and one I wouldn’t be in unless I loved the actual process of writing!

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?)

Persistence is everything. Don’t give up. The idea that success just happens overnight is by and large a myth, on mostly the writers who make it are the ones who’ve worked very hard to make it.

Joy is also important. I think if writing brings you joy — even when it comes to telling sad or difficult stories — that is felt by the reader. I think too joy can carry you through the leaner times as a writer.

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Rebecca! We truly appreciate the opportunity to learn from you! Best wishes with this and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Rebecca, 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, March 23rd at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running to be the randomly selcted winner of a copy of Rose By The Sea: An Armenian Journey of Courage and Hope, OR a query letter critique from Rebecca!

Author Rebecca Rose Mooradian

Website: https://www.rebeccarosemooradian.com/
Instagram: @rebeccarosemooradian 

You may purchase Rebecca’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 (ISBN #: 978-1665944137)

– 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!