Hello, Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Here on Blueberry Hill we had 4 straight days of gorgeous blue skies and sunshine with no humidity and perfect temperatures – a made-to-order holiday weekend. Everyone enjoyed it

except possibly whoever lives in that stone wall 🤣

And now everyone is back in school, a time of year which still feels like a beginning to me. Is it just me, or does everyone feel like writing something new?!

We’ve got lots of new for today.

First, we have TWO new giveaway winners to announce from Kimberly Shrack’s debut last week. Kimberly offered a Zoom chat with an aspiring author/illustrator and/or their critique group to one lucky winner as well as a copy of SPOOKY SCOUTS to another lucky winner!

And the winners are:

ransonpatti

who wins the Zoom chat with an aspiring author/illustrator and/or their critique group

and

Art

who wins the copy of SPOOKY SCOUTS

Congratulations, Patti and Art! I hope you will both enjoy your awesome prizes! Please email me at your earliest convenience so I can get them to you!

Next, we have a new giveaway for this week! Honestly, it seems like all our guests are trying to outdo each other with their generosity! Two giveaways last week, and THREE this week!

Today’s debut-ess VERY kindly says: “I’d LOVE to offer TWO free picture book manuscript critiques (non-rhyming) and a Free Virtual Classroom Visit for a Teacher”! Wow! How lucky are we? All you need to do to put yourself in the running to be a randomly selected winner of one of these THREE prizes is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday September 14th at 3 PM Eastern!

And last, but absolutely not least, we have a new debut author to get to know! It is my pleasure to introduce the lovely and talented Jen Anyong and her not-too-spooky picture book THE GHOST WHO SAVED HALLOWEEN!

Title: The Ghost Who Saved Halloween
Author: Jen Anyong
Illustrator: Kaly Quarles
Publishing House: HarperCollins
Date of Publication: 7/21/26
ISBN: 978-0063478008
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: Picture Book ages 4-8 OR Halloween lovers of ALL AGES

Candy has upstaged Ghost on Halloween for far too long so now he must learn a new trick and treat these kids to a good ole haunt, or else the holiday will fall flat like a busted pipe organ. It’s up to Ghost to save Halloween in this irresistible picture book for Halloween lovers of all ages!

SUSANNA: Welcome, Jen! We are thrilled to have you here today to tell us all about your debut and the first book in your WHO SAVED THE HOLIDAYS series! Where did the idea for this book come from?

JEN: I know this is a little unusual…but actually, the HarperCollins team asked me to write a Ghost/Halloween book AFTER they fell in love with a Turkey/Thanksgiving book my agent submitted. And so was birthed the Who Saved the Holidays series!

They wanted a Halloween book to come FIRST in the series, and therefore, at the time we accepted the offer, I had NOT YET written what would become my debut picture book.

When the deal came in, I thought very hard about what made the Turkey/Thanksgiving story so special and then carried those two or three elements into the Ghost/Halloween story. And with the title already decided by the publisher, I had to ask myself, how could a ghost save Halloween? And why would he need to? Then I worked backwards. I thought about how desensitized children can seem these days and what would happen if Ghost couldn’t get their attention?

And of course, I read all of the recent Ghost picture books I could get my hands on, just to make sure I brought something fresh to my readers. All in all, it was a really fun process!

SUSANNA: Wow! That is quite a story! How long did it take you to write this not yet written but first to be released book?

JEN: Once the deal memo came in, I couldn’t help but be inspired, so I began right away, writing and researching, and within about two weeks, I had a solid first draft for my editor!

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

JEN: Not too bad at all – but there was something I didn’t expect – later in the process we ended up both adjusting words and adding a few new ones to match the illustrations better.

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

JEN: My Turkey manuscript that sold, (which inspired the Harper team to ask for Ghost) was one I’d held onto for a while, not showing many people. But the people I had shown weren’t as “sold” on it as I’d hoped. So, when I went to my region’s SCBWI Fall Retreat and showed an Editor in my one on one session, she encouraged me, BIG TIME, that it was ready! Next, I showed my agent, and she LOVED it, too. And BAM, within a few months, it was a done deal!

My former workspace with my writing buddy, Bert, we’ve since moved, but I got my start writing in that exact spot with that pup as a huge bit of inspiration. Here, he’s hijacked my spot, probably when I went to get my favorite snack! LOL! Which is always changing…but in this specific instance, I’d guess Candy Corn👻

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

JEN: My agent submitted the Turkey manuscript Thanksgiving week of 2024 and we had a deal by end of March 2025 – a TOTAL surprise!

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 😊)

JEN: The day the deal came through, my agent called me on the phone for the first time ever – (we always email or do GoogleMeet meetings), so I didn’t even have her phone number saved. I nearly didn’t answer! But, it was the most wonderful surprise ever!

SUSANNA: Nothing beats those phone calls! At my house, they result in a lot of very energetic if not at all talented dancing 😊 How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

JEN: It was quite a while…I don’t remember exactly, maybe four months.

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

JEN: I had no idea what to expect, so I was pleased – especially with my agent’s negotiations and her knowledge and expertise about what would be best for me in the long term!

SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like? Did you include any art notes?

JEN: With this being my debut, I’d say the illustration side of things was full of surprises! My opinion was definitely consulted and valued, from start to finish – not to say that every single recommendation of mine was heeded. There were compromises, for sure. One thing I didn’t see coming, making for the happiest of surprises, was Kaly’s advent of the Super Scare 5000! It’s such a wonderful addition to the book and pretty much the best possible outcome when leaving room for the illustrator! I couldn’t be more pleased with the illustrations, and I cannot wait to continue working alongside Kaly and the HarperCollins team to bring the Who Saved the Holidays series to life! She certainly has my trust.

Here is an example of a spread that had art notes:

“There’s no candy, skip that place!” [Kid telling other kids]
The children vanish, leave no trace.
A mournful pout upon my face,
“At long last, I was having fun…”

BUM! BUM! BUM! [Organ chords sound]

(and here is how it turned out 😊)

text copyright Jen Anyong 2026, illustration copyright Kaly Quarles 2026, HarperCollins

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

JEN: I received my offer March 27, 2025 and I had my very first author copy in hand April 25, 2026!

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

JEN: I’m so thankful for the completely goofy and totally niche subculture that is Summerween! I discovered its existence in summer 2025, simply walking into Walmart, their shelves were overflowing with fun stuff I’d never seen before! The idea of Summerween and all the cuteness that goes with it made launching a Halloween book in July much less nerve-wracking! So, I began collecting everything a Debut Author might to make the process as fun and appealing as possible. We made a Summerween promotional video and I had a Summerween-themed Book Launch Party. It was really a hoot and a half! I’ve also worked very hard to promote on Instagram, so go follow me there and check out all of the silliness and fun I’m having promoting The Ghost Who Saved Halloween!

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

JEN: I began writing really seriously in Fall of 2021 and it took three years of querying (arguably, I started a year too soon, I had so much to learn) to get agented and then six months to get the first book deal!

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?)

JEN: Something I often say to my mentees: Do Not Rush. Publishing is slow and getting our work just right takes time. Revision is one of the most powerful and important things we do as writers. You never know when a fresh line might pop in your head, turning your manuscript from a pass to a YES!

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Jen! We so enjoyed getting to hear your interesting journey to publication and the opportunity to learn from your experience! Best of luck with this title, and with TURKEY, and with whatever else comes after!

Readers, if you have questions for Jen, 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 puts you in the running to be one of the randomly selected winners of one of today’s three giveaways: TWO free picture book manuscript critiques (non-rhyming) and a Free Virtual Classroom Visit for a Teacher”! All you need to do to is leave your comment by Monday September 14th at 3 PM Eastern!

Author Jen Anyong

Website: authorjenanyong.com
Instagram: @jenanyong

You may purchase Jen’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!