Welcome to a late Sunday edition of Tuesday Debut, Everyone!

It was supposed to be a Saturday Edition – my apologies to Jessica! – but a little trouble on the home front delayed the post.

Not to worry, everything thankfully seems to be under control now.

And I have the pleasure of introducing you to the lovely and talented Jessica Iwanski and her gorgeous book, STORIES BY THE SEA: A LIGHTHOUSE LIBRARY’S JOURNEY! I cannot wait to read this book because not only is it a story about a unique library, the lighthouse on the cover makes me think of Nantucket, a place near and dear to my heart.

So without further delay, my friends, please welcome Jessica Iwanksi!

Who incidentally is offering a wonderful giveaway: winner’s choice of either a signed copy of her book, STORIES BY THE SEA: A LIGHTHOUSE LIBRARY’S JOURNEY (with some book swag!) OR a picture book manuscript critique (non-rhyming, 700 words or less.) 😊 All you have to do to get yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner of this fabulous prize is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday October 5th at 3 PM Eastern!

Title: Stories by Sea: A Lighthouse Library’s Journey
Author: Jessica Iwanski
Illustrator: Angela C. Hawkins
Publishing House: Gnome Road Publishing
Date of Publication: September 22, 2026
ISBN:
Fiction or Nonfiction: Historical Fiction
age range of your book: 6-8

In the 1800s, American lighthouse keepers lived at the edges of the sea with limited access to opportunities. But then, hope set sail in the form of traveling library cases. Inspired by real events, Stories by Sea: A Lighthouse Library’s Journey follows one library case as it journeys from lighthouse to lighthouse, connecting families through the stories they share and celebrating the power of books to light the way.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Jessica! We are so thrilled to have you here today to share your journey to publication with this gorgeous book! Where did the idea for this story come from?

JESSICA: I got the idea for Stories by Sea in the spring of 2023 while reading an article about lighthouses (as one does, when one loves lighthouses!). A tiny fact was buried within the article, something I almost skimmed right over: lighthouse families in the 1800s received books by boat! 

I’ve since found that many of my story ideas are based on stories I encounter in my real life, whether they’re little tidbits of historical fact, funny things my kids do or say, or memories from my own childhood. Stories are everywhere, if you keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to them.

SUSANNA: That is so true! How long did it take you to write this book?

JESSICA: When all was said and done, it took me about six months to really solidify my story. I knew the concept of a traveling lighthouse library could make a delightful and unique picture book (especially for my fellow book-lovers and lighthouse-enthusiasts), but it took me a while to find the right structure.

I spent a couple of months experimenting. Eventually, I settled on a circular structure which allowed me to track one library case as it journeys from lighthouse to lighthouse. In a way, the library case was my main character!

This is actually really different from my usual writing process. Most of the time, I start with an idea and spend a good while working it out in my head before ever putting pen to paper (or…fingers to keyboard). I like to have the full framework before writing a first draft. But this story required a more experimental approach, and that’s okay. It can be fun to try on different styles! And when all the pieces click together, that’s when you know you’re on the right track.

SUSANNA: Every story has its own evolution. You’re right that it is important to be open to trying new things! Were there any mentor texts that helped you zero in on the direction you wanted to take your book?

JESSICA: Mentor texts are my best friends! I always leave a stack of picture books encouraged to bring new techniques to my own craft. With Stories by Sea, I was definitely inspired by Sophie Blackall’s Hello Lighthouse. I also drew inspiration from Books by Horseback (Emma Carlson Berne and Ilaria Urbinati) for the traveling library aspects.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

JESSICA: Surprisingly, this story didn’t go through too many revisions after I found the right structure. I made some tweaks after getting feedback from various critique partners (and one professional critique), but no big developmental edits. I think this was down to having found the right blend of elements to tell this particular story. 

Of course, there are an infinite number of ways to write a story. If something feels sticky about yours, try switching up an element! Can you tell it from a different POV? Change your main character? Add a refrain or more lyrical elements?  You’ll know you’ve found the right combination when things start to flow effortlessly. And don’t worry – your story will lead the way. 😊

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

JESSICA: This is an impossible question for a recovering perfectionist like me! But by the end of 2023, I felt strongly that the manuscript was something I could be proud of. This was about 6 months after I wrote my first draft.

(L) Jessica with her gorgeous book! (R) Jessica’s adorable writing buddies who clearly also love her book! 😊

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

JESSICA: This is the story I’ve been waiting to tell because truthfully, none of this would have happened without you, Susanna!

The whole summer and fall of 2023, I had been preparing to submit Stories by Sea (under a different title) to Mindy Alyse Weiss’ PBParty in Spring 2024. I had a query letter written and was polishing other manuscripts at the same time. 

Then I won the 2023 Susanna Leonard Hill Kidlit Holiday Writing Contest!

The first-place prize was a submission opportunity to Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road Publishing. I figured I could submit my lighthouse story, learn from Sandra’s valuable feedback, and use it to tighten my manuscript for PBParty. But then Sandra and I had our Zoom call in January 2024.

Within 10 minutes of the call, Sandra was telling me that she had fallen in love with my story – I had no idea she was a fellow lighthouse-lover! She made an unofficial offer right then, and a few weeks later I had a real book contract sitting in my inbox. 

My list of potential agents was super small, but there was one agent in particular who I wanted to work with more than any other (Anjanette Barr, Dunham Literary). She was closing to queries the next day, so I decided to query her quickly, not expecting anything at all. To my everlasting shock, she replied two days later with a request to set up The Call!

We hit it off right away, connecting over favorite books and fellow homeschooling journeys, and I signed with her that week in early 2024. I have been happily working with Anjanette ever since.

It was quite the whirlwind journey, and it never would have happened without you, Susanna. I am forever grateful for your continual support and advocacy in the kidlit space, and for creating contests that inspire, encourage, and truly change lives.    

SUSANNA: Oh, my goodness, Jessica! This makes me SO happy! I am so glad the contest connection with Sandra worked out so well for you! 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 ☺)

JESSICA: About 2-3 weeks after my first call with Sandra, we had another Zoom call to go over contract details. She was so patient and answered all my (many!) questions. Three days later, she sent me the official contract. My family and I celebrated by going out to one of our favorite restaurants and ordering a tableful of gigantic burgers. Yum!

SUSANNA: Sounds like a great celebration! 😊 How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

JESSICA: From that first call with Sandra where she made the unofficial offer, it was about three and a half weeks until I had the official contract in hand.

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

JESSICA: I honestly had no frame of reference for what to expect from a contract. But Sandra took so much time and care going over every detail with me. Once I had my agent (Anjanette) on board several weeks later, I passed most of the nitty-gritty details off to her, but I was thankful to have been given a crash course in contracts.

The contract was actually in such pristine shape that Anjanette and I didn’t end up requesting many big changes. I remember we asked for additional author copies (15 total) and changed the wording in a couple areas to make sure it was clear for everyone. But otherwise, it was more than fair for a small independent press. 

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

JESSICA: Sandra was wonderful to work with! She’s communicative, collaborative, and clearly trusts her authors to sharpen their own stories. She gave me a few pointers (“add more onomatopoeia here,” “can you add a gentle rhyme there?”) but again, there were no big developmental edits. Sandra and I really saw eye-to-eye on this project from the start, and she gave me the space to preserve my author voice while tweaking certain areas to really make it shine.

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

JESSICA: The illustration process was one of my favorite parts! Sandra and I both thought that Angela C. Hawkins would be the perfect fit for this book and luckily, she agreed to take it on.

Angela and I collaborated quite a bit over the next few months. Sandra encouraged me to keep in my detailed art notes because it was important that we got the historical aspects right. For example, I had notes about which books were common in the library cases, what types of families might have been living in the lighthouses at the time, and how the books might have been used. I wrote all the logbook entries as well, but Angela added the character names you see sprinkled throughout and included so many delightful and historically accurate books for the library case.

Angela and I also emailed back and forth several times and even met once on a video call to swap research notes and questions. I saw very detailed early sketches and then just a few months later, I was able to see the final digital files! This was such an amazing moment. There is nothing that can prepare you for seeing your words come to life through art.

I feel so lucky to have been part of such a collaborative project, as I know that’s not often the case.

SUSANNA: It does sounds like it was wonderfully collaborative! And I have to say, looking at these few samples from the book, I love Angela’s art! Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

JESSICA: I did! Kirkus gave us a wonderful review about a month and a half before the release date and shortly after, we received a lovely review from Booklist. It was surreal to see my book reviewed so positively by such prestigious institutions!

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

JESSICA: It was two years and seven months from offer to book, which felt never-ending at the beginning. But we got there in the end. 😊

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

JESSICA: Gnome Road Publishing is a small independent press, so there isn’t an enormous budget for marketing. But I found them to be very strategic about how and where they promote. For example, they’ve been wonderful about promoting my book on social media, submitting it for trade reviews, and even submitting it for awards. In fact, we found out a few months ago that Stories by Sea was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

The benefit of a smaller publisher is that every book is precious to them. They truly care about their titles and want to see them find their perfect readers. 

SUSANNA: Congratulations on the JLG award – that is huge! Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

JESSICA: Figuring out how to market and promote has been a steep learning curve for me. But some of the best advice I was given early on was don’t try to do it all. Find things that you genuinely enjoy doing and focus on doing them well.

I am certainly not the best promoter and I’m learning new things all the time, but to give new writers a jumping off point (because I really could have used it!), here are a few of the things I did:

• Purchased or participated in several marketing/promotion webinars. These gave me a great baseline to start.
• Connected with a promo group. We found each other through 12×12 and it’s been a joy to be able to cheerlead their books as they cheerlead mine. We’re on Instagram @OnceUponAFall2026.
• Worked with my local bookstores for promotion. One of my favorite indie bookstores partnered with me to provide signed copies to anyone who preordered through them. Another has been promoting my storytime event to local online papers and events pages. If you partner with other book-lovers, chances are your reach will be further.
• Ordered bookmarks, stickers, and book plates. I worked with my illustrator on designs, plus I ordered a big, cheap roll of generic nautical stickers to be able to give out at events. 
• Pitched myself to bloggers. As a homeschooling mom, I’m not able to canvas the country with book promotion. But I can fill out interviews from my living room. I scheduled several interviews (like this one!) for around my launch date and got typing.

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

JESSICA: It was about 9-10 months, which I know sounds very fast. But I’m a firm believer that when the timing is right, the pieces fall into place. 

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?)

JESSICA: My absolute best advice for aspiring picture book writers is to read a LOT of picture books. Join groups that inspire, uplift, and educate you (SCBWI and 12×12 are my recommendations). 

Start writing before you think you’re ready. Really, just start! Write some terrible first drafts. Words are cheap, after all. And never be so afraid to hear a “no” that you stand in the way of your “yes.”

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

JESSICA: One last piece of advice: I’d encourage every aspiring kidlit writer to participate in Susanna’s contests! Not only are they fun, inspiring, and excellent writing practice…your “yes” might be waiting here, too. 😊

I hope readers of all ages find joy in Stories by Sea. I hope this book invites curiosity and connection and most of all, helps readers create lasting memories together. This story is yours now! 

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

Readers, if you have questions for Jessica, 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 October 5th at 5PM Eastern puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of Jessica’s fabulous prize – winner’s choice of a signed copy of STORIES BY THE SEA: A LIGHTHOUSE LIBRARY’S JOURNEY OR a a picture book manuscript critique (non-rhyming, 700 words or less)!

Author Jessica Iwanski

Website: jessicaiwanski.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563779707039 
Instagram: @jessicaiwanski
Gnome Road Publishing Instagram: @gnomeroadpublishing
Angela C. Hawkins’s (illustrator) Instagram: @angelac.hawkins

You may purchase Jessica’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!