I’m pleased to announce that Judith Robbins Rose, Denver, Colorado, has placed her middle grade novel Miss with Candlewick Press, which also publishes acclaimed authors Kate DiCamillo and M. T Anderson. She is working with the editor Andrea Tompa and is represented by Sean McCarthy at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency.
Her book-in-progress, Burn, received top honors at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Southern California 2013 Retreat. This book is also a finalist in the Mainstream Literary Category 2013 Colorado Gold Contest, run by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. www.jrrose.net
Congratulations on Burn being a finalist in the Colorado Gold Contest, and winning an SCWBI award. How important are awards when trying to get an agent, or a publisher?
Judy: Awards help in getting your book read, but ultimately an agent or editor has to connect deeply with your work to be willing to take it on. And that’s to your advantage. You wouldn’t want to marry a person who isn’t crazy in love with you. You don’t want someone involved in your book only because of the potential for sales. This is what makes publishing a unique industry. It is about the cash, but the passion’s gotta be there, too.
How did you decide to write a young adult novel set during the 100 Years War?
Judy: While I love the Joan of Arc story, novels and non-fiction works about her often feel sterile. What I wanted to explore in Burn is the backwash of martyrdom. What about the people caught up in the wake of a decision to die for a cause? Ah, now we have love, pride, grief, guilt, anger, frustration, all wrapped up with a loss of control.
Your debut novel, Miss, slated to be published in Spring 2015 by Candlewick Press, tells the story of a 12-year-old daughter of undocumented immigrants who is paired in a mentoring program with a pushy, fading celebrity. How important is it for young people to have mentors?
Judy: In Miss, the mentor is far from perfect. Miss serves as the antagonist for the novel, but the difference she makes in Jacinta’s life is huge. Now, imagine a world where every kid has a mentor. I’m sick to death of party politics—aren’t we all? But mentoring and tutoring give me opportunities to channel my frustration, tangibly working to make the world better.
As an adult who has worked with a writing coach, how is it to be on the other side of the mentoring process? What are the benefits of working with a coach?
Judy: Even having been a professional writer for my entire career, I still found writing a novel to be incredibly difficult—at times it felt impossible. Thankfully I found you, Lori. While craft books, conferences and critique groups are vital, nothing has saved me as much time, money and frustration as having a coach. It’s always about the author and the work.
It was a total pleasure to be part of this journey and I am looking forward to helping launch Miss with much fanfare.
