If you’ve followed me for even ten minutes, you’ll know I absolutely love kidlit writing contests and appreciate the wonderful humans that run them. Julie (@juliehauswirthbooks), Kris (@krisdecarowrites), Bri (@lawyerbri) & April (@aprilberrybooks). And also a huge shout out to the fabulous prize donors who are too many to thank individually!
My little brother’s name is Charles Carter. But I call him Captain Catastrophe. Before you get all, “that’s not very nice” about it, you really should hear my side of the story.
For my 10th birthday, Mom finally agreed to let me have a sleepover party. I wanted it to be perfect. English Muffin pizzas, manicures, hair braiding.
The trouble started during the movie. We were wrapped in blankets, munching popcorn. It was perfect, until…the stench of Char-, I mean, Captain Catastrophe- invaded the air.
Megan spit popcorn across the room. Claire pinched her nostrils. Rylee dry heaved. Brooke clamped her hands over her mouth. “What’s that smell?”
Of course, I knew, even before Captain Catastrophe leapt over the couch, yelling, “Fart Thunderstorm!!”
At first, I wanted to yell for Mom to help. Then, instinct kicked in. NOTHING was going to ruin my party. Nothing.
“On your feet!” I shouted. “Let’s make a Heart Hurricane!” We linked hands and skipped in circles around my brother. The prevailing winds of our heart hurricane overcame the fart thunderstorm and the unstable weather system who’d created it…aka Captain Catastrophe. And sent him adrift back to his room.
For most authors, we’ve heard this advice at some point in our writing journey. But does it work? Does writing stories based on our own life experiences create a compelling narrative that readers won’t want to put down? Sort of!
Writing what you know doesn’t mean jotting down the mundane details of your everyday life. That’s journaling, and really isn’t fit for widespread consumption. Heck, I don’t even want my family to read my journals! It also doesn’t mean writing the story of your life, unless you’re writing a memoir. But for fiction, I’m a firm believer in using specific events in my life as fodder for my stories.
The trick to this is to pick something that’s happened to you, or to someone in your life. Then start asking “what if?” over and over until you’ve got something tantalizing enough to create a fictionalized version of that event. I’ve applied this approach to several manuscripts, but I’m going to break down this process for my upcoming MG novel, Caught on Camera.
The cover of my debut middle-grade novel, publishing on April 27, 2027
Here is a breakdown of how the idea for my novel began with an everyday event in my life and grew with each “what if” question I applied to it. While teaching fourth grade in Effingham County, Georgia, our school system’s Reading textbook was Harcourt Trophies, an anthology of stories grouped by theme. One of the stories we taught from was an excerpt from the Newbery Honor-winning MG novel, The Cricket in Times Square. I seldom had a student who’d seen New York City or Times Square in person. So the passage below didn’t resonate with them.
“One more hop brought him out onto the sidewalk. And there he gasped, holding his breath and crouching against the cement. They were standing at one corner of the Times building, which is at the south end of Times Square. Above the cricket, towers that seemed like mountains of light rose up into the night sky. Even this late the neon signs were still blazing. Reds, blues, greens, and yellows flashed down on him. And the air was full of the roar of traffic and the hum of human beings. It was as if Times Square were a kind of shell, with colors and noises breaking in great waves inside it. Chester’s heart hurt him and he closed his eyes. The sight was too terrible and beautiful for a cricket who up to now had measured high things by the height of his willow tree and sounds by the burble of a running brook.“
The “think and respond” questions for this story asked the kids how the setting affects the lives of the characters, and why it’s so hard for this cricket from a quiet meadow in Connecticut to adjust to life in Times Square. My students struggled to make this connection from the text alone. So, I asked my principal if I could pull up some webcam footage of Times Square at the end of class one day to give the kids a sense of the setting. They all enjoyed the webcams and I think it helped them understand the sensory overload aspect of standing in the middle of all lights and sounds. One of my students, was convinced he saw a crime of someone selling “bootleg DVDs” on the sidewalk. He wanted us to call 911 and watch the police arrive–which we obviously didn’t do. But it planted the first “what if?” seed that grew into this novel.
What if a student really did see a crime or something similar while watching webcam footage?
What if no one believed him?
What if he found archived footage to prove he was right?
What if he enhanced that footage to get an image of the suspect/crime/criminal?
What if he started a podcast with tags about conspiracy theories or fake deaths that would garner a lot of views?
What if powerful people were threatened by this information coming to light?
What if those people sent someone after him?
What if the kid had to go on the run from the “bad guys”?
What if the bad guy caught up to him?
Hopefully, you see where I’m going here. Each “what if?” question raises the stakes and creates an opportunity to write exciting scenes for your protagonist.
I started out writing this novel based on “what I know” from an experience I shared with my fourth-grade students. And it grew from there. If you’re interested in CAUGHT ON CAMERA, you can pre-order a copy here.
If you want to read the eBook version and you have a Libby App through your library, you can search for the book by title and author and click the “notify me” tag. This lets the purchasing department of your library see interest in the title so they can order it. Then you’ll get a notification that it’s ready to borrow. Here’s a screenshot of what the search and tagging function look like on the app.
Y’all, this one is a tough one to write. If you’re an author, you understand better than most that some books are truly the story of your heart. For me, A WORD FOR HOME was that story–loosely based my experience of exploring kinship guardianship for of one of my students while teaching fourth grade. It was written in verse, thanks to the encouragement of my amazing critique partner, Reem Faruqi. To this day, I still think it works beautifully as a verse novel.
I finished the draft and incorporated Reem’s feedback. Then, I read it to my mom. I sat in the recliner beside her and read the whole book in one day. When I was done, she said, “That’s my favorite of everything you’ve written so far. Please send it to an agent.” Very shortly after that day, Mom passed away. She’d been at the end of a long battle with Parkinson’s.
When my wonderful agent, Kristen Terrette, offered me representation just weeks later, we were both excited and hopeful that this novel would find a home. We sent it as an exclusive to my absolute “shoot for the stars” editor, who read it quickly and replied that, as much as she liked it, it was too similar to a book she was currently working on. Okay, no worries; we’d send it out to other editors. This was in mid-2023. Over the course of 18 months, the book won over editors–but not the sales and marketing teams who are tasked with betting on the best potential money makers.
Each time an editor loved it, I’d get my hopes up. As much as my brain said, “manage your expectations,” my heart cried out, “this is going to be the one!” While waiting to hear back about the acquisitions meeting, I’d go to the publisher’s website, browse the catalog, admire the book covers and descriptions, and imagine my book listed there alongside the others. Only to be completely bummed when they got a “no” from the sales team.
At this point, I considered the manuscript dead on submission. For those outside the publishing world, this means that your agent has sent a manuscript to the editors deemed a good fit for the project without receiving any offers of publication. And yes, it feels about as crappy as you’d imagine.
However, in June of 2025, Brittany Willis at Moon + Bird, which was the third publisher to pass on A WORD FOR HOME after going to acquisitions with it, emailed us to ask if we had anything more plot-driven, aka commercial. It just so happened, I did! I’d written a manuscript called CAUGHT ON CAMERA. This, too, was based on an experience I had teaching fourth grade. We sent it to Brittany and waited to see if she liked this book as much as my verse novel.
In the meantime, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) picked CAUGHT ON CAMERA as the winner of the Work in Progress Award in the Middle Grade Category. If nothing else, this was a big boost to my confidence and meant that my work would be featured in a showcase at their conference in NYC in early 2026.
Me at the Writing Showcase during the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC
When we heard back from Brittany, she loved it and wanted to take this one to acquisitions. By this time, I felt a bit hardened by disappointment, so I tried not to get excited this time around. The news was much better for the more plot-driven project, and we received a publication offer. CAUGHT ON CAMERA will come out in April of 2027.
The official deal announcement in Publisher’s Marketplace.
So, what have I learned from this experience? Having a book die on submission is tough! It generates tons of doubt in the quality/desirability of your manuscript and kicks imposter syndrome into high gear. But it’s also not the end of the world. I kept writing new stuff while out on submission. I kept honing my craft and attending conferences and webinars. And I never gave up. Luckily, my agent is in this with me for the long haul and never lost confidence in me or my writing. For that, I’m extremely grateful.
I can’t believe it’s that time of year again! When February rolls around, it’s time to write a story for the annual Valentiny Contest. If you don’t know about Susanna Leonard Hill’s wonderful writing contests for kidlit creators, you can find all the details here.
This year, we had 214 words (excluding the title) to write a full Valentine’s Day themed story with a main character who is worried about something. These are always too fun to miss! Here’s my entry:
Wally Isn’t Worried! by Melissa Johnston Miles 213 Words
Wally is the fiercest, most ferocious ferret in the forest. Everyone knows it.
Well, maybe not everyone…
Okay, okay, maybe no one.
Still, Wally repeats these words each morning while staring at his reflection in the pond near his home— hoping to make them true.
Maybe by repeating them enough, he’ll become braver. Less worried.
Fatigued of fearing other forest creatures, Wally sets out to deliver the custom Valentine’s he’s spent weeks crafting.
First stop is Snake’s house. “Who’ssssssssssssss there?” Wally gulps, drops the Valentine, and scurries away.
Next stop is Owl’s place. “WHOO WHOO WHOO’s there?” Wally gulps, drops the Valentine, and scurries away.
He tiptoes towards Bear’s cave. Wally’s heart hammers. His paws tremble. “GRRRRRROOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLL!!!!!” Wally gulps, drops the Valentine, and scurries away.
Back at the pond, Wally sits with sagging shoulders. I’ll never be fierce or ferocious. I’ll always be worried and scared.
Behind him, a twig snaps. Wally scrambles to his feet and spins around— prepared to run for it!
In the clearing, a flurry of forest friends gather. “Thanks for our Valentine’s!”
“You knew where to find me?” Wally always worried no one knew he existed!
“SSSSSSS-sure we did,” says Snake.
Wally grins. All that worry for nothing! Maybe friendly is better than ferocious anyway.
I decided to throw my hat into the ring this year for the second annual Kids’ Choice Kidlit Writing Contest. I’d heard about it last year and it sounded like a ton of fun to have your 200 words judged by actual kids. Thanks to author Kailei Pew for putting this together, and special thanks to all the kids taking their time to read and judge the entries!
My entry is a scene from one of my YA manuscripts. I hope you enjoy it!
UPDATE** My entry made it to the finals, and ended up in second place overall for YA this year!
TRAPPED
200 Words
Nothing in life prepared me to attend my own funeral. Walking around knowing I’m dead is freakish enough. Walking through crowds of people talking about me in past tense is insane.
Over half the school is here—definitely most of the senior class. The drama queens are giving performances worthy of reality television. It’s equal parts irritating and hilarious watching them bawling like we’d been best friends.
If Raven dabs her eyes with that tissue one more time, I’ll—
Do what, exactly? Exactly nothing, that’s what.
Since nobody can see or hear me, I’m left just watching. It sucks.
I see Mom. Her face is so blotchy and swollen, I barely recognize her. She doesn’t even resemble the mom I hugged before school three days ago.
That night at the hospital, Mom begged me not to die. Begged me to stay here. For her.
Her screaming felt more agonizing than the broken ribs.
Somehow, I’d stayed.
Now I’m trapped—but desperate to escape.
Then I see Luca watching me from across the room.
His lips form my name.
Our eyes lock. Hope balloons in my chest.
If Luca can see me, maybe he’ll know how to help me cross over.
I recently won 3 mysteries written for kids in a Twitter chat with middle grade mystery writer, Lindsay Currie. Currie’s latest book Scritch, Scratch releases in September from Sourcebooks. In addition to Scritch, Scratch, I also received The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel and Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Sounders.
I enjoyed each of these titles immensely. They might have even motivated me to attempt a MG mystery novel of my own, but I really should revise all of the drafted manuscripts I have hanging around in my computer files first! If you’re a teacher, librarian or parent and know kids who would enjoy a mystery, I recommend these titles. Each book is quite different from the other two, so I’ll break them down a bit for you.
Scritch, Scratch is a mystery for sure, but it’s also a straight up ghost story! The main character Claire begins the story with familiar enough middle school angst–an annoying sibling, embarrassing parents, the new kid at school usurping her bestie, etc. However, things take a drastic turn when a ghost follows her home from assisting her father with one of his humiliating (to her, anyway) ghost tours. No spoilers, but this ghost is scary! Claire realizes that the only way to stop him from keeping her awake at night and terrified during the day is to figure out what he wants from her–and then do it. Even if she’s not sure she can. At heart, the story is about friendships and families, but has the added bonus of highlighting little known tragedies in Chicago history. I’ve visited Chicago a couple of times, but didn’t know any of these stories.
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane is set in a boarding school in England, which piqued my interest immediately. I vividly remember reading the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time (as an adult) and discovering the whole world of houses, headmasters, common rooms, dormitories, detentions, and “skiving off” assignments. Those regular mundane parts of British school life were new to me, and I found them almost as magical as the actual magic at Hogwarts. Wellsworth isn’t a magical school, but it has plenty to hold a reader’s interest. The main character Emmy, gets sent to this school after the fall term has already started. For someone who was “the new kid” at school a few times myself, I really felt for her. Emmy makes a couple of loyal friends who help her unravel cryptic clues about her father–who disappeared when she was 3. This book is the first in a series, but I was happy to see it wrapped up and didn’t leave readers hanging.
Coop Knows the Scoop doesn’t have ghosts or boarding schools. What it does have is a small Georgia town called Windy Bottom, which becomes a character of its own. Coop and his friends are as surprised as anyone when a long-buried body is excavated on the town’s playground. But Coop never imagines his own family will get caught up in the drama and small town gossip surrounding the mysterious discovery. The town’s quirky cast of characters all become potential suspects in the investigation, but Coop and his friends are out to prove the police’s main suspect wouldn’t hurt a fly. They walk a fine line “helping” with the investigation, even after they’re forbidden to interfere again. Saunders drops enough clues to the killer’s identity for astute kids to figure it out before the end, but doesn’t make it too easy.
Kids have always enjoyed mysteries. As a kid, I loved Encyclopedia Brown, Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, and other mysteries. It’s great to see new MG mysteries being published for a new generation of readers. Kudos to these authors! Happy reading.
After my dad passed away last year, Mom decided to move into an assisted living facility near my home. She wanted to be as independent as possible, and not be “right on top of us” in my house. It’s been a tough transition for all of us, in some ways. But I’ve also had the opportunity to grow my extended family through the fascinating friends Mom has made in her new home.
One of those new friends is Betty. Betty is 96 (turning 97 later this year) and still volunteers at the Mighty 8th Air Force museum in Savannah on a regular basis. She shared the story of her younger years with me recently, and we decided to make her story into a children’s nonfiction book. Here are some highlights:
Betty in her Navy uniform during the World War II.
She was a part of a top secret project (Ultra) during World War II.
I wasn’t even aware that Americans were a part of this code-breaking effort. Like many other Americans, I watched the movie about Alan Turing a few years ago, and learned that researchers at Bletchley Park in England cracked the German Enigma code. It turns out, that was only part of the story. Betty was a part of the “rest of the story”. She worked with other Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in Dayton, Ohio to build machines that we used to break the German Navy Enigma codes. Apparently, the German Navy added extra rotors to make the codes more difficult to break, and the British needed our help. Betty’s work on the project was so secretive, even she didn’t know the importance of the work she’d done until 1995 when she received an award from the National Security Agency (NSA). You can see the one remaining machine built by Betty and other WAVES at NSA’s cryptologic museum at Ft. Meade.
Betty (top row, second from left) with other WAVES during a training class in Washington, DC 1943. Photo from Betty’s personal collection.
Betty was a National Swim Champion. Betty swam competitively during her teen, college and even Navy years. She won several National swim titles, but never realized her dream of competing in the Olympics as both the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled due to the war.
Another photo from her personal collection: Betty poses on the diving board of the National Cash Register’s Sugar Camp pool in Dayton, Ohio during the war years.
She met famous people. Betty swam with future movie star, Esther Williams when they were both teenagers. Ms. Williams’ Olympic dreams were also thwarted by the war. In addition, Betty had the chance to meet Orville Wright, of the famous Wright Brothers. Mr. Wright asked for permission to meet Betty after reading an article about the young Navy WAVE defending her swim title. One of the world’s greatest visionaries chatted with young Betty about her own dreams. She also remembers drenching Mr. Wright’s shirt when he gave her a hug, as she’d just climbed out of the pool. It’s a meeting she’s never forgotten. Interestingly, that newspaper article almost got Betty in major trouble. Her swim coach didn’t go through the proper channels to secure permission for her to compete, and since she was in the Navy, her commander wasn’t happy! When the next championship rolled around, her swim coach knew exactly how to secure permission the right way.
One of the recruiting posters advertising the WAVES.
When the Navy began recruiting women into active duty, Betty wanted to do her part. She was raised to hunt, fish, swim and even solder wires with her father. It wasn’t in her nature to sit back and let the men go to war.
I recently interviewed Betty about her experiences during the war and looked through photo albums with her. It was such an honor to have her share her story with me. It felt like I was interviewing living history. I’m polishing up the manuscript of her story, and hoping to get it into the hands of a publisher! I’d love to see kids inspired by her story too.
In July, I lost my dad. He was always one of my biggest cheerleaders, even when I didn’t give him much to cheer about–especially during my high school years. Sometimes, it was embarrassing how much he’d brag about me to anyone who would listen. But I’d give almost anything now to hear him brag about me. What I’d give just to hear his voice one more time. He was especially proud that I was writing books. I still cry every time I think that he won’t be around to see Jeremiah Justice Saves the Dayreleased. He helped raise funds on Kickstarter to make it happen.
My dad was 82 when he died, so on some level I knew he wasn’t going to be around forever. But when his death came, it was sudden and unexpected. It left so much unsaid–at least from my perspective. I had so much I should have thanked him for. I started wishing right away that I’d called him every single day from the day I left for college, just to tell him I loved him.
This isn’t new advice. Just like when you’re a new parent, and you hear from countless people, “Cherish every moment. They grow up so fast.” We hear from our friends who’ve lost a parent, “Don’t take them for granted. They won’t be here forever.” But advice like this is easy to throw off as a clichés. We think, “Yeah, yeah. I know.” But let’s face it. We really don’t know. We don’t know how fast our kids grow up until they’re gone. And we don’t know how fast we can lose our parents, who’ve been there for us our entire lives until that moment. And, we’re busy. Raising kids is all consuming and leaves us exhausted half the time. Being a caregiver for elderly parents is physically and emotionally challenging many times. Believe me, I get it. But, it still doesn’t make the clichés untrue.
So, here’s my two cents for today. Don’t think, “Yeah, yeah. I know.” Pick up the phone and call your mom or dad. Or both. Tell them you love them and you appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made for you. You’ll be glad you did.
This isn’t final art for the book. Thanks to Vecteezy.com for their superhero kid collection, and Rachel Miles for transforming a generic kid into Jeremiah Justice for the fundraising campaign!
Two years ago, I began writing a picture book about a special needs superhero named Jeremiah. He’s a regular kid with a regular family–until he discovers his superpower.
This isn’t an “issue book” to teach kids to be compassionate. It’s a fun, exciting and humorous story about an amazing kid who taps into a hidden strength. What the world might see as a weakness (the trach tube in his neck) becomes the source of his superpower. He names his power The Super Tornado Blaster and practices using it until he learns to control it. There are a few mishaps, of course. But eventually he is able to stop a notorious super villain’s crime spree in his town.
When I finished the manuscript over a year ago, I wrote a blog post about it. Since then, I’ve shared my story with writers, editors and illustrators at conferences. The response has always been positive. Enthusiastic even. But then it comes back to the world of publishing. It’s a business, you see. And books only sell enough copies to be profitable if they appeal to the widest possible audience. This kind of book is considered a “niche” book. Considering the amount of interest it’s already received, I’m hoping it’s much more than that. I dream of this book being read to school kids, by parents and grandparents, and even some kids who want to read it over and over to themselves. I envision the book being given to kids attending special needs camps in the summer, to families with a new trach patient, and to kids who are fans of superhero stories in general.
April 1st, my Kickstarter Campaign launches. It will run for 30 days, and my project goal is set high enough to cover the costs of publishing the book with the help of a professional illustrator. If you’d like to see a book in the world featuring a medically fragile child brave enough to take on a super villain, please support the campaign. It will take the help of everyone I know to share the word about this project. Thanks in advance!
Update: Check out this great early concept character of Jeremiah Justice by talented artist and SCAD professor Rashad Doucet!
From the moment my feet touched the ground at the Highlight’s Foundation property in Pennsylvania, I knew I’d made the right choice. I selected Summer Camp at the Barn from a long list of amazing workshops for the opportunity of mentoring. I shared a van from the airport with three of the talented and generous mentors for the week, and from the beginning I felt welcome.
I discovered fairly quickly after arriving that it wasn’t only the official mentors I’d learn from during the week. The group of talented writers assembled at Summer Camp 2017 taught me more than I’d thought possible. Through critique sessions on the screened porch of the farmhouse, impromptu discussions between activities, and chats during meals, I learned. I grew as a writer. I felt a part of a community.
Here it is, October already, and I’m taking time to reflect on how much this experience meant to me. I’m happy to say that through a Facebook group and email list, some of us are exchanging manuscripts for critique and sharing exciting news. One of our group just signed with an agent, and another was chosen as a mentee in Pitchwars. I’m polishing two articles I plan to submit to Highlights, and have already received feedback from two of my fellow “summer camp” alums.
I would highly recommend this experience to anyone interested in writing for children and teens, no matter where you are in the writing journey. You will meet people at varying stages at Highlights that will become a part of your own journey. The generosity of the staff, mentors, and other attendees will remain with me for years to come.
