KidLit Alert!
Interview with Traditionally Published
Debut Middle-Grade Author of
Peril at Price Manor
Laura Parnum
You have an MG coming out this August: What’s the title, and why should we read it?
My wacky middle-grade novel is called...
Peril at Price Manor
It’s got horror themes, but honestly, it’s more humorous than frightening, so it’s perfect for kids who are interested in dipping their toes into the genre as well as kids who are already horror fans.
The story follows 12-year-old Halle, who is determined to someday play the Damsel in Distress in a horror film, but when she gets the chance to deliver flowers to her idol, the famous horror movie maker Maximus Price, she finds a real (though somewhat hilarious) horror scene at Price Manor and must use all her knowledge of horror movies to stop thinking like a Damsel in Distress and start thinking like a Heroine.
You like creepy settings - what is the creepiest place you’ve been, and what age were you? Anything creepy happen?
I remember a camping trip with my family and some other families when I was about thirteen or fourteen. We’d been telling scary stories by the campfire, mostly courtesy of my dad, so my mind was filled with these frightening thoughts already when someone suggested we walk through the nearby cemetery. Of course, the teens in the group were game, so we set out with our flashlights into the cemetery. One person said,
“Wouldn’t it be terrifying if we saw all
our names on the gravestones?”
Well, not long after that comment, we came across a gravestone with the name PARNELL on it. Even though it wasn’t PARNUM, it was close enough for me and my sister to be adequately creeped out!
Love that you find typos in books, even at an early age - do you edit your own work? What’s it like to work with a big house publisher and editor?
I do try to get my own work to be as error-free as possible, but when you’re the author, you are often so close to the work that your eyes often overlook the errors. Since your brain knows what the manuscript is supposed to say, it will “fill in the gaps,” so to speak, and correct the errors in your mind, whether those are typos, problems with sentence structure, repetitive phrasing, or errors in a plot line.
For this reason, it’s always best to have
someone else edit your work.
And the more eyes on your work, the better because an editor may miss things that a proofreader will catch further down the line.
Working with a big-house publisher and editor has been great. Publishing a book in this way is a team effort, and I felt that my manuscript was in good hands in both the revision stage and the copyediting and proofreading stages.
Why should newbie writers have someone else read their manuscripts before querying?
When you’re querying, you want your manuscript to be in the very best shape you can get it.
Beta readers and
critique partners are so important!
When a story is in your head, it may not translate exactly from your brain to the page. You may leave something crucial out that your mind knows, but the reader doesn’t. Your beta readers and critique partners will be able to point out when something isn’t clear or if something seems to be missing. They will also be looking at your manuscript with a critical eye and be able to spot places where you can “show not tell” or when you’ve repeated information that doesn’t need to be repeated, just to name a few examples.
And most importantly, they are also reading your work as a first-time reader, much like an agent or editor that you will be querying would be doing, so your beta readers will be able to let you know how well the story grabs their attention and pulls them in, which is exactly what you want an agent or editor to feel when they read your query and sample pages.
How long did it take you to become a published author? What was that path like for you?
Oh, a very long time! I started writing Peril at Price Manor way back in 2014! (It had a different title back then.) There were lots of revisions during that time, but there was also plenty of downtime during which I was waiting for responses.
I joined SCBWI, where I attended conferences and workshops to learn about craft and the publishing industry, purchased critiques from professionals like agents and editors who helped me understand what was working and what wasn’t, and met other writers and kid-lit professionals to help build community and share resources. At one point, I changed a major part of the premise of the novel, so that was a huge rewrite. I finally signed with my phenomenal agent, Kaitlyn Katsoupis, in January 2021, and things really got moving from there. The book will release in 2023, so that’s nine years from when I first sat down to start writing it.
I should also mention that my short story “Mrs. Claiborne’s Ghost” was published in October 2020 with Parhelion Literary Magazine, so that was technically my first publication and only took about six months compared to nine years!
You also have a freelance editing service; tell us about that and why we should hire you.
My first job after college was in journal production at a medical publishing company, where I got my feet wet in copyediting. I really loved that aspect of the job—cleaning up manuscripts and formatting them to each journal’s specific style. After I left that job, I was ready and eager to move into the fiction editing realm.
I joined the Editorial Freelancers Association, took a few more editing courses, built a website, and started editing novels! Although I consider myself a slow editor, I like to think that I’m very thorough. I’ll read each manuscript multiple times and create a detailed style guide for each book, which I share with the client as part of the editing package. I’ve had clients tell me how helpful the style guide is, especially if they are working on a series. I include character details, settings, names of places, world-building rules (especially helpful in paranormal or fantasy books), and a timeline. All of this helps ensure consistency throughout a novel or series.
You love libraries, like all of us writers. Which library is your favorite and why?
A favorite library? How can I choose?
They are all pretty amazing. My neighborhood library when I was a kid had a giant wooden dragon sculpture with bookshelves in its belly. It’s hard to top that. But really, I think I’d be happy exploring any library.
You have pets - a turtle that bites and a snake that doesn’t. Explain, please.
My snake is a ball python named Monty that I inherited after my dad passed away. Monty is more than 30 years old now and has performed in magic shows, on film, and at birthday parties. He looks intimidating—he’s over five feet long and thicker than my arm, but he’s a gentle soul (unless you’re a rat) and doesn’t mind being handled.
I’ve had my turtle for nearly as long as we’ve had the snake. He’s an aquatic turtle about the size of my fist, and his name is Hamlet. He swims around excitedly when I approach his aquarium to feed him, but yeah, he might bite if you pick him up the wrong way! I bought him for three dollars from a kid in my Philly neighborhood who was randomly selling animals from his front stoop, so I guess Hamlet is a street-tough turtle.
I’m working on my next book with HarperCollins. It’s not a sequel. This one has a ghost! Then I have another work-in-progress about a kid who has supervillain parents, which is in very rough draft form, and then I have some other story beginnings and outlines that are in queue for when the ghost one is finished.
I used to do some acting in horror movies when I lived in Pittsburgh, PA - what draws you to horror? Why does your MC want to be a Damsel in Distress in a horror film?
That’s so cool that you acted in horror movies! My dad was a collector of movie memorabilia—mostly horror—so we had a whole room in our house that held his collection. The walls were covered with posters—even on the ceiling—and he had tons of books and magazine and movie stills. He even edited a magazine devoted to horror, science fiction, and fantasy movies and was a contributor to several anthologies about horror movies.
I was basically immersed
in horror from a very young age.
Don’t get me wrong—it was definitely scary when I was little, or when I watched things like Nightmare on Elm Street and The Exorcist when I was waaaaay too young. But eventually those horror movies just became a part of life for me—maybe even a WAY of life, haha!
My main character wants to be a Damsel in Distress because she loves the genre, but she sees herself more as a victim than a hero. But she’s actually a hero through and through! (She just has to learn that for herself.)
The cover of your book is awesome - spooky and inviting at the same time. Did you have input on the decision?
I knew I wanted Price Manor on the cover, and I gave my publisher some samples of other book covers that I liked in terms of art style and composition. My publisher selected the illustrator, Pauliina Hannuniemi, and I fell in love with her artwork. I was able to give some feedback on the initial sketch, but I must say, I was pretty in love with what Pauliina created from the beginning. I couldn’t be happier with the cover!
With a busy life and lots of writing - how do you destress?
I do run regularly for exercise. Sometimes a bike ride with my son, but that’s more for pleasure.
Can you guess where I like to run and bike?
A cemetery!
If you could go back to your younger self and tell her three things that would help her get published - what would those be?
Number one: It’s not impossible.
Number two: Diligence and patience will pay off—keep going. And number three: Have fun with it!
You are a member of MGin23 - what is this group? How do you help one another?
MGin23 is a group of authors who all have a middle-grade debut coming out in 2023. We help one another by sharing experiences and resources about everything from marketing to book events to working on our next books. We cheer each other on and boost one another on social media. If we are able, we read one another’s ARCs and post reviews, which are extremely helpful to authors. It’s a really supportive group, and we learn so much from one another.
My readers often ask me how to get an agent to notice you….what was your secret?
I’m represented by the fantastic Kaitlyn Katsoupis of Belcastro Agency. In my hunt for an agent, I did a lot of research. manuscriptwishlist.com was one of my go-to resources, but I also followed agents on social media, searched their bios online, and scoured the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market book to learn as much as possible.
Whenever I discovered an agent who I thought would be a good fit for my book based on their taste, I would add them to my list. Then my strategy was to send out ten queries at a time to see if I could get any bites. I received a few requests for more materials but lots of rejections.
I didn’t let the rejections get me too down.
It’s part of the business!
In fact, I remember when I received my first rejection. Instead of being crushed, I looked at it as a milestone. A rite of passage. I was doing the thing writers do—getting rejected! But back to my strategy. If I didn’t get any offers with the ten queries I sent out, I would do some revisions—either to my sample pages or my query pitch, or the synopsis. Then I would send out the next batch of ten. Finally, after years of querying and revising, I found my match in Kaitlyn!
Your MC is a good screamer - are you? Could your scream be in a horror movie?
Nope! I’m definitely not a screamer. I’m super quiet! I’m more of a “deer in headlights” when it comes to fear and danger.
I love the premise of your book (and so do many others, see above photo) - how did you come up with it?
The idea really started with the dad in the book, Maximus Price. He has a lot of similarities to my own dad, who loved horror movies and some good pranks. But Maximus Price is definitely not my dad. He’s a caricature of a parent who takes everything to the extreme, either in terms of his playful mischievousness or his need to protect and shelter his loved ones from harm, and when he goes to those extremes, it actually ends up being detrimental to those loved ones. But since the book is for kids, I wanted to portray this in a lighthearted and over-the-top way so that my readers would find it hilarious and farcical rather than disturbing.
What is the secret to writing for kids? What should newbie writers understand about writing for children?
One secret is to read, read, read! If you’re writing for kids, you need to immerse yourself in books for kids and not just in one genre, such as horror.
You’ll want to read lots of genres
from a diverse range of authors.
And as you’re reading, you’ll want to really think about all the elements of the book—character, setting, voice, themes, plot points, etc. Take notes! I keep a reading journal where I do a write-up after each book I read. I write down my thoughts on things like characters and pacing and what I liked or what I didn’t like. I’ll even write down some of my favorite sentences for inspiration. Another secret is to try to be around kids who are the age you are writing for. Parents and teachers have an easy time with this, but you can also observe kids at the park or the library, or even the supermarket. (Just don’t be creepy about it!)
Why did you choose to go the traditional publishing route instead of self-publishing?
There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both methods. For me, I was interested in traditional publishing because of the reach that traditional publishers have with markets, including booksellers but also educational markets (schools, libraries, and teachers), which is really important for middle-grade books.
If I were to self-publish, I imagine it would take an extreme amount of effort on my part to get my book in the hands of readers. A publishing company has marketing teams and publicists who can do a lot to get the book in front of the right audience.
Of course, I’ll be doing a lot to promote my book, but as a shy introvert-type person, I definitely like to focus my energy on the writing part of the profession. Working with a traditional publisher also helped me feel like my book was in good hands every step of the way, from revisions and cover design to copyedits and promotion!
Do you belong to any critique groups or writing groups, like SCBWI?
Absolutely! My critique group has been meeting up since 2016, so we’re pretty tight. We take turns reviewing one another’s work on a rolling basis, and they’ve been so instrumental in my journey to getting published. In addition to reviewing each other’s work, we provide moral support and share opportunities that we hear about.
In addition to that, I’m also a Co-Regional Advisor for the Eastern PA chapter of SCBWI. SCBWI has been another big part of my writing journey, from resources and workshops to building community. I definitely recommend joining and taking advantage of all the programs and offerings that are available. It’s a great way to improve your craft, learn about the publishing business, and meet authors and industry professionals.
Give a shout-out to your fellow writers - anyone else releasing in the next few months of 23?
I’d like to shout out my fellow debut buddies: From the MGin23 group, the upcoming releases are...
- Wendy Parris’s Field of Screams (August 1)
- Kacy Ritter’s The Great Texas Dragon Race (August 1)
- Stephanie Willing’s West of the Sea (August 15)
- Matt McMann’s Terror in Shadow Canyon (August 22)
- Ree Augustine’s Hangabout: Far From Home (August 29)
- Justine Pucella Winans’s The Otherwoods (September 12)
- Emi Pinto’s Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters (September 12)
- Isi Hendrix’s Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans (September 19)
- Thushanthi Ponweera’s I Am Kavi (September 19)
- Elisa Stone Leahy’s Tethered to Other Stars (October 3)
- DaVaun Sanders’s Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew (October 17)
- Rhonda Roumani’s Tagging Freedom (November 7)
- Fiona Cook’s The Wheel of the Year (November 28)
- Ali Terese’s Free Period (March 5, 2024)
Then from Eastern PA SCBWI, some upcoming releases are:
- Ellen Ramsey’s A Book for Bear (July 18)
- Heather Pierce Stigall’s Paisley’s Big Birthday (August 22)
- Dana Kramaroff’s The Do More Club (August 29), and
- Jessica Whipple’s I Think I Think A Lot (August 29)
Thanks so much for all your wonderful questions and for featuring me and my book on Teazurs! This was a lot of fun!
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Yes, Wow! And I raise you a Wowza!
Thank you, Laura!
What a great and informative interview. Seems like there's no stopping you or Middle-Grade books. I love MG stories because I am always left with hope, hope for the world, the characters, and myself. And I look forward to seeing yours in bookstores all over the place. I might just have to add it to my odd collection of scary books for kids.
If you'd like to find out more about Laura Parnum, please check out her website and social media below.
Website: www.LauraParnum.com
Twitter(X): @LauraParnum
Instagram: @LauraParnum
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