Jen Wallace is a member of my online writing group. Her hard work and dedication have paid off. Her gorgeous children’s book has just been launched.
Congratulations Jen. (Love the earrings!)
I know quite a few writers planning children’s books and I thought they might be interested in Jen’s journey to publication. Despite the millions of things Jen had to do in these publication weeks, she kindly answered some of my questions.
Thank you, Jen. x
1. Dinosaur Pie is being published this week. How are you feeling?
Quite overwhelmed, veering between panic and excitement but I have plenty to keep me grounded. The kids, the pets, and the laundry are more interested in their needs than my book.
2. Has your writing journey to publication taken long? Do you want to discuss the process you went through?
I submitted my first manuscript eighteen years ago, but it is only in the last two years that I have been able to put a lot of focus and time into my writing and actually take it seriously. I write all the time, it's how I process the world and how I communicate best and I love making up stories for kids. I’ve been busy caring for my three children for the last sixteen years and am now finding I’ve a little bit more time in my days to work on writing stuff.
3. Do you have an agent? If you don't, are you seeking representation? Did they or you submit your manuscript? If you submitted yourself have you any tips for success?
I submitted Dinosaur Pie directly to the publisher. We're lucky in Ireland that you can do that. The manuscript was never submitted to an agent although I have submitted other projects to agents. I spent a year on a Raising Voices Fellowship administered by Children’s Books Ireland and that really helped me develop my writing, learn about the children’s book industry, and forge connections. My tips for success would be: read as much as you can that has been published recently in your genre, finish your manuscript to the best of your ability before you submit, seek out a mentor if that is your kind of thing, go to the conferences, listen to the podcasts, immerse yourself in the book world..
4. What do you love about your book?
I love my characters and their relationships. I love how they deal with the ridiculous things life throws at them. I also love the artwork by the very talented illustrator Alan O’Rourke.
5. Are there any challenges you overcame?
I have spent most of my life as an unrecognised autistic and ADHDer. Figuring out how I work best and learning to stop trying to fit in has been my biggest challenge.
6. Have you further ambitions you'd like to discuss?
My current ambition is to find some time to write. I’m so busy with the business end of the book industry and all the publicity around publication that I’m looking forward to some time to dive deep creatively again. I would like to have an agent to do some of the book business stuff.
7. Are you writing something new/something else?
I have three more books at various stages so I'm hoping to push them on a bit more over the summer. One is on a second draft and the others are in an earlier stage. I tend to flit back and forth between projects.
8. Where can people find Dinosaur Pie?
At your local bookshop (Ireland and UK), all the major book retailers (they'll order it for you if they don't have stock), the usual places online or from the publisher Little Island.
About the book
Rory is having a weird week. A really weird week.
He has been turned into a ridiculous, small, feathered dinosaur. Pretty awkward.
Rory can’t use a human toilet. He can’t hold a video game controller in his little dino claws. His breath smells really bad. And his new carnivore body can’t stop craving sausages.
Rory finally gets his friends to take his embarrassing situation seriously, and together they embark on Operation Make Rory Human Again. But it's not easy.
Will Rory be stuck as a dinosaur forever?
About Jen Wallace
Jen writes stories and poetry, for both children and grown-ups. She loves to write neurodivergent characters so people like her can see themselves in books. She lives by the sea with her family and all their animals. Her favourite dinosaur is ankylosaurus.
About Alan O’Rourke
Alan is tall. Very tall. He writes and illustrates children's books. But that is a work in progress. The tallness is permanent. Hopefully. Alan lives with his family beside the sea in the northeast of Ireland. Find out more and subscribe at www.spoiltchild.com
About Little Island
Little Island is an award-winning independent Irish publisher of books for young readers, founded in Dublin in 2010 by Ireland’s first Laureate na nÓg (children’s laureate), Siobhán Parkinson. Little Island books are found throughout Ireland, the UK, North America, and in translation around the world. You can find out more at littleisland.ie