Behind-the-Scenes as a PBRisingStars Mentee
Hello, PB Rising Stars fam and happy September! Can you believe that fall is creeping up on us? This year is truly flying by.
Before we get into the behind-the-scenes post today, if you missed last month’s post by Shamar Knight Justice about going beyond inspiration and creating habits as a kidlit creator, it’s one you do not want to miss! Check it out HERE.
Now… this month we have a treat for you!
We just wrapped up an incredible summer with the 2023 PBRisingStars mentors and mentees.
Pictured above: Some 2023 Mentors and Mentees at the 2023 End-of-Mentorship Wrap Party
That means our class of 2023 has just finished the full PBRisingStars experience including:
5 webinars with industry professionals
one on one time with a mentor
work on manuscripts, dummies, portfolios, pitches, and career mapping
community and connection
and more!
And today… we’re pulling back the curtain and showing you wonderful readers just what the mentorship experience is like from a mentee’s perspective!
Maybe you’re considering applying next year and want to know if it will be a good fit. Maybe you’re just curious about what it was like this year. But whatever the reason, we know you are in for a real treat. Because today is a double feature!
That’s right! TWO of our 2023 mentees are sharing their experience today.
Tunisia Williams and Nancy Stark Lee spill the tea on what it was like for them to be a PBRisingStars Mentee. And both of them will leave you knowing
you should always invest in yourself!
And we know we’re biased, but we think the PBRisingStars Program has something really special to offer.
Now, join us in a warm welcome to our incredible guests!
First up…
TUNISIA WILLIAMS
My Experience as a PBRisingStars Mentee
||
My Experience as a PBRisingStars Mentee ||
Written by Tunisia Williams
2023 PBRisingStars Mentee
MY SUMMER AS A PB RISING STARS MENTEE.
It’s hard to believe that three months have gone by and the PB Stars Mentorship has come to an end. I am grateful for Kailei and Ebony seeing the need and putting together an awesome program to fulfill it.
The pandemic propelled me into taking my goal of becoming a traditionally published author seriously. I was determined to turn the proverbial lemons (being home due to COVID) into lemonade (improving my craft). I began taking classes and learning everything I could about writing picture books and the publishing industry.
Two years later, I was agented. Yippee! Or so I thought. I soon learned I had another obstacle to overcome. My writing was good, but it wasn’t there yet. At least not enough to get a publishing deal. I found this out after going on submission.
It became apparent to me that I was caught in the middle.
As a middle school counselor, I was able to fully identify with my students. Like them, I was awkward and unsure of myself as a writer. I had an agent, but I still had so much more to learn.
I knew I needed a mentor.
My agent sibling, Trenise, had been accepted to the PB Rising Stars Mentorship program’s inaugural class.
I saw all the posts from her and others about how great the program was. I decided then I would apply for the next session.
When the applications opened up, I was able to select from three mentors who were willing to work with agented writers. Initially, I was only going to submit to one mentor. But after rereading Kailei’s MSWL and realizing I may have an MS she might like, I decided to submit to her also.
I took a few days to go over the application to make sure my responses were well written.
A small hint to future applicants - don’t wait until the last minute to work on the application. Review the questions, then answer them in a separate document so that you can copy and paste into the application.
Because I really wanted to be a part of this mentorship program, I sat and thought about each question. I needed the time to reflect on why I wanted and needed this mentorship. Through that process, I discovered a few things about myself which I was able to express in my responses. I said a little prayer then I hit the submit button.
Full disclosure moment - I hate waiting. The two-three weeks of waiting for the announcement to be made was excruciating. During the waiting period, I received an email on behalf of Kailei requesting more writing samples. I wasted no time sending a few more samples. Then I went back to waiting nervously.
I am also an over-thinker with an overactive imagination. The stories I crafted in my head were ridiculous with the end result of most scenarios being a rejection because I suffer with impostor syndrome.
But yet and still I waited until finally the day of the announcements. I was at work and my building has poor wifi which posed an even more stressful situation for me. After the 5th or 6th announcement, I decided to stop refreshing the app. I figured I would receive the notification if I was selected. My phone pinged and I raced outside my building to check Twitter.
And sure enough, there was my name announcing I would be mentored by Kailei Pew. Her statement about why she chose me had me in tears.
I was overtaken with so many emotions, from shock to joy to unbelief.
Seeing the email for the onboarding process made everything real. Within the email, it stated to write down what I wanted to get from my mentorship with Kailei. I again sat down and typed out questions and my goals for the summer.
I was glad for the opportunity to be introduced to my “Big” who was Aimee. I wish I had corresponded more with her during the summer, but due to my personal schedule I was unable to do so. However, she was and still is available to me. I plan to reach out to her more.
I love a good workshop and I was not disappointed. I have learned so much from each one. The presenters dropped seeds of wisdom that I have planted in my writing garden. I know they will bloom in the near future. A big shout out to every workshop presenter. I now have an arsenal of tools in my writer’s toolbox that I will carry with me forever.
As for meeting with my mentor, each Zoom meeting with Kailei provided me with encouragement and laughter. She has been exactly what I needed at this stage of my writing career. The information I have gleaned has accelerated me through my awkward middle stage to the next stage of my journey. Because of her mentorship, I have three strong manuscripts to present to my agent.
When I started the mentorship, I thought I needed help in writing more lyrically. But after receiving feedback from Kailei, I learned I needed to include more emotionality into my writing.
By the time we started working on my third MS, it finally clicked. My manuscripts were good, but they all lacked the emotional perspective from the MC.
Without this mentorship, I don’t think I would have come to that realization so soon.
Not only did we work on three manuscripts, but we also worked on pitches to accompany those manuscripts. I recently submitted the pitch to one of the manuscripts we worked on that will be going on submission this fall and my agent loved it!
Thank you Kailei for your expertise! I have become a little more confident in my writing skills (just a little).
*Sidenote - My agent was thoroughly impressed with the growth I have experienced during the mentorship.
I have made a connection not just with a mentor, but also a friend. Kailei has a beautiful personality and wonderful spirit. Words can not express what she has given me this summer.
Kailei and Ebony, thank you! Thank you for caring enough about us writers and illustrators out here in these publishing streets trying to make it. Your transparency has been refreshing, especially in an industry when so many things are kept quiet. You have created a space for us to grow and succeed. Greater things are in store for you because of your sacrifice. Thank you again.
About Tunisia Williams
Tunisia Williams is a middle school counselor in Augusta, GA. When she isn’t writing or helping
students survive middle school drama, you can find Tunisia helping her husband sling bbq from
his food truck to hungry customers. They have three doghters (Coco, Hope, & Grace) who have
them trained well. Tunisia is represented by Hilary Harwell of KT Literary Agency.
Find Tunisia Online Here:
***
WOW, Tunisia
Thank you! You are so kind and we can’t tell you enough how much we absolutely love working with you and what a gift it is to know you.
Readers, don’t you feel inspired to invest in yourself? And if that wasn’t enough… we still have round 2 of this post!
Welcome Nancy Stark Lee to the blog!
My Experience as a PBRisingStars Mentee
||
My Experience as a PBRisingStars Mentee ||
Written by Nancy Stark Lee
2023 PBRisingStars Mentee
Let’s begin at the beginning…
I believe I first stumbled across the PBRisingStars mentorship from a kidlit newsletter buried beneath a hillock of unread newsletters in my email inbox.
Until then, I had never heard about PBRisingStars. But when I read what the program offered and that I hadn’t missed the application deadline, my curiosity got stoked.
So I signed up for the “icecream social,” the informational webinar hosted by PBRisingStars’ founders Kailei Pew and Ebony Mudd. Admittedly, it was long. But the more I heard, the more I liked. After the webinar,
I just had this feeling that working with an experienced kidlit creator could really take my writing and illustration skills to a whole new level.
Then I discovered the PBRisingStars application and why Ebony and Kailei give you a month to finish…it’s long! With my background in academia, I’m no stranger to laboring over arduous applications for grants, fellowships, and the like. But once I decided to apply, I saw that the questions asked on that application are geared to get you thinking about WHY you want to write picture books and what you’ve done–and plan to do–to make your picture book dreams come true.
The application was a heavy lift, no doubt.
But so are most things worth doing.
About a month later a friend texted me the news–she saw on Twitter that I was a 2023 PBRisingStars mentee! Then I read the PBRisingStars email in my inbox confirming this was indeed true. It was a moment of unalloyed jubilation knowing that my picture book manuscript was selected out of a competitive field of 2500-plus. And feeling validated that all the work I’ve invested in my art and writing has not gone unnoticed.
Winning a spot in the PBRisingStars mentorship felt like a wonderful but unexpected gift dropped out of the sky straight into my lap. The wonderful part was apparent from my first meeting with my inestimable mentor, the author-illustrator Natasha Khan Kazi.
The unexpected, however, was the part where I had to reconcile this incredible opportunity with family obligations I was already committed to.
The mentorship started in June. Natasha and I met on zoom for our first meeting. Straight away I enjoyed connecting with Natasha and knew I would learn lots from her. Natasha and I went over my expectations of the mentorship. My homework for our next meeting was to submit illustrations for her to critique, along with other materials we discussed. Natasha would also review again my picture book dummy that got me accepted into the program. She emailed her thoughts on my work for me to read over before our next meeting.
To say that I was amazed by her spot-on insights is an understatement. Before the month was over, I had launched into revising my portfolio and also drafted the two story ideas I pitched in my mentorship application.
By July I was already in Vancouver, Canada, where I spent most of the summer attending to my elderly parents’ needs. I brought all my work with me; my conversations with Natasha and her feedback gave me a clear road map to follow.
But after the first two weeks it quickly became apparent that
I had to modify my expectations.
The circumstances with my parents compelled me to focus on what I wanted to achieve most in the mentorship. First priority was my portfolio; honing my style by producing 10 to 12 representative illustrations seemed the best use of my time with Natasha. Second, to continue revising my two newest manuscripts.
My redirected focus paid off by the end of the mentorship. I have 10 new portfolio pieces showing much greater stylistic consistency and two viable picture book manuscripts under my belt. I also gained priceless industry information from the webinars hosted by Kailei and Ebony.
Plus now I’m connected to a new family of kidlit creators, a goal that very much mattered to me on my application.
Would I have wanted to complete every goal I set out to attain with the mentorship? Of course.
I’m my own worst taskmaster and tend to set the bar pretty high with my to-do lists.
But my experience of the mentorship reinforced this lesson: be kinder to myself by celebrating the goals I achieved versus perseverating over the ones life made me let go.
About Nancy Stark Lee
Nancy Stark Lee writes and illustrates picture books in sunny San Diego, California.
She is a largely self-taught artist who works in traditional and digital media. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she came to San Diego to earn her PhD in Communication at the University of California, San Diego, where she teaches about children and the media. Prior to her academic career, Nancy worked as a writer/editor and occasional illustrator in corporate communications.
In April 2023 she was awarded the Florence Tan Moesen Fellowship grant from the Library of Congress in Washington DC to conduct research in its Asian archives for a non-fiction children’s book project.
Nancy is a member of SCBWI and in 2020 won San Diego SCBWI chapter’s Diversity Award for Best Emerging Artist.
Find Nancy Online Here:
THANK YOU, Nancy.
That was truly wonderful. We love the focus on the things we do accomplish, even if we have to rethink our original goals. It’s okay when things have to change and we have to reprioritize.
Well, readers…
We feel so lucky to have had this two-for-one behind the scenes look at the PBRisingStars mentee experience! What do you think, readers? Is this something you’d be interested in experiencing next year??
And now, it’s about that time to update you all on what Ebony and Kailei have been up to!
And this month, they BOTH have opportunities for you to join their FREE Street Teams and help them along their career paths!
Ebony’s full merch collection is dropping this fall which means, SHE NEEDS YOU!
Ebony is looking for 5-10 people who want to be gifted her merch FOR FREE in exchange for an honest review on the design/quality AND for posting it/spreading the word to your followers and audience.
Want to be on Ebony’s Street Team?
This summer, Ebony Lynn Mudd dropped a limited merch collection called “MY ART IS THE PRIZE”. You may have seen some of your favorite kidlit friends supporting!
If you want to match Ebony, Kailei, and everyone who has snagged their shirt or hoodie already, you can purchase here OR you can be a part of Ebony’s brand-new MERCH STREET TEAM!
Ebony’s Street Team will get FREE merch (no purchase required), test our new designs before ANYONE ELSE, and get virtual one-on-one time with Ebony! It doesn’t get any better!!! And with 10+ new designs coming for fall, you should RUN, DON’T WALK! Ebony’s Street Team applications are open NOW-September 21st! Click the button below to apply!
And if one Street Team isn’t enough for you, Kailei ALSO needs your help!
She’s looking for about 15 people to help spread the word about her debut picture book,
THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED
Street Team Members will receive:
- Advanced DIGITAL Copy of THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED by Kailei Pew and Steph Lew
- FREE virtual school visit for your/your kid's/your friend's classroom
- FREE activity guide for THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED
- FREE Goodies like bookmarks, stickers, etc.
- Online time with Kailei via zoom meetings, email, etc.
But hurry! Kailei is accepting applications now through September 20th.
And now…
***GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY***
This one is HUGE, friends!
Ebony is giving one lucky reader access to 7 FREE DAYS of her new and improved on-demand courses!
-
What if I told you that reading picture books could be just as powerful for your craft as getting a creative writing degree? That the secret sauce you are searching for to unlock your manuscript is within the pages of each picture book you have in your home... This course will show you EXACTLY how to analyze book covers, flap copies, illustrations, dialogue, pacing, the use of literary devices, characters, and every literary device. The result? You'll leave this course knowing exactly how to apply "show don’t tell" in a fresh way, how to tackle that query blurb, that pitch, those revisions, and that blank page.
-
Have a manuscript that's been through revision after revision and the delivery still isn't working? Maybe it's a draft you're stuck on, and you're so exhausted with the suggestions to use the "try/fail" structure that you are ready to give up. In this three-week course, you will learn how to break the "rules", crack the picture book structure code, and deliver your story to readers in a way that lines up with your vision. We will analyze a variety of picture books, their structures, and what makes them work. By the end of the course, you'll have all the tools you need to identify if your manuscript needs a new structure and what that new structure should be. But most importantly, you'll walk away feeling confident about writing YOUR story YOUR way. Because there's more than one way to tell a story.
-
Songwriters write lyrics for audiences that will LISTEN to a story, not for an audience that will read one on a page. As picture book authors, we do the exact same thing. So why aren't we studying and learning from some of the best oral storytellers in the game?! Hip-hop artists are amazing at what they do! In this course, we will be studying the psychology of sound and the similarities between your favorite rappers and favorite picture book authors. We will be diving deep into literary and poetic devices and how you can use them to guide your reader. The result? You will know exactly how to level up your picture book voice in a way that will make your read alouds infectious. Voice will no longer be unexplainable, it will be enjoyable and attainable.
This is beyond generous! Thank you, Ebony!
To enter:
Comment on this blog post below letting us know how you liked this behind-the-scenes look at PBRisingStars AND confirming that you’ve done all of the steps above (you must be subscribed to all THREE newsletters to be entered…or just let us know if you were already subscribed to all three!)
For Bonus entries:
Follow Tunisia, Nancy, Kailei, and Ebony on Instagram (one bonus entry per follow.)
Like, Retweet, and comment on THIS tweet (one bonus entry per item.)
Make sure you comment below tells us which bonuses you’ve completed (If you already followed us, just let us know!)
Thank you, friends and good luck! The last day to enter is October 8th! The winner will be announced on Twitter and via our newsletter on October 9th.
ABOUT PB RISING STARS
The #PBRisingStars Mentorship program started with a tweet, a huge response from the KidLit community, and two authors with book deals looking for ways to pull other picture book creators up the turbulent publishing ladder.
This program pairs agented picture book creators that are knowledgeable about querying, agent calls, author-agent relationships, being on submission, book deals, and contract language, with the next generation of children’s book authors and illustrators for an immersive, custom-made mentorship experience that is more than just a critique.