I’ve been a fan of Stacy McAnulty’s picture books and chapter books for years now. Last September, I got the opportunity to read the manuscript for her latest book, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. I set aside the other books I was reading and devoured it in exactly 1.0000 sittings.

Lucy, a.k.a. Lightning Girl, is a once-struck-by-lightning middle-school math savant with a serious case of OCD. To make matters worse, her grandma has decided that Lucy––who’s been homeschooled ever since the lightning zapping incident turned her into a genius––needs to pass a few tests before she heads off to college. I’m not talking about the SAT or the ACT.

Lucy has to survive 1 year of MIDDLE SCHOOL!

As horrific as that might be for Lucy, there’s more…She must make 1 friend, join 1 activity, and read 1 book (math textbooks do not count).

I was rooting for Lucy from page one, and I’m sure you will be too. Not only is THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTNING GIRL brimming with awesome-squared mathematical goodness, but Lucy’s struggles and successes exploring outside her comfort zone are a wonderful reminder to us all––We are stronger than we think we are. There are unexpected rewards when we try new things, even if we’re terrified of fall-flat-on-your-face failure.

A wonderful book about math and friendship for kids ages 9+. THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTING GIRL will be on bookstore shelves on May 1^st. Preorder it at your favorite local bookstore today!!!

And now, I have the GREAT pleasure of welcoming Stacy to the blog!

Welcome to The Winged Pen, Stacy! Reading THE MISCALCULATIONS OF LIGHTNING GIRL definitely appealed to my girl-who-adores-math self, and I related to Lucy’s challenges fitting in because of her mathematical abilities. Your education and work experience prior to being an author is in engineering. (Gives you the secret math-nerd handshake.) Do Lucy’s difficulties mirror any of your experiences growing up?

STACY: Like Lucy, I’ve always found math class to be easier than English class. When my kids yell to me, “Mom, I need help with my homework,” I’m hoping they’re referring to algebra or trig. But I’m in no way a genius like Lucy. I often turn to Kahn Academy for a refresher. Lucy also struggles to read aloud. This is something I dealt with in school. The words get jumbled somewhere between the page, my brain, and my mouth. When teachers were looking for volunteers to read the next page, I’d hang my head and try to become invisible. I still don’t like to read aloud unless I’ve practiced first.

So far in your career, you’ve been best known for your picture books (Brave, Beautiful, and Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years are all favorites of mine!) and your Dino Files and Goldie Blox chapter books. Now you’re a novelist! Did you find the transition easy?

I’ve been writing novels longer than I’ve been writing picture books and chapter books.  Just not successfully.  I finished my first novel in 2002. It was a rom-com for adults (think Bridget Jones’s Diary). Since then, I’ve completed several other novels, all unpublished. Lightning Girl is my first try at a middle grade. So even though it appears I’m new to noveling, I’ve been writing across genres for years. The biggest challenge for a novel, compared to a picture book or chapter book, is time. You’re thinking, “Duh? Of course it takes longer to write a novel.” But what I mean specifically is that I need a big chunk of time to write a first draft of a novel where I can work on it every day. That’s usually 4 to 6 weeks. I don’t give myself time off. I must write 1500 to 2000 words every day. With a picture book or chapter book, I can come and go. They don’t require the same daily focus.

You have a dream agent, Lori Kilkelly of Rodeen Literary Management. She’s very involved in your career and extremely supportive. How did you meet Lori? Do you have any advice for those of us who are still hoping to snag our own dream agent?

Lori is a dream agent. She pulled me from the slush pile in 2013. I queried Rodeen Literary with my picture book 101 Reasons Why I’m Not Taking a Bath. My email was addressed to Paul Rodeen because Lori wasn’t listed as an agent yet on the website. I was only her second client. When we first talked on the phone, we just clicked (love of books, wine, and Packers). In June, we’ll have been together for 5 years and I consider her a close friend.  She is incredibly supportive and also extremely honest. I trust her opinion because she is not going to sugar-coat anything. That’s what I want in an agent and a friend.

My advice for finding a dream agent would be do your homework. It is easy to copy-paste a query letter in an email. Don’t! Sure, you can re-use the pitch and your bio, but the opening paragraph should be unique and detailed. Why does this agent appeal to you? Know her/his clients, books, tastes. And, of course, follow the submission guidelines to the letter. I’ve heard some agents instruct their interns or assistants to delete queries that don’t follow the rules.  If you don’t follow the guidelines, you might not ever get read.

Speaking of dream agents, since 2013, you’ve published SEVEN chapter books, EIGHT picture books, and now a middle-grade novel. Wow! That’s a lot of writing contracts! In 2018, you’ve already published two books and you have FOUR more to come! We’re all dying to know your secret! (Please tell me it involves time travel.)

Ha! Time travel would be helpful. I have a job I love, so that makes it easy (sort of) to devote a lot of time and energy to my work. And having different projects cooking at the same time makes my day interesting. If I’m stuck on one manuscript, I can shift gears to something else. My only secret is that I’m not a perfectionist. I don’t get hung up on finding the perfect word or creating the perfect sentence (or grammar or spelling or that technical stuff). I’m always thinking, “Come back to it later. You can fix it in the next revision.”

What can you tell us about what you’re working on now? Is there another novel in your future?

Like I said, I have a few things cooking. My editor at Random House is reviewing my second novel now. It’s about a girl who learns the world (as we know it) is ending in April, but no one believes her. I’m also working on two follow-ups to Earth—Sun: One in a Billion and Moon: More than a Rock. Plus three other picture books that are in various stages of doneness. I also hope to revise a YA novel that’s been in my drawer for a few years.

Whoa! That sounds awesome! We look forward to what’s next! Buckle up for the lightning round, Stacy!  *Hands Stacy a π/4 slice of chocolate pie for strength.

If you had a superpower, what would it be? Mind control.

Wooden pencil or mechanical? Depends. Wooden for sketching. Mechanical for math.

Coffee or tea? Coffee! Lots of it.

Sweet or salty?  Sweet.

Dog, cat, or other?  Dogs. All the dogs.

Plotter or pantser?  I’ve tried both, and both require lots of work (and lots of revisions). I guess I’m a minimalist plotter.  (Me too. Fistbump to ya!)

One last question: Any advice for all those aspiring authors out there? The journey to becoming a published author can take years. We don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth for most writers. (Unless you host a morning news show or have an IMDb profile.) I like the quote that you see in numerous dojos. A black belt is a white belt who never quits. For us, that would translate to: An author is a writer who never quits.

Perfect advice! Thank you, Stacy! Best wishes on your book launch!

To find out more about Stacy, check out her website, follower her on Twitter or Instagram!

 

Michelle Leonard is a “retired” engineer, a middle-grade and young adult writer, and a children/teens indie bookseller. Her young adult sci-fi short story IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT, about a teen girl who uses technology to fight racism, is part of the BRAVE NEW GIRLS ANTHOLOGY: STORIES OF GIRLS WHO SCIENCE AND SCHEME. Michelle lives in North Carolina with her science-savvy husband, three inspiring daughters, and a border collie who hates numbers. You can also find her on Twitter .