Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2022, are given five questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know Lisa Stringfellow and can offer your support. Go here for more Debut You features.
Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
Crafty, bookish, teacher, creative, patient.
Creative is a word that touches many parts of my life. When I ask my students, they often describe it as a trait, something that people have or don’t have. I like to think of it more as a skill that can be practiced and developed. As a storyteller, I try to develop my creativity by telling stories in fresh and unique ways and highlighting characters that I feel have not had enough representation and that I would have loved to read about when I was a child.
Explain your book’s journey—how long did it take—from idea to publication?
Eight years ago, I sat down to write a novel about a girl who found a mysterious box that belonged to a mermaid. It was my second attempt at NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month, the challenge which encourages writers to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days.
Even though I “won” NaNoWriMo, I didn’t finish the story until the following spring of 2014. I continued to work on revisions for two more years with the help of critique groups and the wonderful mentors I gained through Author Mentor Match and Writing in the Margins. I began to query in January 2018 and received an offer of representation from my agent Lindsay Auld of Writers House in March 2018. We continued to revise the novel together for another year and a half until we felt it was ready to go on submission. Once on sub, the novel quickly moved to a five-house auction and was acquired by Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books in December 2019. It will be published on February 8, 2022.
Belief in oneself is important; besides you, who has been your cheerleader(s) throughout this process?
My family members have been my biggest cheerleaders. My mother, brother, and extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins have encouraged and cheered me on, even if they didn’t always understand what I was writing or why the publishing process was so slow! I’ve lost loved ones along the way who are essential to who I am and show up in A Comb of Wishes in subtle and not so subtle ways. My father emigrated to the U.S. from Barbados, and the culture and richness of my West Indian heritage is woven tightly into the book. Parts of him, my grandmother, and others shine through characters and other elements of the novel.
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
I’ve been a teacher for 28 years and have spent almost all my career teaching fifth and sixth graders. What I know for sure about them is that they are curious, creative, smart, and care deeply about people and the world around them. My main character Kela is the age of my students, and she shares those same traits. I think middle-grade readers will be drawn to Kela’s bravery. They will relate to her sadness and will root for her to make things right in the end, which she does!
Tell us about your book.
Twelve-year-old Kela is grieving her mother’s recent death when she stumbles on an ancient box in a coral cave. Inside is a beautiful hair comb, and when she touches it, she opens a magical connection to a dangerous mermaid named Ophidia. The mermaid offers Kela a wish in exchange for her comb’s return, so Kela wishes for the thing she wants more than anything else…for her mother to come back.
YOU did it, congratulations! Your story is going to be read by children or teens, educators, parents, librarians, book bloggers, etc. How do you feel, and are there any other projects in the works—that you can discuss?
I feel humbled and grateful that my words will be in the hands of readers soon. It is a surreal experience knowing that the characters and ideas that once lived only in my head are now out in the open and going to live in the minds and hearts of others. I have other projects in the works. I’m currently working on my second book, which will be another stand-alone fantasy novel. I like to call it my “girl in a tower” story, but it won’t be like other fairytales readers might imagine.
A Comb of Wishes
HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books | February 8, 2022 | MG | 272 Pages | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Lisa Stringfellow received the inaugural Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Manuscript Award in 2019 for A Comb of Wishes. She is a middle school teacher and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her children and two bossy cats.
Connect with Lisa Stringfellow
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