A Milestones Met Interview
Please share your exciting news (agent signing, book sale, etc.)!
Lauri Hornik at Rocky Pond Books has acquired world rights to my book Free Museum Day, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel. Publication is set for spring 2025!
How long have you been writing/pursuing an agent/publishing deal and how has the Courage to Create program/tools served you in reaching this milestone?
I’ve been writing for about 7 years. I got my agent in 2021 and went on submission a few months later. I was given a scholarship for courage to create a few months before I got offered an editor call. Which was 10 months after going on submission. Once I joined, CTC was a great way for me to stay accountable and be in community with others who were going through the same things I was. They were a community that kept me accountable for when I needed to finish edits on deadline, and a sounding board when I was struggling after a rejection. I was able to hear from industry professionals on meditation and mindfulness. It’s especially a great space for early career writers immediately after getting a deal.
When we reach a milestone, it means we may encounter new fears and challenges, as well as joys along the journey. How has being a part of the CTC community prepared you for both enjoying the celebration of a milestone reached and the work that is next to come?
My biggest fear after I sold my books in the two-book-deal was that this was it. The manuscripts I had spent years revising and working on to get me to this point were the only things that I would be able to sell. I had convinced myself that those books were my best work. I wouldn’t even give myself a chance to explore the adventure of what was to come. CTC gave me the outlet to share those fears, and learn that I was not alone in those feelings. They helped me understand how common they were, and were encouraging when I needed motivation to let go of the books I had sold, celebrating where they had got me, and gave me “permission” to get lost in a new manuscript and find my passion again.
In the Courage to Create, we call on our Big Why as we engage in the ups and downs of the literary life? What’s your BIG WHY and how does it keep you motivated to keep working towards new milestones?
My big why is showing that the Black experience in America is not a monolith. It’s a huge ask, and not something I can accomplish on my own, but keeping this mantra in mind is a way that I can cement my work within the greater genre of children’s literature. I am telling a few stories, a few moments, a few glimpses into a culture thats goes beyond what anyone can imagine. I’m not trying to represent everything, just a piece.
It’s not easy to keep creating courage when it comes to our literary lives. Did you ever encounter a low point or period and did you lean on any of the CTC tools or practices? What did the no/not yets, or near misses/champagne rejections teach you in hindsight not that your YES is here?
Expectations are hard and when you get to the point of having a book deal, the “career” in “writing career” becomes real. It makes you put so many expectations on yourself that you burn out. I did that, I expected so much from myself, and didn’t let myself rest or breathe or even celebrate and it caused a strain on my creativity for a time. I appreciated the space of saying that in the open forum. My check-in’s weren’t always industry related, the no’s weren’t editors, they were a testament to whether or not I wrote words that day or week. My celebrations were as simple as watching a documentary for research, and my goals were to get a few words down. But that space and the encouragement I received for those small things made it possible for me to work up to setting realistic writing goals without pressure.
As we celebrate your milestone reached, what thoughts can you share with other writers who may doubt they will reach their first or next milestone?
People are like trains. We start at our first city and begin a long journey with no clear destination in sight. There are stops along the way where we pick up travellers, and drop others off. Sometimes when we’ve been going so long we even have to stop, rest, and refuel. So, when you feel like your tank’s running low– stop, rest, refuel, and start again. Only you can drive this train, and there is always a destination.
What is your favorite Courage to Create Belief?
REST is a radical act. For the work. For ourselves.
Ariel Vanece is a Black-American author who writes picture books, chapter books, and middle grade. Her stories are described as heartwarming and adventurous. She obtained an MFA/MA in Writing for Children and Children’s Literature from Simmons University, and holds a BA in English from The University Of Kansas. When they aren’t writing, Ariel is watching the latest Korean Drama, trying out random art projects, reading romance, and taking a road trip.
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