A Milestones Met Interview
Please share your exciting news (agent signing, book sale, etc.)!
I am thrilled to share that I recently signed with Taylor Martindale Kean, an agent at Full Circle Literary.
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?
While I have written my whole life and always dreamed of publishing a picture book, I didn’t begin pursuing this in earnest until 2020, about four years ago.
I joined CTC in 2021 and it has been an invaluable tool in helping me connect with the publishing industry. The monthly Ask an Agent, Editor Insights, and Behind the Book sessions, are all super informative on their own but also come with exclusive submission opportunities. These opportunities helped hold me accountable to get my work ready and out there. Plus, this community of other supportive writers has been motivating and inspiring.
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?
Early on in this process, getting an agent felt like the end accomplishment. Even before it happened, CTC helped me more accurately reframe this milestone as really just the beginning. In some ways, reaching this milestone and getting an agent, changes everything (having an industry partner, being able so submit to editors, hopefully actually getting a book published)… but in a lot of more important ways, nothing changes (still lots of solo writing and revising, lots of rejection, my big why and the heart of the work). Through webinars with other authors, CTC gave me a sense of this transition, so that when it was my turn, I knew what to expect.
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 to write books that create tangible shared moments of connection in a world that can often feel too big, too detached, and too overwhelming. I write with the hope of inspiring creativity and wonder so that readers (young and old) realize their own resiliency.
I strongly believe in the power and magic of books. I also believe that my manuscripts have something unique to say to children and that is what keeps me working towards new milestones.
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?
The lowest part of my writing life was in the fall of 2022 when I had a call with an agent that didn’t turn into an offer of representation. I was devastated and embarrassed and sad. I was really hard on myself because I thought I missed “my one chance.”
But, thankfully, life doesn’t just give you one chance to realize your dreams.
Life doesn’t operate on a model of scarcity. I wasn’t brave enough to say it out loud to anyone but my husband, but even at my lowest, I knew in my heart that my yes was still out there.
This “missed opportunity” gave me so much fuel to grow, dig deeper, and learn. Then the next time I had an agent call I was so much more prepared, more sure of myself and what I had to offer, and more clear of what I wanted and deserved. In hindsight, that “no” was a blessing in disguise and helped prepare me for my current YES!
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?
Anytime I feel especially discouraged, I do a heart check, and think about the ending line of Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day” – “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Every time, my answer is always THIS. I sincerely enjoy all the time and energy I spend in this bookish world, reading, writing, and dreaming. There is simply no other place I would rather be than growing as a writer and pursuing publication. I tell myself that as long as this is the case, I will stay the course, but if it ever changes, I will pivot with no shame. For me, these heart checks keep this process an active choice – I am choosing this. This also helps put disappointments into perspective – the joy and fulfillment I feel while creating is worth the ups and downs. I am also choosing the disappointments when they come because it is part of the process.
So… How do YOU want to spend your one wild and precious life? If writing and pursing a literary career is your answer too… then you’re stuck. You just have to keep going. Lucky you.
What is your favorite Courage to Create Belief?
The only STAMP OF APPROVAL we need is our own.
Johanna Peyton is a neurodivergent writer represented by agent Taylor Martindale Kean at Full Circle Literary. She holds a BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management and an MPH in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science. In 2021, she was an award finalist for Austin SCBWI’s Cynthia Leitch Smith Writing Mentor Award and in 2022 she won an Honorable Mention in the 2022 PBParty and was selected as a mentee to the RUCCL writing conference. She spent 2023 in a writing mentorship with author Bethany Hegedus. Johanna is a member of SCBWI, 12×12, and The Writing Barn’s Verge and Courage to Create communities. In her free time, she shares her writing journey and the books that inspire her on Instagram @JohannaPeytonAuthor.
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