Last week Jo Hackl, long-time member of SCBWI-Carolinas, shared the pitch and background of her debut novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe. This week you'll hear more about working with her agent, Tracey Adams of Adams Literary; finding a publisher; and what she wished she knew before she started her writing journey.
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Jo: Tracey suggested editorial revisions
before taking me on as a client. I’m
very fortunate to have the benefit of her keen perspective and insight and
every one of her comments has made the manuscript stronger.
Carol: How long did it take before SMACK DAB found a home? Did Shana Corey suggest
many changes? Was the title yours or something you came up with together?
Jo: It took years for SMACK DAB to
find the perfect home with Shana Corey at Random House Children’s Books. It was absolutely worth the wait. During that time, I believe I’ve continued to
grow as a writer. I’ve taken more classes
and workshops. I started a website, www.outdoorosity.org, devoted to providing inspiration and information about
the outdoors, and I wrote articles on that site about outdoor experiences. I
wrote a young adult novel and am almost through the first draft of a middle
grade manuscript. I also continued
thinking about SMACK DAB, revising it, and brainstorming on ways to make it
stronger.
I greatly admire Shana Corey’s
work and was enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with her. Shana suggested changes that I believe will
make the story stronger and I’m looking forward to digging into the revision
process.
For the title, Tracey, Shana and I
brainstormed from a list of around one hundred possibilities. Brainstorming
titles is the fun part!
Carol: I’ve often wondered how you
balanced being a lawyer, mother, and writer. Any hints on how you have made
this juggling act work?
Jo: I think it helps to have a sense
of humor, to be curious, not to expect perfection, and to surround yourself
with creative, positive people. My
family is incredibly supportive. My
husband has done more than his share of car-pool duty while I was away at
conferences, critique group meetings or on a writing retreat. Our children offer ideas for things my
characters might do next. My family in
Mississippi helps me keep track of what is in season and edible in the woods so
I can verify my research.
My law firm,
Wyche, PA, has a strong tradition of attorneys who serve the community and
pursue personal interests in addition to the practice of law. My extremely smart colleagues have kept me on
my toes during the 25- plus years that I’ve been with the firm and continue to inspire
me by their own examples. Among our
attorneys are photographers, writers, singers, and musicians and virtually
every attorney serves on a community board. I believe this environment
encourages creativity.
Jo with some of her creative colleagues from the Wyche law firm. |
Creating time to
write has forced me to be very strategic about how I spend my free time and has
probably kept me away from a lot of bad television. To create time to start
work on this novel, I carved out time at night, between the time our children
were in bed and my chef-husband came home from work. Now that our children are
older and more independent, I have much more flexibility in creating time to
write.
Jo on a family vacation in Japan, 2014 |
Although I need quiet, mostly uninterrupted time to draft, I’ve
discovered that I can edit in small chunks.
I’ve done a lot of editing through the years sitting in the carpool
line. I’ve also found that I can learn something
from almost everyone I meet. I keep an idea journal with me at all times and transpose
the notes onto a computer file to which I often turn for ideas. I love to
listen for rhythm in different regional accents. I’m amazed at the great dialog
and character details I’ve been able to pick up at legal conferences, community
boards, from neighbors, and in airports.
Jo and family in Costa Rica, 2009 |
Jo: From the first time I met Tracey
Adams, I knew that I wanted to work with her.
I was enormously impressed by her experience, talent, warmth, sense of
humor, and commitment to excellence in children’s literature. I worked hard on this manuscript and waited
until I thought it was ready before I sent it to her. I also had several other shorter pieces and
ideas for other projects to demonstrate that I was serious about putting in the
work required to be a writer. I would
encourage others to first work on writing the best piece they can, let it sit,
revise and polish it and make it as strong as it can be, then research potential
agents. I would also encourage writers
to seek not only a technical match with an agent in terms of experience and
genre interest, but someone with whom they believe they will enjoy working over
the long term.
Carol: You’ve been very active in
SCBWI Carolinas. What role did SCBWI have in your path to publication?
Jo: SCBWI has had a pivotal role in my development as a
writer. The workshops and conferences
have provided training to help develop technical skills and the wonderfully
supportive SCBWI community has been a consistent source of inspiration and
encouragement. I’ve made great friends
through SCBWI and we cheer each other on in our writing. You’re a great example of that, Carol.
Carol: What advice do you wish someone had given you before you
started your novel?
Jo: I think the most important thing I
wish someone had advised me before I started working on my first novel is
this: “Dig deep and be brave. As you write about your character’s
experiences and reactions, recall a time in your life when you felt a similar
emotion and try to put into words how it felt to be inside your body at exactly
that moment, no matter how awkward or weird. Write the scenes you’re most
afraid to write and don’t hold back one bit.”
Hiking Paris Mountain, South Carolina |
Jo Hackl is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary. Jo is also a corporate lawyer with Wyche, P.A. in Greenville, SC, where she is Past President of the Greenville County Bar Association and the recipient of the Richard Riley Award for her pro bono service. She is a past president of Emrys and the founder of Outdoorosity.org, which provides a free source of information and inspiration about the outdoors to individuals, families and educators. She lives with her family on the side of a mountain where she writes every day and tries to spend as much time outside as possible.
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Jo has agreed to share some of her research for SMACK DAB including her experiences in an outdoor survival class. But first, I have several book giveaways coming up, another "You Heard it Here First" two part interview (with the winner of the Grateful American Book Prize!), as well as some answers to FAQs about blogging/Facebook/and Twitter from the Carolinas very own Joan Edwards. Stay tuned!
19 comments:
Many thanks, Carol, for a wonderful interview. And thanks for ALL you do to build up the writing community and inspire fellow writers by generously sharing your own experiences and that of others on this outstanding blog.
A wonderful interview and a nice way for others to get to know Jo Hackl. She has been an inspiration to me for years and I'm thrilled for her success. It is well deserved.
Love the advice about digging deep and being brave. Thanks for a great interview and the beautiful photos. I'm in awe of all Jo is accomplishing!
Jo, this blog is a healthy addictin for me. I truly enjoy it! Thanks Sheri and Vijaya. Glad you have enjoyed these posts. I'm in awe too!
And awe right back at you all! So glad to be part of this wonderful community.
Congratulations, Jo, and thanks for sharing your journey to publication! I missed the first blog interview and just went back to catch up. I love hearing about how amazing people like you can juggle all of it and still land a publishing contract. Sounds like a great book and I'm looking forward to reading it!
Dear Carol,
Thanks for sharing more of Jo Hackl's path to publication. I'm looking forward to being a guest on your blog.
Jo, thanks for telling us to be brave and dig deep to remember how we might have felt in that same kind of situation as a character in our manuscript. Great advice. I admire you because you treat everyone with acceptance and respect.
Sincerely,
Joan
Great interview! I'm so happy for Jo and can't wait to read that book!
So looking forward to reading this, Jo, and thanks for sharing your amazing journey!
Thanks LInda, Joan, Genetta, and Miriam, for your comments. JOan you said it so well--Jo does show so much respect and acceptance of others. That's one of the things that makes her so special!
This is great -- really useful and inspiring. Thanks for this series.
Carol and Jo,
Thanks so much for a terrific interview and a glimpse into an interesting writing journey. I don't know how you do so much, Jo. I admire you and your approach to life. Great tips shared too. Thank you both. I especially look forward to more to come.
Rosi and Linda- Glad you have found Jo's journey as inspiring as I have!
Thanks for this second part of your interview. I especially enjoyed the parts about Jo's perseverance, and her suggestion to dig deep enough to find the awkward physical truths of a difficult scene.
Many thanks Carol, Sheri, Vijaya, Miriam, Joan, Genetta, Linda, Rosi and Melodye! I look forward to reading more about your writing journeys too. In the meantime, I'm sending warm wishes for a terrific Thanksgiving holiday.
I always love reading about an author's journey! Thanks, Carol, for sharing Jo's. This line popped out at me: "I can learn something from almost everyone I meet." That statement is so true and important for us to remember. Also, "Dig deep and be Brave."
Thanks, Clara. I think that "dig deep" has resonated with many folks. It is an encouragement for all of us to see that writing a book doesn't just "happen." It takes years of work and persistence.
Congratulations, Jo! So excited to hear about your debut novel. By the way, I love the title!
I know, Dorothy, it is a great title. Looking forward to sharing about your book in this series!
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