Calling all KidLit Writers!

Erin is a writer, developmental editor, and certified book coach with more than 25 years of experience in shaping stories that work. She helps Middle Grade, Young Adult, and select Adult fiction writers find and develop their story’s inner core so they can solve the plot problems that are keeping them stuck in revision. She has a deep love of literature for young people of all genres, characters on "who am I?" journeys, and stories that end on a note of hope. A former television producer and scriptwriter, she has published more than a dozen short stories and holds an MFA in writing for young people. When she's not thinking about, talking about, tinkering with, and fixing stories, she can be found in her attic, writing more stories.

Check out this interview in which Erin talks about strengthening antagonism in your middle grade or YA novel.

Connect with Erin on her website and Instagram.

Miranda Keskes is a high school English teacher turned author and fiction book coach, certified by Author Accelerator. She helps teachers, moms, and teens plan, draft, revise, and pitch their novels. She is also a creative writing instructor for the Traverse City National Writers Series, providing free writing classes for grades 7-12. Recently, she took on the role of Membership Chair for the Michigan Writers Board of Directors. When she's not coaching, teaching, or writing, she's taking her two teenage boys to their many sporting events.

In my interview with Mandy, she provides strategies for teachers who want to write.

Connect with Mandy on her website, Facebook, Instagram, Substack, and LinkedIn. You can also join her co-writing sessions by signing up for her weekly newsletter.

Beth McMullen is the author of ten traditionally published novels and cohost of the Writers With Wrinkles podcast. With over 20 years in the industry and an Author Accelerator certification under her belt, she brings deep, no-fluff expertise to fiction writers navigating messy middles, saggy plots, and stalled momentum. Beth also writes the Substack newsletter You CAN Write a Book! and coaches writers who are serious about getting to “The End.” She lives in Northern California with her family and two fluffy cats.

Last year, Beth and I chatted about writing adventurous stories for kids and teens.

Connect with Beth on her website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Children's book writer and book coach Laurie Calkhoven loves nothing more than inspiring young readers them to love books, reading, and writing as much as she does, and working with authors to make their stories shine. From more than fifteen early readers to laugh-out-loud chapter books and historical novels that bring the wacky facts of history to light, she’s published more than fifty books for children and teens under her own name and as a ghostwriter. She’s had experience with all genres of children’s fiction, including mysteries, fantasies, thrillers and historical novels. She’s also created nonfiction titles for children just learning to read, established middle grade readers, and teenagers.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Laurie spent many years working in book publishing. She was the founding editor of the Teen People Book Club and was an executive editor with the Scholastic Book Clubs.

In a past interview, Laurie taught writers how to use creative play and meditation for writing inspiration.

Connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Laurie also offers writing meditations on YouTube.

Sharon Skinner holds a BA in English, an MA in Creative Writing and is a Certified Book Coach and freelance editor, who helps writers weave their words into stories that shine. She mainly writes fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and the occasional steampunk, for audiences of all ages. Skinner is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and served ten years as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ. She also served aboard the USS Jason, the first US Navy vessel to take women to sea (WestPac cruise). But that’s another story.

In our conversation for KSC 2025, Sharon discussed various publishing paths available to authors.

Connect with Sharon on her author website, coaching website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Sharon hosts the Coaching KidLit podcast, a highly recommended resource for all KidLit creators!

Gabby has been writing speculative fiction in the Pacific Northwest for more than fifteen years. She has two fantasy books for middle grade readers out with Macmillan. Rise of the Dragon Moon was a Junior Library Guild selection and the Kirkus review for her second book, The Edge of Strange Hollow, called the story "spookily thrilling with superlative world building." She's helped all kinds of writers--published and unpublished--improve their stories. She has a masters degree in literature and a second bachelors in environmental studies--and is now an Author Accelerator certified book coach in the fantasy space for all age groups.

Gabby generously shared some tips for worldbuilding, drawing from her expertise in environmental science.

Connect with Gabby on her author website, coaching page, and Instagram.

Erin Radniecki is an author and Author Accelerator certified book coach for fiction writers. She works with writers crafting character driven stories that explore the struggles, messiness, and inherent beauty that come from a life lived in community. Her short story Fragile was published this spring in the Cai Emmons Short Fiction Contest Anthology.

In KSC 2025, Erin shared ideas for going beyond setting to feature nature in your writing.

Connect with Erin on her website and Instagram. Erin is also happy to offer a free guide, “5 Essential Elements for a Novel That Resonates With Readers.”

Rebecca A. Dolence is a lover of stories, over-analyzing, and everything creepy. When she’s not listening to the crows cackle or writing under the oak tree’s canopy, you’ll find her dancing under the moonlight in the backyard or flinging mud in her Jeep.

As an Author Accelerator Certified Fiction Book Coach, she specializes in coaching fantasy, magical realism, and various subgenres of horror for middle grade and young adult (yes, kids love horror too), by helping authors from the scary blank page, to drafting and revision, to a complete manuscript.

Rebecca is a long-time member of SCBWI, has earned several certificates in writing for children from ICL. She is a blogger, developmental editor, and owner of RAD Notes Book Coaching, LLC.

Rebecca loves fantastical creatures, and she shared how writers can create stories featuring them.

Connect with Rebecca on her website, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Rebecca offers writing tips on her YouTube channel and teaches the “Write With Soul” digital course.

Sara Gentry is a Math Ph.D. turned Author Accelerator triple-certified book coach. Sara works with writers of fiction, memoir, and nonfiction across many genres and age markets. She is the creator of Novel Resolution, a year-long novel writing group cohort program that provides writers with the guidance and accountability they need to write a novel.

A long-time fan of KidLit, Sara enjoys giving back to the KidLit community. This is her fourth year hosting KidLit Summer Camp.

This year, Sara shared teaching videos on how to create a strong story premise and how to know the differences between KidLit book categories.

Connect with Sara on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube.