Three Questions With Debut YA Author Nikki Barthelmess (THE QUIET YOU CARRY, launches March 5th)

Nikki Barthelmess is a journalist and author of young adult books. She entered foster care in Nevada at twelve and spent the next six years living in six different towns. During this time, Nikki found solace in books, her journal, and teachers who encouraged her as a writer. The Quiet You Carry is her first novel. You can find out more about Nikki at her website, on Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads.

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Quickie tip: There are no shortcuts. You need to do the work.

Tips for SCBWI conference newbies, second-timers, plus a CHALLENGE for the many-timers

Only a few days until the annual SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC! You can follow the action via the #NY19SCBWI hashtag and (once the conference begins) the SCBWI Conference Blog. I'll be there - if you see me, please do say hi!

The following is a slightly updated version of my annual post; I hope some of you find it useful. 

This comic applies just as much to SCBWI-NYC as SCBWI-LA

To those attending an SCBWI conference for the first time: I'M EXCITED FOR YOU! As some of you already know, my career got jumpstarted at an SCBWI conference. Even if you're unable to attend this year, you can follow along virtually via the #NY17SCBWI hashtag on Twitter as well as the SCBWI conference blog.

In addition to an updated version of my SCBWI newbie tips, I've also added a list of other people's tips; the list of links is at the end of this post. 

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